Trailer- Characters Profiles

Before starting to film our piece, we decided to create character profiles. These are different to actor profiles, as it talks about the character and the characters background, likes and dislikes etc. This will benefit the actors, as they will know how to act when they are performing a certain role, to make the character more believable and realistic. 

(Character 1)

(Character 2) - Hero AND Villain

(Character 3)- Princess

(Character 4)- The False Hero

(Character 5)- The Heroine

We can apply Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze.

-The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance. Furthermore suggests woman can more often than not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a mans perspective Remember the stat from misrepresentation, only 16% of media creaters are female. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory. 

-This is both challenged and used within our piece, challenged in that one of our leading roles is a strong female character who stands up against men and fights for justice, however it is also used because our other two female characters are minor roles that are just the guy's girlfriends.

We can also apply Propp’s Character Theory (As written in red above)

Hero: Traditionally the hero is a male protagonist whose role it is to restore normality or equilibrium. He does this by defeating the villain(s) and winning the love of the heroine.

Villain: The villain is the cause of the disruption and the enemy of the hero. The villain may also be a threat to the safety and the well being of the heroine.

Dispatcher: The dispatcher sends the hero on a journey to restore equilibrium. The dispatcher may also be the father or a father figure of the heroine, sending the hero on a quest to see if he is worthy of his daughter.

Donor: The donor gives the hero something to help him along his journey. This gift may be a piece of advice, a skill or an object such as a weapon.

Helper: The helper assists the hero in restoring equilibrium. The helper may be a sidekick, with the hero throughout, or someone he meets along the way.

Heroine: The heroine is usually a passive and vulnerable character, threatened by the villain and needing rescuing by the hero.

False Hero: The false hero is a character who initially seems to be on the side of the hero but who turns against him or deceives.

Trailer- Main Characters- Chosen Actors/Actresses

Above are the characters and a bit about them. They were all chosen due to the fact that they fit a 'stereotypes' that are usually in films. For example, Amber Ellis who is playing the role of Natalie Gilbert and Luke Bauckham who is playing the role of Kyle Riccard, are the sort of couple you'd expect to see in a horror; the female being very ditsy, and the male being 'jock' like. 

Myself, I was chosen to be in the trailer due to the fact that horror movies stereotypically have the blonde who always gets killed first as she does stupid things. This is also the reason that Sarah Nurse was chosen to play Christina Graham,due to that fact that black characters also die first. 

We also wanted another jock/nerd to be in the trailer, so due to this, we chose Vikesh Babajee. Generally, people stereotype Asians as being very clever, so we decided to stick to this. 

Trailer- Camerawork Research

Camerawork used in a horror movie from Lauren Hewitt

(Sources: http://www.slideshare.net/andywallis/a2-media-studies-revision-pack
                https://revision4gcses.wordpress.com/media-studies/camera-anglesmovementshots/ )

Trailer- Designing the Credit Block

Our inspiration:

To get an idea of what sort of things should be included in a credit block, we watched a few trailers, and looked at the back of DVD boxes. This showed us that the 'pictures' name should be followed by the 'production' name, closely followed by names of the bankable stars. At the end should be the directors name. Underneath the text should be idents of the companies involved.

 Designing The Credit Block:

The design of our Credit Block, was left up to Amber while I started to put the first draft of our storyboard together. She decided to stick to the conventional black and white, and follow the guidelines of what order each name should appear. 

Final Draft:

Trailer- Proposed Storyboard (Draft 1)

Trailer- Film Title Vote

To decide what to call our movie, we chose to create another voting chart; this would allow us to see what others believe is the best title. 

After giving this voting sheet out to our peers, it became apparent that the favorite was The Last Summer. 

Trailer- Text On Screen In Horror Films

Text on screen actually seems to be a pretty common feature when it comes to horror films. It can help to set the seen and the atmosphere for the film or trailer which is about to be shown, and it also gives the audience an idea of what the main idea for the story line is. The first and second picture is taken from a clip in one of the Paranormal Activity films. The first picture is able to give the audience a little bit of context into the name of the main character, but also the fact that the name of the distribution company is mentioned, makes it even more uncomfortable. This is because, it makes it feel even more real, although that we already know that the Paranormal Activity films are meant to look like they are of true accounts, which they actually are not. As well as this, the fact that the San Diego Police Department are mentioned, again creates a scary and intense atmosphere as the audience are begging to know what was so bad that the police had to get involved, especially as it is based around a paranormal matter. 

