We have created a survey to get feedback on our trailer and ancillary products. It would be great if you were to fill it in!

Here is the link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/XSWN685

The questions we asked were....

1. What genre would you say that our trailer fits into?

In preparation for making our magazine front cover and poster, we looked at exemplars that were provided by the exam board.

Magazine
What I Like -

• I like the main image as it is simple but effective. 
• I like how you can easily tell that the film that is featured is a horror with the use of blood
• The whole cover is laid out quite well and doesn't look too crowded
• It generally sticks with the house style that a typical Empire magazine would have
• All of the text relates to the film and shows that this issue is a special for the film

So, do the posters for Crimson Peak break or use typical codes and conventions for film posters? To help decide, I researched by looking at 3 other posters - a main poster for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, a character poster for The Huntsman Winter's War and a teaser poster for Jurassic World. I labelled the key features and components on each poster to help with the comparison to the Crimson Peak posters.




Crimson Peak - Codes and Conventions 
Teaser Poster - After looking at other teaser posters, the one for Crimson Peak does fit into the typical codes and conventions that are used. The poster includes a tagline, the title of the film and a release date. However, the teaser poster does break convention by featuring a character and an age classification - teaser posters generally don't have an age rating when they are released as the film is usually still in post-production and is quite a while away from being released. Teaser posters generally include an icon and don't really give much away - however, the poster for Crimson Peak includes an image of one of the characters and a location - even though the poster doesn't make all of the details very clear due to its artistic design, this poster does give more away than your average teaser poster. This poster also breaks convention by hinting at the talent involved - even though a direct name is not given, audiences who follow the director can imply who it is as one of their famous films is mentioned.

Main Poster - After looking at other main posters, the one for Crimson Peak does use codes and conventions that are typically used. The poster includes a credit block, a main image which includes the main character(s), an icon/symbol (the butterfly), a tagline and the title of the film. Even though the poster does use a lot of typical conventions - there are also some conventions that the poster breaks. The poster does not include an age classification or a release date. This is unusual for a main poster as they are usually released closer to the release date of the film than a teaser so it is more likely for a release date to be given. Crimson Peak's main poster also includes the names of the talent involved which weren't actually included in the Mockingjay - Part 2 poster that I looked at but are still a typical feature of a main poster. I think this main poster generally breaks the conventions as even though it includes a lot of typical features, it does exclude some important features which give a lot of information to audiences - main posters are usually a lot more informative than teaser posters and this one is only slightly more informative.

Character Poster - After looking at other character posters, the one for Crimson Peak uses codes and conventions that are typically used in character posters. Crimson Peak's poster features an image of one of the characters, the name of the talent in the image, the title of the film and a release date. However, with the release date, the one for Crimson Peak is a very broad 'coming soon' whereas character posters are usually still quite broad but generally have the name of the month or season that the film is going to be released. The only feature that Crimson Peak's poster doesn't include is the name of the character that the talent named is playing. Overall, this character poster for Crimson Peak uses and fits in with typical codes and conventions.

Similarities and Differences 
The biggest difference between a teaser and main poster is that a main poster is a lot for informative to an audience - in the Crimson Peak posters, the teaser poster includes a tagline, main image and the films name whereas the main poster includes a main image of the main 3 characters, a tagline, the films name, a credit block and icons - a brand is created. It is important that main posters are much more informative than a teaser as they are generally the final proper poster that is released so is the final way for the studio to persuade audiences to go and see the film in the form of a poster.

Character posters generally follow the same branding as the main poster. This similarity can be seen in the posters for Crimson Peak. This helps create a sense of familiarity for the audience as as time goes on, whenever they see the font, logo or symbols, they can associate them with the film. The teaser poster for Crimson Peak doesn't really fit in with the branding of the film other than the consistent tagline. It is important that a film creates an effective brand as it can be really helpful and vital to the success of the film.

Main posters and character posters are generally quite similar. However, character posters spotlight a certain character and the actor or actress who plays them. This is usually most effective when a film includes big name talent. The character poster for Crimson Peak does not include a credit block whereas the main poster does - this is because character posters are all about the character and selling the 'star' to the audience rather than all of the other information. It is important that the audience are aware of who is in the film as they can associate the actor/actress with others films they have been in that they may have enjoyed. For example, Jessica Chastain has starred in numerous successful films - one of which being a horror - Mama - $146.4 million worldwide (horror), Interstellar - $675 million worldwide (sci-fi), The Martian - $478.3 million worldwide (sci-fi) and Zero Dark Thirty - $132.8 million worldwide (drama and Chastain was Oscar nominated for this film).

Our question is answered at 13:57 in the video. 

We sent a tweet to movie reporter and Youtuber Grace Randolph (Beyond the Trailer, Movie Math) about our idea and trailer.

We asked 'For our final year in school, we are making a film trailer for Media Studies coursework. The plot is a thriller and has a similar 'mystery killer' plot to Scream and Scream Queens. What do you think is most important in a trailer?'

@GraceRandolph Question! pic.twitter.com/ccyMgKg4bm

— daniel (@MrDSelenator) October 24, 2015

We received lots of advice that we will take on board. Grace regularly reviews movie trailers on her Youtube channel so we thought she was the person to go to when wondering what makes a good trailer. Grace also asked her viewers to put in the comments section any more ideas they have for us and to tweet her the trailer when it is finished which we plan to do.

