When creating our magazine front cover, film poster and trailer we used a combination of Adobe Premiere elements 10, YouTube and Photoshop.
Photoshop enabled us to manipulate our imagery making it feel more like a poster/magazine cover. It enabled us to put filters on the image and enhance parts of the photo changing the lighting etc. with all the different tools. It also enabled us to put text on our images which is particularly important when creating the magazine front cover, we were able to change the font size, colour and style to fit with the vibe that we wanted. As the other group members take photography they had past experience using this software making the process much easier to pick up new skills. We were able to place the bar code over the top of the image layering them on top of one another which also helped make it more professional. The snipping tool also allowed us to cut down images to our chosen size which was another very useful tool.
The main editing tool we used was Adobe Premiere Elements 10 as this allowed us to cut/crop footage, place it all together and put effects and transitions on it. Although we didn't fully explore all of the effects that could be placed over the footage we did use alpha adjust on several occasions. This made the lighting appear much darker conforming to the stereotype of horror film as the darkness connotes danger and mystery. We also used the fade transition to help smooth out the cross cuts between two different locations, this is also conventional of trailers as it helps to break it up more so it doesn't look like an opening two minutes. As we used the same program when editing last year we had past experience using it so were able to use tools that we had learnt how to use last year, for example the time lapse tool was used in our opening two minutes and in our trailer to make the victim appear as if she was running away quickly. When editing we were also able to explore different font types so we used Adobe to create our title as well, this program allowed us to create a bold white title which is what we wanted as its conventional of horror films.
We also used Youtube to research several types of non-copyright music, although we decided not to use any of these it was extremely useful when researching and enabled us to decide what soundtrack we wanted to use. Last year in AS I used non-copyright music from youtube but this year we decided we wanted to try record it ourselves and although this was effective we could have used an underlying soundtrack to go over the whole trailer. The sound track that we recorded was conventional of horror films as it sounded like a child and helped to build tension however it could have been improved to sound more like singing rather than chanting. Youtube also helped us in the post production when we wanted to analyse our trailer because of the use of the annotation tool, this allowed us to write comments all over our trailer explaining the shot types and editing decisions that we made.
Sunday, 9 April 2017
How have you made your trailer seem like a trailer?
Titles
One way we made our trailer seem like a trailer is through the use of titles. When creating the trailer we wanted to conform to the conventions of trailers to make it seem a more high budget professional trailer. During the editing process we included lots of trailers to help break up the trailer, this is a convention that is common in the majority of trailers, not only does this engage the audience but it also helps to advertise. In the titles we mentioned the location which helps to tie them all together, this acts as a genre indicator. and also links into the sound track. This helps to build tension because the audience begin to feel on edge and fear the unknown. By keeping all the titles in plain white bold font it keep its very simple but by leaving a ellipse at the end it makes it seem as if there is unfinished story over what is happening. The last title to be shown is the title of the film which is a convention in trailers because it helps to advertise the trailer so people remember the title of the film.
Editing
We kept the editing very fast paced to stick to the conventions of horror trailers this way it helps to build tension and keeps the audiences focus throughout the trailer. By using the fade tool it helped us cross cut between two different locations without it being a nasty jump cut. Also at the end of the trailer we incorporated a series of short shots to show a short snip it of the events that had happened. This is also conventional of horror films as it helps to build tension. The dip to black effects helps create a sense of mystery and makes the audience question what is happening next, an example of enigma code. To improve our trailer and make it feel more like a trailer we could have used different types of transitions and effects between each shot, this is something we can use to improve on in the future.
Sound
To make our trailer seem more like a trailer we didn't include any dialogue because we thought this would make it feel more like a film opening so the majority of sound in our trailer is non-diegetic. Our main soundtrack was the nursery rhyme of 'Teddy bears picnic' as this helped created a creepy atmosphere however to improve this we could have used a beat behind the sound track to make it sound more like music rather than just singing. We also had a voice over at the beginning of the trailer giving the audience some background context into what has/is about to happen. The sound was useful in answering some of the unanswered questions that the audience had but it is still an area that we could improve on.
