Research & planning: Podcast 1

Research & Planning: Analysis of trailer

This is the trailer for 'Case 39' which was released in 2009 and directed by Christian Alvart.

Genre: The genre of this film is horror and it shows conventional themes such as mystery, the devil and story line's that feature children.The film is rated 15 in the UK which would attract a wider audience.It fits with Andrew Sarris' theory that film have 'a recognisable style that draws on an existing audience'. As it features themes that people are familiar with it will make them more likely to see the film.

Representation:The trailer goes against Laura Mullvey's theory as the main character are females and although they are victims of what is haunting them and some of the make characters are killed off in the film before the females.It is also suggested the young girl is evil character which could be seen as a stereotypical feature of the genre.

Narration: The narration in the film is from the social workers point of view.In this trailer we see Todorov's theory as it the begining of the trailer there is equilibruim as Renee Zellweger character is at a party talking about her job. The trailer shows the story unfolding as she given a new case that is shown as challenging. We are shown a series of peaks in the trailer and some of the climax.However we aren't shown the new equilibruim like in most trailers.

Audience: As the rating is 15, teenagers who are interested in horror films would enjoy this genre. Any gender could see the film and it would appeal to either genders.This trailer is passive the audience can sit back and take in the information but also try and figure out why the parents were trying to kill the girl and why paranormal things are happening when she is around.

Media Language 

Cinematography:The trailer uses a two shot at the beginning when the character is talking about her job, it is also a mid shot to see the expressions on her face. Mid shots are used frequently to show the characters expressions which is suitable for the genre. A high angle is used on Renee Zellwegers character as she is in control of taking the girl away from her abusive parents.Long shots are used in action scenes to show what is happening fully making it clear to the audience.

Editing: fast paced editing is used through out and this works well during action scenes. Fades to black are used between each of the shots . The speed of the shots increases through out and at the begining the shots are more slow and when they are action scenes the speed increaees creating tension.

Sound: The sound is slow at the beginning and increases at tension points within the trailer, especially when the young girl is telling the social worker what her parents do to her. The music changes to slower and more sad as the social worker takes the young girl home. The sound effects increase when the people are getting hurt and this creates tension. Also when they're is no music it creates atmosphere.

Mise en scene: The location used are the house where the girl is taken from which has an eery feel and the social workers house. As the location are relatively normal this makes the film more scary. Clothing the characters wear is normal and typical of the characters ages and job roles.

Research & Planning: More questionnaire results

What locations would you expect to see in a horror film to make it more believable?

• Old, dark and foggy
• Dark, low key lighting
• Rainy, damp places
• Alley ways
• Bathroom mirror scenes
• Woods
• Gothic style buildings
• Graveyard
• Scary houses

What background music and sound effects would you expect to hear in a horror film?

• Suspence sounds
• Music
• Breathing, footsteps
• Creaky doors
• Screams
• Slow music
• High pitched
• 
  

Research & Planning: Teaser trailer conventions

Teaser trailers are different from clips from films as they have to sell the film to their target audience in order to make them go and see the film at the cinema.  Teaser trailers/ trailers usually include the following;

• Montage of clips from the film
• Peaks of the film shown in the trailer
• Voiceover or titles
• Title of film
• Release date
• Actors in the film
• Certificate
• Studio name
• Director

Here is an example of type of trailer that we could make:

Here is an example of the type of trailer that would be unrealistic to make:

Research & Planning: Questionnaire charts

These results have given us more of an idea of what our target audience would prefer to see from our trailer, we are going incorporate these results and use them to go our trailer more well suited to the audience.

Research & Planning: Questionnaire's

Audience Research: Genre Research

 This is the list of highest grossing horror films in the US from imdb, I have included the top 6.

 This list is the highest grossing supernatural horror films from box office mojo.

This list is the highest grossing slasher horror films from box office mojo.

Research & Planning: Target Audience Prezi

Target Audience on Prezi

This prezi includes information on my target audience.

Research & Planning: Theories of audience compared

The hypodermic model- The message within the film is directly received and accepted by the audience. Take what they need from the film.

Cultivation theory- People are more likely to believe social reality portrayed on tv.

Desensitisation- Less sensitive to violence/horror shown as seen so much in film and media.

Copycat theory- People take an idea from a film and copy it real life.

Uses and gratifications- Select messages within the film that we agree with and ignore messages that don't interest us.

Research & Planning: Trailer Analysis 1

The trailer that I will be looking at is 'Devil' a film which came out in 2010, written by M. Night Shyamalan.

Genre- The genre of this film is horror with elements of mystery and thriller.This film is rated a 15, most likely to draw in a wider audience. It fits with Andrew Sarris' theory that film have 'a recognisable style that draws on an existing audience', as the film is about the devil which is a popular theme for horror films. Another recognisable feature the victims and villians within the film and expected twist with who is which.


Representation- Laura Mulvey's theory 'the male gaze' suggests that all cinema is filmed from a males view and women are objectified. This trailer supports this theory as only 2 characters are women and the rest of the cast are male and it shown mainly from the males view in the lift or the male police detectives, also the narrator is male. Although it is not shown in the trailer the younger woman is subject to some sexual comments from the males and both women are stereotypically potrayed as weaker and more afraid, although there is a switch in roles at the end of film when the devil is revealed.

Narration- In this trailer we see Todorov's theory as it the begining of the trailer there is equilibruim as the character are shown going into the lift like any normal day and then in trailer we also see disruption as the chaos unfolds in the lift and is trying to be resolved. We see the peaks of the disruption in the trailer and it careful not to give to much any but still giving the viewer an idea of what the film is about. However we aren't shown the new equilibruim resolved to make the viewer want to go and see the film to see how the disruption is resolved. There is also an anti hero in the film which is revealed more as the plot develops.