From the above screen, it is clear that the best way to show text on screen, is with a black background with white text. This helps it to stand out to the audience so that it is easier to read, especially as the text is clearly important, as it otherwise wouldn't be there. Again, the text is pretty basic as well, it is in what looks like a time write font, which can again suggest the age of the film that the directors are trying to encode into their text, even if it was filmed in the more modern day. Therefore, this whole process has been set to instill fear and uncertainty into the audience; something which is very effective and that myself and my partner will look in to when creating our own text on screen. 

This image is the second type of text on screen which is show in the Paranormal Activity films, and is actually a very prominent convention for all of the films. This particular text shows the the date, and the 'night' that we are being shown of the actors/characters are filming. Again, it gives the audience a little more information and detail, otherwise, due to the nature and context of the film, it could potentially be quite confusing. Furthermore, there is a similar background being used with the white text on a darkened background, again making it easier to see. 

This image below, is taken from another film which i have researched before, called the 'The Blair Witch Project'. Similarly this film is in documentary style, which is similar to our own, which is where text on screen seems to be quite common. However, this text on screen, gives us slightly more information as we are actually told that the film makers went missing. Therefore, there is the sense of dramatic irony as the audience already know that something bad is going to happen to the characters whilst they watch them. 

Furthermore, the very last sentence is a piece of text that actually appears just at the very end, a few seconds after the other text has already appeared. Therefore, without any explanation, we are shown that the film is going to be about the recordings of the footage that was found a year later, from the characters that went missing. This consequently intrigues the audience to know further information, as they want to know why the filmmakers went missing. 

Finally, again the same sort of text and colourings are being  used, which shows it is clearly a very popular choice, again something we will take into consideration when using our own text on screen. 

Trailer- Vlog 1- Initial Ideas/Plot Synopsis

Trailer- Logos- Research

-Universal, is probably the most well-known production companies today; their logo, is also commonly seen. They have a wide genre of films and are a much respected company.

-Their company logo is a simple black background with the Earth in the centre. Whilst music is playing, the title of Universal rotates onto the screen.

-The Disney logo is well-known by a wide audience, including children.
- Due to the fact that it is mostly targeted at children, the colours and music which they use are all appropriate, whenever you hear the music, you will know that it is a Disney film is playing.

-Warner Bros is also another well known company. It is an American entertainment company, film studio and film distributor. 
- The logo's animation is simple. The logo moves backwards towards a cloud background. This is also an attractive logo for children, due to the colours an simplicity. 

-Paramount is American film studio.

-Again the animation of the logo is simplistic, as the stars move across the screen, covering the words, moving backwards towards the mountain background.

Looking at these animations, it has given us ideas on what we would like our production animation to look like. 

Trailer- Film Statistics and Research

The following research I conducted using IMDB. (http://www.imdb.com/)
This research will be useful in the future, as it will show me what certain age groups like in a horror, and how much the 'best rated' horror movies make at the box office/ how much profit or loss that particular film made. 

Annabelle

Budget: ($) 6,500,000

Opening Weekend :($) 37,134,255

Gross :($) 84,263,837

The above graph shows that the best rating for this film was given by Females under 18. This supports our hypothesis that teenagers are the main audience group that enjoy horror films. However, it goes against the fact that stereotypically, boys enjoy them more than girls.

Insidious

Budget :($) 1,500,000

Opening Weekend: ($) 13,271,464

Gross: ($) 53,991,137

The above graph shows that the best rating for this film was given by Males under the age of 18. This supports both of our hypothesis that teenage boys enjoy horror movies more than any other age group or gender.

The Conjuring

Budget :($) 20,000,000

Opening Weekend: ($) 41,855,326

Gross: ($) 137,387,272

The above graph shows that the best rating for this film was given by was both boys and girls under the age of 18. This again proves that teenagers are the main audience group that highly enjoy horror movies. 