Camera
In our trailer we used a wide range of different shot and from different angles to try and show the storyline from multiple different view points. This is conventional for a trailer as they are used to advertise the film encouraging people to see the film once it has been released. Long shots are used to show body language, close ups to show emotion, over the shoulder shots to show point of view and tracking shots to help build tension. By using short snips of multiple different shot types it conforms to trailers because it advertises and encourages people to come see the film once it has been released.
In our trailer we use Vladimirr Propps theory of narrative including characters like the villain, the victim and the false hero, these character types also make it feel more like a trailer. We also use binary opposites showing the contrasts between good and evil, this is shown through the use of mise-en-scene with the villain being dressed all in black and the victim all in white, this is a theory developed by Claude Levi Strauss. Also another convention of trailers is the idea of the enigma code leaving the audience with unanswered questions throughout the trailer, we do this in several places but in particular with the shot of the flowers being placed on the bench at the end of the trailer. The audience are left to question what has happened to the victim and this is not fully explored.
One way we made our trailer seem like a trailer is through the use of titles. When creating the trailer we wanted to conform to the conventions of trailers to make it seem a more high budget professional trailer. During the editing process we included lots of trailers to help break up the trailer, this is a convention that is common in the majority of trailers, not only does this engage the audience but it also helps to advertise. In the titles we mentioned the location which helps to tie them all together, this acts as a genre indicator. and also links into the sound track. This helps to build tension because the audience begin to feel on edge and fear the unknown. By keeping all the titles in plain white bold font it keep its very simple but by leaving a ellipse at the end it makes it seem as if there is unfinished story over what is happening. The last title to be shown is the title of the film which is a convention in trailers because it helps to advertise the trailer so people remember the title of the film.
Editing
We kept the editing very fast paced to stick to the conventions of horror trailers this way it helps to build tension and keeps the audiences focus throughout the trailer. By using the fade tool it helped us cross cut between two different locations without it being a nasty jump cut. Also at the end of the trailer we incorporated a series of short shots to show a short snip it of the events that had happened. This is also conventional of horror films as it helps to build tension. The dip to black effects helps create a sense of mystery and makes the audience question what is happening next, an example of enigma code. To improve our trailer and make it feel more like a trailer we could have used different types of transitions and effects between each shot, this is something we can use to improve on in the future.
Sound
To make our trailer seem more like a trailer we didn't include any dialogue because we thought this would make it feel more like a film opening so the majority of sound in our trailer is non-diegetic. Our main soundtrack was the nursery rhyme of 'Teddy bears picnic' as this helped created a creepy atmosphere however to improve this we could have used a beat behind the sound track to make it sound more like music rather than just singing. We also had a voice over at the beginning of the trailer giving the audience some background context into what has/is about to happen. The sound was useful in answering some of the unanswered questions that the audience had but it is still an area that we could improve on.
Camera
In our trailer we used a wide range of different shot and from different angles to try and show the storyline from multiple different view points. This is conventional for a trailer as they are used to advertise the film encouraging people to see the film once it has been released. Long shots are used to show body language, close ups to show emotion, over the shoulder shots to show point of view and tracking shots to help build tension. By using short snips of multiple different shot types it conforms to trailers because it advertises and encourages people to come see the film once it has been released.
In our trailer we use Vladimirr Propps theory of narrative including characters like the villain, the victim and the false hero, these character types also make it feel more like a trailer. We also use binary opposites showing the contrasts between good and evil, this is shown through the use of mise-en-scene with the villain being dressed all in black and the victim all in white, this is a theory developed by Claude Levi Strauss. Also another convention of trailers is the idea of the enigma code leaving the audience with unanswered questions throughout the trailer, we do this in several places but in particular with the shot of the flowers being placed on the bench at the end of the trailer. The audience are left to question what has happened to the victim and this is not fully explored.
Audience research and profilling
Our target audience is typically 15+ however films of this genre tend to become less popular in people aged 30+. However the type of film would differ depending on what gender you were targeting, horror films tend to be more popular with males. From the researcher and planning stage 
we realised that we would want to create a horror film and these films are usually rated either a 15 or an 18. Horror films are not typically rated a 12 as the events may be distressing for someone of this age. Ours only involved a small amount of violence hence why it was only a 15, this enabled us to realise that the lower end of our target audience would be 15. Also the majority of people that go to the cinema to watch films of this genre are between the ages of 15 and 25.
