Movie development

This was the very first edit that was created. This was exactly how I wanted the sequence to go as I followed the storyboards that where created to the letter. Wilest creating this cut I used sound effects from soundbible sound effects.   The fact that this was the first edited I created this with the fact of much more development would be needed.



This cut I added some word graphics to tell the audience what they where to be thinking about however these where too small and there was too much so the next step would be to simpilfy the graphics and carry on with further development to make them more effective.



With this cut I used incompetech royalty-free music to help set the feeling of the scene and used royalty free as that way there would be no paper work that would be needed to gain permission to use their music. I also used larger moving graphic to be more notice able and also simpler for there not to be too much going on at the same time.



To help the idea of this film I used a voice over to say the major words, however the words that say 'no?' and 'too bad' created a comical feel to the film and where henceforth, removed to keep the horror feel intact.  After realising that what I had in fact created was more typical of an opening sequence, I tried to combat this, so I cut a section of the trailer out so as to not give away the whole story in one go; this still needed further work to create the final product.



This edit I added a heartbeat effect to try and show the tension the characters would be feeling. The 'through white' transition was an attempt to solve a jumpy transition however this did not work as planned so is something that would be needed to be looked further into.


This was an edit without the heartbeat sound effect as I felt it wasn't as effective as hoped so ultimately it was removed to focus on the storyline atmosphere and feeling of the film.



With this cut the inspiration of putting the production name in the start came form another horror move trailer however I could not recreate the same effect as what was shown on the original trailer that the idea came from not therefore was not used in future cuts.



The idea of using a medical flat line was an idea that was given from audience feed back however it gave the idea of someone surviving and being in a clean safe place that works against the usual connotation within horror movies and trailers. This was put down to an idea that did not work so was scraped.



This was the first audible cut with the new voice over. The problem with this one is that during editing  that thanks to the volume the voice was recorded was much louder than the rest of the footage This is something that was needed to be developed and solved.



This edit had further audio problems with all sound being far away to quiet and making it hard to understand anything that was being said.


Again the thing that is needed to be looked at in this was the volume of the voice over and the sync of the sound as the timing between the gate closing and the sound of the gate closing is very far out.



This cut was done with the idea of being like a movie trailer as the storyline was mixed up to cause more questions to be asked and keep the audience involved trying to make sense of what is going on. I also noted the fact that after I showed this trailer to my target audience they mainly questioned the genre because of the voiceover, hence this will be removed. As well as that the problem with the audio sync also needs to be revived as its out by some way with the gate closing.





After realising that using headphones to set my sound levels had caused a major error making barely any audiable sound, this was my first cut that tried to fix this problem.

After much time I feel all the niggley problems have been ironed out and this is the final final edit for my first draft.

Poster Development

This is the final development was simply the production name as some people was questioning the role 'the hotman group' was playing so simply added media to the name to make it obvious of its role.

This was the last major development using a lighter back drop to show a little more detail in the image and being able to see the emotion on the face of the main character.

This is a development was created after I was given the tip of showing more action of what happens in the film. I was given mixed reactions with this poster so therefore created a survey to see what version was preferred by the viewers. 

In this survey I had the most recent poster as poster 1 and the previous one as poster 2 and as this graph clearly shows the original poster was the more preferred out of these two.

The next thing that I realised was the codes and conventions had been broken though the fact the release date was being very much overshadowed by the rest of the poster, not only this I also made the title become more apparent by using a lighter shade of blue to make it stand out against the dark background.

With the idea of working with corporations I added not only my own logo but also the logo of whom was helping me during the heavy development stage of this opening sequence.

The next things that I thought would give this poster a more professional look was logos as there were seen in most film posters such as: 20th Century Fox, Sony, Dolby Digital sound and other companies and media incorporations.

As developments went on I found through the research thast there is a lot of info on a poster such as who created/produced said film, who stars in said film, and any extra persons that were key to the creation of said film.

This is my first idea for the ancillary task of  a movie poster. The idea of using this image has been ideal since the filming was completed. This first idea consists of a very simple design that clearly needed to have improvements made to it. However this was a very strong base to add improvements to. The major parts to a movie poster are already here such as, Title of the film, when the film is being launched and a background that sets the theme and idea of the film.  

