Research-location shots.

After brainstorming my story board I have decided to post some location pictures in which the majority of the trailer will be filmed. The following location shots are of the internet, however later on in my blog i will use real ones that have been photographed by myself.

Front Door Shot: After watching some thriller/horror movies, I have realised that the antagonist approaches the door. I was thinking that i may have this in my trailer, in which the viewer will not be able to see their face instead just their costume, and due to most front doors having frosted class you will not be able to see them clearly... creating suspense. To prove that these types of shots have been used in professional films below is a shot from 'The Others" were the nanny, gardner and maid are revealed as ghosts and start to pass through the door.

Stair shot.

As a part of my story i have a shot were the protagonist is walking/running up the stairs in order to yet their mobile phone which the antagonist has just rung. In this shot the audience will only be able the lower body (legs and feet) as it in my opinion would not work to have a full body shot. This clip will be very brief and only last for about 2-5 seconds. Plus later in the trailer the audience will be able to see the killer walking up the stairs from their point of view, this will be done with a hand held camera.

Bathroom door and handle.

In my trailer there will be a murder scene which will be commited in the bathroom, when the protagonist is getting ready to take a bath. This happens in most horror films as the audience are lures into some sense that the protagonist is secure and safe in her own home.

When the antagonist opens the door there will at first be a close up of the handle this will be done using the zoom function. This will be done effectively with sound effects and i would want this to create suspense hence the victim will look up as she hears something for example and then looks up at the door and watches the handle turn slowly. Although to make it look realistic the viewers will not see the actual death of the victim but instead just a knife and the blood and the body falling to the floor in slow motion.

However i was thinking that the protagonist could be murdered out of the bath, this would be accompanied by leg shots and the towel dropping.

School Toilets.

The murderer in my film, does have a reason to why he kills women and this reflects to his high school days when one girl he thinks likes him humiliates him and then later in life after killing women he goes in search of her. Within the trailer there will be a flashback to when the murderer was a child although it will be in black and white of a child sitting their either in the corner of the room or the cubicle by himself crying, before this there will be a shot of a girl laughing at him in a conversation henceforth he runs into the school toilets. In this shot the murderer looks up at the camera with a scary look!

The house shot.

Also towards the end of my trailer there will be a shot of the exterior of a house and the murder will be seen in costume (although you never see his face except from the flashback) approaching the house i thought that in this scene it should be night time as that is when most negative things happen. I have decided that i will use ambient lighting, this meaning that the only light will be coming from inside the house were the living room lights have been left on, so not all of the murders body is visible.

Mobile phone shot. (Close ups)

In search for his last victim (the girl from school) the murder will keep taunting her. He will keep ringing her saying" I will get you"... leaving her text messages saying..."You're next" hence the reason for having this shot. At one point the vitcim throws her phone after he rings her (in which he just breathes heavily) onto the sofa a close up reveals the amount of text messages in the inbox or missed calls he has left her, emphasizing his "stalkerish" ways.

 Although he never rings her of his mobile but instead a call box otherwise he would be able to become identified by the police as i really want to make this as real life as possible, i want the killer to remain unidentified throughout the trailer. There is a shot of the antagonist entering the call box through a mid shot of his lower body and then when he 

speaks to her you can only see his mouth and when he puts the phone down his hand, then he crosses of names of a list, highlighting that he is on the hunt ready to get his last victim. I might also have a shot of him putting change in the machine if i have enough time for that within my teaser trailer.

If i find anymore interesting location shots that i want to put in my film i will refer back to this post and update it.

Research- Blair witch project.

It has become aware that our finanical budget will not be anything like that of the professional movies that i have started to analyse low budget films and the techniques that they use in order for it to look more professional. Within a media lesson last week we started to watch the Blair witch project then afterwards as a group de-constructed it and looked at the conventions that were used and how they made the film work and capture the audience.

The Blair witch project was a horror film released in 1999. It was produced by three media studies and the story-line was centered around a local urban legend of a 'blair witch'. All of the filming was done on a simple everyday hand held camera and was based around a hike to find the 'Blair witch'. This film budget was at approximately £500,000- £750,000 which in the media industry is extremely low as most films in todays market cost over a million to produce. However the gross revenue was incredibly high just under $250 million and the majority of its comments were on a positive note. Stated below is a full review in the MIGRAIN (E) format.

