Editing

When editing our footage we are going to use a software package called iMovie as it allows quick editing with tranistions and fast cuts to be achieved. our footage will be imported via firewire on to a Mac computer where my group and I can work on cutting down or increasing the length of footage, inserting transitions, titles and sound to create an effective teaser trailer. The effects iMovie contains are those such as colour correction, video enhancement and transitions such as fade in, fade out and cuts. These editing techniques will allow out footage to be broken down and placed inbetween quick cuts that will create a teaser trailer that will move very quickly and create pace.

Props and Costume

Before we begin to film we need to take into account any props and costume that are going to be needed to ensure that the footage is as effective as possible. We have decided that all characters will need to be dressed in dark clothing to portray the emotions of the characters. For example, the girlfriend and boyfriend will need to be dressed in black, grey and white to show that the way that they are feeling is quite dull, oppressive and negative. If all characters are dressed in bright and colourful colours then it will clash with the actions in each scene. Therefore we have decided that as I am playing the girl I should focus on wearing black bottoms, a white top and a black jacket and Josh playing the boy should wear dark jeans and a dark jumper. However in the scene when the girl kills the boy I should wear my black jumper with a pink heart across the chest as this is symbolic of love and the situation the characters are placed in.

Although we do not have a wide variety of props in our teaser trailer we feel that the filming will still be effective as the cinematography and action in the scene allows suspense and anticipation to be created. We opted to use this method when filming as we felt that with the overuse of props our trailer may become unrealistic and people may not be interested in watching the film.

Story Boarding

The storyboard below is a plan for the different shots we are going to use when filming out footage. It will keep the group organised and on track when filming, allowing us to know what needs filming and the footage that we have already shot. Although we have this structure to follow, things may change according to hick ups such as weather and availability. My group and I aim to stick to the storyboard as much as possible but we are aware that there may be changes and improvments to the way it is applied to our filming.

STORYBOARD...

Final Idea

After having a detailed conversation and selecting our location we have decided on a full story line having amended and taken out sections of our brief idea previously decided upon. The synopsis for our new idea is as shown below:

A young girl and boy are in a relationship with each other where the girl feels like she is stuck in a violent relationship that she wants to get out off. The couple go through good and bad days where they are sometimes happy and others where they are arguing and the boyfriend turns vigorously violent. The girl eventually ends up standing up for herself and kills her boyfriend with a nearby metal candle holder. To remove all evidence and clear paths leading back to her she buries her boyfriend in a local graveyard and covers the grave with leaves. Just days later the girl can feel someone following and watching her but cannot explain the presence to her friends who think she is over reacting and being silly. Bearing in mind her friends are oblivious to what happened a few days earlier. The girl decides to visit the grave where she buried her boyfriend to make sure he isn't the one following her to find that he isn't there anymore, when she turns round she sees him standing there and he kills her to make sure that she can never get away from him and that she will never stop loving him.

This image shows our final plot idea after we had conducted large amounts of research regarding the things we would like to include in our trailer.

Location Spotting

Before deciding on a final location for our filming to take place, my group and I decided a variety of suitable locations that we could use. The image below shows the locations we came up with:

Today my group visited the Barbican Centre, Moorgate and a local graveyard which was featured in an extract from the film Dirty Pretty Things. We looked at different sections of the barbican centre which could be used for quick shots in our teaser trailer and found that the rooms were very symetrical and clinical. This therefore meets the inspiration needs from 'The Shining' where the rooms were clean and props were postioned effectivley in order to create suspense and tension. The images below show possible locations with reasoning for choosing this location.

My group have decided that this location would be best suited to our teaser trailer as it is very easy to collect footage that gives an eery and lonley feel as well as create a modern look. However there are certain parts of the Barbican Centre which may not be best suited to our footage such as the stairways as they are very dark and our camera will not be able to shoot footage that is defined and clear. The graveyard is a location which all 3 members of the group have decided is positioned very well and would need little prop placement as there is large areas of space and gravestones which would be able to create a metaphor for how the characters are feeling.

Group Ideas

After individually looking at different horror/thriller films and gaining inspiration myself and the other two members of my group put forward our ideas for a teaser trailer. The three ideas shared between the group are briefly explained below:

• Josh: Daughter has a boyfriend of which a father and mother dislikes and the father ends up killing the boyfriend who then comes back to haunt the daughter and father
• Beckie: Two girls are at a sleepover where they begin to feel like they are being watched, girls then find out that there is someone watching them that they cant place or recognise
• Myself: There is a presence following a girl, her friends cant see or feel the presence in the way that she can. When she tries to explain what is happening to her friends they dont believe her. Finally, friends start to understand this presence which is unstoppable and unreachable.

The image below shows the possible storylines that we could have used.

