Filming The Trailer

In one day we spent approximately six hours filming the bulk of our film trailer which we have named 'Remembrance'. Our original idea was to feature zombies as the main antagonists in the production, but due to issues with costumes and make-up we had to revise our plot and instead make a psycho-killer themed film, featuring only one main antagonist. The filming featured a variety of varying locations from the town centre to a remote home which is uninhabited, this allowed us to have a lot of creative freedom with our scenes and environment. The filming itself went well and we managed to achieve of 4 hours worth of film. And from this, we have enough footage to create a 3 minute long, feature trailer. However, the film we have taken needs to be refined and edited in order to be conventional.

The trailer required a variety of technology to be good quality film, and also a variety of props to give the environment the correct atmosphere for a psycho killer style film. Below I have listed some of the equipment used;



- propps - We used; Liver, Jumper cables, plastic bag, Axe, Knife, Airsoft Pistols/Rifles, Car, Fake blood, Gas mask and a Ghillie suit.

- Canon EOS 600D

It features; 18 mega-pixel CMOS sensor, Full HD EOS movie, up to 3.7 fps continuous shooting and basic and creative filters. We used this camera for the majority of the filming.









- Go Pro

This camera was used for our POV shots inside the house, as we were 'exploring' the environment, using the head strap to give a first-person perspective.








- Smoke Machine

We had the smoke machine with us during the filming, however we decided not to use it because we the smoke was not helping the  scene, it made it look very cheesy, so we did not use it in the end.











- Camera Stand

We used these to help stabilise the cameras during the majority of the filming in order to get a level picture and keep the camera from shaking during the film.

Trailer Soundscape - Garage Band

In my group I worked on the trailer background music, I have designed the music around some of the classic horror styles for different levels of suspense for different moods, for example, I have used the cliche of using the weather as a backdrop with the music. Below I have posted my two main themes from my soundscape.

In the below screenshot, I have set the different levels of volume for each sound layer where I have either raised or lowered the overall volume for a set length of time in order to maintain a  good quality of sound which does not exceed the optimum output for that individual layer.

I have also used a panning feature in my work where I have raised the scale of it's effect higher or lower which in turn, impacts which speaker or headphone will be more prominent in sound presentation. When the level is higher it is more prominent from the left hand speaker or earphone and when it is lower it is louder coming from the right hand side output. This gives the effect that the sound is travelling when it is being listened too.

Editing Practice - Final Cut

I have practiced with Final Cut, a program which is relatively new to me as in the past I used more basic programs for editing like iMovie which is a good program to use although it is nowhere near as good as Final Cut in terms of video editing, as it allows for precise frame cuts and also for sound editing as well, allowing you to create a highly detailed video, and in our groups case, a high quality film trailer. Below I have posted some of my practice work with Final Cut in terms of cutting film.

In the below images I have a copy of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D trailer in which I have detailed when each different fade or cut effect has taken place and I have then allotted each cut into a bin for a specific sequence or scene type i.e. action or close ups.

Audience Research - Film Trailer

In order to make a good quality magazine I have created surveys in order to find out the target audiences preferences, likes and dislikes, what stories interest them and the target audience that it is going to have to appeal to, which is most likely the social classification C1 – E.

Survey monkey results

The results from my survey monkey found that the majority age group that answered my questionnaire was in the 16 - 18 and 24 - 26 age band. So this is going to be my main target audience and so to appeal to this audience I would have to make the text and images relevant to this.

The majority of people that answered my questionnaire were males. This however does not mean my Trailer should be gender biased.

 

I also asked which of the Trailers shown did they like the most, out of The Woman in Black, Saw VII, Insidious or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The people that answered my questionnaire drew between Saw VII and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, so I should  style my trailer after these.
 

 

Furthermore, I asked the audience why they watch a trailer, and I found that the majority watch them for entertainment, so I should include interesting features such as a good sounscape and visual effects.

 

 

Finally, I asked my audience whether or not they wanted visual effects added in like an animated title sequence and found that the majority did want visual effects.

 

 

 

 

 

From these results, I can deduce that my audience will want to watch an entertaining film trailer like Saw VII and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, featuring good visual imagery and music.