MEDIUM:- The medium that was being used here was a film and poster they will later be analysed separately below.

IDEOLOGY:- The most significant ideological concept behind this film was the use of the hand held camera and it's effect on the audience. The use of the camera establishes a sense of amateurs, not using many professional methods. And the concept of three normal "every-day" media students are producing this can act as a role model to the younger generation. Although the blair witch project itself can be considered another ideology within this film, as the audience (even when the film is finished) are not sure if it's real! Plus after researching I have found out that all three protagonists kept their real names whilst filming this would result in giving the audience the effect that the film is more 'realer',  emphasizing the documentary style.

GENRE:- The genre of the film is horror, however there are no killings within the film, it is still implied through the story line. Although in some ways it could also be categorized under the Documentary-Drama, as some people think the tale is real!

REPRESENTATION:- The representation through the film would be again the use of the hand- held camera and the main female character narrating as the story goes along. Through the use of panning shots and establishing shots, it created empathy, enabling the audience to feel their emotions.

AUDIENCE:- The Blair witch project had a range of audiences, and was placed in the top 100 scariest movies of all time!

INSTITUTION:- It was distributed by Arisan Entertainment, which was an independent company until being bought by Lions Gate Entertainment. What makes this label different from others was that it was famous for its roots in the 'home video industry'

NARRATIVE:- The basic synopsis of the story was- 3 student going into the forest to find the blair witch to see if she was really there or just a local myth.

the whole purpose of this analysis was to see the way that they use the hand held camera, and although it does look unprofessional in yet created a professional look. By deconstructing a clip from the film we can then see the codes and conventions that they use in order to portray this effect.

(need to find clip)

Also another method was used to create other effects such as suspense, shock etc was the camera angles, set and props that were used. 

Shot 1: Close up-

The close of one of the three protagonists Heather is one of the most famous shots from the film, and is used on the theatrical poster, DVD cover and trailer. This particular close up happens when the protagonist is in the tent and is crying to the camera apologizing. From using a close up shot this creates empathy as the viewer can clearly relate to the actors emotions and see the state that she is in. Half her face in sight and the background surrounded in darkness, highlights the fact that she is alone, and scared. The only light that its in the scene is from the torch that the character is holding when recording this. Meaning that ambient lighting has been used. All of this shows the viewer that she is alone and isolated from anyone. Lastly by looking closely the viewer can see that her nose if running, this could be seen as her being so devastated that she really doesn't care about her appearance, and little things such as presentation clearly do not mean much to her within  this shot.

Shot 2: Hand Held-Stair P.O.V. shot:

As I have become aware that most thriller/horror films include some form of a stair shot, which i shall be incorporating into mine. Because of this I 'print-screened' a shot of the stairs from the film. This particular shot is in black and white, simple yet effective. The stairs seem to have some sort of debris on them creating abandoned effect, all of this adds up to the suspense and build up of the murder.

Shot 3,4, and 5: Estbalishing/ Point of view shot:

This shot ties in with the story line, which I personally thought was very clever and effectual. The story of the Blair witch that she in some way killed children and made them stand in corners etc, hence the first shot requires to look at the wall whats on it and it's relevance to the film. The prints on the wall appear to be red marks ergo thereforth makes the viewer ponder...is it blood? Then after the film resumes it looks to be handprints small.... childlike! All of this adds up to the viewer that they then are young children's hand marks made out of blood! All of this goes on for less than a minute and is one of the most cleverly thought out bits from the film. Then personally when i was watching it i then rememberd the clips at the beginning of the film (which are posted below) and how the female protagonist also the narrator, said about how many children died in that epoch and how some went missing etc.

Grave yard- Establishing shot:

Gets the view in the mood for the next scenes. Up shot meaning that the camera was at a low angle when taking  this picture, illustrating that the locations power and significance in the story.

Gravestone- Close up and Establishing shot:

Big capital words "INFANT" meaning that the audience will show sympathy, and they will also believe that the story is starting to become real. In the background the viewer is also able to see the amount of other gravestones indicating a theme of death.

