Research and Planning: Megan Johnson Audition Tape

Research and Planning: Robert Byrnes Audition Tape

Research and Planning: Audition Poster

This is my auditions poster that I have put up around college.

Research and Planning: What rating would my film be?

The genre of my film is horror, and this is typically rated '18' by the BBFC.

Due to the fact that my film trailer will include violence, harrowing themes and criminal activity, it would definitely be regulated as an 18 by the BBFC.

However, during the production process my partner and I decided that, for our trailer, we wanted it to be an American production and therefore our regulating govern will be the MPAA not BBFC. As such, my trailer will be regulated as 'R' for restricted. 

Research and Planning: Highest Grossing Horror Films (Top 5)

Research and Planning: Production Companies (SlideShare)

Production Companies from sarahxxmartin

Research and Planning: Proposals 1 & 2 (SlideShare)

Proposals for Media from sarahxxmartin

Research and Planning: Practical and Impractical Trailers (Prezi)

Research and Planning: Existing Magazine's Analysis (Slideshare)

Analysis of Existing Magazines from sarahxxmartin

Research and Planning: Existing Posters Analysis (VoiceThread)

GENRE: a certain style or format of a particular film/novel story-line or theme throughout.

Research and Planning: Mise-en-Scene Analysis

This is a still from the horror film 'The Shining'. By observing the mise-en-scene in this still I can deduce that the genre of the film is horror. Firstly, the colours in this shot are typical of those used in the horror genre; the elevator doors are red, signally danger and death. Plus, there is splattered blood all over the walls, and this is due to the pool of blood on the floor.  By using this much blood, the audience know that a murder has taken place, and murder is associated with horror. Also, because of the colour intensity, it is impossible to ignore the sheer amount of blood, and this forces the audience to experience the terror of imagining what has happened. Lastly, we can see that there is not an individual in this shot, meaning that the location is abandoned and this is also a cliche that most horror films use to frighten the audience - the sense of loneliness.

This is a still from the horror film 'Halloween II'. Through mise-en-scene we know that this is a horror film. Firstly, the characters in this shot are 'victim' (the young woman) whilst the masked man stood behind her is quite obviously the 'villain' as he is about to murder her. Also, by using a mask as a prop is very significant of the horror genre as it hides his identity - by doing this, the audience feel the sense of the unknown and this causes them to feel tense and uncomfortable (which is what the horror film director is trying to achieve). Lastly, there is not much colour used in this shot and by using low-key lighting it makes the shot quite blurry and unclear, it also emphasises shadows and causes the villain to appear darker and more threatening - the contrast between the villains body shape and the white walls is tremendous in this shot.

Research and Planning: Group Meeting (4)

Today we have discussed our roles further and decided on the following: 

Research and Planning: Group Meeting (3)

This evening we have chosen which characters we are going to have, we have also worked on our plot more and began to think about shot types and conventions we are going to use. We watched a few horror films (Scream and The Shining) and took notes down on what they include and how they achieve suspense.

Research and Planning: Group Meeting (2)

This afternoon my partner Georgina and I discussed more about our roles:

We also discussed the genre of our film trailer. We soon decided that horror was the most appropriate and potentially the easiest genre we could use to achieve our grades. We both enjoy horror and therefore we have experience and knowledge in what codes and conventions go into making a successful horror.
Due to us having low budgets and no real resources to create something technically great (such as  ghosts and the supernatural) we have chosen to make a realistic human horror.

Research and Planning: Group Meeting (1)

Today my partner Georgina and I have met to discuss our roles in creating our film trailer.
We have taken a lot of time to research the responsibilities in each role and determined which best suits us an individuals.

Research and Planning: Our Target Audience (Prezi)

Research and Planning: Audience Theories

Audience Theories from sarahxxmartin

Research and Planning: BBFC Ratings (Regulation)

How these decisions are made...

Examples of classification...

• Walt Disney's 'Cinderella' - U
• Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone - PG
• Avengers: Age of Ultron - 12A 
• Bad Neighbours - 15
• Halloween - 18

Research and Planning: Existing Horror Film Trailer (Analysis)

During this trailer, many codes and conventions are used to make it obvious to the audience that this is a horror film: 

Sound: Many Sound FX are used in this trailer to emphasise the supernatural/spooky theme within the film. Also, the dialogue tells the audience that there is a villain whom is stealing children's innocence by causing them to murder their families; this alone emphasises the horror genre as it is a twisted and frightening storyline. Women can be heard screaming, men yelling and children crying, and this is effective as it makes the audience feel on edge and adds to the suspense - it draws the audience in.

Cinematography: Throughout the trailer, low-key lighting is used to make dark shadows stand out and make the audience feel on edge. Also, many low-angles were used on the 'villain' in the film, and this shows that he/it has power and influence on the innocent children he is corrupting and making them kill members of their families.
Mise-en-Scene: Costumes and Makeup are used excessively in this trailer to emphasise it as a horror genre - the villain is made up to look supernatural, and this is something that horror films use often to bring a sense of the 'unknown' - by using something supernatural, it gives us the sense of being helpless because we have never experienced it before and therefore do not know how to fix/stop it.

Editing: There are many cut-ins and fade outs in this trailer, as well as many zoom-in's and zoom-outs. These are often used in horror trailers to keep the audience tense and on the edge of their seat. The cut ins are used to give us a shock i.e suddenly noticing there is someone stood behind her that we could not see in a different shot etc.

Research and Planning: Genre Trailers Analysis

This is the film trailer for Quentin Tarantino's western hit 'Django Unchained'.

From the trailer it is obvious that the genre is a western/action because of the codes and conventions used, these can be split into four different categories; Sound, Editing, Cinematography and Mise-en-Scene. I will now describe each of these in greater detail.

