Planning Costume: Jeff

Jeff Renellds is the antagonist of the film trailer and I thought it was essential to find the right costume and look for him as the audience need to be afraid and fear him just as Skye does. Jeff plays the stalker in the film trailer and he is shown wearing the same clothing throughout the trailer. I wanted Jeff to be represented differently because in most horror films they usually carry a weapon or a mask and I wanted Jeff to not carry no weapons and wear no mask.

Clothing

Jeff will be wearing a long dark trench coat very similar to the picture above this. I have chosen this as serial killers in typical films wear trench coats and this gives him the identity of being mysterious. Being mysterious is very scary as the audience won't know much about the killer and his motives. The trench coat hides some of his face as well.  Jeff will be wearing this coat throughout the trailer, also he will be wearing a dark black hoodie as well just to carry on with the mystery. He will be wearing dark trouser's just to fade in with the coat. 

Make-up

Jeff's face in the film is distorted as he has a long scar from his jaw upwards. The actor doesn't have a large scar but we've been watching YouTube video's to create this long scar. His face won't be shown as much like the other characters as the hoodie hides most of his face.

Planning: Costume (Skye)

Costume is very essential for the characters in my film trailer as it represents their identity. For an horror film the main protagonist in film trailer's are shown wearing ordinary clothing and their clothing is very basic. For example Sidney in Scream who is shown wearing plain and ordinary clothing and this reflects her identity in the film. The audience could relate to the characters in my film trailer through their appearance and clothing.

Skye Vello is the main protagonist of my film 'Skye'. Skye's character develops through the trailer as she is at first had an ordinary life but it gradually changes as Jeff Renellds come's back to stalk her. 

Hair

Throughout the film trailer, Skye's hair will be at first straight and wavy at the bottom and this will represent the fact that she can take care of herself and her appearance. The actress playing Skye has dip dyed hair, the same colour as the celebrity  in the image above. But her hair is tied up and its messy and this in the running scene. This shows her life has changed and she is no longer safe and that the messy  look represents her past and her past will be shown in the flashback. 

Make-up

In the trailer, Skye will not be wearing much trailer throughout the film as I want her to be represented as natural and plain. Therefore she will be wearing light pink lipstick that won't be noticeable in the trailer and some light make-up so it won't be noticeable throughout the trailer.

Clothing

Skye will be wearing two types of different clothing in the trailer. For the equilibrium, she will be wearing a dark patterned shirt and dark black trousers. I have chosen this colour's as she in the beginning of the film she is shown wearing a light green shirt and green represents happiness and black symbolizes danger. She is shown wearing black when she in scenes with the antagonist. This shows that her life has dramatically changed and so has her identity in the film.

  

Locations

Location of my film trailer is very important so I have some example images of the locations I'm going to be using. The image above is image of a children's bedroom. This is just an image I found online but the first scene will be shot in a bedroom.


This next image is of a road, this is where Skye will be walking.



Skye will be shown in a cafe, when she learns that he's escaped from prison.

The last location is unknown for now.

Scenes I'm Filming Today

Storyboard Layout

Script

Evidence Of Filming

These are some stills I have print screened from some scenes that I have filmed so far.

Poster Moodboard

Conventions of Horror Poster Magazines:
Usually Low Lighting
It's usually a black background and the color scheme would be black, grey or red and the use of the colors signify death and blood so that the audience know that this is a horror film.
Shots used are mostly close up shot's of certain feature's of the character's face or disfigurements of a character's face usually the killer. But they may use long shots of a dark person's figure/shadow.

For my poster, I will include low lighting and I have decided to either use both main protagonist and antagonist as the poster or just have the antagonist alone. So that I can show the disfigurements of his face. But I may just have a medium shot of the main protagonist looking afraid and a dark figure behind her.

I have to include a billing block, image, name of the poster, release date, actor's name's and age rating.

Film Magazine Typography

Film Magazine Masthead

I have come up with a list of magazine names that I could take for in consideration for my magazine;
- Gore
definition: blood that has been shed, especially as a result of violence.
I have considered Gore to be my magazine masthead because I believe a lot of blood is usually shed in horror films and this eventually leads to death, violence etc. The audience would automatically know this is a horror film magazine because of the name.
- Enter Fear
I have considered enter fear to be my magazine masthead because fear is usually created when watching horror films or magazines, this could also grab the audience's attention.

Film Name
I have chosen Skye which I have mixed emotions about but the audience prefered this film name. Skye is the main protagonist of the film and I have named my film SKYE because this film is all about Skye and the stalker.

