Filming Log # 1

Production Schedule

Here is mine and Thomas' production schedule, these are the days on which we are planning to film on. Some of the days may change for the clocks go back on the 30th so we may need to change it ti weekend filming for the place we are going to film is generally a dark place and is in the woods. Filming after school would not be practical because it would be ark at 5 o'clock. Though our film is based mostly at night, we would like a few hours of sunlight, filming into dusk some get a range of footage. Also due to safety issues it wouldn't be practical to travel to the location in the dark.

Significance of Setting (Forest)

Setting is very important in film, and it doesn't matter what the setting looks like necessarily. The most important thing is what you do with it. Setting helps set the atmosphere and pans out how the scene will be, you can also gain inspiration and get ideas from your surroundings. And one of the most used settings in the horror / psychological genre is a forest. Now forests are supposed to be calm, tranquil places where one can go and forget about the harsh realities of the 21st century. Towering trees, sound of blowing leaves, green shrubbery and the sound of birds are things commonly associated with forests, and all these things are extremely comforting. This is why the woods is such a nice place to escape to. But there is still something eerie about the woods, a sense of unease and discomfort. A feeling that behind each tree there is something lurking. And this is why horror films like to take advantage of it. In the woods you are in the wilderness, far from quick response if anything goes wrong. In the woods no-one can hear you scream. So many horror films have taken place in a woodland setting, 'Friday the 13th' takes place in a camp in the middle of the woods, 'Cabin in the Woods' (self explanatory), and 'The Evil Dead' also takes place in the woods. There are just so many things in the woods that can give people the feeling of unease, the thought that someone can see you but you cannot see them. The trees that dwarf the passerby can even seem evil and un-welcoming. Especially at night, there is no more terrifying place at night-time, but still at the same time beautiful. A lot of the time when a scene takes place at night in the woods, you can always here crickets, faint sounds of insects, sounds of cracking branches and there is a rolling fog in the background, effecting visibility just enough that it creates a feeling of tension. Most of the time you do not even need to alter the visuals of the setting, just the never ending row of trees seems to go on forever, giving off that effect of isolation and that you are so far from the populated word. Dark, dead trees surround you like demonic relics and hang over you like crooked arms, waiting to consume you.

I thought it would be relevant to post my view on the significance of the woods in horror films for a lot of my trailer will be shot in a woodland setting, and it is just something to think about for I believe  one of the most important factors in creating a successful film / trailer is using your setting well, and also taking inspiration from it to benefit the story.

Problems with production

In class we discussed a number or problems that we could face during filming and planning, we also spoke about ways we could work our way around these issues and deciding whether to scrap the idea altogether.

Props in school:

• Objects could be banned in school
• Unable to get them to school (e.g to big)
• Could be seen as a threat to other students (Knifes, glass etc...)
• Could draw to much attention to you from other students
• Need permission from the school

Solution: Get all of your cast together (with permission from them) and film in a quiet place where you will not disturb anyone, a time before or after school, even breakfast or lunch.

Filming within school grounds:

• Child protection laws, safeguarding.
• Need permission from school to film on site.
• Lighting would be an issue due to the amount of reflective glass, also the general look of the school is different compared to other schools, has a more business center look.
• Live atmosphere we cannot control, need to find an isolated area.
• Could disturb teachers and students who are trying to work.

Solution: Find an isolated area of the school to film in that is also well lit, or if you cannot do that, wait until the day ends to film when it is quiet, or even before school before people arrive. Remember to have permission from the school to film.

Children on film:

• Child protection laws, safeguarding.
• Content of filming could cause emotional or physical harm to under 18's.
• Written consent would have to come from the guardian.
• Depending on the age they may not be self reliant and need someone to look after them.

Solution: Make sure you have gone through the correct protocol with the school, cast and parents. Try to film in the day in a safe environment. The content would have to be suitable for the age of the cast, unless you have consent from them and their parents.

Survey Results (Feedback)

This is pretty straight forward, this is just to make sure that the people who will be viewing our film are of age. Everyone is above the age of 15 so they are able to watch out trailer, for if they were below the age of 15 there would have to be consent from a guardian or parents. Our main audience are the people in our year and mainly in our class, not everyone would be 18 upon the release of our film so I think it would be best to make it a 15. Also there would not be any sexual scenes and I do not want to rely on blood guts and gore to scare the audience I'd rather rely on suspense and real tension.

