I'm planning on using a site called free sound (link; http://www.freesound.org/ ) to gather different sounds to use in my teaser trailer. From my research and planning, I have seen many sounds reoccurring in numerous trailers, such as;
- Heavy Breathing
http://freesound.org/people/boziav/sounds/73145/
- Banging
http://freesound.org/people/qubodup/sounds/157609/
- Slamming
http://freesound.org/people/primeval_polypod/sounds/160612/
- Screaming
http://freesound.org/people/sironboy/sounds/132106/
- Scratches
http://freesound.org/people/mzoern1/sounds/118221/
- Horror theme noises - Gun shots, axes etc...
Gun- http://freesound.org/people/Noah_Fletcher/sounds/200245/
Axe- http://freesound.org/people/bigbadbrad/sounds/141453/
- Footsteps/ Running
Running- http://freesound.org/people/stintx/sounds/107624/
Walking- http://freesound.org/people/Leafs67/sounds/155589/
- Smashes
http://freesound.org/people/stickman/sounds/39297/
I think in order to make my trailer successful, I will need to include some of these sounds. I'm thinking of including other non diegetic sounds such as the sound of glasses 'chinging' and diegetic sounds such as ery winds.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Actor/ Character Stills.
For my teaser trailer I want to have two main characters, one female and one male.
For this I am getting my sister and a friend to play the part of the loved up couple in my trailer.
Images below show them.
For this I am getting my sister and a friend to play the part of the loved up couple in my trailer.
Images below show them.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Organisation of Location - photos
Above are some images I took of my location for the filming of my trailer. I took several different photos from different angles to get as many different looks to work with when and if it came to using them for the images on my poster/ magazine.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Planning my teaser trailer.
I have been thinking about the idea of which my teaser trailer will consist of. Looking at my research and using it as a guidance, I have picked up a few useful tips on how to make my own trailer as interesting as possible. Below is my first draft of the plot for my film;
I want my trailer to begin at the scene of a wedding dinner. The shot I plan to use is a mid shot of the back of a couple standing beside each other and toasting their glasses together. This will be a clear indication that the two characters in my trailer have just got married. From there I will move the scene to the couples honeymoon, where the two are venturing off on a hike in the outskirts of South America. From my research and planning, I thought using such a remote location by putting my characters into the middle of a forest would mean that they were more isolated and alone. I then want my story to change mood, at the beginning the mood will be quite romantic and slow then in the middle I want the edit to pick up and become more dramatic. I plan to do this by adding in another character. In the middle of the couples hike, they come across an area where they can receive phone signal where they get a load of messages to check the news. When they do, they come across the article which tells them that a mental person has escaped from the local mental institute of South America. From this point, I will film in darkness where the couple carry on their hike and then begin to set up came for the night. I will use the sounds of branches snapping and wind which i will add in to build suspense. To begin the characters worry that there is someone/something watching them. In the night, the sounds become more prominent, and the male character decides to take the lead to venture off to discover what it is, with his wife behind. The light from a torch I will include as prop will then shine between the trees to reveal a figure. As the characters begin to call out, the figure will start to emerge from the woods, running at the two characters with a weapon. My characters will begin to run. Here I plan to black out the camera and focus only on sound, such as; the screams, rustles, and running footsteps.
I want my trailer to begin at the scene of a wedding dinner. The shot I plan to use is a mid shot of the back of a couple standing beside each other and toasting their glasses together. This will be a clear indication that the two characters in my trailer have just got married. From there I will move the scene to the couples honeymoon, where the two are venturing off on a hike in the outskirts of South America. From my research and planning, I thought using such a remote location by putting my characters into the middle of a forest would mean that they were more isolated and alone. I then want my story to change mood, at the beginning the mood will be quite romantic and slow then in the middle I want the edit to pick up and become more dramatic. I plan to do this by adding in another character. In the middle of the couples hike, they come across an area where they can receive phone signal where they get a load of messages to check the news. When they do, they come across the article which tells them that a mental person has escaped from the local mental institute of South America. From this point, I will film in darkness where the couple carry on their hike and then begin to set up came for the night. I will use the sounds of branches snapping and wind which i will add in to build suspense. To begin the characters worry that there is someone/something watching them. In the night, the sounds become more prominent, and the male character decides to take the lead to venture off to discover what it is, with his wife behind. The light from a torch I will include as prop will then shine between the trees to reveal a figure. As the characters begin to call out, the figure will start to emerge from the woods, running at the two characters with a weapon. My characters will begin to run. Here I plan to black out the camera and focus only on sound, such as; the screams, rustles, and running footsteps.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Target Audience Questionnaire Results.
