Trailer Experimentation Clips - Girl on swing scene

Genre

How have you considered genre in creating your media text?

Once me and my group members had chosen and agreed on a film genre, we went about researching generic conventions that link to our chosen genre; horror. We analysed a number of horror film posters and identified certain principles that were displayed on the film posters such as the use of dark colours, most often black, white and red. We acknowledged that the use of such colours could relate to certain concepts such as death and/or blood.

On the ‘Let the right one in’ poster, we noticed that the main focal point was a mid shot of one of the characters face and this caught the viewers attention and thus, we too used a mid shot picture of one of the main characters on our own film poster.

On ‘The Blair Witch Project’ poster, we acknowledged the use of an inverted forest background and felt that such a background appealed to the target audience and so, we used this concept on our own film poster and used an inverted image of a forest as the background.

We analysed a number of magazine covers and realised that the main image used on the front cover was closely linked to the film. As our film is linked to a ‘death-eater’ figure, we used a close-up image of this on our front cover. The use of Black, Red and White on both the magazine front cover and on the film poster reinforced the horror genre and the horror genre was reinforced by the use of ‘eery’ and ‘creepy’ fonts.

n point the Genre?
My media products significantly pinpoint the genre horror and this is expressed through the use of horror generic conventions. The use of a black and white negative effect builds up a dark and scary atmosphere and by placing the person the person in the centre of the poster, we are able to instantly catch the viewers attention.

The costume of the main characters is quite simply a hood and black clothing. This allows the character to somewhat blend in within the background and doesn’t give too much away about the character itself. The fact that the hood is purposely covering the characters face leaves the audience in thought and this is most commonly done in horror films.

The close up of the face that is used on the magazine cover has been edited with a scratchy effect. The use of nails and tape manipulation expresses the explicit horror genre. We chose ‘"If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise’ as our film catchphrase. This builds up enigma and suspense and the fact that the phrase is most commonly used in children’s nursery rhymes adds a rather eery twist. hy?

We have more or less concentrated solely on the conventions of the genre horror. We have however combined horror with the sub genre; Sci-fi. We did this as one of the films that we based our trailer on ‘The Blair Witch Project’ slightly combines horror with sci-fi. However, Horror is the main genre.

What signifies pinpoint the genre?
My media products pinpoint the horror genre as they follow the conventions of a horror film. For my poster, i have used a black and white negative main image as it creates a scary, dark effect. The person is placed in the centre of the image which attracts the audience’s attention. The clothing worn is a cape with a hood to cover the face to create a mysterious effect. The phrase used on my poster 'If you go down to the woods today, you will surely be in for a big surprise...' creates a sense of mystery. The words 'woods' and 'surprise' shows that something bad is going to occur in the woods like a killing.

My magazine front cover is similar to 'Empire' which is a film magazine which reviews mainstream films and art films. I have used red, black and white colours which connotates danger, death and blood. The main image follows the conventions of a horror film because the face of the main character (The Outsider) is edited to a scratched effect and the nails and tape across the mouth shows pain and horror.

Have you subverted any conventions?
My media product does not subvert any conventions because it follows the generic conventions of a horror film. However, my media product is a hybrid genre which is both horror and sci-fi. This is because genre is always changing and to appeal to audiences in this modern time films usually consist of hybrid genres. Also, the audiences expectations need to be fulfilled for example in this case in a horror film the audience expect death, gory frightening scenes and a scary storyline.

What kind of media producer would produce your kind of media text?
Haxan Films Production Company and Lions Gate Entertainment would produce our media text because they produce horror films which consist of similar conventions to other horror films.

Shot List

1. Panning of street name
2. Mid shot of abandoned house
3. Over the shoulder shot of detective looking at case files
4. Panning of girl on swing
5. Long shot of hooded figure emerging
6. Panning towards the left and then swift panning back
7. Panning towards the left as figure emerges from behind the tree
8. Canted angle as figure scratches window
9. Hand held camera shot as girl is running through the forest
10. Panning towards girl on swing
11. Close up of girls face
12. Hand held camera shot as girl is running through the forest
13. Low angle shot as camera is on the ground
14. Extreme close up of hooded figure

Story Board (Final)

Order of shots:

1. Green Screen showing the films certification
2. Screen showing the film institutions name (Artisan Entertainment)
3. Music begins
4. Panning of road name
5. Fadeout and mid shot of house
6. Fadeout to detective looking at case files
7. Black screen fadeout to girl on swing
8. Black out to long shot of figure
9. Camera pans to the left and then swiftly back again
10. Fast paced cuts
11. Camera pans as figure slowly emerges from behind the tree
12. Camera cuts away to figure scratching snow on a window
13. Black out screen – Camera pans outwards as hooded figure walks out of bushes
14. Cut away to girl running in forest with the camera in hand
15. Black screen – Camera closes in on girl swinging on swing
16. Cut away to close up of girls face. The girl breathing is heavy and girl is shaken up
17. The films release date appears
18. A number of different image shots appear in fast motion
19. White screen to more forest footage
20. Camera falls onto floor
21. Website name appears on screen
22. Black screen and there is a close-up of hooded figure

Story Board (Draft)

The Outsiders - Magazine Font Cover Final

This is our final magazine front cover that we designed as part of a group using Adobe Photoshop. We used a Digital SLR camera to take an image of the main character (the hooded figure) which was to be featured on the front cover. We took the image of the main character against a tree trunk which provided an edgy background.