Females of the age of 15 tend to be more into popular culture and enjoy things that the majority of people also enjoy. This would mean they would shop in shops like Topshop, Jack Wills and Urban Outfitters as well as cheaper alternatives like primark and h&m. At the age of 15 pop music is very popular with artists like Taylor Swift and Rihanna being very popular. These sort of people tend to be more into romantic comedies. However when they get slightly older like 17 their interests change and they tend to be more interested in horror films and thrillers, so we targeted this age range to our audience. However boys between the ages of 15 and 20 are more interested into crime and horror films because of games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. This meant that we targeted our opening to males rather than females as its more appealing for them.
We used the result from our questionnaires in order to try and appeal our opening to people of the ages between 15 and 25. In our questionnaire we asked people of different ages and genders to allow us to incorporate characteristics that appeal to them all. Many people liked the idea of a female lead as it made it more relatable for girls so they put themselves in their shoes. We wanted the story to be based around the stalking nature of the antagonist helping to build tension and this was also popular choice for people in targeted age range.
we realised that we would want to create a horror film and these films are usually rated either a 15 or an 18. Horror films are not typically rated a 12 as the events may be distressing for someone of this age. Ours only involved a small amount of violence hence why it was only a 15, this enabled us to realise that the lower end of our target audience would be 15. Also the majority of people that go to the cinema to watch films of this genre are between the ages of 15 and 25. Females of the age of 15 tend to be more into popular culture and enjoy things that the majority of people also enjoy. This would mean they would shop in shops like Topshop, Jack Wills and Urban Outfitters as well as cheaper alternatives like primark and h&m. At the age of 15 pop music is very popular with artists like Taylor Swift and Rihanna being very popular. These sort of people tend to be more into romantic comedies. However when they get slightly older like 17 their interests change and they tend to be more interested in horror films and thrillers, so we targeted this age range to our audience. However boys between the ages of 15 and 20 are more interested into crime and horror films because of games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. This meant that we targeted our opening to males rather than females as its more appealing for them.
We used the result from our questionnaires in order to try and appeal our opening to people of the ages between 15 and 25. In our questionnaire we asked people of different ages and genders to allow us to incorporate characteristics that appeal to them all. Many people liked the idea of a female lead as it made it more relatable for girls so they put themselves in their shoes. We wanted the story to be based around the stalking nature of the antagonist helping to build tension and this was also popular choice for people in targeted age range.
Use of camera
The camera we used was a Cannon EOS100D with a lens of 18-55 and we found this very effective because the camera was very high quality meaning we could shot many close up shots to a high standard. As this is Lydia's camera that she uses for photography she was very familiar in the way the camera works making it very easy to film.
Throughout the trailer we used a majority of different for different effects, with them all combined it helped to show the trailer through several different view points building tension, these are some examples of shots that we used.
We used a long establishing shot as the first shot of our trailer, the establishing shot introduces the audience to the location and too two characters. Immediately the audience can see the woods is where the film is set acting as a genre indicator. As the woods is a very mysterious location and there is lots of trees around it makes the audience fear the unknown because they don't know what is hiding amongst the wooded area. The long shot allows the characters to also be in shot and they are clearly looking for something, this is an example of enigma code because the audience are left asking questions about who they are searching for and who these characters are. This helps to build tension because the audience are unsure about what's happening but the voice over give them an idea of what is to come. We used a tripod to film this shot as we wanted the camera to stay still and steady making it look more professional.
In the trailer we also used several close up to help pay attention to smaller details and focus the audiences attention. We used several close up to help show emotion, or lack of when filming the antagonist, but a close up we are particularly proud of is of one of our props. This close up was particularly successful because it looked as if the victim had dropped a personal belonging when running away from the antagonist, this also helps to add to the fear of the unknown because the audience don't know what has happened to the victim. As the shot shows that 'Claire' is calling it also helps portray emotion because someone is clearly upset looking for the missing girl, this helps the audience form an emotional bond to the victim as they sympathise with the situation. We filmed this shot free hand so we could get a close up high angle shot as if the audience is looking down on the phone, this makes them more involved with the trailer because they can imagine being there discovering the phone.