Trailer- My Personal Preferences

During the process of choosing which genre would be best to work with, I believe my own preference helped the decision. This is due to the fact that the age group that we chose for our target audience is within my group, so I have an idea of what sort of things they like. 

Being a female, stereotypically I should be interested in Romance movies, but I favour horror, as I believe it is much more intense and exciting. Romance movies are too cliché and easy to predict, so they are usually boring to watch in my opinion. My favourite horrors include Evil Dead, Sinister, Insidious 1&2, The Conjuring and Annabelle. 

Having such an interest of this genre of movie, I believe that it will benefit me due to the fact, I will know what works well in horrors and what doesn't. 

Trailer- Who should be in a horror?

This research will benefit my trailer, as it shows what type of characters should be in it, to follow all the codes and conventions.

Trailer- Production Logo- First Draft

Trailer- Production Logo- Ideas

We decided to try and keep the production logo simple, so that a viewer would easily recognise it if they saw it out and about. Because of this, we came to the conclusion that our initials would be the most simple thing to use. ('LA') Before beginning to design the logo, we wanted to gain some inspiration from logos that already exist. Below, are a few ideas that we liked. 

Trailer- BFI STATISTICS

Linking to our audience profile, I conducted some research into the nature of audiences that attend the cinema. This will help us by knowing what to include for the mass audiences.

Looking at statistics, there has been a increase from 26% to a peak of 35% for the age group 15-24 year olds who visited the cinema between the years of 2003-2015. This is again another reason why we have chosen a similar age range, as they are more likely to visit the cinema. 

Trailer- Audience Profile

Audience Profiling

Age: 18-30 (The movie will be given an 18 rating, therefore, people below that age may not enjoy the content as it may be too graphic)
Ethnicity: Mixed (Trailer should appeal to people of all ethnic backgrounds)
Gender: Male and female (Predominantly male)
Education: High School/Sixth Form, University, Work
Film preferences: Horror, Action, Thriller, Mystery (It would benefit the audience member if they were into this genre of movie, as they are highly related to the genre of our trailer (horror))

WHY THIS PROFILE?
We have chosen these types as our target audience due to the fact that this age range and gender are most likely to be fans of horror movies. The age group we have chosen will allow us to have more graphic content in our trailer, as it will be given the certificate 18. Lastly, Being in higher education may mean that they will be able to go to the cinema by themselves, and be old enough to view the film.

Example of an Audience member 1

Name: Luke Harrison

Ethnicity: White British

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Income: Disposable income, full time job

Education: N/A

Social Class: Middle Class

Film preferences: Action, Thriller

Interests: Football, Driving, Watches

Example of an Audience member 2

Name: Jessica Whitehurst

Ethnicity: Caribbean/white mixed

Age: 18

Gender: Female 

Income: Disposable income, pocket money

Education: Sixth form

Social Class: Working Class

Film preferences: Horror, Comedy

Interests: Acting, shopping, Make-up, Music, Rugby. 

APPLYING THEORY TO OUR AUDIENCE PROFILE 

Trailer- BBFC Ratings and Audiences

The British Board of Film Classification

•  Non-governmental organization, founded by the film industry. It is responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. This means that they chose what certificate is appropriate for different films. 
• For example, films that are suitable for young children, usually four years and above would be given the certificate 'U' which stands for Universal.
• 'PG' stands for Parental Guidance which means that there may be some part of the film unsuitable for children to watch unaccompanied.
•  '12A' means 12 Accompanied; a child must be with an adult if they are 12 years or around that age. 
• The rest of the certificates are ages that you must be to view the film such as 12, 15 and 18. 
• R18 means restricted 18. 

(Information from http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ ) 

Because of this research, we have decided that the rating that we will our trailer will be either a 15 or 18.
This is due to the fact that there will be strong violence and graphic imagery. There may also be times when the actors swear or use mild language, but nothing to obscene. 

There will be no nudity or drug use. 

We also believe that the audience will be more boys that girls, because stereotypically girls get scared easier, and do not enjoy watching gory, graphic scenes. 

