Poster

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?

Here are the 4th drafts of my poster and magazine:

I received the following feedback about my third drafts:

Cover – 

• Empire tagline is too hidden.
• White line on masked man.
• Five different shades of grey – one is weirdly outlined.
• Spacing between text and lines isn’t consistent.
• Size of lines isn’t consistent.
• 2110 – newspaper cuttings?

Poster – 

• white outlines around some images.
• Mask is a bit weird – sizing issue?
• Weird lump in severed head.
• The bloody knife is a bit clipart.
• Tagline font doesn’t fit.
• 2110? Cut outs?
• Weird line coming out the masked man

We have now finished filming - over the past few weeks, we have filmed the fast sequence for our trailer and re-shot the end sequence. Whilst editing, we knew the fast sequence was the part that was going to bring the whole trailer together so it is good we now have it shot and edited in. We also wanted to re-shoot the end sequence so that it almost mirrored the opening sequence and stuck with the style of the trailer. We are yet to edit in the revised end sequence but it should be a little longer and have a similar effect to the opening sequence.

When planning to film the fast sequence, we thought that it would take a lot longer than it did to complete. However, we ended up getting quite a lot of good footage and coming up with some extra ideas that were effective. We also made the most of where we were and were able to get shots that we hadn't planned to get that day. The first scene we shot was of the bloody hands - we changed the lighting numerous times so we could decide what looked most effective in the editing sequence - we had full lights, dim lights and a torch. We found that full lights made the blood look a little too red and it didn't look very authentic so we decided not to include any of that footage. However, there was some footage we got where the camera was focused well. From previous filming days, we learnt that it is good to check the footage before we get into school. We transferred our footage onto our laptops to check that it looked good so we knew that it would be good enough to be included in the trailer. We also shot the argument scene as the location we were using had a good clear, pale wall that was just what we wanted. We had to move the lighting and angle of the camera around in order to get the effect we wanted. Whilst filming this, we also came up with shooting a shot of a silhouette of a weapon - we decided on a knife as it would be the easiest to recreate and also fitted well with our trailer as it is the type of weapon the killer would use. We made the knife by cutting out some cardboard and then covered it with tinfoil - it didn't matter how authentic the actual knife looked but that the silhouette looked realistic. We then dipped the 'knife' in fake blood to create a dripping effect.

We also came up with our 'production logo' which resulted in us changing our studio name from Clockwork Films to Spectral films. We filmed the logo using the light reflection of a lid of a patterned candle - this wasn't intentional but it gave a really good effect that we liked. From this shooting day, we learnt a lot about shooting silhouettes and how to get the best effects when doing so - we learnt a lot about getting the right lighting and angles.

We were filming with friends who needed outside shots so we all went on a walk. Whilst doing so, we made the most of the opportunity to get some exterior shots for our trailer. We ended up shooting a shot of a male character turning around and we got some exterior, landscape shots of the church and countryside to create a sense of atmosphere. However, when it came to editing, we couldn't really find a place for this exterior shots so we decided not to include them.

On this day, we also re-shot the flashing killer moments. The original footage we had didn't look very professional as there was a curtain in the background so we made the most of the plain walls. We now have the effect we wanted and think it looks good in our trailer.  The only issue we had was creating the flashing/strobe effect - it was hard to control the flicker of the torch as at first, it was showing different amounts of light depending on how hard we pressed. However, after practice, we knew how hard to press and it worked quite well.

We recently re-shot the end sequence of our trailer which we now think mirrors the opening sequence - there are the same amounts of shots and there are similar shot types (e.g. feet walking, knocking on door etc). This sticks with the style of the trailer and works quite well. We wanted to extend this part of the trailer as we felt it originally came to an end quite quickly and not very effectively. After filming this, we have now concluded our filming for the trailer - unless we find any little bits we would like to re-shoot, we are happy with the footage we have and just have to edit this last sequence into the trailer.

Here is the first draft of our trailer before the revised ending sequence has been edited in:

The Effects Model
One audience theory is the effects model. This is the idea that audiences are passive and that the power lies with the message of the text. The hypodermic needle model relates to the effect model. This is because it suggests that audiences are 'injected' with lots of information and just passively take it in, unable to resist. This model is supported by Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment that found that children who watched violent behaviour were likely to replicate that behaviour. Real life examples also support this - for example, the murder of James Bulger by children who had watch Child Play 3. A Clockwork Orange has also been associated with rape and other violent attacks. The simple idea of the effects model is that people see images and are likely to be influenced by them. This relates to my trailer and ancillary products. In the trailer, a silhouette of a knife is shown and a graphic image of an open wound is also shown. In my poster, a silhouette of a knife is also used. Based on the effects model, these could influence the consumer and lead to them carrying out violent activities. The trailer would be easier to restrain younger audiences from as it would be a 'Red Band' trailer. These are only shown before films that are age appropriate and Youtube only lets users over 18 access Red Band trailers. The poster however would be harder to restrict. The poster would not be able to be shown on the sides of buses or on billboards - an edited version with the removal of the knife may be able to be displayed in public places. However, the poster would probably be able to be shown inside cinemas. The whole theme of our trailer may be quite threatening as it is all about murder - the way the trailer is restricted will make sure that passive younger consumers do not replicate any of the behaviour. However, once the film has been released, it would be up to the parents or the individuals themselves for whether they see the trailer or film. The effects model also suggests that people can be sent into a moral panic - this could lead to films being banned. When creating our trailer, we can to make sure we weren't pushing the boundaries (violence-wise) too much or else the trailer wouldn't actually be allowed to air.