We also incorporated some tracking shots which we filmed by placing the camera on the tripod and then rotating it as the character ran past. By using the tripod it allowed us to make sure that the camera stayed at eye level and prevent shaking the camera. These shots allowed us to fasten the pace building excitement as the antagonist goes after the victim. As the camera was shot from a third persons point of view it made the audience feel helpless watching the events unfold, again building tension. These tracking shots are conventional of horror films and were very successful part of our trailer because it allowed the thrill to continue as the chase unfolds.
Throughout the trailer we used a majority of different for different effects, with them all combined it helped to show the trailer through several different view points building tension, these are some examples of shots that we used.
We used a long establishing shot as the first shot of our trailer, the establishing shot introduces the audience to the location and too two characters. Immediately the audience can see the woods is where the film is set acting as a genre indicator. As the woods is a very mysterious location and there is lots of trees around it makes the audience fear the unknown because they don't know what is hiding amongst the wooded area. The long shot allows the characters to also be in shot and they are clearly looking for something, this is an example of enigma code because the audience are left asking questions about who they are searching for and who these characters are. This helps to build tension because the audience are unsure about what's happening but the voice over give them an idea of what is to come. We used a tripod to film this shot as we wanted the camera to stay still and steady making it look more professional. 
In the trailer we also used several close up to help pay attention to smaller details and focus the audiences attention. We used several close up to help show emotion, or lack of when filming the antagonist, but a close up we are particularly proud of is of one of our props. This close up was particularly successful because it looked as if the victim had dropped a personal belonging when running away from the antagonist, this also helps to add to the fear of the unknown because the audience don't know what has happened to the victim. As the shot shows that 'Claire' is calling it also helps portray emotion because someone is clearly upset looking for the missing girl, this helps the audience form an emotional bond to the victim as they sympathise with the situation. We filmed this shot free hand so we could get a close up high angle shot as if the audience is looking down on the phone, this makes them more involved with the trailer because they can imagine being there discovering the phone. 
We also incorporated some tracking shots which we filmed by placing the camera on the tripod and then rotating it as the character ran past. By using the tripod it allowed us to make sure that the camera stayed at eye level and prevent shaking the camera. These shots allowed us to fasten the pace building excitement as the antagonist goes after the victim. As the camera was shot from a third persons point of view it made the audience feel helpless watching the events unfold, again building tension. These tracking shots are conventional of horror films and were very successful part of our trailer because it allowed the thrill to continue as the chase unfolds.
Questionnaire answers
We asked ten people to answer our questionnaire that we created relating to narrative and characters and this was the outcome:
What did you like about the storyline of our trailer?
What did you like about the storyline of our trailer?
· It didn’t give away too much about the film x4
· Left a lot of un answered questions about the film x2
· Made me want to go and watch it x2
· The naivety of the protagonist when walking alone in the woods x1
· The realistic looking make up x1
What would you of changed about the storyline?
· Say what the protagonist was like before x2
· Give an insight into who the antagonist is x2
· Why the antagonist is snatching the protagonist x4
· Why did the protagonist change into the antagonist x2
How does our trailer follow the stereotypes of a horror?
· Scary setting x1
· Clothing of the characters x2
· Choice of characters x2
· Sound used x1
· Editing x1
· Camera angles x1
· Camera shots x1
· Make up x1
After watching the trailer would you go and watch the film in the cinema?
· Yes x8
· No x2
What was the most memorable part about the trailer?
· Beginning x1
· Middle x1
· End x4
· Characters x3
· Intensity x1
What was strong about the editing of the trailer?
· Fast pace x4
· Cutting x5
· Variation of scenes occurring within the trailer x1
Did the sound within the trailer fit the convention of a horror?
· Yes x8
· No x2
What was strong about the sound used within the trailer?
· Links to the characters within the trailer x2
· Adds mystery x2
· Makes the trailer eerie x2
· Intense x2
· Follows conventions of a horror x2
What was strong about the characters clothing?
· The colours used on the character clothing fitted the connotations of the character x3
· They were easily distinguished between x2
· They were easily identified x2
· They met the expectations of characters within a horror movie x3
Questionnaire
What did you like about the story-line of our trailer?
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What would you of changed about the story-line?