1. How old are you?
-15 - 17
- 18 - 20
- 21 - 25
- 25+
From taking my questionnaire, the first question asked the public how old they were. The majority of people who answered were between the ages of 15- 17, this was as I started off asking people in my sixth form to answer it. However, I did also ask several other people ages 18+
2. How often do you watch a horror film?
- All the time
- Sometimes
- Once in a while
- Never
.png)
The second question I asked was how often do they watch a horror film. The results show that the majority of people I asked watched horror films quite frequently and most often. From this, makes me quite confident that if I was to create a horror film, then it would be popular with the public.
3. What type of horror film are you most inclined to watch?
- Gore/ Violent
- Supernatural
- Psychological
- Thriller
.png)
The next question I then asked was what type of horror film they were more inclined to watch. The result I got was the psychological option. As this proved the favoured option, I will think about including perhaps a crazy/ mental character in my own teaser trailer.
4. For you, What is the most important part of a teaser trailer?
- Violence
- Characters shown
- Hardly any plot revealed
- A lot of the plot revealed
- Suspense/ Apprehension
I then asked what, for the viewer what was the most important part of a teaser trailer. I gave five options, both violence and characters were of equal proportions, revealing a lot of the plot and the building of suspense also were equal and the most favoured option was not a lot of the plot being revealed. I will bare this in mind when creating my own teaser trailer.
5. For you, What makes a teaser trailer most successful?
- The plot
- Depth of knowledge about the characters
- Camera Shots
- Music/ Sound
- Lighting
.png)
The final question I asked was for the viewer, what made a teaser trailer most successful. I again gave five options to the public, the plot being the least and camera shots being the most. When the viewer is watching the trailer, the viewer wants to see many different shots and angles used as a way of best showing off parts of the trailer.
-15 - 17
- 18 - 20
- 21 - 25
- 25+
From taking my questionnaire, the first question asked the public how old they were. The majority of people who answered were between the ages of 15- 17, this was as I started off asking people in my sixth form to answer it. However, I did also ask several other people ages 18+
2. How often do you watch a horror film?
- All the time
- Sometimes
- Once in a while
- Never
The second question I asked was how often do they watch a horror film. The results show that the majority of people I asked watched horror films quite frequently and most often. From this, makes me quite confident that if I was to create a horror film, then it would be popular with the public.
3. What type of horror film are you most inclined to watch?
- Gore/ Violent
- Supernatural
- Psychological
- Thriller
The next question I then asked was what type of horror film they were more inclined to watch. The result I got was the psychological option. As this proved the favoured option, I will think about including perhaps a crazy/ mental character in my own teaser trailer.
4. For you, What is the most important part of a teaser trailer?
- Violence
- Characters shown
- Hardly any plot revealed
- A lot of the plot revealed
- Suspense/ Apprehension
I then asked what, for the viewer what was the most important part of a teaser trailer. I gave five options, both violence and characters were of equal proportions, revealing a lot of the plot and the building of suspense also were equal and the most favoured option was not a lot of the plot being revealed. I will bare this in mind when creating my own teaser trailer.
5. For you, What makes a teaser trailer most successful?
- The plot
- Depth of knowledge about the characters
- Camera Shots
- Music/ Sound
- Lighting
The final question I asked was for the viewer, what made a teaser trailer most successful. I again gave five options to the public, the plot being the least and camera shots being the most. When the viewer is watching the trailer, the viewer wants to see many different shots and angles used as a way of best showing off parts of the trailer.
Initial film title ideas.
Film title ideas.
To get a better understanding of how to come up with a good, effective title for my film, I used a search engine. I found nine things that I should consider when thinking about making my own;
8. The title should infer the central conflict of the film… ‘Jaws’ (the shark is going to eat people), ‘The Exorcist’ (there’s going to be an exorcism), or more recently the man who renamed serial killer horror movie ‘The Hollow’ to ‘Don’t Let Him In’.
My Ideas;
The Honeymoon
The Honeymare
Escaped
Happy Never After
Till Death Do Us Part
The Hike
Who's There?
There's somebody out there?!
Help!
Doomed
From the above, I've decided to go for 'Till Death Do Us Part'. I think that its appropriate for both the story line and the horror genre of my trailer as they characters have just got married.
To get a better understanding of how to come up with a good, effective title for my film, I used a search engine. I found nine things that I should consider when thinking about making my own;
1. The shorter the better.
2. The title should hint at the genre of the film. Do this well and the second question people usually ask (what’s the genre?) is answered implicitly.