Audience- The target audience for the film is people over 15 who enjoy horror films. Any gender could enjoy this film and people who are interest in horror films centred around the devil and possession may also be interested in the film. This trailer is passive the audience can sit back and in the information but some may find it active as they try to guess who is causing the paranormal activity in the lift.




Media Language 

Cinematography-The trailer uses close up of each of the characters before they enter the lift this creates the impression that all the characters are suspects. The trailer uses two shots through out both with character in the lift and the police officers watching the CCTV.During the footage of the city the camera is upside down which is quite uneasy to watch. A lot of pan movements are used to go around the character and move over to other characters.

Editing- Tight framing is used to create the claustrophobic feeling within the lift and show the tension and suspense between the characters.
Straight cuts are used in the trailer however a lot of fade to black and dissolve transitions are used which shows the different characters effectively. Some parts of the trailer are also in slow motion and highlight significant parts of the plot, eg when the lift arrives and two character turn to go and get in it. There also moments in  the trailer when the screen is complete black and only music or character can be heard.

Sound- The trailer uses non diegetic sound in the form of music which increases in pitch as the character enter the lift highlighting to the audience that is where the action will take place. Sound effects of a lift are also used to create tension especially at the end of the trailer as some sinister scenes are being shown.
Diegetic sound is used as the characters exclaim their fear during the trailer.

Mise en scene- The location of the trailer is inside the building and lift where the paranormal activities take place, this is the central location and where most of the plot unfolds. We also see other character around the building, such as the police detectives watching the CCTV. There also some shot of the city of Philadelphia showing where the film is set.Costumes are modern clothing and represent the characters job roles eg the sales man in smart suit, the security in a uniform and the wife of a rich husband in smart outfit with expensive jewellry.

Research & Planning: Meeting

My partner is currently off from college however before she went we decided on some things for our trailer.

Firstly we decided I will be in charge of mise en scene and Beth will be in charge of cinematography. We have not deciding on editing and sound yet but we did discuss sharing these two areas, however that may not work.

We have two ideas for our plot, one about a stalker and one about a possession, our stalker idea is more development and is most likely the one we will use.

Research & Planning: Audience Interviews

Interview 2- From the Interview with Jess we found that she is more interested in seeing a 15 rated film as although she likes certain horror film, 18 rated films wouldn't interest her, this is good as we want our trailer to be rated a 15.
Plots that interested Jess included

Research & Planning: Interview Questions

Interview questions for trailer.

1. What would you expect to see in a horror film trailer?

2.What would make you want to go and see a horror film?

3.What elements in a trailer make you want to go and see the film.

4. Do plots about stalker or possession interest you? Which would you prefer?

5.Would you rather see an eighteen rated horror film or a fifteen rated horror film?

6.  What kind of music do you associate with horror?

7. How long would you expect the trailer to be?

8. What location do you associate with horror films?

Research & Planning: Photoshop Challenge Film Poster

This my film poster I made during the photo shop challenge in the same genre as the trailer we will be making, which is horror.

I think this poster works well shows clearly the genre of the film due to the dark colours used and sinister image. I also like the font used as it fits with the genre and it stands out against the dark background used.

I think to improve my poster I could have filled the space underneath the title of the film and also included a film production logo to make the poster look more official.

In photo shop I remembered how to insert an image, write text and move it around and also how to move and place an image. I also re-learnt how to use the magic wand tool to cut around images more easily. All these skills I learnt in media last year.

Research & Planning: Regulation & Censorship

We have chosen to make our horror film and trailer a 15 because we want to appeal to a wider audience and feel both our plot ideas would suit the age 15+ well. Our trailer for the film would mostly likely have to air after watershed due the certificate being it would be more likely to draw in our suited audience.

Out genre impacts on the certificate as most horror films are a 15 or eighteen but due to the plot ideas we have we decided a 15 would suit the storyline better and is close to the age of our target audience.

Research and Planning: Pitch for horror film

Pitch for horror film from GabyMurphy


This is the pitch for my horror film, it includes our ideas so far and things we need to learn in order to create the trailer. 

Research & Planning: The Test

Cinematography

We used a variety of camera angles and shots. Close ups were used to show the characters looking for each other and showed facial expressions. A two shot was used at the end when the character had found each other. We used some different camera angles in the clip including a worms eye view as the camera is looking up at the character on a higher level. We also used over the shoulder shots and eye line shots. I think to make the clip better we could have used a tripod so the camera isn't as wobbly and the shots can be seen more clearly.

Editing

We used simple editing transitions such as dissolves when the view point of the characters changed and a fade at the end of clip. Straight cuts were also used through out the clip. The editing transitions worked well as they didn't distract from what was happening in the clip and helped to show when another characters view. During the clip we sped up the scene to show 'the chase' and with the music this made the clip more comedic. We also slowed down the clip at the end when the characters had finally found each other again this fitted with the chosen music.We could have included some more editing transitions however it may have taken away from the plot of the clip.

Sound

We used non diegetic sound during the clip rather than diegetic sound. We used three different songs during the clip and they showed what was happening during the clip and fitted well in each scene.The songs worked well as the audience will hopefully be able to tell what is happening due to the music. I think the music fits with the comedy genre and helps create atmosphere.

Mise-en-scene

We set our clip in a college because and the college setting helped greatly with this making the clip more realistic. We shot the first parts outside college and then the later parts inside.