Collectivley we have decided to merge all ideas into a storyline which allows all views and opinions of group members to be considered and adapted. The idea that we decided upon consisted of at least one aspect of each persons idea. This storyline was : A young girl and boy are in a relationship which isnt working  as the girl is being physically abused by her boyfriend. She then kills her boyfriend and destroys all evidence and buries the body. A presence then comes back to follow and terrorise her and when she tries to tell her friend that there is someone following her, her friend doesnt believe her and thinks that she is being silly and blowing things out of proportion. Eventually she starts to see this presence as well as feel it so she returns to the grave of the murdered boyfriend where he is standing there. A confrontation occours and the boyfriend kills the girl so that she can never get away from him.

Now that my group have deicided on a potential story line we are going to explore different locations that could be used within the teaser trailer footage.

Sorority Row Storyline Inspiration

As a group we sat down and spoke about storylines that we found interesting and unique. We came to a decision that we felt Sorority Row had a storyline which contained suspense yet was realistic and would appeal to teengers. As teenagers are going to be our main target audience due to the fact that they consume the most amount of horrors out of the different age groups.

The story line that sorority row has is very effective in the way that it is able to take a situation that teenagers are placed in on a daily basis and place an unthinkable thought within the situation to create a horror/thriller film.

My group took most insipiration from the girl bring killed by her friends and coming back to life to haunt and terrorise them. We are going to consider changing and adaping this idea into a new storyline that fits within the situation of a girl and a boy in a violent relationship that eventually erupts and ends in the death of one of the characters.

Also, after looking at the website for Sorority Row ( http://thetapi-ordie.com/ ) I have gained some some influence for a layout of my webpage. The layout of the hyperlinks across the top and the interactive rollover images for the hyperlinks is very effective and works well with the layour of the entire webpage. The background for the webpage is black, allowing all images and text to stand out brightly. The webpage also follows the theory of joel sklar, this theory stated that interative images and text should be positioned in specific areas of a webpage according to the movement of viewers eyes. This is an aspect of creating a webapge that i need to follow so that my webpage is asthetically pleasing to viewers eyes and that it doesnt confuse them and make it difficult to understand. Lastly, the collage of images (screenshots from the entire movie) positioned on the homepage give the viewers an idea of what the movie is about without giving too much away, allowing them to grasp on to the sensitivity and tension the director is trying to put across. I am going to take into account all of the above when creating the webpage for my group so that it can be as effective as possible.

Dirty Pretty Things

This film gave me various different inspiration gains from the way that shots were angled, sound was placed in specific areas and they way that different locations were used. The film is set in central London, a busy capital where there is a high presence of police presence and very little corruption within businesses and within the authorities. The storyline of this film works its way into the emotions of the viewers as they are able to bond with characters at the beginning of the film which then creates a relationship throughout the film where the audience do not want the 'good characters' to get hurt. Dirty Pretty Things is successful as a thriller in the sense that it takes a familiar setting of a hotel and places the unthinkable in it. Also, the use of the stereotypical urban gritty location is used.

Firstly, the low angle shot that is used when the male protagonist finds a human heart in the toilet of the hotel was effective due to the mise-en-scene that was also used within the scene. The white clinical scenery of the bathroom is an aspect of a hotel that the audience can recognise and relate to, however when a heart is pulled from the toilet the audience are shocked as something irregular is placed within their comfort zone. I feel that this is effective as the director has purposely chosen the location of the hotel in order to create a relationship with the viewers as nearly everyone has stayed in a hotel. When the heart is found in the toilet the audience will feel uncomfortable and uneasy as they can picture themselves placed in a similar position.

A second scene which stood out was when the female protagonist is in the factory being raped by the owner. The prop placement of the clothing rails created a sense of entrapment for the female victim. This conveys the thriller concept of placing a vulnerable victim in a dangerous situation where the viewers can emphasize with the character. This creates suspense within the audience, it is as if the director is pulling on a string attached to the gut of the viewers as the are wondering what is going to happen next or if someone is going to save the victim. I feel that this is effective because it takes the fear of all members of the audience and places it in a place where they can recognise as a safe location. Within my trailer I am going to aim to include a quick shot of a scene where viewers can notice a location where they feel they would be safe and away from danger and place an unthinkable thought in it.

At various points throughout the extract low angle shots are used on the most victimised character in order to portray the vulnerability of the character. These shots focus on facial expressions, allowing the audience to feel empathy. Shots that focus on the facial expressions of the characters are effective as they allow the audience to understand how the character is feeling at a specific moment in time. Therefore I feel that shots including close ups within my teaser trailer will be effective as the audience will be able to gain enough information through the trailer to make them want to go and watch the film.

The low key lighting throughout the film was shadowy and dark, creating a grey and oppressive mood throughout the film. It also makes the viewer realise that there are things going on around London that aren't shown through the media or brought to public attention. The setting also seems hidden and secretive. For instance, the location of the flat, hotel car park and the cab office are all on the backstreets of London.

