SFX Prep

To prepare for the gore we want to use in our trailer I practiced some SFX makeup. For the first image (on left) I used eye-shadow for a base then added a red pen mark in the area I wanted to create the cuts, I then used glue to create the lifted skin, after this had dried I used concealer to add a skin colour to the glue. I think this looks very real and would like to recreate this in the final trailer but instead create more all over the actors arms.

I then created some fake wounds using tissue paper and liquid latex, to build it up, I then added colour and shading using eye-shadow, I lastly added fake blood. Over all I think these came out well but I would prefer to use scar wax to create a more realistic wound.

I found this experimentation very helpful as I was able to test out different materials to see which ones worked best for the scars/wounds we want to create    

Horror Movie Titles Options

In this blog post I have inserted images of the process we went through to come up with the title of out horror film.

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View Horror Movie Title Options.pptx and other presentations by hibah.

Breakdown of title:

Fractured: this reflects the mind of Persephone, as she has been numbed to the world and before entering the hospital her mind was confused and it could not accept that she killed her parents.

Illusion: We find out later that the paranormal activities that the girls believe is being done by a spirit named "Sedah" is in fact done by Persephone. It also ties into the shots of Persephone looking into a mirror and seeing a monster when this is an illusion as the real monster is her.   

  

Test Shots for Trailer

In this blog post I will be showing you the planning we went through before we film in order to test the actors and positioning, We plan to create more test shots once we are on location (these will be displayed on a later blog post)
From doing this we have learnt how important the test shots are as we feel more confident that the actors and planned footage will work well to show are story.

Horror Movie Aesthetic

This is a Poster about the look of the Horror Trailer we want to create:


This will help us to edit the video and create a set that fits the atmosphere we want to create.

Unseen images:

 

Consent Forms

These are the consent forms of all the actors:

 

Shot/Prop/Call Lists

In this blog post I will be listing the props, actors, costume and location that will be used in the making of the trailer.
 
We have made sure to add props that signify themes of horror such as blood and knives, but we have also kept in mind the atmosphere of the location and what is needed to make them realistic.

Scripting for Trailer

This is the script for our horror movie trailer:

(A shot of two houses next to one another has come into the frame a ringing phone can be heard, the shot has changed to show Anmol picking up the phone)

Anmol: Hello?

Doctor (narration/voice over): She’s ready (the shot has changed to the girls travelling to pick her up). We have done all we can for her. She is 18 now and has been here for 12 years. I think what she really needs right now is to live a normal life with a constant routine and friends around her.

Anmol (narration/voice over): Thank you. We are on our way. (Shot of girls all in the car)

Sumiyyah (narration/voice over): We’re gonna look after you now (as shot changes to Sydney’s eye in car mirror). This will be fun

(Close-up shot of Sydney’s face with no emotion)

Anmol: Just like old times, remember (shots of girls at sleepover).

(Glass breaks)

Sydney: (screams)

Anmol: What happened?! What’s wrong?! (See’s Sydney on floor, crying with the bloody hand)

Sumiyyah (voice over): (Now in the room) its okay, we won’t leave you. The house is getting re vamped so we thought we would stay here. Don’t worry we’ll stay... (This phrase echoes on)

(The shots now go through a sequence of paranormal theme, creepy old music plays)

*Heavy breathing*

Anmol: What the... (Door slams and she screams)

Sumiyyah: There is something wrong with the house, maybe Persephone’s not crazy, maybe spirits did kill her parents...Maybe it wasn’t an accident?

Anmol: (shot of Anmol looking into renovated house) Hugh? (She calls for the builder) Hugh?! (She leaves the house mumbling) He must have gone home early.

(Shot to Sumiyyah in the other house reading on sofa, Sydney is in kitchen)

Sumiyyah: You ok? (Shouting)

(Lights starting to flicker in living room, Sumiyyah looks scared but lights go back to normal and she leaves)

 (Shot of Sumiyyah sleeping in bed, suddenly waking up)

Sumiyyah: (POV shot as from Sumiyyah’s eyes as she sees the scratches on her arms. She breaths heavily then screams & whimpers)  

Anmol: We’ve got to do something!!! I won’t let this thing, hurt my sisters (shots of the girls trying to banish the demon) (Sage)

Sydney: What does it matter it’s already won, It killed my parents and now it’s going to kill us. (Shot of Sydney seeing monster in her reflection).