We then adjusted the image in Adobe Photoshop add added different visual elements such as the plaster on the mouth and the pins to make the character look intimidating. The fact that the main character was wearing a hood adds suspense and leaves the audience in thought as to who the hooded character may be.

We then followed some of the generic conventions of Empire Magazines that we found during our research. The font used for the strap lines ‘It’s a blood curdling, mass executor’ and ‘Meet the outsides interview’ was from a website called dafont.com.

We used a simple colour scheme of black, white and grey and incorporated elements of red in order to ensure that certain parts of the magazine stood out. The combination of black, white and grey reinforces the mysteriousness and the red represents not only blood, but also our genre: Horror.

Other generic conventions that we incorporated within our magazine cover is the magazine issue number, the date, price and the bar code which where all positioned the same way that they were positioned on the ‘Empire’ magazine.

Magazine Front Cover - Drafts

Magazine Front Cover - Photoshop Experimentation (2)

We created these images by taking the pictures of the hooded figure on a SLR camera for our magazine front cover. We edited the magazine title 'Empire' by changing it from red to black and instead, added a red outline.

We then began to edit the main image in Adobe Photoshop and changed the contrast of the image. We also experimented with the filters to create various different effects. We added a plaster and nails on the mouth to add a sense of horror and this was done by using the paint brush tool and the blur brush tool to create a sealed mouth effect.

Magazine Front Cover - Photoshop Experimentation (1)

Auxiliary task - Magazine Front Cover Pictures

The Outsiders - Final Poster

We produced our film poster ‘The Outsiders’ as a group using Photoshop. The image which we took using a SLR camera is of a hooded figure standing on a tree stump behind woodland scenery of tall trees. We changed the image to negative to create a scary atmosphere. Our inspiration for our poster came from the film poster ‘The Blair Witch Project’ because the film is similar to our film genre. Therefore, we followed the generic conventions of this sci-fi horror film to produce our own final product. The copy used ‘If you go down to the woods today, you will surely be in for a big surprise….’ is a nursery rhyme which we used to create a creepy chilling feeling. The font used for the film title ‘The Outsiders’ is also similar to ‘The Blair Witch Project’ font. I made a red stick man symbol which is placed on top of the ‘I’ to indicate passion, danger and death.

The Outsiders - Poster Draft

Experimentation on Photoshop - Poster

As a group we looked through the photos that we took for the cover and decided upon using the above photo for our film poster. The image used on the Blair Witch Project was inverted and so, we began to experiment with similar techniques in Photoshop.

Auxiliary task - Pictures for Poster

Once we had conducted our initial research, we had decided that we liked the imagery of the forest that was used on the Blair Witch Project poster which is why we took our first initial photographs within a forest setting. Like the Blair Witch Project, we made sure that there was a central character that was positioned deep within the forest in order to create suspense and enigma.

When we researched other horror film posters, we found out that the main villain was always present on the poster which is why we too wanted to include the ‘outsider’ on the poster. In order to create a similar effect that was used on the Blair Witch Project poster, we increased the ISO on the camera and then adjusted the contrast levels of the image in Adobe Photoshop to create an inverted look.

We used a number of different camera shots including a POV shot so that it looked as if the person that was in distance of the hooded figure was the one who actually took the picture. The purpose of this shot was to make the audience and viewers feel as if they were there in the forest.

Alongside increasing the ISO, we also adjusted the cameras settings so that some of the pictures were taken in Black and White to reinforce the darkness of the genre. We also attempted to make use of the rule of thirds to ensure that the audience were instinctively drawn to the most important and iconic areas of the image which creates more of an effective poster.

Film Magazine Analysis (3)

The main focal point of the magazine is the extreme close-up of the jokers face who has heavy eye make which signifies his sinister look and indicates to the viewer that he is the ‘bad guy’. This is the only image that is used on the magazine which reinforces the dominance that the film has over the Empire magazine. The Joker is an easily recognisable character and by having an image of him in full costume, the viewer is able to link the joker to the film that he stars in which is ‘The Dark Knight’

The masthead has a green outline which makes it stand out against the Jokers face. Above the mast head, there is a strap line that says ‘2 covers to collect’. This provides the reader with a choice of two covers of which they can purchase. A colour scheme of black, white and green has been used. The green could represent mystery, the black could represent darkness and the red could represent evilness. Other films are advertised on the cover but these strap lines have a smaller font size which indicates that this particular issue of Empire magazine is solely focusing on ‘The Dark Knight’ Words such as ‘amazing’ and ‘special’ have repeatedly been used on the cover in order to attract more viewers into purchasing the magazine.