Sound: Throughout the entirety of the trailer, dramatic and fast paced music is played, insinuating that the film will be action-packed. Also, voiceovers are used to explain the basis of the storyline, for example "Do you know what a bounty hunter is?" Finally, many sound FX's are used i.e whips and gunshots - and this is purposefully done to emphasise that the film is set in times of slavery in America.

Cinematography (Camera): During the trailer, many close ups are shown of Jamie Foxx's character 'Django' and this illustrates how he is the main character, it could also be interpreted to make the audience feel connected to him more and thus want to watch his story on the big screen. A further point is that low angle/high angle shots are used to demonstrate power and vulnerability in the film; when a slave is shown, the camera angle is high on them (making them appear small and weak) whereas when we are shown a white, rich slave-trader, the camera angle is low, which causes the opposite effect than high, in that the white individual looks taller and dominant.

Mise-en-Scene: The clothing/costumes that the actors wear are extremely old-fashioned, which indicates the historical element to the film - it is obvious that the film is set in the late 1800s (when slavery in the south of America was profound). Also, another costume presented in the trailer is the KKK 'ghost mask' and this is another reminder of the racist society in that time (the KKK is a infamous racist group). The theme of hierarchy is also clear through the use of mise-en-scene as the rich, white individuals have colourful, immaculate clothing whereas the slaves are dressed in dull, damaged rags, informing the audience that there is a hierarchy of characters in the film. 

Editing: The editing style in the trailer is fast-paced and mostly straight-cuts, highlighting that the film will have a linear structure.

This is the film trailer for the film-adaptation worldwide phenomenon, 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. 

From this is trailer it is evident that the genre of the film is a romance.

I will now explain how, by using codes and conventions, this is clear to the audience.

Sound: Throughout the trailer, Beyonce's iconic love anthem 'Crazy in Love' is playing, immediately revealing that the storyline is about a love, which would, stereotypically, make it a romance. Secondly, the dialogue in the trailer also shows how it is a love story by lines such as, 'I am incapable of leaving you alone.' 'Then don't'. 

Cinematography (Camera): Almost every shot in the trailer has a soft focus tint on it - making it appear pretty and feminine, this is a technique used by many film companies to highlight a romance genre. Also, there are many close ups and two-shots used to indicate a close relationship between the two main characters, and this also shows they are central to the story. Thirdly, high-key lighting is used to emphasise colour and light in the film and this emphasises the classic 'happy love' appearance. Lastly, in the framing, the character of Christian (Jamie Dornan) is seen as larger than Ana (Dakota Johnson) and this reflects the storyline of him being dominant over her.

Mise-en-Scene: The clothing shown in the trailer indicates the 'romance-feel' also as Ana is dressed in feminine clothing whereas Christian is wearing business-like, masculine clothing and this subtly indicates the cliche of 'opposites atrract' whilst also reflecting the storyline of an innocent young woman finding love in a serious and successful business man. 

Editing: Many editing features in the trailer scream to the audience that it is a romance genre, for example, as the screen fades to black, sentences such as 'This Valentines Day' - and because of this, it is a major indicator that the film is a romance as 'Valentines Day' is typically associated with love and relationships. Lastly, many fades are used to show different shots and this again relates to a soft/happy feel of a trailer, it is especially appealing to females, which is the stereotypical target audience for a romance film. 

Research and Planning: SurveyMonkey Results

I have set up a survey on the website 'survey monkey' for my fellow classmates to answer and give me data for my research.

When analysing these results it is clear that the majority prefer realistic horror films with props such as knifes, ropes, blood etc. and therefore myself and project partner shall incorporate these in our work. Our trailer will hopefully match these results as best as possible.

Research and Planning: Genre Poster (First Attempt) - The Brief

I was told to make a film poster specific with the codes and conventions of a genre of my choice.
I chose romance and the image above is my creation.
The codes and conventions I have used to make my genre obvious are: type-cast romance actor (Zac Efron), calligraphy font in a soft style, the title involving the word 'love', and also a bright and alluring image which will appeal to a younger female audience who are stereotypically the audience for romance films.
My class peers have assessed my work using WWW/EBI and the feedback I have received is mainly positive. I have been told that it is clear (through my codes and conventions) that it is a romance film and also that the fonts and colour scheme are well suited to this genre. Any criticisms were mainly that with more time I could have edited more cleanly and spent more time focusing on the sharpness of the image rather than the fonts and titles. Lastly, I was told that the use of the BBFC '12' certificate made it look more realistic and professional.
Overall I am so/so about my first attempt, I know that I could have done a lot better if I had been given more time however I am aware that it could have been a lot worse.

Research and Planning: Audience Interviews (Genre)

We recorded these videos using a DSLR camera and tripod, and then used Premiere Pro CC to edit them together and upload them to YouTube.

The questions (relating to the horror genre) were as follows: 

1. What is your favourite genre? Why?
2. What are your opinions on the horror genre?
3. What do you expect to see in a horror film?
4. What do you expect from a horror film genre?
5. What colour schemes would you relate to horror films?
6. Where would you expect a horror film to be set?
7. What certificate would you expect a horror film to be given?
8. What is your favourite film within the horror genre?
9. What features do you think most horror films include?
10. Do you prefer a realistic horror plot line or a cliche (supernatural) one?
11. What appeals to you most in a horror film?
12. Do you think that horror appeals to BOTH males and females?
13. How do you think a horror film could draw the attention of a male and female audience?
14. Lastly, what locations would you expect to see within the trailer/film?

Research and Planning: Our Film Pitch (SlideShare)

Film Pitch from sarahxxmartin

Research and Planning: Genre Research/Codes and Conventions (SlideShare)