The Chiller
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Post Audience Feedback
There are 3 main way we recieved feed back for are 3 media text.
Private viewing
two days before we completed the work, myself and another member of my team invited one person each to come and give some positive cristism before we submitted the work. The viewing happened in the media suite and we showed all 3 media pieces.
Are feed back was...
Georgina kleatheous 19
'the title needs to be a bit clearer, i had to squint to see it'
'the music cut off a bit to early at the end of the trailer'
'the posters really detailed so you need to add a lot the the magazine cover'
Marianne Hakeem 18
'Add something more to text in the trailer, it looks a bit boring in comparison to
your other shots'
' Sort the volume of the music out, it tends to dip throughout the trailer'
Screening
We explained and showed are work to 30+ viewer of a mixed age range to get their feed back, we produced an invitation and a questionnaire as a quick and simple way to gain feed back
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Private viewing
two days before we completed the work, myself and another member of my team invited one person each to come and give some positive cristism before we submitted the work. The viewing happened in the media suite and we showed all 3 media pieces.
Are feed back was...
Georgina kleatheous 19
'the title needs to be a bit clearer, i had to squint to see it'
'the music cut off a bit to early at the end of the trailer'
'the posters really detailed so you need to add a lot the the magazine cover'
Marianne Hakeem 18
'Add something more to text in the trailer, it looks a bit boring in comparison to
your other shots'
' Sort the volume of the music out, it tends to dip throughout the trailer'
Screening
We explained and showed are work to 30+ viewer of a mixed age range to get their feed back, we produced an invitation and a questionnaire as a quick and simple way to gain feed back
.png)
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From this feed back it is clear that the combination between all 3 products is clear and consistent as all respondents said that they either agree or strongly agree, this is important as these media products are a promotional tool and therefor have to be recognizable. As it is a promotional tool the response the question referring to whether the trailer makes you want to watch the film is also important, the majority people said yes it did, however 11% said they were unsure, many said this was because they found the trailer a bit confusing.
Some other responses
- "I would give away more in the trailer- to draw the people in."
- " did not like the music"
- "everything was well presented and displayed"
- "emphasise darkness e.g. its something scary so use darker colours to emphasise evil/infection."
- "well made trailer
Youtube
We uploaded are trailer on to youtube and recieved feed back from a feature film producer and directer called Mike Roll.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Promotional Poster
Are initial idea for the film poster was to use/mimic the poster of diary of the dead, using are protagonist in the for ground with other 'infected' rioters in the background, we were going to set this in Croydon to add location to are cover. however it quickly became clear that although this idea was relevant to are piece it did not portray the main focus of technology, therefore we decided to move away from this idea.
So to stay along the lines technology we looked into more technological films such as matrix and the happening, after some research we came up with the idea of placing of using decoding, almost as if its blood dripping down the top. The use of this decoding quickly became a theme used throughout of coursework.
In the end we decided to used a combination of both poster, we used the idea for are title from diary of the dead, also having are protagonist on the poster, but we also used the matrix decoding with are strap line dripping down aswell.
So to stay along the lines technology we looked into more technological films such as matrix and the happening, after some research we came up with the idea of placing of using decoding, almost as if its blood dripping down the top. The use of this decoding quickly became a theme used throughout of coursework.
In the end we decided to used a combination of both poster, we used the idea for are title from diary of the dead, also having are protagonist on the poster, but we also used the matrix decoding with are strap line dripping down aswell.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Magazine Front Cover
We decided to use empire magazine as our magazine of choice as it has the largest circulation, so it will therefore reach a wider possible consumer base. Are film is targeted toward 15-30 yrs olds, the younger half of are audience would probably not purchase a film magazine however it is easier to target them through social media and the development of web 2.0. Where as the more expensive magazine marketing is focused on the older range and they are likely to spend more on the product.
The joker was the main inspiration for the are front cover, it was a horror that followed are colour scheme, and as a group we all liked the overall look of the cover. Empire magazine very rarely changes there masthead, they only change from there iconic red for special edition cover, therefore we decided to make are edition a special edition and followed this idea throughout the teasers on the are cover.
The latest edition of empire magazine, february 2012 was also quite bare, so we decided not to over clutter are page with to many teaser, instead keeping it quite neat and clean. We did not leave it as empty as the February edition as we still wanted to stick to the traditional magazine conventions.