Again this does not really give us much detail, it is just to find out the male to female ratio in our audience. Many believe that more males like horror films, but study's show that it is pretty much equal, just as many females enjoy to watch horror films. Perhaps to make it more accurate I could hand out questionnaires to the rest of the year so I can get a better boy to girl ratio. Besides whether it is a boy or a girl watching the film it would effect the plot.

Here we can find out how many people within our audience actually like watching films. And it is a bit of a mixed results, 3/7 people say they are die hard film buffs with another 2 saying they are very interested. So this lets me know that there is a big market, even within a small niche group. But also the ones who are slightly interested are still important, for I now want to make my trailer appeal to them and hopefully change their mind. This also allows me to play with the plot more, if there are quite a lot of people who are interested in film I don't have to necessarily make it easy watching. I can  play around with the trailer and make it more psychologically challenging for people who are fans of films would probably enjoy it more, a film that keeps them on the edge of their seat and makes them really think about it.

This is very interesting for our film is horror / psychological based. There is only one out of the seven who are very interested in the horror genre, the rest are slightly interested or quite interested. Now this does not mean there is a small market for the horror genre, not at all, but only within my small niche audience. But again this sets me a challenge, me and the cast will now want to change peoples mind on the horror genre and hopefully give them a new genre to watch. This allows a lot of room for maneuver, because it seems like a lot of people in the audience do not watch horror films on a regular basis, so i now want to take influence from all of my favorite film and directors, and combine them into my film to give them the best experience i possibly can.

This is some very positive feedback for me and my partner Thomas. There is a varied response here with three different sub-genres with multiple votes. Now our film is a bit of a mix between these three genres and has different aspects of all. This gives us a good foundation to start out film from for we can take the best and our favorite aspects from these genres, combine them and include them in our film to give the viewer the best experience. Also one of my biggest dislikes is the over use of gore in horror, and it seems that no-one else is interested also, so I will not have to over-do it in my film.

Again this is very positive feedback, for the majority said they liked suspense in a horror film. And this fits well with our film for it is the idea of 'heard but not seen' so there will be a lot of suspense and tension in out film, along with the odd jump scare thrown in for good measure. Also horror and fear has been chosen by many, which again is fitting with our film because the fear and horror really goes hand in hand with the suspense, we want to install all of these emotions in our audience for we think this is key for making a great trailer.

This shows that 85% of the class prefer big blockbusters to small indie films, good quality production. Which will be hard for us for we are filming on a budget of basically nothing. But I think being an independent company with no budget can help us for we are allowed to break classic conventions and go outside of the box to create our final product. Really challenging the audience. Though I do believe more people enjoy 'blockbusters' because they're much more easily accessible, what I mean is they're everywhere. Billboards, tv adverts, magazines, sides of busses, you can't get away from them. They're in the cinema so we just naturally watch them, and also because generally the production quality is better because they have millions to spend. But independent films don't have that kind of platform and we rarely get to view one, especially a good quality one. Take 'Paranormal Activity' for example still had a $15,000 budget but that's small in comparison to other films, now it is a global franchise with more than 4 films.

Questionnaire Results

Here are the results for my questionnaire. This has been very helpful in deciding the plot for my movie. For me, especially in horror films, finding the right balance is key. You don't want too much blood and gore and you don't want too many jump scares because then it just starts to look cheap and you begin relying on them to make your movie watchable. I want to use classic cinema techniques to make my films scary, relying on tension and suspense to give the audience a thrill. Looking at these results people agree with my statement about blood and guts (Question 2) so that's helpful. Also people don't need love and romance, that is one thing i believe that ruins horror films, romance and lovers and its inevitable a intimate scene is coming up. Other things like what people dislike in horror films will be a key focus also, the one answer I liked was weak narratives. I want to pot itself to be scary, not blood and jump scenes.

The one key thing to remember is despite trying to appeal to a target audience, don't base everything around them. I believe if I do it will not be my own product anymore, my aim isn't to make one persons perfect film. I must still stick with my natural instinct and do what I thinks best for the trailer. Question 8 reveals a lot also, we get to find out what everyones favourite horror film is. This means i can take inspiration from these films and combine different aspects from them to create my film, I believe it is important to look at many other films and take inspiration from them in order to create my product.