Shot 6: Point of view shot.

Although this final shot is relatively hard to see it is right at the end of the film

 and is the major climax, interestingly after watching this film I noticed that there is no resolution unlike most horror films. It ends on a  more negative note! However like the 3 major shots pictured above this one also relates back to the story and how the blair witch used to make the victims stand in corners before she killed them in the basement. Within the film one of the characters goes missing and when the other 2 start searching and go through this old comdemmed house in the middle of the forest, the find him in the basement standing in the corner the fema

le protagonist them screams and the film ends on one of the biggest cliffhangers i've seen and does literally leave the viewer dying to know more..Who took him? Is he alive? etc. Although this picture is very dark and you can just about depict the character standing there, this shot s vital to the story, it narrates to the viewer that he has been captured, and with screaming from the narrator only adds to the suspense. As the picture gets closer to the figure in the corner things seem to get darker generally creating a sinister atmosphere. Also after analysing all of this clips I have noticed that the shots mostly in black and white and/or surrounded by darkness, this to be shows that they are vital clips that need to be watched as the all the others are in colour and that the black and white ones emit a more cold dark and negative atmosphere when watching them and that things are more serious!

Coursework Timeline.

To ensure that all my work is completed just before the timeline to ensure that everything is done I have created a time'guide' which i will stick to in terms of the stages within my coursework.
From today i have 87 days left to complete the coursework thats equilivant to approximatley 12 1/2 weeks, which will be divided for each section.

1. General Research. (as from now 1 more week left)
Research and Evaluations on theatrical posters, trailers, websites etc. As well as opening credits and shots that i want to use althoguh some basic market research will fall into this as i will be browzing through newly released films. Although some personal inspirations and things that i have gained ideas from will also be added in.

2. Market Research. (1 week)
Research from the Market such as surveys, questionairres. And a breakdown of the companies that we would want to sponsor us as well as the strageties that companies use, in order to communicate through the market to their intended customers for example 'Fright Night' at Thorpe Park.

3. Construction, Codes and Conventions. (2 weeks)
such a step by step consutuction of poster and its images with editing, trailer composition, catchpgase, photos, logo etc.

4. Promotion (1 week)
Marketing Package and how we intend to advertise,

5. Filming. (2 weeks)

6. Editing. (3 weeks)
Using i movie to edit and input sounds, transitions etc.

7. Evaluation. (2 weeks)

By planning my time i can make sure that all things are completed to the best of my ability and that i can always go back to other parts if the coursework to redo some pits that don't portray high level answers. Plus things won't be getting left to the last minute. Additionally I will be elaborating on my time plan, saying whether it helped or not and if i stuck to it etc within my evaluation.

MIGRAIN model and it's role in our coursework.

After dicsusing in our group how we will de construct and analyse our media research:
When analysing thing such as posters and in some cases magazine articles, we will be using the MIGRAIN model:

M: the medium being used to communicate with the audience i.e. trailer, film, magazine, poster etc

I: Ideology (ies) defined as a system of ideas/ values that form the basis of a theory/ policy for example the codes and conventions used in magazines such as for example how most magazines generate the same layout and structure on their front page just as all newspapers seem to have the sport section at the back.


G: Genre- A key concept or category that the product falls into for example 2009 film "The Proposal" would come under the genre of romantic comedy!


R: Representation- how the audience views the product and how in some cases the producer tells the story through camera techniques for example in Rose in Titantic, the producer frequently uses close up shots in order to estbalish her emotions more to emphasis the story line and representation of the characters.


A: Audience also known as target demographic, meaning the consumer that it/ i am intending to appeal to. For example a Yorkie choclate is predominantly target at male customers due to the slogan- " It's not for girls"


I: Insiution is the company that is behind the product business wise including the regulators, marketing companies, corporate/ conglomerate sponsors etc. Although within the new media market, this stage has become quite weak and some sucessfull people/acts have gone along without the aid of these companies through person "blogging and video" sites such as Youtube, Twiter and Myspace. The Artic Monkeys are often referred to in terms of this becuase all their promotions and advertising is done by themselves through social networking sites. For example 'News Corporation' is globally recognised as one of the worlds leading media conglomerates owning; fox studios, 20th centry fox and many other subsidiarys.