Poster and Magazine Plan

Call Sheets

The Pitch

Shooting Schedule

Soundtrack

I have used Freesound.org to help me find some tracks I will need for my film trailer. The soundtrack I use for my film trailer is very essential as it has to suit the plot and the trailer.

This track below I could use it for scenes in which the main protagonist is hiding from the antagonist just to build tension and create fear for the audience. Also I could add gasping sounds to the end of this track just to make it even more terrifying.


The other sound, I can use for the flashback scene in the beginning or I could make my own sound for that which is really simple.


The next sound I will be using to build tension and this creates excitement for viewers as they want to know what happens next.

Poster Typography

Short Script

Scripting

Shot Types:

Establishing shot of the main protagonist’s house, it’s an ordinary house

*ENTER TEXT*

Extreme Close Shot & Close Up’s- of a little girl underneath a bed as she hide’s from the killer. A close up of shot of the main antagonist’s walking around the dead body. Next is an extreme close up shot of the little girl. Another extreme close up shot will be used to show the little girl screaming.

*ENTER CREDITS*

Medium Shot- of Skye (the main protagonist’s) walking and a voiceover will be included as she narrates her own life and the difficulties she has faced.

*ENTER VOICEOVER*

Another medium Shot – Detective walks in the cafe and tells Skye the bad news of Jeff Reynolds escaping.

Close Up Shot- of her face as she learns the killer has escaped .A close up shot of her coffee dropping on the ground.

Two Shot- of them talking

Over the shoulder shot- Skye see’s Jeff outside the window and she walks outside.

*ENTER TEXT*

Medium Shot- A stranger asks if Skye’s okay.

*Enter TEXT*

Long shot – of Skye running from Jeff in the woods

*MUSIC BUILDS UP

Over the shoulder shot- as she hides in front of tree and Jeff touches her shoulder*CLOSE UP SHOT*

Flat Plan(Film Magazine)

This a more detailed flat plan for my film magazine. After looking at a range of different magazine such as Empire. For my magazine, I will include a barcode, a variety of different images underneath the main image, a main image, a range of different fonts, date and time, masthead and skyline.

Skyline
My skyline on my final piece will say 'Ultimate Horror Magazine' or 'Best modern day horror magazine'. Both include a superlative just so that it can catch the audience's attention.

Cover Lines
My main cover line would say the film's name which is 'Skye' and below that it will say 'Meet the cast from Skye'. Other cover lines would talk about other films that is currently out in cinema.

Variety of Images
I will include at least 3 images from another movie.

Colour Scheme:
Red and Black

Horror Film Magazine Layout(PLAN)

This is a plan that I will use to create my film magazine and its how I want my magazine to look like that and I will include those features in my magazine.

Storyboard

The Pitch

Practical Film Production Risk Assessment

Before I start filming, its important for me to write up a risk assessment as its significant for me to be aware of the health and safety issues to consider. As I need to be looking for potential hazards, in particular when I'm filming at night. It's important for me to take responsibility for the equipment I use, and the actor's and actresses I'm going to be including in my trailer. For example I need to consider potential risks such as tripping over wires, or a member of the public tripping over wires which could cause harm. I made a table that includes all the risks I'm having to face. 

Horror Audience Research

Horror films are very popular amongst males and under 25. As I began researching and looking at statistics on demographics and this has been collected by Val Morgan cinema network. I wanted to find out what type of  aiming my film trailer at.

I also researched psycho-graphics as I wanted to explore the target audience more, and to have a better understanding of my own target audience. Also psycho-graphics divides the market based on social class, lifestyle and personality characteristics. Psycho-graphics is more broad then demographics as it allows me to understand the behaviours of the audience and this would help me create my trailer as I know what they want to see. Also it would help me create my Film Magazine and Film Poster. I believe that 'Explorers' in the table below relates the most to horror films as they enjoy adventures and they are thrill seekers and they tend to be younger people. 

I have completed by secondary research for Horror Audience research but now I have also done primary research and by doing this I created an online survey on Survey Monkey. It was very useful as I knew what the public thought about horror films

The results survey monkey gave me was that more males responded to my survey.

(Q1 What is your genre)

As I found out in my secondary research, males tend to enjoy watching horror films more, and they were excited to take this survey as they felt this appealed to them.