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How does our trailer follow the stereotypes of a horror?
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After watching the trailer would you go and watch the film in the cinema?
· Yes
· No
What was the most memorable part about the trailer?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What was strong about the editing of the trailer?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did the sound within the trailer fit the convention of a horror?
· Yes
· No
What was strong about the sound used within the trailer?
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What was strong about the characters clothing?
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Use of titles
Firstly we created our production credits as this is very important when creating our brand identity. We came up with the idea of 'SINISTER PICTURES' as a distributor, we kept the image very simple for this but made it white so it stuck out in comparison to the black background. The text underneath was in capitals as this is conventional of production credits. Then for production company we chose 'HANDS ON PRODUCTIONS' which was also in capitals and in white to help create an eerie atmosphere. We really liked the image used for this one as it looks like a ghostly figure that has been blurred, again this would act as a genre indicator. Production credits are very important when creating a trailer because it makes it look more realistic and like a larger budget film. The imagery used is high quality and we felt it was very effective in helping to advertise our film.
Throughout the trailer we have titles fade in and out on a black screen, these titles link to the nursery rhyme that is the soundtrack for our trailer. They help to break the trailer up slightly slowing the pace down in places helping to build tension. All of these titles are white on a black background showing the comparison from good and evil, binary opposites. We also felt that by doing this it would allow the words to stick in the audiences head for longer making them more likely to go and see the film. The font is very bold and the lettering is all in capitals which is another convention of horror trailers, again helping to build tension. The first title that appears is 'if you go down to the woods today' which immediately tells the audience about the location but leaves them with unanswered questions until the next title is revealed, this is an example of enigma code. Next title reads 'you'd better not go alone' which makes the audience fear being on their own, especially when in the woods which is a location that everyone can relate too, this helps to create a tense atmosphere. The last title helps to enforce this because it says 'but safer to stay at home...' this suggests that people are not safe once they leave the house. Also the use of the ellipsis suggests that this is not the last they are going to hear about the story.
We researched many different horror trailers and released that a lot of the older films tended to use red font as their title but the newer ones tended to use white. The connotations of red linked to blood and gore whereas white tends to connote innocence so leaves less to be revealed by the title. We also felt that using white related to our trailer more to show the differences in good and evil. By placing it on a background it allows the title to stand out more and be more memorable. When studying different trailers we noticed that the majority of fonts were bold and clear font, usually in capitals so we also decided to do this. As a group we decided that the title with the font 'Adobe Casion Pro' was most effective as it made a white outline creating a creepy effect. By this being the last thing on screen it allows viewers to remember the title of the film making them more likely to go and see the film once it has been released.
Throughout the trailer we have titles fade in and out on a black screen, these titles link to the nursery rhyme that is the soundtrack for our trailer. They help to break the trailer up slightly slowing the pace down in places helping to build tension. All of these titles are white on a black background showing the comparison from good and evil, binary opposites. We also felt that by doing this it would allow the words to stick in the audiences head for longer making them more likely to go and see the film. The font is very bold and the lettering is all in capitals which is another convention of horror trailers, again helping to build tension. The first title that appears is 'if you go down to the woods today' which immediately tells the audience about the location but leaves them with unanswered questions until the next title is revealed, this is an example of enigma code. Next title reads 'you'd better not go alone' which makes the audience fear being on their own, especially when in the woods which is a location that everyone can relate too, this helps to create a tense atmosphere. The last title helps to enforce this because it says 'but safer to stay at home...' this suggests that people are not safe once they leave the house. Also the use of the ellipsis suggests that this is not the last they are going to hear about the story.
We researched many different horror trailers and released that a lot of the older films tended to use red font as their title but the newer ones tended to use white. The connotations of red linked to blood and gore whereas white tends to connote innocence so leaves less to be revealed by the title. We also felt that using white related to our trailer more to show the differences in good and evil. By placing it on a background it allows the title to stand out more and be more memorable. When studying different trailers we noticed that the majority of fonts were bold and clear font, usually in capitals so we also decided to do this. As a group we decided that the title with the font 'Adobe Casion Pro' was most effective as it made a white outline creating a creepy effect. By this being the last thing on screen it allows viewers to remember the title of the film making them more likely to go and see the film once it has been released.
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