On the cover of another film magazine Total Film, the use of the centralised 'v' really stood out and caught are attention. So we developed the idea of including the Anarchy sign that is used during the trailer and on the poster.
The latest edition of empire magazine, february 2012 was also quite bare, so we decided not to over clutter are page with to many teaser, instead keeping it quite neat and clean. We did not leave it as empty as the February edition as we still wanted to stick to the traditional magazine conventions.
On the cover of another film magazine Total Film, the use of the centralised 'v' really stood out and caught are attention. So we developed the idea of including the Anarchy sign that is used during the trailer and on the poster.
This is the final product, we used a centralized image that reflects the image used on the joker cover, we also used are protagonist Danni to star on the cover. The magazine is also consistent with are use of digital sf text and are colour scheme of green, white and black.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Costume for the Protagonist
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The use of the 'hoody' is a symbol of crime and youth to the older generation. however we dressed Danni in a grey almost white hoody to show that shes still young and could lead the life of crime but also to show that she still innocent. the logo on the hoddy is also quite ironic.
Friday, 6 January 2012
Clip For News report
We will be using the first 13seconds of the clip within are trailer, this will be played on a television screen as if Danni's mother is watching the news. To get this to play on a television screen we had first convert to convert this to an avi file using software from a website called zamzar. After converting this clip into an avi we then burned it on to a disk using burning studio 10.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Poster Analysis
Both of these posters uses a simple yet extremely effecftive use of 2-3 colours, the used of white subverts the horror genre and indicates purity which makes the overlay of red and other colours more poignant. Both have a simple image which allows the veiwer to focus on the image and really connect to the gore. The use of fingers and other body parts play on the convention of audience fear of dismorphia.
Inspiration for my Poster
I like the way this poster has the protagonist in the for ground, and the 'zombies' in the background. For my horror that could be Danni at the front with the 'infected' rebellious teens in the background. The set of a city could also be used in ares, instead of the glare of the of the clouds, the orange tones cound reflect the fire started within the the riot footage.
This poster reflects the bathroom scene in are trailor, its also has aspects of male gaze and and highlights the convention of voyerism which is used throughout many films especially horror. It also dresses the protagonist in all white which indicates her purity, this is similar to are protagonist Danii.
Key Conventions Within These Posters
- Maximum of 3-4 colours one must be white
- Protagonist in the front (however it does no have to be a clear shot of them)
- Main Title Centred and towards the bottom of the page
- Additonal text right at the bottom of the page
- Simple pictures, image of dismorphia
- A bit of text towards the top, almost like a strapline
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Test shoot
This was a test shoot in which we became familiar with the functions of the camera, we were able to test out a range of shots. From the variety of shot that we took, we familarised ourselves with the editing software, explored the different layers and sounds.
Favourite Trailors
My favourite horror trailer is of the film insidious. It includes a wide range of shots at different speeds. It has enough narrative to inform the audience but not so much that they tell the whole story. I like the different shot speeds as it adds depth and it prevents the trailer from becoming predictable.
Many trailer now tell to much of the narrative, so the audience does not feel they need to watch the film. trailers are used to build suspense and excitement, however now i feel that the build it, play it out and resolve it all the the minute and a half.
i like insidious as it still keeps to the key conventions with out ruining the narrative and suspense. It also really scares me, sometimes i am unable to watch it through to the end because its so scary. This is because of a story line that can be reality, mixture of shots, good text and sound not gore.
Many trailer now tell to much of the narrative, so the audience does not feel they need to watch the film. trailers are used to build suspense and excitement, however now i feel that the build it, play it out and resolve it all the the minute and a half.
i like insidious as it still keeps to the key conventions with out ruining the narrative and suspense. It also really scares me, sometimes i am unable to watch it through to the end because its so scary. This is because of a story line that can be reality, mixture of shots, good text and sound not gore.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Name Brain Storm
My Individual ideas
- Ruckess
- Uproar
- Turmoil
- Turbulence
- Rebellion
- Rupture
- Contamination
- Rampant
- Manifest
- Intrude
- Juvenile
Plot Summary/ Synopsis
In a modern society we as humans are faced with many pressures. Religion, fashion and the constant pressure of adapting to the world progressing around us. With a growing population, we are at higher risk of spreading contagious diseases and infections. The latest outbreak to hit London is yet to be pin pointed, side effects causing youths to become violent and lose all sense of sanity. As the bridge between generations is growing, those older than 26/28 fail to see the true effects of this outbreak and are completely unaware of their behaviour. BEWARE! They have been known to carry weapons and you will not see the difference in character.