Poster Plan

After looking at many other movie posters, I gained an understanding on what is a 'must' in a movie poster. The most critical things are:
Eye catching lay out to captivate the audience
The poster includes an intriguing focal picture to have the audience asking questions
Clear Title to make it easy to read
Theme that shows the horror genre of the film
Will attract the target audience of 15+
Age certification may be displayed
Release date
Directors and Production Company displayed

Movie Poster

In preparation for the second ancillary we looked at movie posters to understand what was needed for the most effective advertisement.
This is an analysis of a horror Movie poster;

However the posters below are also what I used as inspiration for the set up and layout of my movie poster ;

Production Recap

Since the planning stage, we have completed filming and I have edited a rough cut of the footage into a sequence that fits the codes and conventions of horror movies such as The Blair Witch Project and Blue. The development has been extensive since discovering what we originally created was an opening sequence. The next stages that are needed to be taken is the finalising of footage editing, and the research and development of a Movie Poster  

New Story Boards

Insanity Script

Female Actress- Sam Cobden as Isabelle Jones

Male Actor- Richard Larner as Andrew Leight

Andrew: Isn’t it a nice evening to be out?

Isabelle: Yeah it’s really warm. Nice to be out.

Isabelle: This looks like a nice place?

Andrew: Yeah you're right! Let’s stop here……. right next to the trees!

(Putting food onto floor and sit down to start eating)

(A deafening scream has been heard deep within the forest)

Isabelle: What was that? Did you hear that? (Both characters are scanning the area for the source of the scream)

Andrew:  It sounded like it came from in there.

(Andrew points into the dense forest.)

Andrew: Why don’t we go and have a look! Come on let's go!

Isabelle: (hesitantly) I’m not sure I didn’t like the sound of that?

Andrew: Come on! Let’s go have a look, it could be interesting you never know!

(Andrew beckoning the friend to go further) See it's fine, what’s the worst that can happen?

 (Scream)

Isabelle: (worried voice) Oh my god, We should go NOW !!!

Andrew: No don’t worry, nothing is going to happen?

 (As Andrew walks past a bush, Andrew is dragged into  the bush out of sight)

Andrew: (screams) get off meeeee!! Help Isabelle please!!

(Isabelle turns around to look at the last moment to see the feet of their friend disappearing)

Isabelle: (concerned and scared) Andrew W-w-where have you gone?

Isabelle: (stern voice) Andrew! Andrew! Andrew!

Isabelle: (Runs around to the other side of the bush of where Andrew disappeared to see nothing)

Isabelle: (looking around sweaty and out of breath from running)

End Scene

Characters Back Stories

Andrew Leight 
 Andrew as a boy was obsessive about the great outdoors. Venturing out to discover the world, that hasn't changed to this day. When he was young it was camping in the garden until his parents finally cave into his want to go camping. He sensed he was the only one who really enjoyed it, so now Andrew goes to where he feels at most comfortable: outdoors, whenever he can. 
Isabelle Jones 
Isabel is your typical daddy's girl. You will find her whole room full of pink, pink and more pink, being her favourite colour. As Isabelle grew up she had a very fashion conscious upbringing since her mother owned a very successful clothes company but still was kept grounded by having to pull her weight around the house  and going to college just like anyone else.

Cast and Crew

Below is a list of the roles people are playing during filming:

• Director- Max Phipps
• Cameraman- David Baverstock
• Female Actress- Sam Cobden as Isabelle Jones
• Male Actor- Richard Larner as Andrew Leight
• Editing- David Baverstock/Max Phipps
• Producer- David Baverstock/Max Phipps

Props

The props that we will need when filming are listed below:

• Costumes- Casual Clothing
• Ruck Sack
• Take away food (packaging)

The equipment that we will need are:

• Rope (For Dragging)
• Camera
• Tripod
• Special Effects Make-Up (Water Spray)

Location Recce

This location is where the couple sit down after walking into this crop of trees and lay down food and start talking. After the man gets up and wlks about and stands and is dragged away

This is where andrew is going to be dragged through the bushes and out of sight

This is where Isabelle is going to run to see if Andrew has came out the other side of the bush

Dead end that she will come to in the confusion

This is the confusion as she darts about looking for Andrew

And finally this is where she stops running dis-orientated and tired after running about and also the end of the scene

The thought of safety during filming in this location was taken into consideration and was implicated from the advice given in this e-mail

Location

 We have finally chosen a location, we are going to film at The Tree Cathedral in Whipsnade. We've chosen this location because it has trees that resemble a forest, also there is a lot of bushes, we wanted the density of the forest giving a dark effect and a sense of questioning

Location Scouting

Whilst I was looking for locations I used the data from a questionnaire that was created to discover the target market and what type of location they would prefer the film was set. With this in mind I looked for densely wooded areas that would be very dark spooky and mysterious.  The locations that I was thinking of, were :


I inquired into getting permission from these locations and these are the replies I was given;
Ashridge
Email sent and reply
Woburn Abbey
Email and reply
Unfortunately after a lengthy time of exchanging e-mails this is the letter that declined permission to film on Woburn's land.

