Costume - Reason behind our mask

One of the most iconic features in our film is the mask that 'the intruder' wears. We wanted something that would make our film easily memorable for viewers so that whenever they are reminded of a mask, especially one similar to the one we have used, they will think about our film. This could be classed as a minor marketing strategy as the mask will get people talking about the film - no matter how good or how bad they think it is.

Masks have played a huge role in horror films over the years dating back to as early as the 1960's. They conceal the identity of the killer and add even more unanswered questions. Instead of just "Why are they killing people?" the mask can lead to the question "Why are they wearing it?" and adds even more of a mystery to the storyline in the film.

Over recent years, masks have continued to grow even more symbolic to the horror genre and are now classed as one of the codes and conventions of a horror film. People tend to have the mentality of wanting to know exactly what it is they are facing. In our film, the mask takes that ability away. It will make it impossible for me and Shaun to identify if the intruder is someone we know or a complete stranger. It will make the film even more mysterious and drag viewers deeper into the film so that they can find out who or what is behind the mask. There's nothing worse than being faced with the unknown which is why I feel that the use of the mask is one of the most important features in our film.

We have based our mask on the films The Strangers and The Orphanage and have decided to go with the 'sack over the head' look. Because it is so unusual, it makes it look even more intimidating and frightening to look at - therefore, even more memorable as the viewer is unlikely to forget about it just like that. It could also be argued that the mask has a psychological factor as 'the intruder' could be wearing it in order to hide his emotions from others - or to just make me and Shaun s*** scared before he attempts to kill us...

I have put together a mood board of masks featured in the top 25 scariest masks in movies according to:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/the-25-scariest-masks-in-movies 

It features masks such as Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th series, the infamous Ghostface of the Scream series and even Michael Myers in Halloween.

Film trailer costume list

Costumes play an essential part in every aspect of the media whether it may be in a film, in a video game or on an image/poster. With our film trailer (as well as ancillary products) we wanted to ensure that we had the best and most appropriate costumes possible to create the best product.

Myself (Ryan):
As in the film, I am playing your everyday average 18 year old teenager, I will go for the casual look. This will involve trainers, slim jeans as well as a hoodie and a t-shirt. This could be referred to as 'the student look'. I didn't want to be dressed smart in the likes of pants and a shirt as this would be unrealistic to the nature of our film. If I was sitting in the comfort of my own home, I wouldn't normally wear this, so why would I in the film? On the other hand, I would wear jeans and a hoodie so this is what we have used as my costume as it is realistic and appropriate.

Shaun:
Due to Shaun being my best friend, we will more or less have the same taste in things such as clothing - therefore he will be wearing a very similar costume to myself which consists of trainers, jeans, a hoodie and t-shirt. The reason behind Shauns' costume is the same as mine. It is realistic and what you would expect from a teenager.

John:
John is the antagonist in the film. He is a killer who is well built and can be very intimidating to the likes of teenagers. Because of this, we have chose to dress him in black as this is a colour that tends to denote a killer. Black is a very fearful colour that brings about a moody presence, especially when worn inside a home. He will wear a black t shirt with sleeves as well as black pants and dark shoes. He will also wear a very scary and unusual looking mask on purpose in order to hide his identity and strike fear in viewers. Because of how unusual and strange the mask is, it makes it that little bit more disturbing.

Film Trailer Prop List

In order to make our horror trailer as successful as it can be, we will need to make it realistic. This will involve having a number of props present when recording, otherwise it wont look real and the viewer will automatically know that the trailer is of an amateur standard. Without props, a film and its trailer will be no where near as effective as it would be with them.

Me and my group (John, Shaun and Georgia) have created a list with props that we plan on taking to record with us which will suit our storyline and make it look as realistic as possible.

The list so far consists of:

- A mask for the killer to hide his identity and make him more intimidating/frightening
- Appropriate clothing for the killer who is a farmer such as a checkered shirt, jeans, gloves and boots.
- An axe or pitchfork to use as a weapon (Not literally)
- Torches/Lights in order to get the lighting of each scene right. We wont want it too dark or light.
- Blocks of wood, a tent and backpacks to make the trip seem realistic.
- Old newspaper articles to develop our story about a boy who was killed 10 years earlier.
- A step ladder in case we need to gain extra height when recording to capture the best possible shot for a scene. This will come in useful if we want to make some characters seem less-dominant and vulnerable than others.
- Clothing for the characters other than the killer such as jeans, hoodies, coats and boots.
- Fake blood to add effect to any wounds on characters that we will be planning.
- Any other relative tools such as a knife or hammer.
- Police tape (Crime scene: Do not cross) to create the crime scene that happened 10 years before our story is set. (If possible other extra police equipment such as uniform, cones, or even a police car)

With the majority of the props, we already have them acquired or they can be collected easily. However with others such as the police equipment, this will be slightly harder to get a hold of. We will see what we can find online before actually going to the local police station to ask for props in return for a feature/thank you at the end of our trailer. This is an effective technique that a lot of film makers use when getting props for the film as it requires little effort and gets the job done.