In the local Croydon area, there have been many upsets in the past. However, it is currently in a state of what they know to be equilibrium. The rise in crimes is becoming even more noticeable. Danni lives in Norbury, South London. Her mum is a single parent, and Danni lives with her alone in a small council flat on the edge of an estate. Recent events within have caused major up raw within communities and several people have been killed. The source of what has caused these events in unclear, but what Danni does know is that this extreme violence is heading towards where she lives.
After seeing such events on the news, the government has looked further into the case and have found that a violent virus has out broken and can only affect the bodies of those that are not fully matured. The infection has found to be contracted through the use of technology and appears to be a whole new type of technology bug which can penetrate the human body through broadcasts.
As this wave of violence gets closer, we start to see the effects in Danni herself. Danni owns a blackberry and is completely obsessed with it like most teenagers her age
.
What she does not know is that a broadcast through the BBM system is causing this violence to escalate through a cross bred technological/human virus; in turn effecting both technology and the human behaviour.
We see a shot of Danni in her room looking out of the window. Her phone starts to vibrate violently as she has receives the broadcast. The sender appears unknown and Danni is unaware of the effect given by opening the broadcast.
As she fights against the virus which is trying to take over her, she encounters many youths effected who want her to become sucked in.
She is constantly on the run from people affected by the virus and people living around her are becoming infected. Without thinking about it she allows herself to be violent against those infected making herself just as bad as they are.
She encounters an affected teenage girl. As she tries to attack her, she hits one of them down to the ground and runs away. The shot focuses on the attackers face on the floor with Danni running away in the background (the back of the shot is unfocused so is blurred).
Danni and her mum have an argument leading to Danni pushing her up against the wall in a violent outburst. Once she realises how she is behaving she backs away, she then runs and locks herself in the bathroom. Here she runs water and splashes it on her face to calm herself down. As she looks up from the water basin she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She is visibly paler and has rather dark circles around her eyes. The coloured part of her eyes has become darker. The shot ends and she looks deeper into her newly darkened eyes and the camera focuses in on the darkness.
Relation to theories
Throughout our horror, especially in the bedroom and bathroom scenes with Danni, we feature a large number of voyeuristic scenes and through this scenes we aim to include some instances of male gaze. However when doing this we aim to subvert the obvious 'beautiful' and sexual connotations of the male gaze and instead portraying Danni to be awkward, and not yet developed making the audience feel bad and uncomfortable for watching.
In many ways we have aimed to follow Todorovs basic narrative theory
-State of equilibrium
-Disrupted by an agent
-Leads to a process of final resolution
-Return to a new equilibrium
We have followed Todorovs conventions of a narrative however we have included that the initial stage is a false sense of equilibrium, where the 'elders' believe that everything is fine, sitting in a false sense of security but the youths know that something is brewing.
In the local Croydon area, there have been many upsets in the past. However, it is currently in a state of what they know to be equilibrium. The rise in crimes is becoming even more noticeable. Danni lives in Norbury, South London. Her mum is a single parent, and Danni lives with her alone in a small council flat on the edge of an estate. Recent events within have caused major up raw within communities and several people have been killed. The source of what has caused these events in unclear, but what Danni does know is that this extreme violence is heading towards where she lives.
After seeing such events on the news, the government has looked further into the case and have found that a violent virus has out broken and can only affect the bodies of those that are not fully matured. The infection has found to be contracted through the use of technology and appears to be a whole new type of technology bug which can penetrate the human body through broadcasts.
As this wave of violence gets closer, we start to see the effects in Danni herself. Danni owns a blackberry and is completely obsessed with it like most teenagers her age
.
What she does not know is that a broadcast through the BBM system is causing this violence to escalate through a cross bred technological/human virus; in turn effecting both technology and the human behaviour.