The Dunstable Downs
This location turned out to be very unlike what I was after with wooded areas so dropped the thought of filming here.  

Ivinghoe Beacon

This turned out to be very impractical as it was a very long walk from any main roads and also I couldn't be guaranteed that we could film here.

As you can see this location highlighted in yellow is far from anywhere to access it

Tzvetan Todorov’s Theory of Narrative

Todorov suggested that conventional narratives are structured in five stages:

1. A state of equilibrium at the outset

2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action

3. A recognition that there has been a disruption

4. An attempt to repair the disruption

5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

This type of narrative structure is very familiar to us and can be applied to many ‘Mainstream’ film narratives.

This relates to our film trailer because the first point is the equilibrium of the two characters kicking the ball around. The second point is where the ball is kicked into the forest and the third point relates to when they go into the forest to find the ball. The fourth point is when the friend tries to find the missing friend whilst she disappears

ROLAND BARTHES’ ENIGMA CODE

Barthes' Enigma Code is a theory that suggests a text (whether that be television, film, a poster etc) portrays a mystery to draw an audience in, pose questions and, as such, become intrigued in the piece. For instance, a murder mystery will often not reveal the identity of the murderer until the end of the story, which poses the question "Who is the murderer?"
Sourced from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Barthes'_Enigma_code

The Barthes Enigma code is a theory; this is a piece of text that makes an audience draw in to a mystery that may happen. It also makes them ask questions and become intrigued in the piece of media. Most murder inquiries will often not reveal the identity of the murderer until the end, which this make the audience ask a question, ‘Who is the murderer?’
Throughout our narrative it will establish enigmas or a mystery as it goes along. Through the fact of questions being raised through the storyline. This however isn’t critically important as it’s just a trailer so many mysteries will stay undiscovered. Essentially this theory, the narrative functions to establish and then solve these mysteries.

Final story line

The storyline is;
Two friends having a picnic one pleasant evening. As the couple were about to enjoy their food on the outskirts of a forest, at this point they have no clue of the dangers that lurks within. Before anything has a chance to happen, they hear a scream heard from within. One of them wants to go to find out what it’s all about. Consequently the curious friend gets dragged away out of sight and causing the remaining friend to panic. Frantically, in a distressed state, the remaining friend calls out their name searching, in a disorientated frame of mind. At this point friend has nowhere to go and feels as if the whole world has collapsed around them . . . . . .

Insanity: Story boards

These are tha storyboards that have been drafted up

to help us understand what effect we are trying 

create. Using these should allow us to have a clearer

 idea of what shoots are needed as well as props

location and cast.

The different shots that are needed are detailed within

the story boards which alows us to focus on the

 quality of fimling opposed to thinking of what shoots are

 needed and how they will eventually be going together.

 Instead we can look at framing shots camera movement

 and the overall feel and look of the production.  



The main goal of this production is to 'hook' the audence into the storyline and create a want to know how the story ends. This compells the audience to pay to watch the film. 

Mag development

This is what I created as my initial mag cover idea. I later found that this is much more like a Movie Poster. However this is a good thing to know as that is the second ancillary task that I have chosen. 

After moving on from the previous idea, we looked into how mag cover looked and created the guide lines in the post above to create the more suitable format.

This is my first attempt at creating a design that was developed with the concept of being a mag cover firmly in mind. However still needed further development to bring it up to a acceptable standard.

As I further developed the design I incorporated elements from mags that I has looked over and felt the design techniques within them to be effective and appropriate with in this genre. The thing that was mostly commented on was the ability to tell what was the name of the 'new' film in comparison to the rest of the cover. The another thing that was most misunderstood was the reason for the arms.

Acting on the comments made I used a star to make the title stand out above everything else and a solid colour bar that gave a definite colour contrast to the writing. I also gave a reason for the hands as they play an important role in the feature film that is being advertised. 

Carrying on with the idea of the main design being influenced by the film being featured in this mag. I changed the background to the forest scene that is the film is set in, this coupled with the use of colours and borders in the title of the mag and the slogan to draw maximum attention to them as possible. 

The final changes that were made were small details like finalising the use of space by reorganising things like the stories, barcode, showing Issue number and filling space that was usable without the design looking over crowded.

After looking over the design I realized the arms where irrelevant and therefore replaced with eyes giving the sense of being watched. This is mainly due to the fact that we want the scene of being watched and disappearing without a trace...............