Anmol: WE’VE GOT TO GET OUT!!! NOW!!! (Anmol running with weapon in hand on street)

(black shots chase her)

Sydney: (in cupboard) the monster did it. The monster did it (she repeats this and it echo’s on as a whisper over the name of the film)

Trailer Storyboarding

In this post I will be going through our storyboard for our horror movie trailer. Both my partner and I created shots and drew them out. The drawing with HTJ are by Hannah and the images with HJ are by myself. When creating this storyboard we looked at our story line and our character so that it matched up to the story we wanted to make.

 

We plan to add more shots as we go along as some of the shots we have created here interlock with other shots. Overall we are happy with the storyboard and are now moving on to scripting. We are also planning to add three-five titles/text at a later date as we are unsure about what we wish to write and where we want to put them.  

Narrative/Synopsis Brainstorming

This blog post will be about our narrative decisions (characters, story line, setting, theory and conventions). We came up with three main characters as well as the full movie plot and more.

The plot of the story told through Todorov's Narrative theory:

1) Equilibrium - Persephone is in hospital for mental health help, as she has been unable to communicate with anyone since her parents mysterious deaths. At the age of 6 her parents were found dead in their family home. when the police found Persephone she was shaking and repeating the phrase "the monsters did it". The only real friends of the family are their next door neighbors who have two children (Brooke and Cecilia) who have been friends with Persephone since birth. They visit her at the hospital all through her treatment, and the girls all build a strong relationship.  

2) Disruption - When Persephone turns 18 she is released by her doctor who believes she is ready to begin a normal life. Brooke and Cecilia arrive to pick her up and feel that she looks better but the treatment has taken a tole on her causing her to be slow and numb to the world. When Persephone is home Brooke and Cecilia  tell her that their mother has suggested they stay with Persephone (at Persephone's house, which was left to her by her parents) as there house is being renovated and their parents are on holiday. The girls begin to settle into life but one day as Persephone pours out a drink she see's the spirits/monsters and she says they sliced her hand open, but Brooke and Cecilia are sure she just dropped the glass and may be having a momentary relapse which the doctor told them would be perfectly normal. The girls try to get things back to normal but Persephone is still on edge. 

3) Recognition - Brooke and Cecilia accept that there is a paranormal presents in the house after strange happening begin. While they sleep music begins to play, lights burst, shadowy figures appear and when they wake up they are covered in scratches. The girls begin to witness these paranormal activities first hand and apologize to Persephone for not believing her sooner. At this time odd things begin to happen in town. people go missing and dead mutilated animals show up on peoples door steps. The girls then begin to believe that the spirits are doing theses criminal deeds.    

4) Repair - The girls try to banish the spirit by using sage and trying to confront them, but there is no luck. At this time Persephone becomes frantic and sees the spirits in every reflection, she can not take it anymore and tries to cut out her eyes but is stopped by the girls just in time. The girls get ready to leave the house but they hear all the locks being shut, they try to find Persephone and when they find her she is cutting open what seems to be human flesh. The girls try to communicate with her but before they realise there were no spirits and that Persephone was mentally disturbed (and killed her own parents) she swings at Cecilia and kills her. Brooke tries to grab Cecilia but is to late she must run. There is one last confrontation between the two girls where Brooke tries to reach out to Persephone but just as she thinks she has got her to calm down Persephone slices her eyes making her blind. She tries to run into the road and is hit by a car and dies instantly.  

5) Reinstatement - Persephone cleans away all the blood and mess of Cecilia's body then eerily sits on a sofa facing the front windows, police sirens and lights can be seen on the windows and the door can be heard (police pushing it in) she returns to the hiding place which the police found her in after she killed her parents (under the stares) and when the police find her she can be heard saying the words "the monster did it" over and over again. The end...

We have also come up with a name that could be used for the false villain of the film, "The Monster". We decided on the name "Sedah" which is the backwards spelling of Hades (God of underworld) which ties into the use of the name Persephone (Greek/Roman mythology). 

Creating Production Company Logo

This is how we created the production company logo, 'Headless House Productions'. I first began by testing out different house silhouettes, techniques and materials (see image on the left) . My partner then recorded the clip using a camera and camera stand from a birds-eye-view while I added the ink to the water. We then went into the editing process (see image on the right), where we put the clips together, cut certain parts out, added titles and added video effects (black and white filter).    

