Editing - Day 4

Today we changed the sound through the beginning of the trailer to match the new sequence of our shots.  We changed around our shots to make the fast cuts run more smoothly and doing so allowed us to make room for credit screens that give the trailer it's narrative, something it hugely lacked before.
Our credit screens were typed using the font American Typewriter, this font, when used in the trailer, looked the most professional of all the fonts we tested.
The sound in the beginning of the group trailer is slow and fots in with the early shots, it builds in tempo to a dramatic climax towards the latter stages of the trailer with the highest energy shots being located at the end.
At the end of our trailer we have included, "Nest of Devils", our film's name, this makes the trailer look more proffessional.
We are very close to finishing the trailer and making a start on our poster as well as completeing our web-page; all we have left to do is find and add a restricted logo or 'over 18' sign to our trailer because it is a horror movie.

Webpage Design - Day 1

Today I decided to begin making the teaser trailer's webpage using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX.  I have had experience using this software in year 12 during AS Media Studies coursework, I created a website for both the Preliminary task and Final task.  I made the background black and included a black and white image of a church, I done this because the teaser trailer takes place in a church and has several shots in a sequence of fast cuts linkgin to religion, ie. a crucifix, an alter and a prayer bench.
I have added a 'Restricted' notice at the bottom to make the website seem more professional and also because it is a horror movie trailer we are making.
Another picture I added was a production company logo I made this lesson using Adobe Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop is the programme we are going to use to create our teaser trailer's poster.

Editing - Day 3

Today we added some sound to our trailer, some parts we found to be highly effective due to the tempo and volume of the sound fitting into the clips we had.  We got a basic set up of the scenes and sound to go with them but soon realise dthe pace of the trailer was too slow.  This led to us drastically shortening the clips we are using, add more fast cuts with extra shots and changing the sequence of our layout.  After doing these things we added the music back that fits into our major scenes.  The lesson cosisted of constant the shortening of clips, rearranging of clips as well as choosing and changing the sound.  We moved a mantage of a killing flashback to the end because it will end the trailer on a high and the music we have to go with the scene is very effective.  We cganged the length and order of our clips because we felt that an effective teaser trailer should be short, fast and precise.  After applying the changes we made, our trailer was looking a lot faster and much more professional.
The only problem we found we had was that the trailer lacks narrative, the music, collection of shots, and pace was very good, but watching the trailer our teacher and classmates found they did not really know what was going on.  We came to the conclusion that we will add some voice overs during the shots with slower music to give the audience a better idea on whats going on.  We came to this conlusion because we think a voiceover will be more effective and professional than black credit screens.

Editing - Day 2

After adding some of the shots in our trailer last lesson, this lesson we just need to continue getting the footage in order so we could begin editing and cropping scenes to suit the trailer, now we need to get a soundtrack and multiple noises that will suit and compliment our teaser trailer.
One of our scenes is a stabbing flashback, shown through a series of very fast cuts (we used very fast fades because we felt it made them fit together better), we have the scene in black and white and found that the way the fades are timed to be very helpful; the shorter the clips around a fade, the shorter the fade.  This made, because the clips in the flashback stabbing were very short, the fades snappy.  We got this idea of a scene from a trailer for Halloween:

At 1:36 of that video you see Michael Myers stabbing someone from three different angles in fast cuts, this was my inspiration to film this flashback scene in our teaser trailer in that way.  This scene is in a Halloween 2 trailer on youtube which has been taken off, that's how I found this inspirational clip but am unable to embed it in my trailer inspiration post.

Sound Inspiration

These videos acted as inspiration to us for sounds, one was slow and went with some of our scenes, while the other a little bit more obviously frightful, raising the tempo of sound to compliment different shots.
The first video is inspirational because it is slow, and has a very subtle climax with an increase in tempo and volume which can be effective in our trailer for a flashback.  The second clip on this post has been added because there are some 'eerie' sounds in it, parts can be used to show flashbacks and establishing shots in a scary manner.

