Inspiration for my movie magazine front cover

From carrying out research on film posters and magazine front covers for my ancillary products, I came across a very effective looking poster for The Conjuring that included a woman holding up a match in the dark which gives off a very eerie and mysterious feel. I thought this was very original as it is the only poster I have seen with an image like this. The close up shot which is common in horror film products is used to show the womans facial expression of being nervous, as if she is going into the unknown. This further adds to the mystery and supports viewers in being able to identify the film as being in the horror genre. Because I had already decided on the image to use for my movie poster which was an eye, I had chose to incorporate this idea on my magazine front cover as it would look just as effective. By using the image, we have also made it into a clip from the film to use in the trailer which shows continuity between our products. 

Inspiration for my movie poster

When researching movie posters, I found a trend that appeared predominantly in the horror genre. This was the use of a large eye as the main image that takes up the majority of the poster. The use of an eye can have many reasons behind it and carries the connotations of power, good or evil. Historically, an eye can be a symbol of God, protection or even wisdom. From using it in my movie poster, I wanted to get across the fact that 'The Intruder' is watching and that he sees everything. It is said that you can see into the soul of someone by looking into their eye and by having this on my poster, it looks very effective. With an eye carrying the connotations of power and evil, this suggests that The Intruder is not just an ordinary person and that he is some sort of super human who can not be stopped or killed.

Another inspiration for my movie poster was the typography used on The Last House on the Left poster. I believe this looked really effective and captured the horror genre perfectly which made me want to produce something of a similar style and quality. I have used a very similar font to it as well as a blood splatter in the background as this tells viewers that the film is in the horror genre. I have also developed their convention of using different colours when presenting the typography as this gives it a very effective look. If it was all the same colour, it would not look as good and appealing to look at. 

Film Title

After mind-mapping several different ideas for our film title with my group, we have come to the conclusion that 'The Intruder' would fit great as it links in to the story of our film - an intruder. The word intruder connotes someone unwelcome - a person who shouldn't be present, and so gives off a sense of fear and fright. Another reason as to why we thought this title was the the best choice was because there are no other films with this title which means that our film can be easily recognised and remembered. This links in to the marketing and promotion of the film making it very effective. I believe that the ideas that we came up with, as you can see above, would have all been good titles for our film, however 'The Intruder' sounded the best.

In order to make the decision fair, we each chose a title that we liked the best without telling each other and wrote it down. When we came together to see what we had each chosen, 'The Intruder' had been voted by three out of our group including myself whilst the other group member voted for 'Trespass'. Although 'Trespass' would have been an effective title for our film, there is already a recent film with this title which was released in 2011 starring Nicholas Cage and Nicole Kidman. This means that whenever the title was mentioned, a person would automatically think about the 2011 hit film, rather than ours.

To go with the film title, we needed an effective motto/slogan to sell it. I came up with the idea of "Home sweet home" as this has the connotation of a nice and calm atmosphere which makes it even more eerie and effective when used in a horror film. It links also links into the idea of a trespasser at a home, which is exactly what out film is making it even more effective.

Editing Practice

Below is a video that I have uploaded to YouTube that shows a mini edit that I have completed. It was a short task in which we were asked to sort out a video where the clips did not flow properly. It originally showed the clips from one angle, however as you can see, I have used Windows Movie Maker to show it from different angles with the use of a shot reverse shot. It looks much more professional now and we can see the conversation from two different angles, rather than just one, therefore making it flow efficiently. I done this task in order to familiarise myself with the process of editing so that I can pick up techniques and have a little knowledge when it comes to putting our trailer together. Although I have used Windows Movie Maker to edit this, we will use iMovie on the Apple Macs to edit the trailer as this software is much better allowing us more options when editing. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of my mini edit as I believe it has been done effectively.

The actual link to the video to view it on YouTube is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIqXNiXGkc8

The actual un-edited footage can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2VSHC9DFbQ

Call Sheet

Above is the call sheet that we have created for the first few scenes of our trailer. It shows what exterior and interior shots we will be shooting as well as locations, weather and the people involved. It makes our production schedule more efficient as we will know exactly what to shoot and what to expect when doing so.  