Primary Target Audience
The target audience for our piece are teenagers and young adults, between the ages of 15-21. Horror movies are also stereotypically in the favour of boys due to violence and pretty girls that are usually included, but we want it to appeal to both genders by using a balance of males and females in the piece.

Secondary Audience

Secondary audience is the second most important consumer that you would like to target. For our movie, the secondary audience will be adults between 21-40. It will also be people that enjoy action movies, as they enjoy adrenaline rushes, just like you would get from horrors.

Secondary Audience Survey: Number 1
Name: Vikesh Babajee
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Favourite Genre of Movie: Action

Why are action movies your favourite?
I like action movies because they are engaging; I like the adrenaline rushes that you get from things such as car chases and fast pace fights. I also like watching it to see what actresses are in it; they are usually very pretty. 

What would attract you to a horror?
I would watch a horror movie if the trailer was very tension building and full of enigma codes so that I watch the full movie to find out more. They would also engage me if it is full of violence, blood and gore. 

Secondary Audience Survey: Number 2

Name: Jennifer Lawson
Age: 43
Gender:Female
Favourite Genre of Movie: Thriller/Crime

Why are crime movies your favourite?

I am attracted to crime movies, due to the fact that they leave a lot for you to work out for yourself, for example, Who is the killer? There is also a lot of tension built up in them, through the music and camera work used. They usually star someone well known too.

What would attract you to a horror?
I would watch a horror movie if the trailer was full of enigma codes, so I would go and watch it is it left me wanting more. I would also go and see a horror, if a well known horror actor or actress was in it, as I would be guaranteed that it will be a good movie if they are present. 

Trailer- Genre Mood Boards

Comedy

Sci-Fi

Thriller

Fantasy

Action

Romance

Horror

Why create Mood Boards?

-Mood boards can be flexible; changed whenever a new idea comes into mind.

-You can establish a base for you to work from, create and explore new ideas.

-Using mood boards, I have learnt that all genres use the same type of colours, pictures or writing on for their genre. For example, romance pictures are always bright colours, high key lighting, compared to horror's black, white and low key lighting.

Trailer Plot Ideas

Trailer- What will make an effective film trailer?

What Makes An Effective Trailer from Lauren Hewitt

Trailer- A2 Project- Starting Point

Who have I chosen to work with?
For my A2 project, filming a trailer, I have decided to work with the same student as I did for AS, Amber Ellis. I believe that this is a good idea, due to the fact that we worked well as a team, to make sure the process ran smoothly. Amber will mainly be responsible for editing of the footage, although I will also have input. I will mainly be responsible for research and the print base texts, as well as us both being in the piece itself. 

What problems may occur?
The only problem that I believe my pair may have to overcome is the fact that our other subjects will take up a lot of time outside school, due to revision sessions and my rehearsals for my Drama Practical exam. Because of this, we will have to try and balance our time more carefully, (such as scheduling when things will need to be completed by) so that our project can still be completed to a high standard. 

Trailer- What's the difference between Film Opening Sequences and Film Trailers

A title sequence is sequence of scenes shown at the beginning on a film. It usually includes some names of cast members and/or production team such as the director. It also includes the title of the film. A title sequence is usually shown over the top of the action in a shot, to be viewed at the same time as the film. This beginning of the film, usually starts to build up the story, the tension and create an atmosphere.

On the other hand, a trailer is a couple of different scenes from the movie, which is shown before a film is released, so that a viewer can see what sort of things are going to go on in the movie. Trailers usually include the names of actors that will be in the movie, the production company logo and the release date. Film trailers are shorter than title sequences by a few minutes, so that they can be shown before feature films at a cinema, or between programmes on a television. 

Trailer- Theory Research&Applying it to our Trailer

Above are theories that can be applied to film. We will be applying Strauss's theory, through the fact that Good will be going against Evil, and the Female will be up against the Male. As well as this, we will be applying Todorovs Three Part Narrative Theory. The Equilibrium will include the car pulling up and the calm atmosphere of the friends together; the disruption will be the fight scene and the deaths of each character. However, being a trailer there will no resolution, as it would give the plot away. Finally, we will only being applying the Villian(Antagonist) and Hero(Protagonist) from Propps Theory.