Magazine Draft No. 2

This is the second draft of my magazine, originally I was going to create my own magazine called "PURGED" but after multiple drafts and weeks of trying to find the right style I decided to use an existing magazine, and I've chosen EMPIRE. EMPIRE is an international seller and is one of the biggest magazines in circulation, and arguably the biggest movie based magazine out there. This is only my first draft of my new magazine so there's a lot of work that needs to be done. The hardest part is filling the pages with articles making sure they are in line and in the right place, it needs to look professional as if someone would actually buy the magazine. I am currently awaiting feedback from my teacher, I'm going to keep working on it over the next few days and hopefully I'll get come constructive feedback to improve my magazine. The main thing that is missing at the minute is the main image, like with my poster I had not taken any actual photos for my auxiliary products so I am planning to go out and film tomorrow with Thomas and Luke and we will be getting footage for the trailer but also taking some photos for my poster and magazine, I plan on taking quite a few so I can pick and choose what fits best.

Poster Draft No. 4

Draft 4, nearly finished. Upon receiving feedback from my teacher I made all the alterations I needed to. Firstly, I have changed the credit block, before it seemed like a list and the text was a bit to large, it was also to far into the middle of the page. So I changed the font size, added more to it and set it out better so it stretches to further across the poster. Then I changed the tag line "THE NIGHT IT CAME HOME" it was to small and did not stand out compared to anything else on the poster. The title "CASSETTE I" I also changed, again like the tagline it was too small and along with the main image, the title should be one of the first things that stands out, and it didn't. So I enlarged it after I made more room by altering the credit block. Also along the bottom I noticed that I had a British age rating of 15 but also an American G rating, reading "All Ages Admitted" which I did not notice, so i took it out and kept the British 15 rating. I also fixed the font for WWW.CASSETTEFILM.COM for before it looked like more like an armed forces font. Then I included my company logo, Gladewick Productions. The final thing I must do is find a new main image, I did notice at first the photo was quite creepy but wasn't very clear for it was a screenshot from the trailer itself, and also my teacher pointed that out. Tomorrow we are going out to film some more of our trailer and I am going to take a couple of new shots and decide which one I am going to use on my front cover.

Many of the changes made are minor and you would probably not notice at first glance unless compared to my other three drafts, but nonetheless they are effective. I am hoping to have the final poster finished and on my blog by tomorrow evening.

Poster Draft No. 3

This is my third draft and I'm very happy with it. I added a few more features, the tagline along the top of the poster and the 'general audiences', website link, and 'dolby digital' logo. I also put my main image into Pixlr and edited it. I darkened the nostrils, and mainly concentrated on the left hand side of the face for it was far brighter than the other side before i edited it, and it stood out significantly. I prefer using Pixlr to Photoshop, despite photoshop being generally better software. One, its easier to use, and two I wasn't doing very advanced editing, just shading in the face and manipulating the general brightness of the photo. I am waiting on opinion of my teacher to see what else I need to to or what could be changed.

Revising Locations

Another one of the issues with our old script was actually getting to the locations, one of the locations we tried to use an old abandoned steel mill was locked by the council because it was deemed dangerous, and setting plays a huge part in film so when you are not able to use a specific setting you planned to use, it really affects the rest of the film. Even the woods became near impossible to film in due to bad weather, it was just to muddy and unsafe due to steep and slippy terrain. So this really effected the film, then we decided to re-write the plot with new locations. The new locations are far safer and easier to get to, but still great places where I can get some good shots. I would also like to base my plot around the setting, it really helped me re-write the story. I'd like to shoot quite a bit of the trailer in my own house, a big part of the film is isolation and the feeling that the protagonist is being watched, driving him into his home in fear. We have already done a bit of filming with new locations, and putting filters and effects over footage really helps set atmosphere and a level of suspense I've found. 