This is the final product:

We decided to add the music at a later time so that it matches the trailer (once it is created), this is a convention commonly seen in trailers. Overall I am very happy with the outcome, we thought through the imagery and technique careful and I think it shows our sub-genre (psychological paranormal) and our production company name ('Headless House Productions') very well.  

Logo and Production Company

In this video audio, my partner and I, will be discussing our thought process in deciding our production company name, logo and the sub-genre of horror. 

The genre we have chosen is: 'Paranormal Psychological'.

The production company name we have chosen is: 'Headless House Productions'.

The main logo idea we have chosen is: a watercolour or ink haunted house.

Moving forward I am looking forward to creating a plot and characters that fit in with our chosen sub-genre.

Findings/Analysis of Results

In this blog post I will be looking at my findings from my research into horror movie trailers through a audio Soundcloud.

Research into Trailer Conventions

In this blog post I will be looking at four different recent horror movie trailers and analysing them on different topics:

This is the trailer to the 2013 remake of 'Carrie':

• Monstrous feminine - seen in overbearing mother and the use of blood
• Male gaze/voyeurism - shown in the girls in bras and pants, watching Carrie in shower 
• Binary Opposites - natural and supernatural etc.  
• Enigma code - the questions the audience may ask are 'where do her powers come from?' and 'Who will survive?'   
• Equilibrium -  it begins with a abusive mother daughter relationship (equilibrium) and goes on to follow the other stages such as when Carrie gets her powers (disruption) 
• This film comes under the theme of supernatural/paranormal horror 
• The main lead in this film is female (Carrie) 
• The movies main action takes place in a school, this gives the teens in the audience a direct connection to the film 
• I enjoyed this trailer and feel it shows many theories and convincingly portrays the film    



This is the trailer to the 2016 film 'The Forest':

• This  movie is based on a true story although the viewer does not know this till the end of the trailer, when a search bar encourages the audience to search the real story 
• The title cards are used very effectively as they directly address the audience, and use a background that suits the aesthetic of the trailer 
• The use of the echoing dialog ("your not real") and whispers ("Sarah") gives a frightful tone 
• There is a shower shot of Sarah that uses voyeurism  
• The setting is a haunting, paranormal suicide forest 
• This film is lead by a female 
• Overall I think this trailer was effective in it's use of sound and text but the theme is not one I enjoy  

This is the trailer to the 2016 Ouija: Origin of Evil:

• This trailer uses cantered angles and odd camera shots to draw the audience in 
• It builds tension well by using false jump scares and edgy climactic music 
• The use of religious iconography is used to show the power of the evil (the cross)
• As the trailer comes to the end a fading echo of "It's just a game" can be heard
• The trailer shows a young child being the villain in a house setting, this directly effects the audience as these thing are common to them
• The trailer begin by using a false jump scare, then changing to a light heated tone before going back to a paranormal vibe
• This film also has a a female lead - the villain is female along with two other central characters
• I think this trailer works very well to show elements of the film without spoiling too much

This is the trailer to the 2016 'Blair Witch':

 

• This trailer uses around 60 shots and goes in and out of shots based on the narration 
• The traditions are mainly fade to black's or jump cuts
• The duration of the shots get quicker as the trailer reaches the end, making it more climactic 
• Multiple establishing shots of the forest are used along with many hand held shots
• Cantered angles and close ups are used to throw the audience off and create confusion
• The trailer begins with one of the male leads looking into the camera making his dialog feel more directed to the audience.
• This film has a mix of female and male leads
• Overall I think this trailer shows the story line of the movie well and causes viewers to be on the edge of the seats

I will be evaluating my finding in my next blog post. 

Reacting To Horror Movie Trailers

For this blog post I will be looking at my findings from the horror movie reaction video I created that featured three people from my target audience. The trailers they react to are, 'It' (1990 CD trailer), 'Lights Out' (20016) and 'Don't Breath' (2016). I chose to use these three movies because they offer a variety of horror elements, 'It' is a older supernatural horror, I chose this to see if it had any effect on a modern audience. 'Lights Out', is a supernatural and 'Don't Breath' is a crime/thriller horror.

From this audience research I have been able to find out lot of important information from my target audience. Firstly they find both supernatural horror and thriller/crime horror scary but they find the thriller is more believable and therefore more scary. Secondly the trailer with the largest physical response was the supernatural trailer 'Lights out', this makes me think that the most effective horror for my target audience is supernatural. Thirdly my target audience did not find the trailer for 'It' scary, they said that it felt 'cheesy' and outdated, this helps me to narrow down the types of supernatural villains that will give my target audience the feeling of fright. Lastly I found that the trailers with more jump scares were more impactful as they cause a reaction among my audience.