We see a shot of Danni in her room looking out of the window. Her phone starts to vibrate violently as she has receives the broadcast. The sender appears unknown and Danni is unaware of the effect given by opening the broadcast.
As she fights against the virus which is trying to take over her, she encounters many youths effected who want her to become sucked in.
She is constantly on the run from people affected by the virus and people living around her are becoming infected. Without thinking about it she allows herself to be violent against those infected making herself just as bad as they are.
She encounters an affected teenage girl. As she tries to attack her, she hits one of them down to the ground and runs away. The shot focuses on the attackers face on the floor with Danni running away in the background (the back of the shot is unfocused so is blurred).
Danni and her mum have an argument leading to Danni pushing her up against the wall in a violent outburst. Once she realises how she is behaving she backs away, she then runs and locks herself in the bathroom. Here she runs water and splashes it on her face to calm herself down. As she looks up from the water basin she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She is visibly paler and has rather dark circles around her eyes. The coloured part of her eyes has become darker. The shot ends and she looks deeper into her newly darkened eyes and the camera focuses in on the darkness.
Relation to theories
Throughout our horror, especially in the bedroom and bathroom scenes with Danni, we feature a large number of voyeuristic scenes and through this scenes we aim to include some instances of male gaze. However when doing this we aim to subvert the obvious 'beautiful' and sexual connotations of the male gaze and instead portraying Danni to be awkward, and not yet developed making the audience feel bad and uncomfortable for watching.
In many ways we have aimed to follow Todorovs basic narrative theory
-State of equilibrium
-Disrupted by an agent
-Leads to a process of final resolution
-Return to a new equilibrium
We have followed Todorovs conventions of a narrative however we have included that the initial stage is a false sense of equilibrium, where the 'elders' believe that everything is fine, sitting in a false sense of security but the youths know that something is brewing.
Horror Clips and Responses
I showed six people of mixture of ages and gender these for clips, i asked them to comment on what they thought of the film as a horror, below are some of the most distinctive responses.
Extreme Gore
I know Longer find clips like this top be scary, instead it just appears to be ammature, the gore is too much. I enjoy a horror that builds suspense and has a well constructed narrative whereas i feel that Texas Chainsaw massacre focuses to heavily on the act of pain. i wouldn't let a minor watch it a it would be frightening to them but for me its a unengaged watch.
Documentry
I love the style of Grave Encounters as you really feel like your right there with them, your exploring with them. However i feel like i only like it because its rare, therefore if to many films where done in this way it would no longer interest me. Same style as Blare Witch Project. The realistic side of the this film is what appeals to me, they really play on fear that everyone already has although they tend not to admit it, the noise and shadows within your own home are reflected within this film.
Vampires
Vampires for me have become a fear of the past, whereas i believe now they have become something that intrigues us, they have taken on the human form and have become so casual that i believe many genuinely believe that they might exist. Films such as Twilight support this, but instead of being scared we are infact almost envious that we cannot see and for some even indulge in this life as in films they are portrayed as a celebrity, even higher being.
Realistic
Insidious is the scariest film that i've scene in a while. I love the fact that it has a well developed narrative as this is what i feel is lacking in many other horrors. It plays on real life emotions i could feel true empathy with the mother, and it allows you to believe that this could really happen.
Extreme Gore
I know Longer find clips like this top be scary, instead it just appears to be ammature, the gore is too much. I enjoy a horror that builds suspense and has a well constructed narrative whereas i feel that Texas Chainsaw massacre focuses to heavily on the act of pain. i wouldn't let a minor watch it a it would be frightening to them but for me its a unengaged watch.
Documentry
I love the style of Grave Encounters as you really feel like your right there with them, your exploring with them. However i feel like i only like it because its rare, therefore if to many films where done in this way it would no longer interest me. Same style as Blare Witch Project. The realistic side of the this film is what appeals to me, they really play on fear that everyone already has although they tend not to admit it, the noise and shadows within your own home are reflected within this film.
Vampires
Vampires for me have become a fear of the past, whereas i believe now they have become something that intrigues us, they have taken on the human form and have become so casual that i believe many genuinely believe that they might exist. Films such as Twilight support this, but instead of being scared we are infact almost envious that we cannot see and for some even indulge in this life as in films they are portrayed as a celebrity, even higher being.