Character Profiles

Role: The Intruder (Antagonist)
Actor: John Wood
Age: 19

We have chosen to use John as The Intruder in the film as we believe he fits the profile perfectly. In a typical horror film, the antagonist is expected to be intimidating and powerful in order to present the role effectively. Due to John being well built and having a large stature, he can appear to be very dominant, therefore making him out as the antagonist. He is bigger than the other characters who will be included in the film which will make them fear and be intimidated by him. The use of low angle shots to show his dominance wouldn't even be needed unless it was definitely necessary. I believe John has what it takes to make our film memorable. This is important as antagonists are one of, if not the biggest factor to think about in a horror film as they are more recognised than the protagonists in the film. In a way, horror fans will look at the antagonist as the hero and will so want them to be as big and as bad as possible. John is hard working and committed so he will take the role seriously when we are recording. The last thing we would want is someone who doesn't care to be playing the main and most recognisable character. Some of the most well known antagonists that we have based The Intruder on include Leatherface, Freddy and Jason, Michael Myers and Ghostface.

Role: Protagonists - Ryan and Shaun
Actor(s): Ryan Jones and Shaun Owens
Age(s): 17 and 18

We have decided to use two main protagonists in the film as this stands a better chance of appealing to viewers as they may not like one of them for whatever reason. Having a boring protagonist can ruin the reputation of the film and would definitely put people off of viewing it. The protagonist(s) is one of the main reasons why people watch the film. They can be anything such as funny, brave or stupid as long as they are not boring. The two protagonists in our film are me and Shaun and we play the role of best friends. I have made sure that we have the key qualities of a protagonist in order to represent the role effectively. These include having a likability factor about us as well as being brave and clever enough to make decisions quickly - this is vital when theirs an intruder in your home trying to rip your guts out. During the film, me and Shaun will often switch roles between the primary and secondary protagonists to show what would happen in a realistic situation. If one of us was freaking out, then the other would need to take charge in order to save the two. Also, with the antagonist being so large and powerful, two protagonists are better than one as it creates more of a challenge and thickens the plot which will entice viewers when watching. Again, me and Shaun are as hard working and committed as it gets and will so make sure that we are taking everything seriously when recording in order to gain the best results possible.

Marketing my film

From looking at the marketing campaigns of successful films such as Paranormal Activity, The Dark Knight Rises, Devils Due and Carrie, I have found out that one of the best methods of gaining publicity is by using viral marketing. I will use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in order to promote the film as this can get my film trending worldwide where it will catch the attention of millions of users. I will use the hash-tag feature to get my films title "#TheIntruder" and its motto "#HomeSweetHome" trending as this may want users to find out more about the film which will entice them to go and see it. This a very efficient method of marketing as these sites have a mobile phone app, and with the popularity and reliability on mobile phones increasing, this will gain my film a lot of publicity.

The ancillary products that I will create will also help to market my film as I will want the poster to be displayed as publically as possible. This will include locations on billboards near motorways and busy city centres as these see thousands of people everyday, therefore it will be spreading my film on a large scale. The magazine front cover will not get as much publicity as the poster, however this is also an effective marketing technique as it primarily appeals to magazine readers who enjoy watching films as that will be the genre of it.

My film trailer will be one of the biggest methods of marketing my film as this is likely to gain the most publicity. I will have it showing all over the internet on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter as well as YouTube in the hope that it creates a buzz about my film and gains millions of views. Another place in which I will have my trailer shown is in cinemas as this is the primary location where movie lovers will be. The trailer will hopefully be screened before movies of a similar age rating and genre to mine as well as around the cinema itself where I will look into creating a partnership with them to help advertise my film even more with things such as boards and banners being placed around.

Horror Genre Mood Board

Above, I have created a mood board for the horror genre showing all the different characters and props involved. Some of the pictures I have used are from some of the most decorative horror movies of all time including Scream, Jeepers Creepers and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Overall, I am pleased with the mood board that I have created as it gives me an insight on what to expect and include when creating my horror trailer.