N: Narravtive: basically known as the story lines, plot in terms of a consrtuctive format so in a magazine this would include aspects such as masthead, foscus picture. So in the example below this would include things such as; the date line, sub headings etc.



(E): Lastly in terms of the E bit of mirgaine i have only found what this is meant through reserach, hence have very little on it. But this sub title of migrain seems to be based around the economic, historical, social and political.

Although when evaluating moving image peices M.I.G.R.A.I.N in some cases cannot work hence each time i analyse a trailer for example i make the notes first by diving the page in 4 and labelling each section as the following-

> Editing: were i will include stuff such as special effects and CGI etc.

> mis en scene: everything withing the scenes that are being portrayed.

> Sound: includes diagetic and non- digatic and how they are used etc.

>lighting: includes ambiennt lighting, spotlight, dimming lights etc.

then in the middle i often put a controverisal theme which i thing is constantly being represented in the film, for example sorority row the key theme that kept occuring through the trailer seemed to be Gender and how the females desire to have power of the males!

Some of my notes will be scanned and placed onto my blog in which the examiner will be able to observe how I create my notes and then transform them into more in depth writings such as essays.

Analysation- Sorority Row- Trailer

This is the new 2009 American Horror film that has just been realised in cinemas, and it many ways could relate to our own trailer. Plus from the first impression and glimpses of it in recent adverts when watching television at home this could be the inspiration for my film as i am too doing a psychological thriller murder with an emphasis on a academic background. Due to this film being centered around an american sorority (- defined as a society for female students in a university of college typically for social purposes.) and mine being centered around a bad day at school with bullying from a popular pupil, my story board will be posted at a later date. 

The trailer i think really has the viewer jumping of their seats, and was so shocked in some parts, this is a prefect example of a horror film with an educational background. And for the first time that i have seen the theatrical trailer starts on a positive note and then things start to go wrong. Due to this having a major resemblance to mine i will therefore analyse everything in depth including:

-Teaser Trailer.

-Theatrical Trailer.

-Poster.

-Teaser Poster.

-Website.

-And after browsing Youtube i have also found the first 5 minutes of the film.

Opening of the trailer.

The first thing the viewer is presented with is green screen which most american films have as they need to be approved by the "Motion picture of America association." Although i have noticed that there wasn't any company logo that is normally in trailers such as Touchstone pictures or Warner-brothers etc. However after researching i have found out that it is distributed by to different companies Summit Entertainment (US) and E1 Entertainment (UK). I think that that legally had to do this due to broadcasting rights and copyright acts.

00:05-00:20

After the "green professional screen" there is a black transition approximatley lasting three seconds. Then 4 quick shots are displayed which automatically creates the atmosphere for the film, these being;

An Establishing shot of the sororities logo/ emblem (in the greek alphabet.) 

Long shot, as we are able to see  their full body sitting on the balcony however this may also be a mid shot due to the insignificant character partying at the front. From this shot we straight away are introduced with the partying theme and collegiate life. Also a sense of rebellion is also added as the 2 female characters waving are not sitting on it right but instead sitting on leaning over to the roof.

Looking up shot. This shot carries over the partying theme with people drinking which i assume to be alcohol, looking like an ordinary 'greek life' party, with traditional drinking games. Showing the audience that everything is fun.

Point of view shot.

playing volleyball..just generally having a fun time and sports such as this generally being associated with american university.

All of the above shots seem to be colorful with the theme of fun and happiness reoccurring, after these shots are displayed for approximately 3 seconds, meaning that it is seen by the viewer but not taken in, resulting in the viewer getting a conceived idea of what the film is initially about. Then there is a black transition and the first thing the viewer sees afterwards is the logo of the voice, with a teacher/leader orating to a group of young female students 

As we can see the location of this shot i believe is the chapter house (sorority headquarters.) It is illustrated to be a very archaic and traditional sorority with a rather long lineage as the viewer can point out with the black and white photos in the background and the ornate wooden desk displayed as the main focus point of the shot, giving the character behind it some significance.