Storyboard (Updated and Drawn)

This is our Storyboard drawn:

Film - Day 3

Today we finished filming our flashback scenes, we included splatters of blood on the floor of the church, blood dripping into a holy water statue, multiple angles of a stabbing (which will be shown together in a series of really fast cuts) and also a scene with a confession box with flickering lights and a hand sliding down the window.
We then went back in the evening to get the camera tracking towards a door, we wanted the scene to be darker than the rest so we waited untill it got dark outside, this made the church seem more eerie.
Hopefully now we can upload all of our footage onto the computers, set up the order of scenes and begin focussing on editing and finding a sound track.

Costume/Props

Props we are going to use in our teaser trailer are listed below:

• Knife
• Blood - Red food colouring/Ribena/Fake blood
• Hooded coat - Killer figure
• White cloak with hood - Cult member (only used for a possible poster)]
• Dark clothes
• Flishing lights - Bike light/Torch

We dont have many props in our trailer because the use of sound and cinematography is what builds and releases the suspense, there is relatively little footage of people in the trailer.
We have used this structure of filming because we feel unconvincing acting will only make the teaser trailer less scary.
The lighting we are using in our teaser trailer is important, we have black and white flash back in which we hope to portray a Chiaroscuro effect, and flickering lights that will represent danger and the lapse in time that takes place in our film idea.

Questionaires

I made some questionaires for people to tell me what they like about horror movies, I did this in order to find out what aspects of Horror movies people like the best as influence for my teaser trailer.

Her are some questions I asked with a few answers I got back:

What do you like best about horror movies?

• Scary
• Exciting
• Bloody

What is your favourite horror movie?

• 'Halloween'
• 'Saw'
• 'Nightmare On Elm Street'
• 'The Shining' (Psychological)

What's your favourite horror scene?

• 'Halloween' - someone getting stabbed - filmed from multiple different angles shown in fast cuts
• 'The Shining' - Twins symmetrically standing in corridor - fast cuts change to them dead with blood on the walls and back to them standing in the corridor
• 'The Strangers' - when the killer is in the house behind Liv Tyler's character and she is unaware of it

These are a few answers I got back for some questions I asked people.  They have inspired me in many ways, for example; the symmetrical scenes in 'The Shining' influenced the symmetrical establishing shot in our scene.  The stabbing scene in halloween is what we are going to base one of our teaser trailer's flashback on, a stabbing that is shown from different angle in high speed cuts.

Filming - Day 2

Today me and my group went to St. Dominics Church to do some filming, we fimed some shots we are going to use as flashbacks in our teaser trailer.

We filmed my legs hanging above a Cross in the church to make it look like someone was hung.  We also filmed Max in the same position because I was wearing white shoes, we felt the white shoes would, when in black and white, divert the viewers attention from the cinematography of the shot; we think wearing darker clothes fits the Horror genre of our trailer more.

We plan to get some important camera movement and more flashbacks when we next film, hopefully after a few more filming lessons we can begin to look through what we have and begin getting a soundtrack as well as start editing.

Lighting

Frankinstein (1931) used lighting effectively when portraying the monster:

This shot of Frankinstein's monster shows how well lighting was used in the film.  The monster is shown as ugly and scary because of the use of Chiaroscuro.

Lighting can be used in many different ways in film, for example; 'The Strangers' use lighting to create a yellow/brown atmosphere throughtout the film and in it's posters:



All these images portray a yellow/brown lighting effect.  This could have been used to create a sense of warmth and calm, only to be broken by the horrific and scary events that take place in the film.
I have used this example of lighting because it it similar to our teaser trailer, being set in a church the trailer is dark and has a somewhat brown lighting effect to it because of the red floor, brown wooden prayer benches and candle light.  The brown feel is much like that which is portrayed throughout the whole of The Strangers.

Cinematography

Symmetry:

This a still cap from 'The Shining' i have taken because the cinematography throughout was brilliant, the consistant use of Symmetry worked very well and drew the audiences attention to the scene that was taking place.  I have hope to use a shot of a Church in my teaser trailer that entices the same effects.  My symmetrical image:


There is a shot in 'Psycho' that is used very well:

This screen cap shows a character from a Low-Angle shot with the bird decoration seeming looking directly at him.  This shot being from a Low-Angle portrays the bird decoration as higher than him, perhaps to show the character as being in trouble or in danger in this scene.