3. The title is a sales tool designed to get people to read the script, rent the film or ask for more information. It is NOT an artistic statement (think more craft than art).
4. More often than not, your title will be accompanied by a short pitch or key artwork. This should all work in harmony and feel like a component part of a whole and well rounded concept.
5. You will NEVER be 100% happy with the title. It always feels like a bit of a compromise. And why shouldn't it? You are reducing 100 pages of story to a single word of phrase.
6. Once you decide on a title, if a better one comes along, use it. You are NEVER wedded to the title until the film is complete. Ideally get it right up front, but DON’T hold on to a poor title if a new and better one comes along.
7. Don’t be clever. Titles are not something to be figured out. As film makers, we might like the idea of a title being a mystery or ephemeral, but audiences will just move right on by if they don’t ‘get it’ immediately.
8. The title should infer the central conflict of the film… ‘Jaws’ (the shark is going to eat people), ‘The Exorcist’ (there’s going to be an exorcism), or more recently the man who renamed serial killer horror movie ‘The Hollow’ to ‘Don’t Let Him In’.
9. Above all, ‘do what it says on the tin’. The title should honestly and succinctly reflect the story.
My Ideas;
The Honeymoon
The Honeymare
Escaped
Happy Never After
Till Death Do Us Part
The Hike
Who's There?
There's somebody out there?!
Help!
Doomed
From the above, I've decided to go for 'Till Death Do Us Part'. I think that its appropriate for both the story line and the horror genre of my trailer as they characters have just got married.
Monday, 7 October 2013
Research into similar products- The Perfect Getaway.
The Perfect Getaway.
Camera Work -
There are many shots used at the start of the clip to show of the surrounding scenery such as a crane shot from the helicopter looking down into the trees and a zoom over the grassy mountains to reveal the drop of trees, right down to the beach front. This allows the viewer an idea that the location of the film is on a remote island somewhere. Mid shots are used frequently so the viewer mainly has to concentrate on the characters facial expression which mainly at the beginning are all smiles. Further on, a close up of the males knife suggests to the viewer that this could be the weapon to cause potential harm and it also indicates that the male holding it is the 'bad guy'. An extreme close up is also used of the woman's eyes to show almost realization that they could be in a potential dangerous situation. Toward the end the shots become quicker and shorter. This begins suspense and tension to the viewer as the shots contain mainly running and violence.
Mis- En- Scene -
The location used seems like the idea of 'perfect' where people go for a non-technology break or a honeymoon...
The characters we see at the very start of the clip are dressed in stereotypical hiking gear; vests, shorts, boots and bag packs. This reveals that these twp characters are new to this and don't normally do this. This contrasts to the two characters they pick up in the car who are in raggy clothes and the female has dreadlocks which suggests they have been there for a while. The lighting used is very natural and light. This natural lighting relates to the relaxing atmosphere at the start but is quite contrasting towards the end. Although in parts when the characters are in the trees and its raining, its quite dark which relates to the mood at that point of the trailer.
Sound -
The opening of the trailer starts of with a jazzy song, which is quite summary with the light guitar sounds. This music contrasts with the genre of the film and makes it seem like its going to be a rom-com instead or a horror/thriller. Up until about 34 seconds the characters we see are fascinated by the scenery and are thrilled to be there, such as when we here the woman say, 'Drop me off here!'. This relaxed atmosphere seems to change and quicken at 35 seconds onwards. In the background a violin type music is used to show tension between the different characters. A narrator is also used which we can hear reveal that some want to 'play a game' suggesting that there will be twist in the story. This becomes apparent when the male speaks about the police finding two corpses on the beach. Then towards the end, the music used, completely different to the start is a rock/ heavy metal type which suggests chaos and the urge to move quicker.
Editing -
At the beginning, slow-paced editing is used. This works well with the camera work of the scenery as it is calm and relaxing suggesting that this is what the couple have came looking for. It's also allows the viewer time to take in the location. At 35 seconds the editing seems to pick up as relationships between the characters seem to become tense. After about a minute and a half, the pace quickens even more and only shows quick snaps of the film. This would be effective for the viewer as it would keep them on the edge of their seat and cause them to question what caused the divide... There is also two shots used to represent some conversation between characters so we can see their facial expression such as when the male asks 'What do you think?' and we see the shots used to 'see' their reaction although you can see that this has perhaps been put together but when the other male laughs, reveals to the viewer that he could potentially be the bad character.
The reason why I looked at this trailer is i want to use a similar aspect in my teaser trailer that i want to show my characters at there wedding then going and moving onto their honeymoon in a remote area. I think this film trailer could give me a few ideas of my own to make it as effective as possible.