Uses and Gratifications
Another audience theory is the uses and gratifications theory. This is almost the opposite of the effects model as it suggests that the audience is quite active. The theory suggests that the audience uses the text for gratification or pleasure. The theory also suggests that the power lies with the audience and they are in control - they can choose to reject or accept the media. This can be explained through films that are not financially successful - in 2015, a remake of Fantastic Four was released which received negative reviews and bad word of mouth. Before the film was released, lots of negative things were said about it and a very negative buzz was created. This led to the film underperforming during the opening weekend and seeing a very high second week drop which shows that audiences rejected the film due to it not satisfying their needs. We hope that our trailer is quite effective and that lots of anticipation will be created - the magazine feature is all about the theories based on who the killer is. This means that people will be talking about the film and hopefully, a buzz will be created which would lead to the audience accepting the film and paying to see it. Audiences can use media for diversion, escapism, pleasure, comparing relationships and lifestyles with their own and sexual stimulation. I would say that our trailer and film would be used for diversion and escapism. Audiences would also be satisfied by our trailer as they would be able to relate to the characters and their lifestyles - our audience would be a teen audience and our characters are of a similar age - the audience would relate to the school lifestyles and the types of dramas that occur at school. However, our plot is quite extreme so audiences would be able to compare themselves and may feel thankful that their drama isn't as bad. The film is set in quite a realistic, modern environment which makes it even more relatable and creates a diversion for the audience. The whole plot creates a sense of escapism as the audience can escape from their day-to-day lives and go into a world that is probably a lot less worse than theirs. The uses and gratifications theory also suggests that violent images can be helpful and can help audiences understand that being violent is bad.

Reception Theory
This theory was created by Stuart Hall and is another audience theory. The main idea of the theory is that the audience decodes the messages that have been encoded into the text by producers. However, audiences can't always decode the correct meaning which could lead to the text being rejected as audiences fail to understand it. The 3 main ways that texts can be decoded are dominant/preferred, negotiated or oppositional. Dominant is when the correct movie is decoded, negotiated is when the audience accepts, refines and rejects certain elements and oppositional is when the text is misread and therefore rejected. In our trailer, we have included an image of an open wound - the intended message is that the character has been murdered. However, this message could be misinterpreted or rejected by audiences.

 For my poster, I am using the existing poster for the 2014 film 'The Town That Dreaded Sundown' as inspiration. I am using this as inspiration as both that film and our film have similar 'mystery killer' storylines. In my poster and other ancillary products, I wanted to play up the element of the mystery killer as that is probably the 'scariest' thing about our film so is likely a selling factor - the audience sees a violent looking figure and will assume the film is a horror/thriller so will go and see it to feel scared. For my poster, I will be having a similar main image to the one that The Town That Dreaded Sundown uses - I like the way there is an imprint of the silhouette/basic image of the mask the killer is wearing as the backdrop. I also like the layout of this poster - I think is it quite clear. However, I will be adding in a tagline and the names of the talent involved. I think the tagline 'You Can't Escape the Countdown' helps to emphasise the plot of the film and gives further clues that this is a horror film. For the release date and title, I have continued to play on the idea of the newspaper clipping letters which is used in the note in the film - this creates iconography.

Once I have taken and edited by own image, I will make sure that the spacings are all correct - at the moment the names of the talent are not all equally spread across the page due to the stand in image being positioned at a strange angle.

Over the past few months, we have been busy filming our trailer. Our filming hasn't always been a smooth process - there have been many hurdles that we have had to overcome. However, this process has definitely helped us to develop the skills to overcome hurdles and any issues.

One issue we have is being able to get locations and our cast members all at the same time - the drama studio in our school is used by all students so it is difficult to find a time when it is free. We have also found that when it is free, our cast members are not available (due to other commitments). We have also had issues with the equipment within the drama studio - there were no lights that we could use. However, we overcame this issue by using what we had access to which was a light that flashed - we created a strobe effect that could become useful and effective in our actual trailer.

Filming for this project as definitely helped to improve our skills with using cameras. Before this course, I hadn't really used a camera before. This means that we have had some issues with using a camera whilst filming. Our biggest issue has been getting the camera to focus. However, we overcome this issue with patience and using our hands as a point for the camera to focus on. We have also found out which settings work best for focusing. For the previous footage which was not in focus, we have re-shooted so that the shots are clearer and of a good quality.

Over the Christmas holidays, we re-shot the opening sequence for our trailer as the original had issues with framing, focusing, shakiness and lighting. With the re-shoot, we have decided to go for more of an artistic effect for the opening sequence which will help our trailer and film to stand out against other horror films. We received feedback in class that our trailer needs to be a little more 'horrific' so we have decided to make the gore elements more prominent. To do this, we asked our friend who has skills in special effects makeup to create a cut on April's throat for the scene. This creates an element of threat as the killer actually comes across as brutal, fearsome and scary.