Locations

Locations:

• Cemetary
• Train Tracks
• Pylon
• Church
• St. Dominics Alley

Location Spotting:

St. Dominics Alley



St. Dominics Church


Cemetary


Train Tracks


Inside Church - Symmetry

Filming - Day 1

Today my group filmed some establishing shots around a Cemetary, next to a Pylon, inside the Church we are going to use and at some Train Tracks.

These shots will be cut down drastically and will be used in a sequence of establishing shots which will convey the desolate area we have attempted to create.

Using areas that are quiet, filming early in the morning or late at night are all ways to get a short shot of an area that looks desolate.

Story Board

Flash Back
Establishing Shot
Camera Tracks to the door
Establishing Shot
Camera Tracks to the door
Flash Back
Establishing Shot
Camera Tracks to the door
Flash Back
Character Opens - Over the Shoulder Shot
Character's Reaction - Zoomed in to the Eye
Character becomes Victim - Hand grabs Character's Shoulder

Possible Film Names

Nest Of Devils
Village Forgotten
Vanished Village
Time Lapse
1974 Again
Prophecy
Cult Of Sacrifice

Film Idea/Synopsis

Synopsis

A desolate village was known for it's glorious hillside views, welcoming population and 'easy to get to' railway access in the 1970s.  It was then the mass murderous cult began their executions of any 'non-believers'.

It is said that terrifying rituals and horrific traditions take place in the village, there have been several sightings of these savage cult members but due to the stories being unconvicing, have gained very little real attention.

A group of friends arrive in the desolate area to see why it has become notoriously known as 'The Vanished Village'.  The village's only inhabitants are said to be part of a religious cult, making any visitors 'human sacrifices' for what they believe will keep their local area 'pure'.

The group of friends soon realise somthing isn't right when they encounter noone where ever they go.  The church in the local area is the only building ever open, this raises the curious teenagers' suspisions and so, they soon take a trip to see why...

On Thursday 4th April, 1974, at 4:44pm multiple calls to the police about murders in the local church were recieved by the police, this lead to the whole local police force moving into the church to arrest and question all the cult members.  This didn't go as planned, the cult members saw these raging police officers and 'non-believers' and resisted their attempts to arrest them.  Killing every last officer who had any knowledge of the reportings wasn't enough for them, they were following a prophecy that requires a high number of sacrifices for the area to remain 'pure' by Gods hand.  The cult members stormed factorys, shops and local train stations killing any one they encountered.  Not realising they were commiting homocide, not making sacrifices and that they got the date to act upon the prophecy wrong, they had acted too soon, and not accoring to the prophecy.  The cycle had come full circle; but the ritual was incomplete.  Time was reversed due to circumstantial and irregular constitution of the local area; a lapse in time.

This occurance resulted in that frightful night repeating itself annually, on the aniversary of the event.  The desperate cult members have been repeating the event in a desperate attempt to get it right and be free of their torture; being stuck in an eternal time lapse.

(Date in film: April 4th. 2010)

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products - Teaser Trailer Inspiration

This post and the below two posts are my inspiration and are what I used to develop my trailer and poster.

The Strangers has a brilliant Teaser Trailer because of the excellent use of sound, the sound starts off happy, and as the images gradually become less colourful and pleasant, the music changes along side them.  The sound is consistant and is in perfect timing with the scene cuts.

This Absentia teaser trailer inspired me because is doesn't seem to be a film with a huge budget, a trailer like this can be easily made.  At 0:38 there is an effective scene in which a curtain is pushed from the side the camera cannot see, this is very easy to do, and is effective; done at the right pace, with appropriate sound along side it, this action could make the audience jump.

The voice over in this short Trailer was effective because it acted like a narrator.  The trailer got darker as it went on, creating suspense and giving the trailer a build up to the climax (end of the trailer).  There was great use off fast cuts and title screens used throughout to keep the audience glued to the screen.  The trailer gives screen shots from the film and very short clips, this gets the audience hooked and leaves them wanting more.

Trailer Inspiration

This is the trailer for 'Vacancy' and I have included it because I like the use of fast cuts and sound throughout.  The sound is very effective with the trailer because it sets and follows the trailer's mood.  At 1:00 a heartbeat becomes heard and continues through several scene cuts.  At 1:28 the sound gains tempo and volume, this creates suspence because it leaves the audience on edge waiting for something to happen, this music continues to gain tempo untill it suddenly stops when Luke Wilson is on the telephone.