Audience Research - Film Poster

In order to make a good quality magazine I have created surveys in order to find out the target audiences preferences, likes and dislikes, what stories interest them and the target audience that it is going to have to appeal to, which is most likely the social classification C1 – E.

Survey monkey results
 

The results from my survey monkey found that the majority age group that answered my questionnaire was in the 16 - 18 and 24 - 26 age band. So this is going to be my main target audience and so to appeal to this audience I would have to make the text and images relevant to this.

The majority of people that answered my questionnaire were males. This however does not mean my Poster should be gender biased.

Futhermore, I asked my audience what the Poster should be for either entertainment, information, escape or excitement , from this I found that most people picked Entertainment and information, which means that I should try and create a poster both visually pleasing but with relevant information. 

 

I also asked my audience if they wanted a simple three colour scheme for the poster as most posters don't overuse more than three colours in order to keep the focus on the image and text and not distract the viewer. I found that 75% of people wanted a three colour scheme, most likely because it is a tried and tested method, so I will use this in my poster.

 

 

 

 

Finally, I asked my audience what the most attractive part of the poster is to them, either the colour, layout, imagery or the genre of the poster. I found that most people liked a combination of all of these factors, so in my poster I will focus on all of the different aspects rather than just one or two.

Audience research - Film Magazine

In order to make a good quality magazine I have created surveys in order to find out the target audiences preferences, likes and dislikes, what stories interest them and the target audience that it is going to have to appeal to, which is most likely the social classification C1 – E.

Survey monkey results

The results from my survey monkey found that the majority age group that answered my questionnaire was in the 16 - 18 and 24 - 26 age band. So this is going to be my main target audience and so to appeal to this audience I would have to make the text and images relevant to this.

The majority of people that answered my questionnaire were males. This however does not mean my magazine should be gender biased.

I also asked which of the magazine covers shown did they like the most out of Uncut, Total Film, Premier  or Empire. The people that answered my questionnaire drew between Empire and Total film, so I  should be style my magazine after these publications.

Furthermore, I asked the audience why they read a magazine, and I found that the majority read them for entertainment, so I should include more interesting features such as sneak previews of films and exclusive interviews, rather than long - winded articles on theatres.

 

From my results of the survey monkey, I can deduce that the target audience for my film magazine is going to be a range from 16 - 30 year olds, which are male but not make the magazine too gender biased as not too discourage female readers. These people would prefer to read entertaining stories about the latest film. Because of the age group and demographic of the audience I would place them in the C1 – E social classification. (C1 - Lower middle class and E - urban ventures)

Analysis Poster - A Nightmare On Elm Street

The Masthead on this poster is situated at the bottom of the page, in bold text, with a worn styling to it which connotes the age of the image or the age of the brand as this is a remake of an old classic series. Having a Masthead at the bottom of the page is not a generic convention of posters as the top of the page is generally where titles are featured. The Masthead itself is coloured blood red which instantly connotes the genre to the audience as blood and horror go hand in hand, which also shows that the poster does follow some generic conventions of the horror genre.

It also features the phrase "He knows where you sleep" which does connote an aspect of danger, and directly relates to the content of the film, as it is a remake the film is going to be based around the same characters and roughly the same story, so it is safe to assume that the main Antagonist is still going to attack the other characters in their dreams, as the original had scripted.

The imagery used in the poster is very minimalistic, as it only features a pair of figures looking toward the audience, with the figure in the rear with his face masked from view but with claws, this infers that he is the main villain in the film., This seems to show the other figure is meant to represent one of the victims as she is shown as relatively innocent with little sinister intent hidden. The liquid on the floor seems to be water due to it being reflective, which could connote that the film  is meant to be set in dreams as the victim is shown up to her waist in water when the hallway but the image shows the antagonist standing over her.
 

The colour used in the poster stands out vividly as it only uses different shades of red with a black border. The red is a classic convention of the horror genre, mainly because it resembles the colour of blood and as most horror films feature an aspect of gore it makes it very easy to connote the film genre to an audience. The text featured is coloured white to help differentiate between the imagery and title which is a simple and effective design choice.