Sound seems absent throughout the extract with occasional parallel sound ; for example the heartbeat in the hotel room when operating. This works effectively  as silence is sometimes more effective than sound. The absence of sound allows the viewers to relate to the characters and concentrate on the events occurring within the film. Therefore I feel that when deciding on what sound to include with my trailer I will need to decide whether the absence of sound will suit the story line more effectively than dark creepy sound.

The most inspirational scene of this film in the graveyard scene where the male and female protagonists are taking place in an argument. This is because the location is in the middle of London where as a viewer you would believe that you are the most safe. This graveyard is located in the local area of Old Street and I feel that my group should consider filming a scene here as the mise-en-scene needs no editing or tweaking. The placement of the railings and gravestones surrounding the characters create the feeling of being locked in an area that no one would like to be trapped in.

The Shining

The shining works well in the way that the directors and characters have taken the everyday fears of their target audience and adapted them with the film in order to play on consumers fears in order to create suspense and tension. For instance the setting of a hotel is highly effective as a hotel is stereotypically a location where people tend to feel safe. The shining took a place that the audience would recognise as place within their comfort zone and inserted their darkest fears to create that gut feeling of fear as the audience are able to relate to the viewers and will end up on the edges of their seats screaming 'no, don't go there; run the other way!'. Also, the director has placed three very vulnerable characters inside this location; a mother, father and young son. This therefore creates victims from the beginning of the film and the audience are able to bond and relate to the characters before the horrid experiences start happening to them. The audience are therefore able to recognise from the beginning of the film that something is going occur later on during the film where these characters are placed within victimising situations.

I believe that this film would classify as a 'horror' rather than an 'ultimate horror' as the fear of the unknown is not used and the film solely relies on the relation between characters and the audience. Another way the the shining utilises the concept of horror is through a clear evil character being created close to the beginning of the film where Jack (the father) is established as becoming a 'little crazy'. The audience are then able to distinguish the good characters away from the bad characters.

Another effective technique used within this film is that the theory of the male gaze is applied at many different points. The most clear use of this technique is when Wendy (the mother) is holding a baseball bat towards Jack whilst slowly backing away from him. This utilises the concept of the male gaze as the female character is being portrayed as a strong woman whilst in a position of vulnerability.

Although i have identified this film as horror movie there are some clear ingredients of thriller that have been used. For example, taking a familiar setting of a hotel and creating a film based on something the audience would not expect. Also, thrillers tend to use limited amounts of blood and gore and 'The Shining' used a very limited amount of bloody scenes during the entire film. Furthermore, the use of normal everyday characters that the audience are able to connect with is a key ingredient that thriller movies tend to include. For example Jack, Wendy and Danny appear as a normal family being placed in a new location until the terror begins.

Elements of the bomb theory are recognisable throughout the film. For example the audience can see jack becoming mentally ill a lot earlier than Wendy and Danny, this relates to the 'knowing more than the characters' ingredient of the bomb theory. False plateau was used towards the end of the film in the scene where Wendy is locked in the bathroom with Jack trying to break his way through the door with an axe. The audience can see Jack approaching the door with the axe and can also interpret Wendy's emotions to embrace her vulnerability. The audience are able to know more than the characters and will want to help the characters after creating an earlier bond with them. This technique is also applied to the scene where Danny is being followed by Jack in the maze.

Sound was used in almost every minute of the film to make the viewers feel specific emotions and feel certain ways about each character. Sound was also important as it was used in parallel to the actions taking place in scenes. For example sound used when jack is on screen tormenting his family members was quite low tempo and fast creating pace and suspense whereas when jack is playing on his bike through the hallways the sound used is a lot more upbeat. Another example of the effective use of sound is in the scene where the camera is tracking Jack through the kitchen towards Danny and there was non-digetic parallel sound being played. The sound being played was deep, loud and fast making the viewer sympathize with Danny who is hiding from jack in the cupboard.

Mise-en-scene throughout the film was used very effectively through the use of prop placement and character costume. This is specifically noticeable in the bathroom scene where the walls are painted red; symbolic of danger and blood. Also, the costume of the bartender and Jack show binary opposites and create realisation to the viewers. This scene was most influential to my group as we felt the colour of the walls and the clinical feel to the room was an effective way to portray the danger quickly approaching the family.

In conclusion I feel that my group has been able to gain a large amount of inspiration from this film from the use of tracking and quick shots through to prop placement and the locations used. I aim to include a location which looks safe and that the viewers believe that characters will be safe in order to create a sense of bonding between characters and the audience. Also, the bathroom scene with Jack and the bartender is my most favourite scene throughout the whole movie as i think the mise-en-scene is aesthetically pleasing to the viewers eye. I believe that by including a a quick shot of a scene which includes a location similar to this will allow my teaser trailer to include a high level of sophistication whilst also creating that clinical feel to the scene.