The results for the second question, a variety of both genders said they watched horror films 'Extremely Often' and only a few replied with 'Often'( Q2 How Often do you watch horror films) 

For my third question, many people replied with 'death'. Therefore they wanted to see deaths and they liked it when the killer was unknown or was masked. (Q3 What do you like most about horror films) 

The responses from the survey helped me a lot and it was very useful as I got to find out how my audience felt about horror films. This would influence my script and the plot as I now know what they want to see. 

Audience Theory

I have also considered audience theory's as it may help with my film trailer. 

The hypodermic needle is seen in many mainstream movies. For example 

As the hypodermic needle suggests that the audience are easily manipulated by the creator of the media product. The message that the media wants is 'injected' into the audience's mind's .This could be one of the many reasons why horror films are rated as 18 or 15 as younger people are more easily influence. 

However Users and Gratification relates the most to horror as it focus's on how people use the media rather then the media effecting the audience. These needs include: Escapism, Surveillance, Personal Identity and Personal Relationships. Escapism is the most common out of the four, as the audience are 'escaping' from reality and putting themselves in the position of the characters. This is common in horror films as the audience may want to position themselves as the antagonist as they are unlikely to be a killer in reality.

Plot Overview and Film Names.

The genre I have chosen for my film is horror,as its horror film the film name must relate to the genre and the plot of my film. I have come up with a list of possible names for my film. I have highlighted the main names I have chosen, as they relate the most to my film. However some of the names I have chosen such as the stalker are very obvious to what the film is about.
1. Captive
2. Venator ( Latin for hunter)
3. Obsession
4. SKYE
5. Obsessed with her
6.  I See You
7. Unknown
8. Masked Stalker
9. Masked
10. Scar
11. Hidden Stalker
12. Stalked
13. Shrine
14. Followed
15. Hunted by the Hunter
16. Ordinary
17. The Lurker 
18. Lurker
19. Anonymous
20. Pursue Me
21. The pursuer 

Brainstorm Ideas

Shot Types In Horror Films

Linear Sequence Narrative(First Time)

Codes and Conventions Of Slasher Horror

Slasher Horror -  is a sub genre that revolves around a psychopathic killer is at times considered a thriller film as it typically involves a mysterious psychopathic killer stalking and killer a group of victims. The theory of Todrov Propp is that there is a range of stock characters in Slasher Horror films. This is a typical convention seen in these slasher horror films. For example My Bloody Valentine.

These characters include:
The Monster/Killer
The Group Of Friends
The Sexually Active Female
The Final Girl 
The Benefactor 


The Final Girl- is a character that is used mostly in mainstream films such as Sidney in Scream. The Final girl is the sole survivor of a group of victims and they are usually the main protagonist.

Conventions Of A Final Girl-
They are usually sensible and are seen as 'innocent' at first as they don't participate in illegal activities but their confidence starts building up as she defeats the monster/killer in the end and is the sole survivor out of her group of friends. The costume the final girl typically wears is plain/boring clothing however she is usually associated with the popular crowd. 

The Monster/Killer- The killer is usually masked until the final scene of the film and so their identity is often unknown. For example Scream's antagonist.

Conventions Of A Killer:
The killer is usually a man and the victim's are usually linked to the killer and these aren't just random killings. The usually carry hand held weapons such as a knife or a chainsaw. They are usually masked and they aren't revealed until the end. The killer sometimes has an accomplice that helps them with the killings. 



There are other frequently used characters in the film such as the jock. the cheerleader and the token black guy. The popular kids are usually the first to get slaughtered. The group of friends are usually young, attractive and are still in high school. 

The Sexually Active Girl:
This is usually the first female to be slaughtered and they tend to be killed during sexual acts and they tend to be blond, 'attractive' and are usually associated with the popular crowd in school. 

The Benefactor: 
They tend to be an adult who helps the final girl and they usually are a man. 

Location: Slasher horror are usually located in the woods or a suburban area as both locations are very quiet. Also the target audience for their films tend to live in suburban area which creates fear for the audience because they believed that their area was safe before. 

Codes and Conventions of Horror(THEMES INCLUDED)

Magazine Review

The magazine's masthead which is shown at the top of the page, below the images on top. 'Total Film' which is the magazine masthead is in bold and red font which is a typical font used by many film magazine such as Empire. But the difference between the two magazine would be that the masthead is behind the main image as this magazine wants its real focus on the main image. The main image grabs the audience attention particularly males as Megan Fox, a well known actress in the film industry is dressed in a cheerleader outfit. The image is portrayed as revealing and promiscuous because of her body language and the way she is posing. The magazine wanted to focus on the main image as the cover lines font sizes are very small, whereas the large image in the center captivates the audience as she gives the audience a direct mode of address. It also includes a variety of other images which is not very conventional as many film magazines such as Empire place the variety of other images at the bottom of the page. This has replaced the skyline in this magazine.