We visited Corby Film Week and took part in one of the workshops. This was led by Robert Foster who has worked on Hollyoaks, The Bill and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. We learnt about the importance of lighting (creating a white balance before beginning to film), the importance of camera angles/height (interviews work best at eye level, high angle can show inferior subject and low angle can show superior subject) and how to work best on a small budget. We also learnt about storyboarding and the rule of thirds. With lighting, you can add filters on to the light to create a different effect - you could use a blue filter which helps create a nighttime effect. We also learnt about how to zoom effectively and how to maintain focus. We also learnt about how important it is to have light continuity - this will ensure that the trailer flows well and all shots come together nicely. We also learnt about colour temperatures for outside and inside.

Censorship is the name for the process or idea of keeping things like obscene word or graphic images from an audience. Regulation is the action or process of regulation or being regulated. In post-war years it was fears of social unrest that was the reason for many films being censored or banned. As the nation relaxed in the 1960s nudity became the prime concern. The early 1970s saw film-makers pushing the limits of acceptability. In the 1980s the British Board of Film Censors to the board of Film Classification. Levels of violence then became the concern.

When Rambo III was submitted to the board in the late 1980s. Between Rambo II and III the Hungerford Massacre- where Michael Ryan killer 16 people with an assortment of guns- had made firearms and violence front-page news in Britain.
The attitude of the BBFC showed the way it had always had to respond to shifts in public opinion. The issue was that Rambo II seemed to be almost non-stop gunfire- "It's not so much what is shown, but how much and how relentlessly." The examiners fell into an intense debate over whether to grant the film the same 15 certificate as its predecessors (with cuts), or the more adult 18 reflecting the heightened sensitivities surrounding gun use. The film was released with an 18 certificate after cuts had been made.

Films can have different cuts of the film released depending on the country. In extreme cases films can be banned in certain counties. This is something we would have to take into consideration for our film. If our film has any elements that may offend people in other countries it could be censored or banned.

A recent example is the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey. The film was released in the UK with an 18 rating. However, in Indonesia, Cambodia and Malaysia it was banned out right. In the US the film came under fire from Christian groups for its salacious content and received an  R rating. Fifty Shades was promoted heavily in Vietnam however was cut of all love scenes and many other scenes were heavily edited. Similarly, last year Vietnam took Sex in the City off the air after only five episodes despite cutting racier moments. France couldn't differ more, they awarded the uncut version of the film a 12 certificate. The president of the French ratings board said the film "isn't a film that... can shock a lot of people" and described it as "a romance, you could even say a schmaltzy".

The Biblical epic Noah directed by Darren Aronofksy was dismissed by local censors in China on religious grounds. Noah was a huge hit in the US, despite its unorthodox depiction of the antediluvian patriarch. The film upset Christians, Muslims and secularists. The film was banned in Malaysia, after censor deemed it to be in violation of Islamic law, as well as Indonesia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates due to concerns over the depiction of the prophet.

Promotional material such as posters can also face censorship and regulation. The Sin City sequel poster featuring Eva Green was deemed to risqué by US censors. Green appeared on the poster wearing a revealing thin gown and was banned by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for nudity.

U means Universal. This means that anyone of any age is allowed to watch a film that has this certificate. Us only included infrequent uses of mildly bad language and there is no large focus on sexual behaviour. Violence in films that are rated U is also generally quite mild. Us also have no references to drugs. However, a U rated film isn't necessarily a children's film - it is just a film that includes generally positive messages. Examples of films that are rated U are 'Wall-E', the 2015 version of 'Cinderella', 'Inside Out' and 'Home'. According to the BBFC - U means 'suitable for all'.

PG means parental guidance. This means that the film is suitable for most people but may be unsuitable for younger viewers. PG films aren't all for younger viewers. For example, Saving Mr Banks was rated PG because it didn't include any explicit content, not because it is was a children's film. Mild bad language, brief/infrequent sex references, mild violence and passing references to drugs may all be included in a PG rated film. Examples of films that are rated PG are 'Maleficent', 'Monte Carlo', 'Coraline' and 'Brave'.


12A rated films usually contain content that generally isn't suitable for children under the age of 12. However, the 'A' stands for accompanied which means that children under the age of 12 can watch a 12A rated film if they are accompanied by an adult. Strong language, brief sexual nature, moderate violence and drug misuse may all be included in a 12A rated film. Horror films can also be passed as a 12A if they include only moderate physical and psychological threat. Examples of films that are rated 12A are The Hunger Games series, 'Everest', 'Pitch Perfect 2' and 'Jurassic World'.


An 15 rated film is only suitable for those aged 15 or above. 15 rated films may include strong violence, frequent strong language, sexual activity, references to sex, nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence, discriminatory language and drug taking. 15 rated horror films can include strong threat and horror but there must not be a sustained focus on sadistic or sexualised threat. The most common films that are rated 15 are horrors and comedies. Examples of films that are rated 15 are 'Trainwreck', 'The Visit', 'Magic Mike XXL' and 'Mad Max: Fury Road'.


An 18 rated film is only suitable for adults aged 18 or above. 18 rated films may include very strong violence, frequent strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex and discriminatory language and behaviour. 18 rated horror films may contain sustained threat, horror and gore. Examples of films that are rated 18 are 'Spring Breakers', 'Gone Girl', 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and 'Legend'.

We made a collage of posters of horror and thriller films. We did this because we haven't quite decided which genre our film will fit into to (it is mainly a thriller but has elements of horror).