Camera Work -
There are many shots used at the start of the clip to show of the surrounding scenery such as a crane shot from the helicopter looking down into the trees and a zoom over the grassy mountains to reveal the drop of trees, right down to the beach front. This allows the viewer an idea that the location of the film is on a remote island somewhere. Mid shots are used frequently so the viewer mainly has to concentrate on the characters facial expression which mainly at the beginning are all smiles. Further on, a close up of the males knife suggests to the viewer that this could be the weapon to cause potential harm and it also indicates that the male holding it is the 'bad guy'. An extreme close up is also used of the woman's eyes to show almost realization that they could be in a potential dangerous situation. Toward the end the shots become quicker and shorter. This begins suspense and tension to the viewer as the shots contain mainly running and violence.
Mis- En- Scene -
The location used seems like the idea of 'perfect' where people go for a non-technology break or a honeymoon...
The characters we see at the very start of the clip are dressed in stereotypical hiking gear; vests, shorts, boots and bag packs. This reveals that these twp characters are new to this and don't normally do this. This contrasts to the two characters they pick up in the car who are in raggy clothes and the female has dreadlocks which suggests they have been there for a while. The lighting used is very natural and light. This natural lighting relates to the relaxing atmosphere at the start but is quite contrasting towards the end. Although in parts when the characters are in the trees and its raining, its quite dark which relates to the mood at that point of the trailer.
Sound -
The opening of the trailer starts of with a jazzy song, which is quite summary with the light guitar sounds. This music contrasts with the genre of the film and makes it seem like its going to be a rom-com instead or a horror/thriller. Up until about 34 seconds the characters we see are fascinated by the scenery and are thrilled to be there, such as when we here the woman say, 'Drop me off here!'. This relaxed atmosphere seems to change and quicken at 35 seconds onwards. In the background a violin type music is used to show tension between the different characters. A narrator is also used which we can hear reveal that some want to 'play a game' suggesting that there will be twist in the story. This becomes apparent when the male speaks about the police finding two corpses on the beach. Then towards the end, the music used, completely different to the start is a rock/ heavy metal type which suggests chaos and the urge to move quicker.
Editing -
At the beginning, slow-paced editing is used. This works well with the camera work of the scenery as it is calm and relaxing suggesting that this is what the couple have came looking for. It's also allows the viewer time to take in the location. At 35 seconds the editing seems to pick up as relationships between the characters seem to become tense. After about a minute and a half, the pace quickens even more and only shows quick snaps of the film. This would be effective for the viewer as it would keep them on the edge of their seat and cause them to question what caused the divide... There is also two shots used to represent some conversation between characters so we can see their facial expression such as when the male asks 'What do you think?' and we see the shots used to 'see' their reaction although you can see that this has perhaps been put together but when the other male laughs, reveals to the viewer that he could potentially be the bad character.
The reason why I looked at this trailer is i want to use a similar aspect in my teaser trailer that i want to show my characters at there wedding then going and moving onto their honeymoon in a remote area. I think this film trailer could give me a few ideas of my own to make it as effective as possible.
Research into similar products - The Blair Witch Project.
Blair Witch Project.
Camera Work -
There isn't much camera work going on throughout this trailer. The main use of the camera work is hand held which is often used to portray amateur filming when someone isn't used to filming such as home-made footage which is what this film is about. I think that the hand held camera work works well and is a good way of making the viewer un-easy when watching because the camera is all over the place. I like the idea of using hand held camera work and is something I will think about when making my own teaser trailer.
Mis- En- Scene -
The lighting in the trailer is dark. There is a black and white edit on some of the footage and in the shots showing the female crying into the camera with a beam of light coming off the torch attached to the camera. The lighting could be described as 'Dull', it creates a mysterious atmosphere and relates to the horror genre. The clothes we see the female in are generic hiking clothes with the woolly hat etc. Props shown are things that seem to have been found by police belonging to the teens such as a map and the camera that was used to record the whole thing along with the tapes with the footage on.
Sound -
The majority of sound used in this trailer is spoken. At the beginning of the clip we hear a female character choke on her words as she apologises to what seems to be her missing friends mom's. With the diegetic sounds, we also hear her crying and screaming throughout. I think that this is effective as it is simple. It builds the suspense slowly and allows the viewer the follow the trailer at a slow pace. In the background however there is a ery sound which plays throughout the trailer which gets slightly louder at some points. I think this sounds works well as it makes the trailer more sinister and creepy which could cause the viewer to feel uncomfortable whilst watching it.