Health & Safety

There are various health and safety concerns for me to take mind of in my production. I have 4 separate shooting spots for my film, each requiring different health and safety precautions.
Our first location is the Everard arms pub. This is a chain pub situated in corby. I will be using this to film only a couple of shots for the introduction of my film, using the back room. The permission comes from the fact that one of the cast works there so we have full permission to film there. We will have to pick a time when it is either closed or not very busy to avoid interruptions and causing any issues. We will have to be careful with any probe or equipment due to it all being used in a small space. Due to the small amount of risk, this is a low level risk assessment.
Our second location is situated within the school, the Mac room. This is quite an isolated room and is one of the least busy areas of the school. This works well as it means there is little chance of interrupting any students in lesson. Secondly, we must also be careful of the equipment in the room as it is very expensive and it could possibly harm me or those around me if they were to fall and smash. I must also make sure that the glass reflections don't harm the shot and still allow me to get a good scene taken. I will also be using quite a lot of small props for this shot, so I will have to be careful not to leave the place messy incase somebody potentially trips up. This is also a low level risk assessment as we are in a safe and protected area.

Our third location is one of the cast members house. This is used in a planning shot before leaving for the mill. This is one of the safer places to film as it is within someones bedroom. Still, we must be careful of our surroundings and not cause any harm to ourselves or others. There is pets there so we must be careful for them incase anyone has any type of allergy that may be a risk. This is also a low risk area as we are at somebody's house and there is little possibility of an accident.
Fourthly, our final location is a concrete mill. This is an old shutdown concrete mill on the outskirts of town. It is potentially quite dangerous due to us filming here in the dark as well as there being potentially old machinery about. Because of this, we must not go in the mill and instead get shots around/outside it for safety reasons. We must stick together as it is quite a bit within the woods, incase one of us got lost. We have a trained first aider and will make sure to bring a kit with us incase of any small accidents. Finally, we will al come clothed appropriately to transverse the woods. This is a medium risk. It is quite out of the way and through a trek of woods, coupled with filming in the dark there is some quite serious risks here to be aware of. 

Shooting Script

Shooting Script

Film Workshop

On the 12th of October, my media class and I took a trip to the Corby Cube to receive a talk from BBC cameraman Robert Foster, this was all set up by a local film group. Robert has been active for over 30 years so he has seen various changes in the film-making industry and is very experienced in his industry.  He had worked on various different projects from documentaries, interviews and also big name films like "The Expendables"and "Straw Dogs". I found his talk very interesting for it appealed to my film in many ways. For example he started to talk about lighting and how to capture someones face in the right light, showing different techniques and traditions that I'd never known of. He spoke about using a big piece of polystyrene to help amplify the light which seems like a very cheap and effective method, this was applicable to my film for I will be filming at night and have had issues with lighting in the planning process. Also his talk about different camera angles was very interesting for he showed us many that I had seen and recognised but never known the name of, for example the Dutch Tilt shown below...

Horror Actors

1) Boris Karloff:
Boris Karloff, born in 1887, is one of the greatest actors of all time, he graced the silver-screen with his presence from the 20's right through to the late 60's, perhaps the horror king of the golden age of Hollywood in the 1930's starring in two horror classics, 'Frankenstein' and 'The Mummy'. His transformation into these rolls and deadpan delivery is incredible. Many actors we see today sight Karloff as one of their favourite actors, ask anyone in the horror industry, Karloff's name will come up time and time again. Even under all th
e make-up of Frankenstein, his acting skills and presence till shine through to create an all time classic.

2) Jack Nicholson:
Though Jack is not necessarily just a horror actor, he and director Stanley Kubrick really showed there chemistry in the horror classic 'The Shining'. Nicholson immerses himself in the role as Jack Torrance who looks after an isolated hotel for the winter with his family, slowly losing his sanity. Nicholson does a great job in showing his loss of sanity throughout the film. And he has shown his versatility in other genres of film from comedy to action, look at 'Batman', 'Anger Management' and even 'the Departed'. He is not as active anymore for he is well into his 70's but he has left a mark on the silver screen that can never be wiped off. Leaving a firm stamp on the horror genre.


3) Christopher Lee:
Another all time great, in my opinion one of the greatest actors to come from the UK. Lee, like Nicholson, shows his versatility in many different roles from his role as Count Dooku in 'Star Wars' to Count Dracula in 'Dracula'. Dracula is probably his most famous work, immersing himself in the role as the Transylvanian Count and creating the greatest interpretation of Dracula anyone has ever seen, no-one has ever been able to match it. He brought a certain class and charm to the character as-well as still keeping it scary. His career spanned from the 50's right through till his untimely death last year. Lee will go down as one of the greatest and most gracious actors of all time, his deep soothing voice playing over and over again in his many great roles.