This is the trailer for 'Disturbia', I have included it because I was inspired by the way hands come from off screen and grab the male protagonist's shoulder at 1:58.  This is effective because the music leads up to a climax that takes place during this action, accompanied by a scream from the character being grabbed.

This is Halloween 2 (remake series) trailer which I found very inspirational at the begining, from 0:20 - 0:35 there are multiple fast cuts which our group has encorporated into our Teaser Trailer.

This is the trailer to 'Let Me In', we have used what is shown from 1:17 - 1:24 in our Teaser Trailer, the use of the camera movement that is put into a sequence.  The way in which the camera movement was cut to and from with other parts of the film inbetween cuts was used very effectively because it created suspense and gives the viewer a sense of fear to what it is building up to.  We hoped the use of this in our Teaser Trailer would create the same effect.

Poster Inspiration

This is a poster for 'The Collector' that I feel is effective because it introduces the main character.  The poster has 'From The Writers Of Saw IV, V & VI on it for synergy.  It has a shot that shows the antagonist in focus and the background is a symetrical building slightly out of focus which draws your attention to the killer, while keeping you aware of the yellow effect the lighting causes around him.  The poster also has the movie's website at the bottom for curious members of the audience.

These are posters for 'Halloween' and 'Halloween 2', they are very effective because the lighting is somewhat minimal, especially in the first poster, They are dark posters, which compliments the genre of film they are.  Both posters have the Director's name on them, 'Rob Zombies' and 'A Rob Zombie Film'.  The second poster is effective because it is similar to the first one but has an action shot of the killer, and has the date of release.

This poster for 'Silent Hill' utilises the use of Chiaroscuro (contrast between light and dark) to create an ominous effect.


The two posters for 'The Strangers' are really effective for different reasons.  Although I feel the first poster reveals too much, by showing all the antagonists, I think it works well beacuse it shows the two main protagonists, has a quote from the film; 'Because You Were Home' and has the actors names above them on the poster which would have caused synergy.  The second poster shows a shot from the film and conveys the brown/yellow lighting that is portrayed throught the whole film.

All the above posters are similar due to lighting, the lighting in them all is minimal, they all use Chiaroscuro to create an effect.

Halloween (1978)

'Halloween' is very well known horror saga, renowned for it's Psychopathic killer 'Michael Myers' and it's sound that is used during many scenes.  'Halloween' is a 1978 American independent horror film directed and produced by John Carpenter, it was later re-made by Rob Zombie.  Some critics have suggested that Halloween may encourage sadism by identifying audiences with its villain.  Other critics have accused the film of being a social critique of the immorality of teenagers in 1970s America, with most of Myers' victims being sexually promiscuous drug users, while the female protagonist is portrayed as unsullied and innocent hence her survival.  Some of 'Halloween's' techniques and plot elements have become slasher movie archetype.

Cinematography:

Use of Chiaroscuro

This is the Theme Song of 'Halloween' which has become very well known, creating huge synergy.

The Shining

One of the successes of 'The Shining' is that it creates a 'Phycological Horror' encorperating aspects of 'Thriller' by using a familiar idyllic setting in which we assosiate with a holiday, e.g. a hotel in the mountains, in the snow, beautiful and picturesque.  Then allows something horrorific and disturbing to happen, something that is 'unthinkable': a father turning on his family.  'The Shining' is an 'Ultimate Horror' that is 'Thriller' based.  Another 'unthinkable' aspect of the film is that it affects a child, children are usually seen as sweet and innocent; to have a child's mind infected with the horror of what is happening and what happened in the past with the murdered twins is 'phycologically unbearable'.

Cinematography was used very successfully in many shots with the use of Symmetry.


This inspired me and when location spotting I found that the church in which we planned to film in, was symmetrically very similar.

Nosferatu

'Nosferatu' is presented as a Romanian word synonymous with 'Vampire'.  The word seems to be a literary creation and it's Romanian folklore is uncertain.  'Nosferatu' was a German Expressionist horror film, that F. W. Murnau directed, Max Schreck played 'Nosferatu'. The film was shot in 1921 and released in 1922.  'Nosferatu' was an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula that was unortharised, with names and other details changed because the studio did not have the rights to the novel. For example:  'Vampire' became 'Nosferatu' and 'Count Dracula' became 'Count Orlok'.