The other images which replaced where a skyline is usually is shows stills of other films that are out in cinema right now but it could be exclusive images from films that haven't been released yet which may catch the reader's attention as they want to know which film they are previewing. The color scheme of this magazine is mainly white, blue and red and Megan Fox reflects the color blue which she is wearing. The red may symbolize the blood and death in this film 'Jennifer's Body' but this a typical color to use for horror film magazines however the colors grab the audience attention as it's very bright and it fits well with the white background.

The audience for this magazine due to its main image and other features on this magazine would be males because of the image this magazine has used. Also the other images they used had two males in it and a futuristic car or machine and many males tend to love car's and futuristic films such as Tron so this may appeal to them. Also the layout of this film magazine is very high school and this may be their theme as the main cover lines typography is similar to high school lettering etc.

MoodBoard: Film Magazines

Film Magazines

I have looked at a range of different film magazines such as Little White Lies, Empire and Total Film that will help me understand the codes and conventions of a film magazine so that I will be able to create my own film magazine that features my film. Each film magazine is very different from one and other and has a USP. For example Little White Lies features only one film whereas film magazines such as Total Film features one mainstream film but then their cover lines talk about other films that are out now or coming soon. Therefore Little White Lie's is very unique and this is there USP as no other film magazine is quite like them. It also uses an animated image of the main character of the film they are featuring so that it appeals to a mass market. For example they may be aiming at kids as they are interested in animation.

Total Film features a range of mainstream films and this is constructed like a typical magazine as it has a skyline, main cover lines, other images and plug's. Therefore it appeals to a larger audience because it features typical conventions of  a film magazine.

Conventions Of A Film Magazine(Little White Lies)

Little White Lies

Little White Lies is a film magazine and they decided to use 'Let The Right One In' as the front cover of the magazine. Little White Lies is known for being an independent magazine that focuses on one film for each issue they make which is very different from other film magazines.

Firstly, the main image of the front cover of this film magazine is of the one of the main protagonist of the film 'Let The Right One In' but its an illustration of the girl and this is its USP(Unique Selling Point) as most of the issues feature an illustration instead of a real image and this differs from other magazines allowing the audience to be interested by this. The main image is of Eli from 'Let The Right One In' and she is giving the audience a direct mode of address and its a close up of the character. Also the blood is dripping down her face and this image isn't very lifelike as her eyes are crystal blue and blood is dripping down from her eyes. This automatically engages the audience as they are intrigue with this. Her black hair fades with the background as its also black however her pale face and the red blood is similar to the same colors used for the text.

The masthead and the barcode are in an unusual place and even how the barcode is printed. The masthead and barcode are in a round circle that is just above the main image and this very different as many magazines have their masthead at the top left and the barcode at the bottom right. Also Little White Lies is very simple and plain as it doesn't include main cover lines, skyline etc.

Poster Analysis

The main image is a medium shot of one of the main protagonist in the Horror film 'Insidious'. Before even watching the trailer, audience can immediately know that the young boy has been somewhat possessed as his eye color is very unusual. This image then links to Levi Strauss theory on 'Binary Oppositions' of child vs evil as he seems like he was the victim but he was then slowly possessed by other evil forces. Also the complexion of his face matches the color of the poster. Also the house behind him could be the main location of the film as its an establishing shot, in addition the dark shadows around the house and this suggests that something sinister is happening in the house.

The poster's color scheme is very dark and very grey and this challenges the conventions of a horror poster but the cloudy thunder-storm suggests that something dangerous will happen.

Insidious typography color is in red and then then suggests that the genre is horror.

Analysis of Film Poster

Carrie

Carrie(1976)

'Carrie' is a upcoming horror film the audience would immediately know that this is a horror film as it has all the expected conventions such as the billing block which is very common to have on every film poster. Above the billing block it says its based on the novel by Stephen King. Stephen King is known for writing gruesome and scary novels and this can make the audience want to watch the film. Firstly, the main image of the film poster is Chloe Mortez who is covered in blood, which is dripping from her eye and her forehead. This connotes that the film may include several deaths or accident's as blood symbolizes danger and death.