4) Peter Cushing:
I think a lot of people forget about Peter Cushing because he did not neccesarily have a lot of main roles, he usually played someone on the side, never the less still a big part and his great acting skills still make his presence known. He has starred alongside Lee in many different films, for example 'Dracula', 'Hound of the Baskervilles' and also 'Star Wars'. His most famous role is in 'The Curse of Frankenstein' where he plays the creator of Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein. Like Lee his British accent makes him stand out from those around him, and his somewhat Shakespearian play delivery produces that bit of class and charm that we are all so familiar with in his movies.

Horror Directors

Looking for a great horror film? Just pick one of the many great films from one of these directors. All of them are critically acclaimed and have helped shape horror movie production into what it is today.

1) Stanley Kubrick:

Though he did not only focus on horror films, he still created some of the best of all time. Born in 1928 he is best known for his work directing "the Shining" the film based on the book of the same name by Stephen King. Critically acclaimed as one of the greatest films of all time, Kubrick does a great job in creating tension and genuine fear in the audience with virtually no jump-scares or over the top gore, he is a master at his craft. The setting and camera techniques he uses are genius, installing fear in the viewer even when there is nothing to be afraid of. He has also showed his great directing skills in other films such as the controversial 'A Clockwork Orange' based on a dystopian future Britain and also lets not forget the sci-fi epic '2001: A Space Odyssey', and this really shows his genius behind the camera for if you looked at the film today you would not think it was made in 1968. The camerawork is simple beautiful.


2) George.A. Romero:

The father of all modern zombie films, he is a pioneer in the industry and still going strong. Every technique, cliché and general plot in every zombie flick you see today was created or first done by Romero. Born in 1940 he is most famous for his small budget, independent film 'Night of the Living Dead' one of the first mainstream zombie movies. This film was made using only two cameras and all the special effects used are real, and though there is no over the top gore or blood it still installs fear in the audience because of the very quiet atmosphere throughout the whole film and also the black and white film. He went on to release a string of spin-offs and sequels which again all received critical acclaim and are seen as classics in the eyes of everyone.


3) Wes Craven:
Wes Craven, perhaps the king of 80's horror. He has created countless classic throughout the decades from 'The Hills Have Eyes' in the 70's, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' in the 80's and 'Scream' in the 90's. All of these films which are decade defining horror films and all great pieces of film. But his best known work I'd say was on 'A Nightmare on Elm' street. Now I'm not a fan of horror films that over exploit blood, sex and gore and if one film does this it is 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. But Wes is a genius and had one of the best minds in the industry and has an eye for creating iconic characters, in this case Freddy Krueger. And the plot of the film really makes it scary, but also a classic, there is nothing more terrifying than someone, (nevermind an undead man with a big claw on his hand) who can kill you in your dreams and the only way to stop him is to go into your dream and kill him yourself. And the great thing about this film is that as our main protagonists try to fight sleep you start to see their mental health deteriorate and you are never quite sure when they are asleep or when they are awake, creating a lot of confusion but at the same time making it a great and timeless watch.


4) Alfred Hitchcock:

And last but certainly not least, Alfred Hitchcock, born in 1899. A pioneer and visionary director who is widely seen as one of the greatest directors of all time. He is best known for his work on the infamous classic 'Psycho' (1960). Which tells the story of a man named Norman Bates who lives in a hotel with his estranged 'mother'. It is considered one of the all time great horror films and inspired many directors and other films. Everyone has seen the infamous shower scene were one of the protagonists is stabbed as she pulls back the shower curtain. This scene has been re-created and parodied many times, it is probably one of the most recognizable scenes of all time. Though he has received a lot of criticism from the masses for his objectification of women in his films, leading many to call him a misogynist. Despite this no-one can deny he was one of the greatest minds in film history, this is why his films still have such a huge influence today.

Gladewick Productions (Brief introduction to our company)

Our production company is called Gladewick Productions, we are an independent and niche film company that has a deep investment in the horror genre. The company is founded and based in the UK and only deals with domestic advertising. Our goal is to advertise high quality but low budget psychological horror films that push the boundaries and will deeply intrigue our audience.