 - This shot pictured above is one of the newer pieces of footage, we took this at a path near my house that leads into a field by a lake. I have included this in the new storyboard for I believe there are quite a few good shots we could get out here. Also this is what I mean by adding effects and filters, it was quite a sunny day, not very intimidating. So I altered the brightness and put a filter over the footage and it has a very eerie look, especially when you see the actual footage with the backing track. Very effective.

- The shot pictured below took us nearly an hour to get, we had to go into my attic but its very cluttered and not a lot of room to move and because we couldn't see the camera screen it really was just a case of trial and error. We couldn't see where his headd was until he came down, I went up and watched the footage. Eventually we thought, go up, but move up and down so start high and gradually come lower so we definitely get your head in the shot. This is a scene I really want to re-shoot because it could be very effective, but I'd like to get more of his body in it and more of the attic.

25 Word Pitch including Youtube Video

"A teen psychological horror, featuring a constant state of paranoia and unease with an unnamed stalker who is ever watching, waiting for the right moment"

Reflection on Production so Far

Filming has been much harder than expected, there is so many things I didn't really take into account before we started filming. Finding actors, getting them together at the same time, reviewing the footage on the computer after, lighting, camera angles and general audio. So at first, personally I struggled. I was very excited at first, so when I wrote the first plot I went  into a lot of detail because I wanted to create the most impressive trailer I could. Then when it came to actually filming it I realized that it was not going to be straight forward at all, getting all the actors together at the same time, and actually getting to the location was a big problem. Then when it came to acting, the script was a bit to elaborate, when looking at the footage it just looked cheap and it generally wasn't very good. So instead of sitting around and using the poor footage I decided to re-write the plot, something that was easier to film but the final product would still be just as good. And I am confident in the plot, even filming at the minute is far more enjoyable and the scenes we are coming up with a far more creative. We are not far from getting all the footage we need, then I can start the final edit and put all the pieces together. I have some good ideas I want to include in the film and some different shots I would like to get.

Music Research + Choices

Music research + Choices:

Perhaps one of the most important factors in film, especially the horror genre. Music sets the tone in each scene and gives you a vague idea of what is about to happen. Some of the biggest horror films of all time have unforgettable soundtracks / audio, for example JAWS, that low resonating sound “Duh duh… Duh duh.... duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh duh”. Halloween, a Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, the Exorcist, all have unforgettable spine tingling soundtracks. My favourite perhaps the screeching violins in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

I would like the trailer to be quite quiet, eerie, full of tension and suspense with little speech. This is why the music is such a big deal in our film, it must set the tone for the whole trailer and set a tense setting. We have reviewed a number of tracks to use, here was the first one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ewQiU3q5jM

It is the sound of an old music box which sounds rather scary, creating that tense vibe, as if something or someone is watching. Another one I found was on a visual zoom in world on youtube, I wasn’t even looking for music at this point, I was browsing Youtube and the music was very trippy, it doesn’t really make much sense but makes you feel very uncomfortable, especially when matched with some of the footage we have, I want to use it over the murder scenes, for I put it over the the scene where I am hanging and it was very effective, by far the best scene we have. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDxE5Pi_oLM

The last piece of audio I got was personally my favourite, the low resonating sound is very effective in trying to create tension and suspense, even when the scene itself is not neccesarily scary, the music always keeps you on the edge of your seat. Here is the link:

I am not sure if I will use anymore different audio, or even the three I have. I will decide when I come to the final edit, all of these videos are copyright free.

What is Film Noir?

Film Noir was coined by french critics during the 1940s, first by Nino Frank in 1946 who noticed the trend of how dark and downbeat many American crime / detective films looked. Films such as 'The Maltese Falcon' and 'Double Indemnity' were highlighted. These films reflected real life situations that were going on and also on going tensions, they heavily contrasted with the musicals and comedies that were popular at the time. Fear, mistrust, bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and paranoia are readily evident in noir, reflecting the 'chilly' Cold War period when the threat of nuclear annihilation was ever-present. The criminal, violent, misogynistic, hard-boiled, or greedy perspectives of anti-heroes in film noir were a metaphoric symptom of society's evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict, purposelessness and sense of injustice. There were rarely happy or optimistic endings in noirs.