Also the film's title is 'Carrie' and the main colour used is red and white, the colour red is portrayed as blood as it drips from the title. This has all the expected conventions of a horror film poster as the title is in red, the actress's name's and Chloe herself.  However it also subverts typical conventions of a movie poster as the title's film is on the bottom right, its usually at the center of the poster or the top left. The audience don't see much of Carrie's costume but it's the same colour as the background. Her facial expression is quite still and icy and this could represent that she has been through a lot in the film, with the blood dripping down her face.

The USP(unique selling point) of this film poster is the main protagonist Carrie who is played by Chloe Mortez who is famously known for being in successful films such as Kick Ass 1 & 2.

The main themes spotted in film poster is childhood issues which is a typical theme featured in many horror films because childhood is meant to represent our innocence and children shaping into adults. The main image is of a young actress in her early teens, who plays a young character still in high school.

Carrie is a remake and it was firstly filmed in 1976 and it was very popular. Their is a huge contrast between the two film posters. Firstly, it of course has a different actress featured in the film, it has two main images. Carrie's facial expression in the first image where she is wearing a light pink prom dress and a tiara. It appears as if she's prom queen as she is wearing a tiara to suggest that, also she is caring flowers. This is very unusual because of the modern day film poster, the audience don't see Chloe Mortez's costume but we see her icy expression and this other actress looks very happy. Prom dresses are usually associated in fairy tales and in films like Cinderella therefore its a shock to see her wearing a prom dress and this turns the fairy tale elements upside down as the events have changed. This contrasts with the image next to it, where her prom dress has changed colour. She is covered in blood and the audience expected this as Carrie is a horror film and it's bound to have include killings and blood in the film. 

Carrie's film title is very different from the modern film poster as it's font and style is wavy but this could relate to Carrie's roller-coaster in the film and how she changes her personality in the film. As both images in this poster show the same person but her having 'powers' as the subtitle in the film poster says changed her or prom changed her. This film poster tells the audience more of the narrative then the modern day poster.

Analysis of a Movie Trailer(Carrie 2013)

This movie 'Carrie' is an upcoming horror film and it follows its typical conventions for the genre horror. The duration of the trailer is 2.33 which is very long and it showed the audience many parts of the film. The trailer told the audience the narrative of the film and this wasn't expected as many directors only show  important glimpses of the film.

Firstly,the film trailer begins with the mother of Carrie I presume, singing a lullaby very softly and shows the audience the establishing shot of the house. At first everything is ordinary as the mother is singing a Christian lullaby therefore she's a devoted christian as she is singing about her 'father'(god) but their was a background diegetic sound of a girl screaming saying 'let me out', the camera then pans away from the mother and focus on the door with the girl constantly screaming and banging on the door. This represent's the theme which is commonly used in horror films 'Childhood issue' as she is is shown isolated in her room and she is also being bullied by her vicious classmates in the shower room. Carrie isn't an ordinary teenager and she says this herself 'I want to be normal'.

This film trailer includes supernatural themes as Carrie is shown developing powers and her mother is shown reciting the bible to Carrie and tells Carrie to 'pray'. Her mother is represented at first as a devoted and normal Christian but the audience gradually realize that she is fanatic and believes her daughter is a sinner as she tells her to pray for forgiveness. The mother is shown carrying a weapon, a knife twice in the trailer and it looks as if she's protecting herself from her own daughter.

Sound:both non diegetic and diegetic sounds were used in this film. The sounds used were very loud and dramatic as you could hear Carrie screaming and the sound building up which created suspense. However there was constant screaming the film trailer as so many scary events kept happening. For example the prom scene in the end. The screaming was very typical as this is a horror film and its very much expected/

Editing:  There are many fades in the trailer when it shows the audience the text then back to the characters which gives off a sense of continuity. The Jump cuts, which is a common editing technique is used throughout the trailer creating an effect on the audience, as its very thrilling for them as it puts them on the edge. The trailer speeds up in the end.

Camera Angles:  The Carrie trailer mostly uses medium or close up shots of each character and some establishing shots of the setting. The medium shots are commonly used in films and it shows us the detail of each character and its matched well with the long shots used in the trailer. The close ups is an important element in this trailer as it allows the audience to gain a feel of the character, for example when Carrie is shoved by her mother in her room.

Theories
Todorov Propp's theory of narrative isn't very clear in this film trailer of Carrie. Carrie may be the main protaganist but she could also be the antagonist(the villan).

Main Themes
Religious 
Supernatural
Childhood issues
Madness
Revenge