Age, Legal Responsibilities, Copyright & Regulation (BBFC)

What is the BBFC?
The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification which was set-up in 1912 and sets age restrictions on films released on home video and the cinema.

Age Classification:
I think that my railer will be classified as an 15 because there will be scenes of violence, blood, murder, swearing and numerous jump-scares. Though many 15's include sexual activity or some form of nudity, our trailer will not for I do not think this is effective in a horror film.  In horror terms sex is an overused gmmick. Also the setting we are filming is' an shutdown old steel mill, so the age rating would also come with a prior warning to warn impressionable teens, just incase they tried to do it and anything went wrong. Though there is scenes of violence in the trailer it still does not make it an 18, there will be blood and injury's but the camera it will not be dwelled on or exaggerated, making it acceptable for a 15. The violent imagery will not be the focus of the film, more a psychological horror. Plays with the senses.

Legal Responsibilities:
One of the key things to make sure of when creating your film is to make sure everything you are doing is legal, but also ensure everyones safety. The location we are filming is a shut down mill that is no longer in use. So there is a lot of old unused machinery around and many health hazards. But they will only be hazards if we are not aware of them, if we set out duties and precautions before we go then it will all go according to plan. For example there will be no shooting anywhere that is deemed unsafe, like raised platforms that could be unsafe. Also there will be a trained first aider with a first aid kit online. The only issue is the location itself, we do not have any permission to film there, though many people have been there without consent and it has been closed for multiple years. But that is something I am going to look into more before I start shooting. All of the people who are in the film and making it, (Me and Thomas as-well as the actors) have all agreed to make a risk assessment to ensure maximum safety and minimise any risk of anyone getting hurt.

The process requires you to: 

• take the time to systematically look at your activities
• decide what hazards they present
• assess the risk of people being exposed to these hazards
• find ways to either eliminate or control them

(taken from http://www.hse.gov.uk/entertainment/theatre-tv/film.htm)

Censorship and Regulations:

Both these terms are often mixed up, a regulation is a law or order that clearly states how something should or should not be done, no questions asked. Where as censorship is suppressing it from a certain age group or suppressing certain parts of a film or even the whole thing. Alot of films are censored, put it this way, we never see the finished product there are always things altered and cut. For example, and this is an extreme case but a good example, the film 'cannibal holocaust' was a film from the late 1970's and told the story of a documentary crew going to research an ancient tribe in south America, one of the first films to use the found footage style of shooting. People actually believed that the actors were actually being killed in the footage, leading many to believe it was a real snuff film. This was due to the intense and realistic killings and gore, the director was even taken to court until the actors came out of hiding to defend him. This film is still banned in many countries today and can only be viewed by looking online, and then it still isn't easy. That is just an example of extreme censorship. Though for most films, there are not censored so bad it ruins the films, some countries and censorship boards have different things they don't like. Like I said all films we see aren't how it actually is, there is always something cut from the final product due to censorship.

Copyright:

Going back to the legal side of things, another key thing to consider is copyright. The text we will be using for the title and text in the trailer is from a copyright free website with free downloads, we are currently looking at Fontspace. And we have already picked out over half an hours worth of copyright free music to be included in the movie, we've made sure that everything we use is copyright free. Copyright issues are rife in the film industry, and you can lose a lot of money if you go around using copyrighted products, and if it is copyrighted, make sure to contact the owner or holder to see if you are able to use it.

My Trailer Mood-board

Here is the mood-board / collage for my trailer. I basically tried to set out a very basic plot, or general feeling for my trailer. Looking at it you can see the woods and abandoned house, my trailer will be featured in an abandoned mill in the middle of the woods, giving off the effect of isolation and the overpowering sense of nature. And if you pay attention to the other images, the hands, footprints, man in the corner you will notice that none of them are really graphic for a horror film. And that is my plan, I don't want it to be full of blood and gore, i want to intrigue the viewer by tension and  anxiousness (kind of heard but not seen, giving the feeling that something is always watching). My mood-board is also black and white for most of my trailer will be shot at night and it also re-enforces the horror genre and sets the atmosphere. You will not see my antagonist / monster / villian, it will only be heard or nearby like a stalker. But also my villian is not one being, it is an energy of the dead.