Film Magazine Analysis (2)

Film Magazine Analysis - Empire Magazine

We have decided to analyse a variety of different Empire magazine covers and identify the conventions used so that we are able to portray similar conventions on our magazine cover. We chose Empire because it is a British film magazine that reviews both mainstream and art films. It is also a well known and popular film magazine and we believe that we will be able to gain some inspiration from Empire magazines.

The title of the magazine ‘Empire’ is in dark red which could possibly represent blood which provides the viewer with an indication of the films genre. It could also represent danger. The title is bold and is in capital letters which is eye-catching. Just below the title, you can see Empires website which has a smaller font size. The website is shown so the individual knows where to go if they would like to find out more information about what is in the magazine. This also in dark red which reinforces consistency.

The letter ‘P’ in Empire is covered by the jokers head. This has purposely been done in order reinforce the success of the film. Part of the masthead has been covered up by the main image. This shows that the magazine publishers are confident that the viewer will still recognise the name of the magazine, despite part of it being covered up. Above the magazine name, it says ‘World Exclusive’. This also portrays the success of the film. The magazine date and price has been printed in small writing and so is not as easily visible.

The magazines main focal point features an image of Heath Ledger who stars as The Joker in the film ‘The Dark Night’. He is a well known actor and so, viewers will be able to familiarise themselves with the film. The long shot used within the image allows the viewer to witness the joker’s iconic dress code and face paint. The use of bright colours such as the lime green and the purple are eye catching and makes the magazine stand out. The joker is looking directly at the camera and his posture creates an eery atmosphere. The jail bars used within the background represent his dark character.

The font used for the headline ‘Meet The Joker’ is a comic style font which represents the original genre of the film ‘The Dark Night’. The strap line below this says ‘He’s a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown’. The font used for this strap lines makes it seem as if the words have been carved in and the use of alliteration adds to the realism. The batman logo has been positioned in-between the strap line above the mast head and this is an iconic logo. The strap lines have a white font colour and this is so they are able to stand out against the picture of the joker. The font of the strap lines is the same font that is used for the magazine title and this reinforces consistency. The ‘Plus’ indicates to the viewer the other articles and film reviews that are featured in the magazine. The barcode in the bottom left hand corner is a common convention of a magazine.

The Blair Witch Project - Teaser Trailer Analysis

The trailer starts off with ‘Artisan Entertainment’s’ logo. This informs the audience of the film industry that created the film. If the audience enjoy watching ‘The Blair witch project’ then they be encouraged to go and watch other films created by them.

The screen then fades to black and some text appears on the screen which provides the audience with a brief introduction to the film. The sentence is very vague and simple and this has been done in order to keep the audiences attention.

From this point onwards, the screen fades to complete blackness and the first bit of dialogue is said. This is the only communication that the audeince has with the film and they are unware as to what is happening. The black screens upholds the suspence and mysery and succeeds in holding the audiences attention.

Critcis comments appear one after another onto the screen and when combined with the digetic sound of crying and heavy breathing/panting, a realistic atmosphere is created. When the girl says the word ‘Project’, the films logo appears on the screen and the volume of the soundtrack increases.

The trailer ends with a high pitched scream before jumping to two black slides where the audience is given an indication as to the time of year that the film is going to be released. The second black screen displays the films website. This information is given to the audience so they are aware of where to go if they want to find out more information about the film.

The teaser trailer gives very little away but the clever use of combining blackouts with Digetic sounds builds up tension and makes the audience unsure and weary as to what they should expect from the film. The use of blackouts and Digetic sounds leaves the audience with a number of unanswered questions, questions that can only be answered by them going and watching the film.

The Blair Witch Project - Teaser Poster Analysis

The Blair Witch Project is a horror film that was released in 1999. The filming was done with a simple hand held camera and the film was based around three student film makers who go on a hike to film a documentary about a local legend called ‘The Blair Witch’. However, they subsequently go missing and their footage is found a year later.

The only colours that are used on the teaser trailer are red, black, white and various shades of grade. The dark, bold colours use may represent death or fear and these colours indicate to the viewer that this is a thriller film. The red symbol stands out on the white background and this could possibly symbolise blood. The symbol can possibly represent a cross and can be linked to Wicca traditions. Nevertheless, this cannot be for certain and so, the symbol leaves a sense of doubt in the audiences mind.