Primary moods of Noir films were melancholy, alienation, bleakness and so on. Hero's, anti-heros, detectives, good cops, bad cops, gangsters, thugs, and average Joe's were common characters. Storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted, and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks (or a series of flashbacks), witty, razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue, and/or reflective and confessional, first-person voice-over narration. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device, as was the downfall of an innocent every man who fell victim to temptation or was framed. Revelations regarding the hero were made to explain/justify the hero's own cynical perspective on life. Noir films were always gloomy, the black and white film enhanced it, but it theatrically showed the dark side of human nature, murder, mystery, doomed love, an opressive atmosphere of menace. It could be seen as visually depressing, long dimly lit alley ways with steam rising, long shadows and detectives in trilby's and overcoats with there hands plunged in their pockets like weights.

'Scarlett Street' was a very popular and definitive noir film of the 40's, it tells the story of a mild mannered painted un-punished murder or an amoral female after she had led him to commit embezzelement, impersonated him to sell his paintings, and had also been deceitful and cruel to him. The idea of film noir could be implemented into my trailer, the whole melancholy setting and bleak outlook in the films plot would work very well for my horror film and I could take a lot of inspiration from films like 'D.O.A' and 'The Lady from Shanghai'.

Poster Draft No. 2

I've been testing out different images for my main image on my poster, so when I was editing the trailer I took a screenshot of the face of the 'Stalker' in our film, initially after the screenshot it didn't look very good so I put it into pages and altered the shadow, saturation and brightness and it ended up looking quite creepy. I'm not 100% satisfied with it yet, I'd like to try out a few more main images before I finally finish it, i feel there's something missing from it. I'm also going to put the image into pixels or photoshop where I can manipulate it more.

First Draft of my Poster

Here is the first draft of my poster for or trailer of CASSETTE I which I created in Pages. I took much inspiration from many other horror film posters and general film posters, generally many of them have the same kind of lay out as mine. I am currently in the process of taking photographs to use as my main image, also for my magazine. I will wait for some feedback off of my teacher to see what I can alter and change to make it better. My favourite [art about the poster so far is the title, I could not change the colour of the actual title font because it was an image so I had to find a way around it. What I did was mask it, get rid of the white edges so it fades into the black background. Then I changed the border and shape of the text in pages which game me a sort of, smeared blood look. Very effective. I will post my updated poster in the coming days once I have received some feed back and found a main image.

Scream 4 Poster Analysis

This is the teaser poster for Scream 4. One of the first things that stands out is the strapline situated at the top of the poster, "New Decade. New Rules" in bold red writing which stands out on the pitch black background. The red writing is there to signal blood and perhaps violence. We get a little peak into the plot with the strapline, as well as acknowledging the original 1997 film of the same name. So we know that the plot will be the return of ghostface to once again terrorize the local teenagers. Also the word "Rules" suggests that it is some sort of sick game the killer is going to play but it is different to the last time, maybe making viewers who liked the original come back and see it because there may be a twist in the plot. The bright image of ghostface heavily contrasts with the black background and grabs your attention immediately, with help from the slight shadow. Even if you're not familiar with the Scream series, the frightening mask lets you know that this is the antagonist, and also how the mask morphs into a knife at the bottom, suggesting that there will be death and the killer is wielding a knife. In the bottom right hand corner you can see the 'Dimension Films' logo, this is important for some people would be turned on or off by a production company, or they would have an idea of the kind of films that the company produce or create. The background is pitch black, which allows everything else on the poster to stand out clearly, emphasising everything else. Also it could represent the fear of the unknown, not knowing what to expect. And the mask on the black background could perhaps suggest the killer primarily stalks by night. The knife on the mask looks very clean and fresh, it has a glimmer at the bottom which implies that it hasn't been used it that it is new, relating to the series itself for it was the first film in over 8 years. The film title again, stands out heavily on the black background because of the big block bold capital letters, also the red and white colour scheme. The title itself suggests that there will be a lot of deaths and distress in the film, also the font itself is reminiscent of a knife, suggesting the antagonists weapon of choice. Also the number 4 replaces the letter 'A' stating that it is the 4th in the series, maybe making old viewers of the first film come back and watch it.