Risk Assessment Form

The above photos show the risk assessment form that I have filled in ahead of my project. This highlights the potential hazards that could occur during the photo-shoots and recording of the trailer. It tells me the controls that I can take in order to avoid these and produce my products successfully. 

Contributor Release Forms

Above are pictures that I have taken to show the contributor release forms that have been filled in by me, John and Shaun. Because it is only us three that will feature in the trailer and on the ancillary products, we were the only ones who needed to sign the forms. 

Company Name and Ident

When producing our horror trailer, we have needed to make up a production company to feature in it in order to make the trailer look as effective as possible. This company will represent the film, and therefore the trailer so me and my group took the time to think of the best name possible. The companies name will feature as an ident at some point in the trailer so we have also needed to think about how this will be designed and created in the best possible way.

When thinking of names for our production company, we each listed words that have the connotation of relating to horror films which is the genre of our trailer. A famous example of this is with 'Twisted Pictures' who created the Saw franchise. From hearing the word 'Twisted', we automatically presume that the films that they create will be of a disturbing and sick nature, which is exactly what they are, taking Saw for example. We went ahead and created a list with words including, 'Disturbed, Possessed, Dungeon, Alley, Cellar, Nauseated, Impaired, Rotten and Deceased'. Whilst putting several words together, we all agreed that 'LoftLight Productions' sounded very effective as it would set the mood for our film up perfectly. It doesn't give too much away of the film or our company, instead it adds a sense of mystery and enigma which is exactly what we wanted.

The other options that we each had the choice to choose between were:

- Impaired Productions
- Enigma Studios
- Under the bed pictures
- Empty alley productions

Another reason as to why LoftLight Productions was our final choice is because we have a good idea for the ident to go with it. We are planning to have a point of view shot of someone entering an empty loft in the pitch black. Whilst the loft door is opening we are hoping to have a squeaky sound effect to create tension and mystery. When they open the loft door, they will light a match and the words of our company - LoftLight productions will appear. The only sign of light in the ident will be that of the burning match. This will go well with our trailer as it will look relative to the film and represent our company in a professional manner.

Location Change

As we were recording our film trailer, we encountered several problems such as being low on numbers and mainly having lighting and sound issues. We wanted a lot of our trailer to be recorded during the night time as this reflects a horror film and with the clocks going back, this meant that we had less time to record in the dark making it very difficult to time when the lighting is just right. Darkness would draw very early and we couldn't judge exactly what time it would meaning that a lot of our clips were trial and error with the majority resulting in error. Even when it weren't pitch black and we thought that it would be ok to record, our high quality camera still couldn't pick up image and the resulting shots would be pitch black such as in the example shown.

From the images shown, the majority of our original trailer consisted of exterior shots to go with the storyline whether this may be a pan of the Maghull entrance sign or a landscape shot of the farm/field we were using to record. The images of the forest/woods show where a lot of our action scenes would have took place such as fast paced chases through the woods or a crime scene investigation. I believe the images that I have used represent the location as being effective however the lighting and sound that came with the location were not and made it very difficult to record high quality footage. If we had used the footage that was shot at these locations then out trailer would look very unprofessional which persuaded us to make the decision of changing our location and storyline.

Although some of the clips that we shot at these locations were good, the rest were
taken over by things such as darkness, and the sound of wind and cars which made them unusable. We argued that the sound in clips could have been edited out or altered with in iMovie, but we came to the conclusion that it was best not to bother as it could have actually made them worse making it a waste of time.

I really like the bottom shot of the field as it provided a great scenery for our film with a large open field and hay stacks to support our synopsis of a killer farmer. We experienced drastic changes in the wheather when recording such as rain-showers and sunshine which can be seen in the photo with dark and light clouds. The photo looks very effective when it was shot and we made sure that we had permission to use and record the land off the homeowner who's field it was.

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.