The editing package that I used to create all of these covers was Serif PhotoPlus X4

Mag Cover plan

After looking at current horror Mag covers we deduced the common characteristics throughout out the HORROR genre. With this knowledge we created this plan to follow, this will help us get the best effect possible.



HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS (David Baverstock)

Hammer Film Productions is a film company that is based in the UK. It was founded in 1934 and they produced a series a 'Gothic' Hammer Horror Films which were made from the mid-1950's to the 1970's. Hammer tended to dominate the horror market and they enjoy worldwide distribution and having significant financial success. Hammer produced a variation of film genres such as Sci-Fi, Thrillers, Comedies, and Film Noirs, they also created television series.  They had more success after they partnered up with United States studios/distributors Warner Bros.
The Horror Thrillers that they created were The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. Hammer were producing these film when horror was groundbreaking.

Celador Film Company; The Decent 2006

Celador Film Company

http://www.celador.co.uk/

‘Global light entertainment company originally formed as an independent production company in 1983. It has produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is probably best known for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and co-producing the film Slumdog Millionaire which collected seven masks at the BAFTAS, four Golden Globes and eight Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture in 2009.’

One of Celadors greatest film productions was British Horror film; The Descent (2006) directed by Neil Marshall. The synopsis of the film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped through a series of unfortunate events, and are hunted by flesh-eating humanoids who seem to have been trapped inside for hundreds of years.

Neil Marshall realized that horror films almost never have an all-female cast, and with The Decent Marshall wanted to defy convention. Casting all women into the role, Marshall was aware he needed to avoid making them clichéd, so simply asked basic advice from his female friends and family. He explained that the main difference was, "the women discuss how they feel about the situation, and where as a group of men wouldn’t."

When it comes to producing and scripting our own film, I feel I should learn from The Decent when portraying the female character. As I’m aiming the film towards a female target audience I need to make the character relatable. 

Target market

Thanks to the questionnaire that I created on http://www.kwiksurveys.com I discovered that my target market is females. I am now needing to have a more exact knowledge on what appeals to this market.

What I know already?

Female

I’m aiming this film at Middle class and above, as theses classes would have a better disposable income and more likely able to afford the cinema.

With in the UK my mass target audience for woman would primarily be from a christian background.
Thriller Horrors proved to be most popular.

16-25 Skilled Women, will be my target age group, putting the certification of our film aimed around the 15-18 market.
 
Preferred release time is from October till December

The results showed that the female target audience still preferred to see a lead male in a horror film. I will instead use a female with in a supporting role.



These are the only different results when female stats are reviewed.

Magazine Layout

Questionnaire Results

1.       Are you Male or Female?

From the results gathered I seemed to have a larger percentage of females answering the questions. This shows that predominantly the answers I have gathered are largely from a female target audience.  60% Female to 40% Male.

2.       Age Group?

The age group indicated that I had a younger age group ranging from 11-20; however had I recreated the questionnaire I would have narrowed down the age group further into young teens, and young adults.

3.       How much do you like horror movies?

We found that the majority of the people asked either liked or loved horror movies!

4.       Ideal Horror cross genre?

Horror Thrillers proved to be most popular followed by Horror Comedy and Horror/Sci-Fi. This means that when it comes to creating our film trailer, we should aim it towards a Horror Thriller genre, and adhere to those codes and conventions.

5.       Characters and Themes?

Serial Killer based movies come out on top but only just with 22%, closely followed by Vampires 20%, Zombies 18%. When it comes to our theme we need to aim towards these top three answers if we want to appeal to the largest target audience. Serial Killer would suit our project as we have limited funds and special effects tools for Vampires or Zombies.

6.       Age Classification?

15-18 proved to be most popular with an over whelming 52% choosing an 18 certificate. With a higher age rating the audience prefer to have their horror films with more adult themes, and more scenes of violence and gore. This also means that we are less restricted in what we can show. 

7.       Release Dates?

The most popular release for our film indicated an October-December showing. With 68% of the people asked opting for this time frame. With the arrival of Halloween and longer nights, the atmosphere is a better setting for an audience to watch a new release of horror film. 

8.       Settings?

Horror films set with in an old dilapidated house environment seemed to be the most popular choice for a horror film setting, followed by a forest and residential estate. These could be due to the fact that the audience relate better to these environments allowing them to easily immerse themselves with in the story. If an audience can sympathise better with the characters, they find the traumatic situations and emotional trauma that much stronger. 

9.       Lead Role?

59% of the people asked indicated that they preferred a male lead role for a horror film. One participant quoted “I would prefer a male lead role, because had the roles been reversed with a woman, I think I would have possibly felt more guilty, and harder to watch.”