Title Font

I have been browsing different fonts for my title, the title on the film trailer and also the poster. The title font is always effective because usually you can tell the genre by the font, whether it be Sci-fi or horror.

1)

Font: YouMurderer

Site: http://www.fontspace.com/blambot/youmurderer-bb

2) 

Font: SomethingStrange

Site: http://www.fontspace.com/jonathan-s-harris/something-strange

3)

Font: VTCAllSkratchedUpOne

Site: 

http://www.fontspace.com/vigilante-typeface-corp/vtcallskratchedupone

These are the three font's that I have chosen as my final three, and the final font I have chosen is font one because I think it looks like it has been written with blood and has a very gritty, creepy look about it. Each font individually has things I like about it, for example font 1 looks like it has been splattered on the wall, make the font red and it would look like blood. Same with font two, but instead it looks like it is dripping down the wall.

Amityville Horror Poster Analysis

In order to have a successful magazine it is important to research other movie posters before I start mine, so I can get some idea and influence of what to include. Here I have chosen the 'Amityville Horror' teaser poster. Firstly look at the colours, red, grey, black and a mossy green glow about the house which suggests decay and in a way, impending doom. The title is written in sharp, piercing font in blood red which suggests blood, violence and pain. Also look at the 'Y', perhaps this implies dripping blood or maybe even a dagger. The title is god, it stands out and draws your attention, what a good title should do. The dimmed light also draws your attention to the person, which looks like a man, staggering towards the house (I say staggering by his body image, slouching and leaning) holding what looks like a gun so this suggests that there is a killer watching the house. And the tagline "Katch em & kill em" suggests some sort of supernatural being is involved also because of the way it seems to be scratched. It looks quite sharp, almost like a demonic child. Look at the two windows at the top of the house, they seem to be the only visible windows with lights on, they seem to look like yes which could suggest there is something wrong with the house itself. If you had watched the film or read the story (for it is based on a true story) you'd know that it is actually the house that is possessed and then takes hold of those who inhabit it.

The Strangers Poster Analysis

The first thing that stands out for me is the brick wall in the background, it clearly contrasts with the 3 antagonists and gives the impression that there is no escape for the people, especially seen as they are seated and the antagonists seem to be interrogating them. Also the string that is keeping them to the chair. The actors names are situated behind each of them in bright bold writing so it draws the audience attention. The strapline is situated at the top of the poster in block capital letters, written in a golden yellow colour that easily stands out against the brick wall behind. 'Because you were home.' Allows the audience a snippet of the plot, the people tied to the chair, the strapline and people in old fashioned clothes with masks. The posters itself makes me think of the word 'unknown', we're not quite sure what is going on. The antagonists are wearing masks which gives them an element of mystery but also an increased threat because you don't know who they are, and also how below the title it fades to black. Representing the unknown, not knowing what's going to happen next. Like the actors names, the title lies in the darkness directly below the two, perhaps protagonists. The glowing bold font stands out heavily from the black background and immediate catches your attention. The font seems to be glowing like a torch, representing they are stuck in the dark, not knowing whats going to happen. Looking at the three characters facing the two seated, we know that they are the antagonists and the two seated in front are the protagonists. Looking at the masks, the way the two are seated, and the rope surrounding them you can tell that there is some sort of home invasion. The way the anatagonists are standing looking down on the man and woman symbolises the shift in power, how they have no control even in there own home. The man seated seems to not want to look at them either, he has his head facing the floor and if you look all three antagonists are staring at the woman, suggesting she is perhaps the main role in the film or is the central character.