Realistic
Insidious is the scariest film that i've scene in a while. I love the fact that it has a well developed narrative as this is what i feel is lacking in many other horrors. It plays on real life emotions i could feel true empathy with the mother, and it allows you to believe that this could really happen.
Questions and Responses
I used Survey Monkey to gain a lot of primary research about what my possible target audience like in a trailer and what horror themes they most enjoy
Q1. What gender are you
Male 58%
Female 42%
This shows a good mix so i can get an even response, the fact that there is a few more males may be good as the horror genre is dominated by a male audience.
Q2. How old are you?
<15 0%
16-21 42%
22-30 38%
31-45 11%
45+ 9%
My target audience is most likely to be around 16-30 so these responses will be very useful as the majority of respondents fall into this age bracket.
Q3. What is you favourite horror setting?
House 48%
Abandoned building 13%
grave yard 9%
domestic setting 21%
out doors 9%
This shows that are audience prefers an indoor recongnisable setting.
Q4. What is your greatest fear?
Spiders 3%
Closed spaces 18%
Zombies 9%
Robots 21%
darkness 9%
death 21%
heights 9%
Most of my respondents said that there day to day fears had stayed consistent since childhood, however anything can appear scare once it presented in a scary way.
Q5. What object most signifies the horror genre?
Blood 42%
knife 21%
mask 21%
darkness 7%
abandonment 9%
Blood was proven o be a clear indication of fear and it highlights the idea of pain. However from discussions with my peers i have noticed that using solely blood or too much blood and gore can have the opposite affect and can come across quite comical.
Q6. What do u like to see in horror trailers
Gore 9%
suspense 21%
darkness 21%
voice overs 9%
fast pace shots 21%
a clear story 0%
a broken story 19%
This shows that the trailer has to be a combination of many things as the responses were extremely varied. However from both class discussions and this survey it clear that the audience does not want the whole plot to be given away in the trailer.
Q7.How often do you watch horror?
Always 21%
Occasional 47%
Rare 32%
Never 0%
Q8.What Media product most influences your choice to watch a film?
Trailer 64%
Poster 27%
Magazine 9%
This shows the trailer has to be the main focus as it is the main promotional tool, however the post is also very important as many take it into consideration. From discussion it was clear that that the younger population did not really but into movie magazines however it is still a good way to capture an older audience so it must be just as good.
Q1. What gender are you
Male 58%
Female 42%
This shows a good mix so i can get an even response, the fact that there is a few more males may be good as the horror genre is dominated by a male audience.
Q2. How old are you?
<15 0%
16-21 42%
22-30 38%
31-45 11%
45+ 9%
My target audience is most likely to be around 16-30 so these responses will be very useful as the majority of respondents fall into this age bracket.
Q3. What is you favourite horror setting?
House 48%
Abandoned building 13%
grave yard 9%
domestic setting 21%
out doors 9%
This shows that are audience prefers an indoor recongnisable setting.
Q4. What is your greatest fear?
Spiders 3%
Closed spaces 18%
Zombies 9%
Robots 21%
darkness 9%
death 21%
heights 9%
Most of my respondents said that there day to day fears had stayed consistent since childhood, however anything can appear scare once it presented in a scary way.
Q5. What object most signifies the horror genre?
Blood 42%
knife 21%
mask 21%
darkness 7%
abandonment 9%
Blood was proven o be a clear indication of fear and it highlights the idea of pain. However from discussions with my peers i have noticed that using solely blood or too much blood and gore can have the opposite affect and can come across quite comical.
Q6. What do u like to see in horror trailers
Gore 9%
suspense 21%
darkness 21%
voice overs 9%
fast pace shots 21%
a clear story 0%
a broken story 19%
This shows that the trailer has to be a combination of many things as the responses were extremely varied. However from both class discussions and this survey it clear that the audience does not want the whole plot to be given away in the trailer.
Q7.How often do you watch horror?
Always 21%
Occasional 47%
Rare 32%
Never 0%
Q8.What Media product most influences your choice to watch a film?
Trailer 64%
Poster 27%
Magazine 9%
This shows the trailer has to be the main focus as it is the main promotional tool, however the post is also very important as many take it into consideration. From discussion it was clear that that the younger population did not really but into movie magazines however it is still a good way to capture an older audience so it must be just as good.
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