Detailed Target Audience Profile

Name: Craig Fox
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Socio-demographic: C1
Race: White

Craig has just recently finished University studying media production and lives in leeds in a one bedroom flat with his dog Henry He has a part-time job working in a local bar primarily working nights. His favourite actor is horror and cinema legend Boris Karloff. He thoroughly enjoys horror films, especially classics like 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Children of the Corn', he see's these an an escape and likes to imagine himself in these situations without actually being there, he get's a certain adrenaline rush out of it. He often stays up very late at night and watches multiple different horror films and sometimes likes to post his reviews on various different blogs and talk to people about what they have watched and there opinions. But he also likes other genres not just horror, for example comedy. One of his favourite films is Superbad. Around his flat are numerous posters of films like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, but also music posters. Craig is an avid music fan, his favourite bands are the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Stooges. He goes to a lot of gigs, most recently Metallica in Reading. Craig is also a very big fan of fast-food, primarily indian food. With many fast food dishes (mcdonalds, burger king, chinese, indian, dominos)lying around his very messy flat, on-top of all of his clothes that are strewn about the room.He enjoys socialising with friends and often goes out nearly every Friday and Saturday night, you can usually find him in a local nightclub or bar. But during the week he enjoys a trip to the cinema, often viewing a film more than once.

The Cabin in the Woods Trailer Analysis

The Cabin in the Woods is a very misleading film with a big twist, the trailer is the same. It starts with the stero-typical American horror film characters (loosely based), Jock, Cheerleader, Stoner etc. They all get in a RV and drive to a holiday house in the woods, with upbeat catchy non-diagetic music playing you could mistake this for a romance or a comedy. But the music quickly changes to a more sinister sound as the trailer processes, signalling the characters path into danger. The sound / music is critical in film, it sets the atmosphere and foreshadows events, especially in this trailer. Non-Diabetic music is used very effectively. Some 'found footage' camera work is also used in the trailer, giving the viewer the impression this actually happened, or at least makes it seem a little more realistic.

Long shots are used effectively to help show the surroundings, like when they are driving into the woods. A long show is used to show how small they are in comparison to nature. Close up shots are also used to show the characters faces when they see and enter the cabin, showing clear signs of unease and discomfort. The close up shots along with the sound is key in creating the atmosphere, playing with peoples emotions and creating a tense setting. Then the twist is revealed, showing that the strange occurrences are being controlled by a company who are trying to sacrifice our protagonists. Then towards the end of the trailer, there are numerous jump cuts showing all of the action, blood, death, sex gore, all the things people want to see in a horror film and this rush of action fuels peoples adrenaline and makes them want to go and see this film. It happens in a lot of horror / action trailers, towards the end lots of action scenes are shown. It's sort of foreshadowing, slightly showing whats going to happen, but you have to go and pay to see the full thing. Clever marketing.

Matrix Trailer Analysis

The trailer opens with the Warner Bros. logo, but instead of the gold WB and blue sky, its a dark green WB and dark clouds. Instantly giving the film a dark gritty tone to it and also setting it up as a sci-fi based film. The binary text also enforces the sci-fi feel also. Then it cuts to the New York City skyline showing the tops of sky-scrapers and the sky showing that the film is an urban / inner city based film. Also the text "in an ordinary world" foreshadows the fact that there are alternate universes in the film but also re-enforces the psychological aspect of the film. And this scene is followed by our protagonist Neo sitting in his dark office, alone. Again re-enforcing the psychological aspect. But the most important thing I noticed was the green tint on everything, the text and in every scene, it is either green or has a green tint. That goes with the sci-fi genre but is also the colour of the Matrix.

The scene were Neo is alone also presents him as a loner, who is isolated from the outside world. Presenting him as vulnerable in the 'ordinary' world. And by having an isolated, lonely protagonist the audience is given a chosen / holy one, a common character in sic-fi based films where one individual is seen as the key to success and victory. They are usually an everyday person who has some sort of special ability they are un-aware of. The repetition of the constant dull, bleak, urban surroundings allows us to see things through Neo's eyes. Then the two other protagonists are introduced, the mentor and the sidekick / love interest. Again the psychological aspect of the film is exposed, when Neo's mentor tells him he is a slave in the real world. Then the main dilemma is revealed, an evil mutant agent who is described as 'unstoppable' and no-one has ever beaten. The middle section of the trailer is heavily juxtaposed with the first segment. In the first part it shows everyday boring life, pretty basic. But then it goes onto describe the Matrix with bending spoons, martial arts and things defying the natural order. This juxtaposition of sequences is very effective in capturing the audience who are intrigued by the camerawork and graphics.