Magazine Front Cover Draft No. 1

Here is the first draft of my magazine. Instead of using an existing magazine, I decided to create my own because I believe it will give me more creative freedom. I am still un-decided on the mast head font, I like it but I'm not sure that it matches the thriller / horror genre I am going for. I am also still unsure about the incentive as-well, It is referring to the 1978 film of the same name but I don't believe many people will understand it, they will just think it's a Halloween shirt. Doing magazines last year in AS has really helped me crate my current magazine and poster, next i am going to mess around with the masthead and see if I can improve it. Also I am going to work on the main article and sell line. The most important thing I need to do is to get some photo's, especially for the main image. 

Scream Magazine Front Cover Analysis

The first thing that catches my eye, as it should, is the masthead 'SCREAM' in big bold block capitals, the bright white on the dark backdrop helps it stand out over anything else on the vibrant cover. Also the font used has a dripping effect, perhaps it is to represent dripping blood, like the masthead has been smeared on with blood. Usually the masthead font colour is red, again representing blood but this particular issue needed to make it white for it wouldn't have stood out from the background. The main image is horror icon 'Freddy Krueger' from the 1984 film 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', he is looking straight at the camera making direct address with the readers. Using this iconic character on the front cover would be good for marketing, many people know who he is, especially horror lovers and hopefully it would bring in more circulation and generate more interest. The main article font, like the masthead stands out, the messy gritty bold red text catches your eye straight away. 'ROBERT ENGLUND SPEAKS OUT' is smartly placed beneath the main article, Robert Englund is the actor who plays Freddy Krueger and by saying that he speaks out will generate interest from readers and fans for they will want to find out what he is speaking out about, it is a key marketing tool, make the reader question. Also his general look catches your eye, the burnt flesh and snarl he has on his face goes very well with the genre of the magazine and the rest of the cover. The slogan is situated above the masthead and it reads 'BLOOD, GUTS, GORE & MORE!' having it in capitals with a yellow box surrounding it helps it stand out from the rest of the colour scheme which is primarily black, white and red, the rhyming scheme used as well makes it a sort of catchy jingle that you will remember, very effective for it sticks in the readers head. Like any other magazine the sell lines are convenietly placed around the main article and main image, none of these titles are really mainstream horror films, when you compare them to the likes of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' but despite being a international magazine it is not widely sold and is mainly sold in the US. Nevertheless it would still appeal to horror fans. The specific words use also are enticing to readers, 'BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW' cleverly picked to appeal to readers, even the font looks scratched and worn. The general colour scheme is dark at gritty, primarily consisting of black, white and red. The odd bit of yellow font or yellow backing helps articles stand out from the clustered look. There are so many things to look at that catch your eye on this cover, perhaps that represents the horror genre, everything jumping out at you, messy like the victims in a horror film. The red clearly representing blood and black is commonly associated with dark things, the evil side of life, the unknown.

Empire Magazine Front Cover Analysis

This is the front cover of Empire Magazine. Oddly enough, it isn't the masthead that I notice first it is the main article that reads 'INCEPTION' and placed above it the directors name, Christopher Nolan. This is perfect bait for readers for Inception was a box office hit getting nominated for multiple academy awards, and also the director Christopher Nolan is a critically acclaimed director. So this would entice readers, making them want to read this issue. The words used on the sub heading are wisely picked, they entice the reader. 'THE MATRIX MEETS 007 "ON STEROIDS!". The Matrix and 007 (James Bond) are both huge franchises that both received much critical acclaim, so saying that this film is better than the both would one, make the reader want to watch the film, and two read about it in this issue. "Steroids" is very effective for steroids makes you bigger and stronger, giving the impression that this film dwarves James Bond and the Matrix which is some feat. Behind the main article is the main image or the films protagonist played by actor Leonardo DiCaprio. He is not making direct dress with the audience, but instead looking away. His character looks calm and reserved, but at the same time an underlying menace. This gives the reader an insight into the film, one simple photo can reveal a lot about a characters nature and this certainly does. Also notice he is holding a gun in his right hand, this also lets the reader know before even knowing anything about the film there will be violence and perhaps death, add that with the suit and the determined look on his face it gives you the impression he is out for revenge or has an important job to do that involves killing someone. The EMPIRE masthead is in the same place as always, top and centre, big red block capitals. And despite being situated a little behind the main image it still stands out and grabs your attention.The main image covers the masthead and this is somewhat uncommon in magazines, but not in issues of empire, most of the time the main image partially covers the masthead and this is because with empire the main article and image dictates the whole front cover. Yes there is sell lines and cover lines placed around, but generally the whole front cover is based around the main article. For example look at the cover lines, 'TOY STORY 3' BATMAN 3', 'JONAH HEX' all of them seem to be going into the centre of the magazine, and the disorientated background with all of the buildings is visually appealing. And this is based off the film Inception. The basic idea is Inception is going into someones dream, multiple reality and universes so he cover is giving off the idea that it is in a way, 'going in'.