This shot quickly transforms into a close up of each of the protagonists examples are shown below, by using the close up shot the viewer is able to relate with the progtagonists emotions/opinions at the present time within the film. Noticeably all the girls seem to be looking at each other and smiling emphasizing the relationship as friends. 

The music is carried on throughout this scene and then the 'partying' them is reintroduced, with the spilling of drinks and the opening of the door, looks like the audience is allowed in, sharing apart of the characters lifestyle. The music quickly transforms and lyrics are established the partying theme still running throughout. Then, what could be also used as transitions the producing/distributing logo is flashed up, quite odd as this is mostly done at the beginning of ending of most trailers.

 After this a panning shot/ establishing shot of the chapter house is played giving us a sense of it's location etc, plus with the large amount of students walking outside it, it i become aware that this may have been done to show it's (the particular sorority) popularity within it's college. Below is the clip of a character opening the door, which is from someone's point of view which i believe is effective and really works in terms of creating a atmosphere. If possible i would like to use this in my teaser trailer. By using this shot the viewer is able to identify their lifestyle etc.

00:20-00:40

The partying theme is still there, although the dilemma pops up about a male "player" tricking one of the protagonists. All the 'sisters' soon become involved in the matter and then the so called 'lesson' begins. After the convosation amoung the sisters the audience is then presented with a transition, using the out of signal effect which is pictured below. Although there isnt much to be evaluated within this scene, it's still important as it contains most of the story line. As i have realised within most trailers the story line/big dilemma often happens within at least the first 25 seconds in order to get the viewer gripped and left wanting to see more!  The other shots that will be evaluated have also been placed below.

The point of view shot looking at the laptop also were another scene is taking place, within this scene the laptop kind of acts as a tool in which can be used to switch over to the next scene. Although i know to use this in my teaser trailer will be extremely difficult, i still like the convention that they have used and think it is very sleek and smart.

After watching a large amount of teaser trailers i have noticed that they often have a narrator and/or title slides, i was thinking that i would have a narrator in mine, but i would have to have them speaking in third person. However as teaser trailers are often realised long before trailers and contain only a small amount of the filming, by using title slides i could still make it effective, and profounding without giving to much of the story away.

I decided to analyse this title slide as i thought that it would be, a good way to have as it is used to transfer over to the next scene by having the road as the background. i have also noticed that within this part of the trailer the music has changed and so have the characters, on the whole becoming more deceitful, demonic and sinister.

00:40-01:20

Before deconstructing this scene, the story-line is vital as i will be discussing it in terms of my evaluation. Basically one of the girls is pretending to be dead, and the boy who thinks it's he's thought stabs her in frustration, suddenly the truths comes out that it was in fact and prank and that they have to cover this murder and her body up quick! Firstly when entering the scene the music changes. All is not happy anymore. The viewer can hear the lyrics which go 'you did a bad bad thing' highlighting the extent that the girls are willing to carry on this prank, but who is doing the bad thing? the girls for committing the prank of the boy for letting her have some sort of fit?

This particular shot worked well as it established the scenery and is s shortcut as it saves the audience having to watch the can drive all the way in etc so by having a shot like this in my trailer i would be saving time, henceforth able to put more stuff in it.

These two shots can relate to my film, as they seem to be designed to look like a P.O.V shot. As my film will be about a misogynist who stalks, torments and then attempts to kill his last victim (a bully from school) i will need some "stalkerish shots". I would like to have them in the same style as this when the protagonist is under covert observation. By having this it gets the audience more involved as it is more dark.

When the murder scene is leading up the characters seem to be whispering to one another, holding private conversations, this conveys the amount of deceitfulness of them!

After the victim has been accidently killed they decided to bury her body and the tool used to kill her, there was one transition that was used which i really liked and thought that it went well with the codes and conventions of the film. I also noticed that when the character was being killed the next 5 seconds of the trailer appeared to be in slow motion, giving off a more dramatic effect. 

Within this transition three different things are going on, that are all related. The fog lights of the car the characters are in, the dead body being dragged away, the mine in which she will be buried. This was most likely used as another device to save time, plus it could make an excellent picture for a magazine article, theatrical poster. By using the fade transition effect, it give a sense of confusion and 'twistedness'

This shot i think is really effective on the audience, requiring little effort. The arm scraping along the floor shoes that she is not in control. The person dragging the body remains out of the picture, this to me symbolizes that they do not want to be revealed or associated with the murder.