It is evidently clear that the main location used within the film is the woods. However, the contrast of the white trees against the black sky adds a sense of mystery and fear. The image itself has been desaturated and then inverted in order to create a black and white effect. This in turn suggests that certain parts of the film may be displayed in black or white or may be be filmed at night time. The forest is the main focal point and the audience can easily identify the film genre merely by the colours used.

The writing on the poster provides the audience with a brief outline of the film but details aren’t given. This is purposely done in order to intrigue the audience into wanting to know what’s going to happen next. The font used for the title of the film is very basic. However, the text is kind of spaced out which adds a sense of mystery. The text that is displayed on the poster gives the viewer a brief insight into what the film may be about and the pause shortly after the first sentence creates suspense and a dramatic effect for the viewer. The sentence ‘A year later their footage was found’ is singled out from the rest of the text. This has purposely been done in order to show that a bad event is going to occur.

At the bottom of the poster, you have the names of the actors and actresses as well as the name of the director. This adds a sense of authenticity to the poster. As well as this, the films website address is also included. This is so audience members can go and visit the site to find out more information about the film.

Ideas gained from this poster

Trees used as main background image
Use of a black and white inverted effect
Simple text used placed near to the bottom
Use of similar font style

Let the Right One In - Teaser Trailer Analysiss

The film ‘Let the right one in’ is based on a combination of different genres including horror, drama and romance. The film narrative is in a foreign language and so, is targeting a niche audience. This trailer is a good example of a thriller genre and so is our starting point. The film was distributed in the US by “Magnolia Pictures’ who specialise in distributing foreign films.

This is the teaser trailer for the film ‘Let the right one in’. Teaser trailers are relatively short but long enough to provide the audience with an insight into the films story line which leaves them with an anticipating feeling of wanting to go and watch it. In this trailer, it opens with a green theatrical card which indicates to the audience the film rating which in this case, is ‘R’ which stands for restricted.

There is then a 2 second cut and the ‘six shooter film series’ logo appears on the screen which is “a new division of the unique and expanding film distribution specializing in the wild, unquantifiable and uncompromise” The screen then fades out to the ‘Magnet’ logo which “provides an outlet for a different strand of films, which had previously been released alongside Magnolia’s traditional specialties: independent dramatic features and award-winning documentaries”

The camera then jumps to the first two clips where there is a cut between the two. Both the clips last approximately 3 seconds. The use of creepy music helps to create a eery atmosphere and keeps the audience’s attention throughout the trailer. The next clip involves the camera turning in an arc motion

Let the Right One In - Teaser Poster Analysis

I have chosen to analyse the promotional poster for the film ‘Let the right one in’ as i believe that it is a film that closely links to our chosen genre. The image of the girl as well as the bold text work hand in hand in successfully attracting the audience’s attention. This is also achieved through the contrast of light text against the dark shadowy background. The single quote ‘Sensational’ at the top of the poster influences the audience and attracts them into wanting to go and watch the film.

Below the ‘Sensational’ quote, it says ‘Director Alfredson does a great job of sinking new fangs into familiar vampire elements’ The word ‘sinking’ is a pun on words and not only refers to vampires, but it also reflects the main concept of the film.

The cuts and bruises on the girl indicate that the film is a horror/thriller and this again is reinforced by the shadowy background. The fact that the girl is young in a way portrays her innocence.

The girl seems to be looking at something and her grave expression leaves the audience wondering as to what she may be looking at. There appears to be a black shadow behind the girl which leaves the audience wondering as to who or what the shadow may belong to.

The title of the film ‘Let the right on in’ in centralised in order to capture the audience’s attention and the actual wording of the film is attempting to convey message to the audience; That you should think twice about who you letting into your life.

Initial Ideas

We were presented with a number of different briefs and as a group of four, we agreed on producing a ‘Promotion package for a new film’ which includes the main task of producing a teaser trailer with two out of three other options of which chose a magazine front cover featuring the film and a poster for the film.

Having dealt with video and print in AS, i believe that i am now given the opportunity of building upon my editing and photography skills which in turn, will hopefully allow me and my group to produce pieces of work which are of a high standard. Alongside this, managing our time effectively and setting ourselves deadlines will also contribute to the final result.

We discussed the various film genres that we could base our production on and we in the end, agreed on producing a new thriller film. We discussed this further and came to realise that there are many different types of thriller including the following:
• Crime thriller:
• Mystery thriller:
• Psychological thriller
• Supernatural thriller

We were more interested in Mystery thriller and possibly psychological thriller. We however didn’t want to make an typical thriller trailer and liked the idea of making a trailer that left the audience in thought and bewilderment and uneasy as to what they had just witnessed.

We brainstormed possible titles for our film and this brainstorm can be seen below:

We then decided to analyse other film trailers and film posters of the same genre in order to gain some inspiration for our trailer as well as to identify the conventions, the editing, sound, cinematography and the Mise en scene used.