Filming Log #3

Here are a couple of shots from filming:

(Note: they are blurry because they are screenshots, also the filming was supposed to be dark)

Total Film Front Cover Analysis

The first thing I notice when looking at the cover is the main article, in bold block capitals "THE ACTION ISSUE" this shows this particular issue will be based on action films where-as usually Total Film focuses on a wide range of films. This can be good and bad in two ways for marketing, one it could bring in a lot of circulation for action film fans but also people who are not interested in action films may turn away from this issue. The font used looks worn and gritty, reminiscent of an action film. Also 'ACTION' is in yellow making it stand out, enticing the reader. The main image shows actor 'Dwayne Johnson' in his role as the protagonist in San Andreas, a big budget Hollywood action film that was released at the time of this issue. Notice he is making direct address with the audience. He is well known for his acting career and also his role as 'The Rock' in WWE so he is a widely known figure bringing in readers. He's a good actor to have on the cover of a strictly 'Action' issue, for he's well known for his action roles and also his physique. Tall and muscular. But also look at the background, it shows a city which seems to be in ruins, and by putting Dwayne in front of that makes it seem as if he has conquered it and looks rather unscathed, telling us a lot about his character and also the film itself.  The masthead 'TOTAL FILM' is situated top and center like in every other issue, though sometimes the layout of it changes with 'TOTAL' not inside 'FILM'. The bold red block capital writing grabs the readers attention, even with the vibrant and clustered cover. Above that is the sell line, "THE FAST AND FURIOUS: UNDER THE HOOD" The Fast and Furious is a huge international film franchise with over 7 films. 'Under the Hood' is effective for people will want to know what goes on behind the scenes, also this is after the late Paul Walker died so fans and more dedicated fans would want to read up and see what it included about him. And it would also bring in a large fan base (Fast and Furious) to this issue. The cover line "FIRST LOOK, FANTASTIC 4, THE ORIGINAL MARVEL HERO'S" written in yellow and white font is also an important article that will help sell this issue, the Fantastic 4 is a huge superhero franchise from Marvel and the first 2004 film bombed at the box office so the newest film was eagerly awaited. And by saying 'First Look' will bring in readers because this is the first place they will be able to read about it. Specific words and phrases like that are important for you need to entice the reader and grab their attention to sell your product. The main colour scheme is yellow, red and white and this is only because these color's stand out well from the rest of the cover. Like Empire there is not necessarily a set colour scheme, the cover itself is usually based around the main article, in this case, 'San Andreas'. Along the bottom of the cover are sub-images and cover lines, showing "21 EXPLOSIVE ACTION FILMS" as this is an action issue, and the films featured are huge blockbusters like 'Spectre' and 'Mad Max: Fury Road', bringing in fans of those films and also action films in general, after all there are 21 more. This is effective marketing, saying there is '21' more, as if you're getting value for money and also the words picked, 'EXPLOSIVE' an action word, it jumps out at you and grabs your attention. Making the reader want to find out what these explosive films are.