Editing -
The editing used is quite slow throughout this trailer. I think that using a slow paced edits creates more mystery to the trailer and it allows the viewer the chance to concentrate on what's being said.
Camera Work -
There isn't much camera work going on throughout this trailer. The main use of the camera work is hand held which is often used to portray amateur filming when someone isn't used to filming such as home-made footage which is what this film is about. I think that the hand held camera work works well and is a good way of making the viewer un-easy when watching because the camera is all over the place. I like the idea of using hand held camera work and is something I will think about when making my own teaser trailer.
Mis- En- Scene -
The lighting in the trailer is dark. There is a black and white edit on some of the footage and in the shots showing the female crying into the camera with a beam of light coming off the torch attached to the camera. The lighting could be described as 'Dull', it creates a mysterious atmosphere and relates to the horror genre. The clothes we see the female in are generic hiking clothes with the woolly hat etc. Props shown are things that seem to have been found by police belonging to the teens such as a map and the camera that was used to record the whole thing along with the tapes with the footage on.
Sound -
The majority of sound used in this trailer is spoken. At the beginning of the clip we hear a female character choke on her words as she apologises to what seems to be her missing friends mom's. With the diegetic sounds, we also hear her crying and screaming throughout. I think that this is effective as it is simple. It builds the suspense slowly and allows the viewer the follow the trailer at a slow pace. In the background however there is a ery sound which plays throughout the trailer which gets slightly louder at some points. I think this sounds works well as it makes the trailer more sinister and creepy which could cause the viewer to feel uncomfortable whilst watching it.
Editing -
The editing used is quite slow throughout this trailer. I think that using a slow paced edits creates more mystery to the trailer and it allows the viewer the chance to concentrate on what's being said.
Target Audience Research + Questionnaire.
I've been looking into previous horror films and who they have been aimed at to help me figure out who I want my target audience to be. I found that a horror films target audience is generally those in the age group 15-25. In the previous post;
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4211012246451120327#editor/target=post;postID=6851651350707642593;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=18;src=postname
I Looked at the BBFC's classification. From this I looked at the main points for the certificates 15 and 18, I found that there wasn't much difference between them other an 18 certificate film would contain more of the content then a 15. I am aware that my trailer for my film will fall under one of these certificates. However, until I am more aware of the content I'm not sure which one.
I've decided to produce a questionnaire which I will present to a range of people ageing from 15 to 25+. I think a questionnaire will help me to confirm my target audience and what they want from a horror film. I have concluded five questions will I will ask around 20 people to do, shown below which I think will give me the best possible indication to whom I should aim my teaser trailer at.
1. How old are you?
-15 - 17
- 18 - 20
- 21 - 25
- 25+
2. How often do you watch a horror film?
- All the time
- Sometimes
- Once in a while
- Never
3. What type of horror film are you most inclined to watch?
- Gore/ Violent
- Supernatural
- Psychological
- Thriller
4. For you, What is the most important part of a teaser trailer?
- Violence
- Characters shown
- Hardly any plot revealed
- A lot of the plot revealed
- Suspense/ Apprehension
5. For you, What makes a teaser trailer most successful?
- The plot
- Depth of knowledge about the characters
- Camera Shots
- Music/ Sound
- Lighting
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4211012246451120327#editor/target=post;postID=6851651350707642593;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=18;src=postname
I Looked at the BBFC's classification. From this I looked at the main points for the certificates 15 and 18, I found that there wasn't much difference between them other an 18 certificate film would contain more of the content then a 15. I am aware that my trailer for my film will fall under one of these certificates. However, until I am more aware of the content I'm not sure which one.
I've decided to produce a questionnaire which I will present to a range of people ageing from 15 to 25+. I think a questionnaire will help me to confirm my target audience and what they want from a horror film. I have concluded five questions will I will ask around 20 people to do, shown below which I think will give me the best possible indication to whom I should aim my teaser trailer at.
1. How old are you?
-15 - 17
- 18 - 20
- 21 - 25
- 25+
2. How often do you watch a horror film?
- All the time
- Sometimes
- Once in a while
- Never
3. What type of horror film are you most inclined to watch?
- Gore/ Violent
- Supernatural
- Psychological
- Thriller
4. For you, What is the most important part of a teaser trailer?
- Violence
- Characters shown
- Hardly any plot revealed
- A lot of the plot revealed
- Suspense/ Apprehension
5. For you, What makes a teaser trailer most successful?
- The plot
- Depth of knowledge about the characters
- Camera Shots
- Music/ Sound
- Lighting
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)