The Early Horrors; Nosferatu 1922

When horror began, the element of colour and dialouge were non-existent and horror films focused on using music as a way of creating suspense and getting the audience scared. Chiarscuro, italian for light and dark, was also a key element of the first horrors produced. This is because the absence of colour meant that directors had to focus on using light and dark to make the viewers feel certain things and specific ways. This is clearly shown in the extract above where light and dark are used in specific scenes to allow the viewer to feel the tension and upset within a specific scene.

Also, I feel that the way the Nosferatu uses shadows works very effectivley. Throughout various scenes the placement of characters represented the type of character they are. For instance, the 'bad' characters tend to be loacted in a frame which has a low, dim and dark lighting however the 'good' characters are usually placed within yellow and bright lighting. This is evident in a scene at the middle of Nosferatu where the male protagonist is walking behind Dracula and he is walking through a dark passage way. This has inspired me on the basis that the representation of characters in this scene through light and dark works really well as the audience are able to identify Dracula as the evil character.

Sound is also a key aspect of Nosferatu that has inspired me.The way that the director has used the tempo of sound in relation specific characters to give the audience an impression of what is going to happen o each character and when something bad is going to happen.The use of parrellel sound within Nosferatu creates suspense and unease, something of which I would like to include within my groups teaser trailer. Therefore when selecting sound to be used within my teaser extract I am going to aim to find sounds that I can use within the extract when something is going to happen. For example a screaming noise could be a clue to the audience that something is going to happen. This noise could be repeated through the extract as a sign of evil coming closer.

Although I did not enjoy the story line of this film and found it hard to watch due to the lack of dialouge I feel I have gained some needed inspiration based on sound, lighting and chiarscuro.

Suspense and the 'Bomb Theory'

Suspense is used reguarly and is evident in almost every horror and thriller film produced. Suspense is when the main attention of viewers is distracted and taken away from the main story line creating curiosity.. This is most effectivley done with the close use of sound allowing a director to match music to the characters mood within a scene or how they want to make the viewer feel.

When producing my thriller teaser trailer I am going to focus on using effective sound which relates to the placement and characters within a scene. Sound that I will use and incorporate into my teaser trailer will be slow with a downbeat tempo, creating an eery yet scary mood.

Suspense can be broken down into 5 smaller components which together excites and thrills the audience. The main aim of suspense, specifically the 'bomb theory' is to ensure that what the viewer thinks is going to happen, never does. The bomb theory was created by Alfred Hitchcock and he stated that suspense has key ingredients which need to be adapted and used within a film in order to keep the audience sitting in fear, waiting for something to happen.

The 5 components of the bomb theory are:

• Empathy with characters
• Knowing more than the characters
• False plateau (leading audicence in the wrong way)
• Placing ideas in mind
• Sound

These 5 components are used within conjunction of one another in order to make the audience scared, wanting to see what happens next. The main aim of the 'bomb theory' is to keep the audience on a tight string, using false plateau to place different ideas in the mind of viewers leading them of the beaten track and confusing them.

Horror vs Thriller

As an introduction to the course I focused on researching and gathering information on the background on the concept of both horror and thriller genres. I focused on looking at where horror began and how it was first applied to film in order to gain consumer interest. From doing this I was able to identify clear links and the main differences between horror and thriller. Definitions of these can be found below:

Horror - Facing and using peoples fears to gain audience interest by aiming to excite viewers and get their adrenelin running. Tends to use scenes which are gorey and bloody and works effectivley by making the 'evil' character obvious to viewers.

Thriller - Focuses on targeting the viewers pyshcological and emotional fears creating a sinking feeling within the gut of the viewer, keeping them on a constant string which is pulled every so often to create suspense

Horror can be categorised in two different categories; horror and ultimate horror.Ultimate horror focuses on taking the unimaginable and placing it within a realistic setting. This type of horror specifically affects viewers psychologically as their most unthought fears are taken and adapted closley with familiarity and suspense. However horror is more general, focusing on the obvious, for instance monsters and blood.

Although both of these genres of film can be clearly defined and seperated there is a hybrid between the two as some components can be very similar and can be used in conjuction with one another. Elements of both genres are taken by directors and innovated to create films that are in demand from consumers.

Introduction to the Course...

Hello, my name is Kerry Lucraft. I am currently studying three courses for the second year of my A-Levels at La Swap, these subjects consist of Media, Business Studies and Politics.

This blog is going to focus on the development and construction of my A2 media coursework. For the coursework aspect of this course I am going to produce a teaser trailer, poster, a home webpage and I will create and update regular posts on here to show and present my developments. I will be working in a group with two people from my media class; Beckie Roberts and Josh Smith. We will be focusing on producing a teaser trailer package based on the thriller horror genre.