Locations:
Usually locations would start with a small town during the day (summers day) and progress into darkness (night time) with the 'Nosferatu' in a different location; dark, dingy or shadowy (Chiaroscuro).

Representation:
Opening characters appear to be happy with the use of parallel sound to cause suspense and unease.

Visual Style:
Chiaroscuro (strong contrasts between light and dark) can be used for representations of characters.  For example: a man and a woman in a shot, the man could be placed in a darker part of the shot than the woman, creating a possibility of him becoming an antagonistic character, or perhaps used to create a False Plateau; misleading the audience purposely.  The use of Chiaroscuro can create a sense of the unknown/not knowing what's going to happen, when a character is in the darkness with very little light creating a shadowy effect it could built suspense.

Narrative:

• Secrecy between two men.
• Man goes after 'Nosferatu' from a small town and ignores every sign of danger he encounters.
• Suspense/Tension throughout extract.
• Deception/Realisation.
• Naivety brings danger.

I wanted to include Chiaroscuro throughout my Teaser Trailer to build a dark and shadowy effect.  Taking place mainly inside a very empty church tension will mainly be built by lighting and sound, making Chiaroscuro very important to the Trailer.

Codes and Conventions of Horror/Thriller

Horror is known as an 'Art Form', people either love it or hate it.

There are two types of Horror films; Basic Horror and Ultimate Horror.

Basic Horror: What is seen, Gory, Gruesome, Graphic, for example; Saw, Halloween and The Collector.

Ultimate Horror: The unthinkable, unimaginable, leaves you mentally scared, for example; Rosemary's Baby, Don't Look Now, Ultimate Horror.

Concepts of Horror:

• Horror works of the audiences 'repressions', their reality and 'what would happen'.
• Male Gaze: 'The look of being looked at' e.g. women are seen as vulnerable.  The way a film or equalibriam is seen generally through a male's point of view.  Stereotypically women are seen as weaker, more timid, more mild, more feminine and prettier.  this is because in the Horror Genre women are seen as the victim.

Key Ingredients of a Thriller:

• A 'gut' feeling of being scared, ' edge of your seat' effect, 'wide eyed'.
• Thrilling or exciting the audience.
• More realistic and the audience can relate.

Suspence - Horror & Thriller:

• Acceleration or Audience curiosity.
• Alfred Hitchcock's 'Bomb Theory': Empathy towards characters, dramatic irony (audience knowing more than the character/s)
• False Plateau: misleading the audience, and planting ideas within the audience mentally.

I wanted to include in my Teaser Trailer aspects of both Basic (Graphic) Horror and Ultimate Horror, at the same time I want to portray the feel of a Thriller, throughout the trailer I am hoping for an 'edge of your seat' response.

The Bomb Teory:

The Bomb-Theory is a technique used that is effective for creating suspence, it can be broken up into 5 sections:

• False Plateau (misleading the audience)
• Sympathy.Empathy for the character
• The audience knowing more than the character
• Notions being placed in the minds of the audience
• Sound

The following article has been taken from: http://everything2.com/title/Bomb+Theory

Bomb Theory is a phrase coined by Alfred Hitchcock to explain his method of creating suspenseful cinema. The following quote by The Master of Suspense himself is taken from the interview book Hitchcock, ©1983 François Truffaut, Simon and Schuster.

Hitchcock: There is a distinct difference between "suspense" and "surprise," and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I'll explain what I mean:

We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let's suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, "Boom!" There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o'clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: "You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!"

In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story.

---

Our teaser trailer is only one minute thirty seconds so it is very difficult to include the aspect of suspence; our film idea on the other hand is very suspenceful, the whole film would create a false plateau with the audience knowing more than the characters and being on the edge of their seats wanting to help the characters.

Introduction

Welcome to my Media Studies Blog, I'm Jackie Wilson and this is my G324 Advanced Portfolio.

I am going to be making a Horror Film Teaser Trailer, Poster and Webpage, while doing so this portfolio will document what inspires me and how I made each piece of work.