The silhouette of the characters shows that they do not want to be identified and the could of smoke/ mist behind them only reinforces this. However some special effects must have been used in order to create the mysterious effect of the smoke.

i have come to realise that these types of shots on the left are in a few trailers and can be used as good transitions, or endings, by having the camera angle like this it makes the audience feel like they are down the bottom of the well. plus are able to see some items such as the tool in detail.

01:20-02:29 (the ending.) including murder scenes.

After 01:20 there is a white crossover, after watching the trailer over and over again to get the significance of this i have found out that it is meant to be a cut forward in time...to graduation. Then a really freaky nose comes up, next the graduation is presented.

After that horrifying scene, everything seems to be normal, graduation the principle of college life, more closely a character can be seen holding a bottle of wine indicating that they are having a good time. By having that shot of al the students it shows how diverse the film is.

The phones soon become an important element within this trailer, in ways of communication. I have took this idea and incorporated my own ideas into it, so in my teaser trailer i will have the antagonist tormenting his last victim from a telephone box leaving her missed calls etc before he attempts to kill her, the concept of the phone will be the only means of communication between the protagonist and the antagonist. By using the phones more characters become involved and share the same emotions, creating empathy among the characters.

In terms of the music it seems to get more edgy, and fast possibly representing a heart beat or limited time. Also higher pitches are used.

Murder scenes.

This is the 2nd murder scene in the film, well the first in terms of it not being an accident. I know its hard to see but the picture of the girl on the sofa actually has an effect the killer seems to be looking through some sort of mesh although it hasn't showed itself when I print screened it, but this is another stalker picture that would be good to have, although after the character lays down she sees the hooded figure above her which absolutely scared me, i though it was really sharp and quick something that a murder scene needs to contain. firstly by having the covert stalker pictures this makes the audience want to scream at the TV look get up....RUN! and the hooded figure accompanied by some scary music really builds up the suspense and results in a great impact. To add to this impact flashing white and black lights were added.

The hooded figure is now keeps popping up in the trailer...his identify unknown. When one of the sisters turns around and he is just standing there, he/she did not move...i was thinking how did they get there? i noticed that in the trailer there was a slight pause when this happened (long shot). Also in shot 2 the mid shot, the hooded figure slithers up in the camera view, this creates a really sneaky, sly and terrifying feeling...even i was looking behind me when watching this!. And lastly the shot number 3 also a mid close up, i found this part really dramatic as he is walking through a normal university social function ready to kill, the sisters knowing that he is coming, this was really powerful and assimilated into the atmosphere!

Another shot that i took my inspiration from was this one. The protagonist (the female) knows something is behind her but really does not want to turn around and the harsh light effect used on the other character abolishes his features so we as the audience do not know who he is.

it though that this also was a really impressive shot. the 'you're next' obviously written in what appears to be blood. In some way i can see it applying to the audience!

In this long shot part of the trailer, some comedy is added into it by the leader of the sorority, in some cases this could appeal to a wider audience if people like comedy horrors, plus it generally lightens the audiences mood up after watching this. As if i were to watch this trailer without any comedy i generally would be depressed and think it was just a killing film with an average story-line, but by adding comedy it brings it to a whole other level.

I decided that i would analyse the slogan last together.

In the trailer the 'sisters for life' bit flashed up, which ok is a normal saying that some people use...but when it flashed up death, its a whole other impact, to add something so strong and prominent is really catchy and to say death gives it a more darker and eviler look on things... carrying it to a next level! Meaning that if your in this... your in it for good!

Lastly i also noticed that you actually never see anyone dead in the trailer you see the act that may lead to death, but never the characters face or body, as you as a producer would want to save the best scenes for the films...or do some of the characters escape?

liked:

* the idea of a sorority which is social group of students and the fact that they are playing with this idea can relate to audience, and the film could easily attract 16-18 year olds which are typically students!

* interestingly it starts of on a positive side using the themes of partying.

* girly colloquial music and the end.

* comedy lightens the mood up----opens target audience.