Towards the end of the trailer more action scenes are included, showing the infamous 'bullet time' camera-work. This is where shots are fired at Neo and he breaks the laws of physics by bending backwards in slow motion to avoid them. This now enforces the action sub-genre aspect of the film for it is a combination of sic-fi and action, with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

Questionnaire (Audience Research)

This is the questionnaire I handed out in todays lesson, it is to find out what people like and do not like in horror films. This is to give us a better idea into what the audience wants to see in a film and will help us plan our trailer. It is very important to see what your audience think, after all they are the people who will be reviewing and judging your product. You need to take many things into account, age, gender, interests. If not you are just shooting in the dark and without a market it is quite hard to make a film because you have no-one to aim it at.

When we get the results and review them it will really help us start to get an idea of what we want to do with our media text.

What makes a good horror film?

What makes a good horror film? Well it's a rhetorical question, there is no clear answer. And if there was there would be no such thing as a bad horror film, just look at the Friday the 13th, or Halloween, or even A Nightmare on Elm Street. All hallmark horror films with iconic characters. But lets be honest they are not the most intriguing horror films. Relying on overused, outdated gimmicks and clichés such as, teen sex, blood, guts and gore. And lets not forget "the trip", it happens in every single time. The protagonist is running away from the pursuing villain and they always seem to fall over, whether it be a tree branch or nothing at all. And surprisingly in every film, they never get up, they crawl forward a couple of feet and are then swiftly captured, meeting there expected demise. What I'm getting at is, I don't want my film to be like all these other predictable and cliché films, so in order to do this there needs to be thorough research and advice from my peers.

The thing is with horror films, most of them seem to be picked from the same barrel of clichés and tropes, and once you start seeing the seams, it's not hard to notice them in each horror you watch. And the thing that annoys me is that these clichés are used over and over and over again, I really can't remember the last horror film that actually shocked me, and didn't just rely on jump scares or something lurking at the edge of the frame. And in the past ten years the found footage genre has taken off. Most people would say it started, or gained notoriety with the release of 'The Blair Witch Project'. And when this first came out it was a fairly original concept. It had the classic screams and odd jump scare, but it did not need blood, guts, sex and gore to shock the audience. It just relied on the constant tension, silence, forest setting, and most importantly the documentary style footage, giving the impression that it actually happened. But it is now 2015, and the found footage genre is slowly becoming predictable and outdated. Though I still believe that this is the most effective way to scare / shock my audience. It is not possible to come up with something completely original, but I think the best way to create a great film, (or trailer), is to make it un-predictable. You could have the worst plot in the world with bad actors, but if you make it un-predictable you can still produce a shocking and good film. Steer clear of overused clichés and tropes. A film that I really enjoyed was 'The Cabin in the Woods', I think it is one of the smartest horror films to date, because it was one, scary, but two, original. It starts with the cliché, 5 stereotypical teens on their way to stay in a cabin in the woods. Upon entering they all instantly have a "bad feeling", having second thoughts about their choice. Then surprise-surprise, they all start drinking and having sex, with zombies rising from the dead and approaching the house. But the big twist comes when we find out that these zombies are being controlled by a company who sacrifice a small group of humans in order to save the human race from an unseen god. So this movie plays on classic clichés and stereotypes, but in a way mocks them and turns a crappy cliché horror flick into an un-predictable sci-fi horror.

There is no clear answer to what makes a good horror film. My thoughts are keep it original, keep it un-predictable. Only then will you have total attention and control over your audience.

DESPERO (First Trailer Draft)

A2 Media Trailer

Title: DESPERO (Latin for no hope or despair)

Age Rating: 18

DESPERO is about four friends who are making a film for a media project about a local rumour. They go to an infamous spot (concrete mill), very well known in the local area where back in the 1960’s dozens of workers were killed when one of the tanks exploded and 3 other men were killed when they fell into a water filled hole and drowned (there’s actually a deep hole of water on the site with warning signs). Various rumours and tales are told, stories like people who never return upon entering. When the four boys arrive to start filming it all starts to go wrong, and what they once thought was a lie, begins to come true.

Stage I:

Four characters, Jamie (Princess), Ethan (Hero), Luke (False-hero), Ryan (The Helper II, behind camera).

All four boys are sitting in the mac room at school, researching the area and planning out their film. Background information is revealed about the site and the strange disappearances that nobody believes.

Stage II:

Ethan, Ryan, Jamie and Luke are walking up to the location through the forest, everyone admitting their nerves and an overwhelming feeling of unease.  Upon arrival at the location everyone splits up and starts looking around the site, looking for places to film and thinking of ideas. When filming noises are going off, bangs, smashes that are created on purpose, then un-explained and un-planned occurrence’s start happening. Also Luke starts to act odd, bursts of anger and sadness. (Jump-scare) Ryan almost hit by object thrown by unknown person. Jamie goes to take a piss.

Stage III:

Everyone starts to panic and realise that something is off, and the gate they used to come in will not open. Luke’s fits of anger become a lot worse until he passes out and starts having a fit on the floor. Ryan notices that Jamie has not returned and sets out to find him while Ethan helps Luke. It’s clear now that there is something seriously wrong with the location they are in, but they must find Jamie before they can leave.

Stage IV:

Jamie is heard shouting for help in one of the rooms, but when Ryan try’s to open the door it is locked. When Ryan goes to look for something to open the door with,   Jamie is heard screaming, Ryan eventually opens the door and Jamie is found dead covered in blood. Luke’s situation becomes worse and Ethan tells shouts for Ryan to hurry up. Jamie’s body has to be left and Ryan and Ethan who is carrying Luke make a break for the gate which they pry open. When they start to run away from the mill, they see Jamie’s lifeless body standing at the end of the road.

(The whole trailer itself will be very quiet, with a faint piano in the background in some scenes, this is a detailed version of the trailer and a lot of the plot included will be cut from the final piece)

ShiningTrailer Analysis

The Shining: Trailer Analysis

The opening scene is a wide-angle shot, showing the surrounding forest and rolling hills. This is a common setting in horror films because it gives off the effect of isolation. By using a wide angled, tracking shot we are able to see the family car aswell as the forest. The forest overwhelms the small car and creates the feeling that the family in the car is vulnerable to their surroundings or some sort of paranormal being. Over the footage there is some non-diagetic dialogue, where we here one of the characters tell Jack Torrance [our male lead] the history of the hotel and the fate of the last caretaker. Foreshadowing Jack’s demise. Throughout this there is also multiple jump cuts and flash-forwards, showing Jack’s deterioration into madness. As it climaxes with Jack hacking at the door with an axe, non-diagetic music climaxes then falls silent, showing Jack assuring the hotel owner that this wont happen, they all then laugh. Dramatic irony is used here effectively for we know Jacks fate. Again multiple jump cuts are used, showing different scenes from the film. And the hotel owner, [voice over from before] reveals the main dilemma of the film, self-isolation. It again goes back to the series of jump cuts, now much faster and showing Jacks descent into madness. The speed of the cuts helps build the tension and help portray his unstable mentality to the audience. It climaxes with blood flowing from the elevator and Jack hacking through a door with an axe, and as he breaks though The Shining appears in big bold letters. The last scene shows Jack laughing to himself, clarifying his descent into madness and re-enforcing the psychological element.

The Shining: Trailer Analysis [Re-cut]

The re-cut is clearly fake due to out of sync dialogue and voice overs, but it is still very well put together and really does look like another film. It opens with Jack at the reception, with multiple scenes of him on his typewriter, the added voiceover reveals that he is trying to write a book but is struggling for ideas, and by recycling scenes from the original trailer and adding voice overs, the trailer now has a plot. In the original trailer when Jack is talking to the hotel owner it is about the troubles of looking after the hotel, and the fate of the previous caretaker, but in the re-cut it looks like he is talking about his book We then meet his family, his wife Wendy and step-son Danny. The main dilemma of the film is revealed, Jack is struggling to write his book and does not spend enough time with his family. Scenes of Danny playing on his own are used to highlight the fact he is alone and lacks a father figure. The same goes for Jack, multiple jump cuts are shown, showing him throwing plates in anger, but this time it is due to him struggling to write his book, not going mad because of the self isolation. The trailer then changes, instead of talking about the dilemma more, it shows them spending time as a family, recycling scenes to make it look like they are a happy family going through a rough patch. Then it ends with the same bold writing reading SHINING, by removing THE, the film seems more happy and family based, simple alterations can make a big difference. The Shining, and Shining give two very different representations.