 Moving on from this I feel that I am more knowledgeable when it comes to knowing my target audiences horror movie preferences. I have discovered that they want a horror that is realistic yet implements element of the supernatural (i.e.'The Boy' 2016). I also now know that I want to involve jumpy moments in my trailer  as these create more fright and effect my audience.            

  Consent forms:

 

Fear - Audience Research

In this blog post I will be exploring what some people in my target audience of 15 (onward's) fear along with what horror antagonist/villain they find most scary. I have created a video that involve the voices of my target audience along with relative visuals.  

From this I have been able to see what some people from my age group find scary, and have been able to visualize these fears. I have also been able to see which villains from horror movies they fear the most. This information will help me when creating a horror villain and setting as I have discovered that most of my target audience fear the unknown/supernatural. I have also discovered that not all of the fears are linked to the villains, for example one person found dogs scary but the villain they were most scared of was the 'Other Mother' from 'Coraline' (2009). For my own horror movie trailer I think I would like to create a supernatural villain as most of my target audience research has suggested that it is the best option for my target audience.

 Model Consent Forms:

   

Horror Movie Villains

In this blog post I will be conducting some market research (with some audience research) into the villains/antagonists of three horror films.   

From this research I have discovered that in modern horror the villains are supernatural. My target audience also find the supernatural antagonists more scary but the human once more realistic. Overall I think I want to create a supernatural villain as my target audience find them more scary and effective. I also believe that the supernatural villains have more interesting story lines and abilites making my story more open to possibility's.         

Memorable Quotes/Taglines From Horror Films

In this blog I will be constructing some market research of well know/memorable horror film quotes and taglines.

From this market research I have been able to find out how to make a horror movie memorable, I discovered that the most effective taglines/quotes were using question or directly addressing the audience or they were creating questions/mystery for the audience. For my trailer I would like to use what I have learnt by adding a piece of dialogue that sticks with the audience. For my poster I would also like to create a memorable tagline that implements element of my plot and interacts/effect the audience causing them to ask questions.     

Research Rationale

When moving onto research for my horror trailer, poster and magazine cover I began to think about the target audience I wanted to aim my products at. Upon further thought I discovered the ‘bbfc’ age rating of 15 was most suited to both the genre and me, as I would be able to show more scenes of violence/horror and be able to reach many people from this age group. For my Research into horror films I will be creating four Blog posts. Two of the posts will be on marketing research and the other two on Audience research.

The first marketing research I will be doing is a famous horror quotes blog post; this will help me to see what elements are used to draw an audience in and how these iconic lines are marketed. For this blog post I will create an online moodboard that incorporated the original line and the effect it had. For the second market research I will be looking at the villains/monsters of horror in the recent years, and assessing how effective they were. For this blog post I will need to choose three too four horror movie villains and the analyse them. From this research I can see how commercially horror films were in comparison to how scary, likable or unlikable the villains were.      

For my audience research I will be doing an audience reaction video, where in which I will be showing 3-4 people (in my target audience) some trailers for horror films, I will then ask for their opinions on the trailers. This will help me to analyse what parts of the trailer my target audience finds most effective and I can also see how my audience react physically to certain horror themes. For this I will need a camera, screen recording and volunteers in my age range. For the last blog I will be creating a documentary styled video about fear, this video will feature lots of people in my age range answering the question “what scares you?” And “why does it scare you?” From this I will be able to determine how many people find certain things scary and how this can apply to my horror film. I will also be able to see what horror sub-genres apply to the most common fears. The equipment I will need for this will be a camera and volunteers.

Overall I think my research will help me to understand how the genre of horror can effectively be marketed and how it can be suited for a modern audience in the age range of 25 upward. 

PRELIM: Directors Commentary

In this blog post I will be exploring the final product (remade clip) in the form of a video in which we watch our clip and talk through it.  

 

 

I really enjoyed this task, it gave me the chance the submerge myself into the genre of horror. I was able to gain an understanding of the planning (pre-production) and post-production work that goes into making a short horror clip.

 

PRELIM: Editing

In this blog post I will be showing you how my partner and I edited our prelim horror recreation of a clip for 'The Conjuring 2'. We used 'Adobe Premiere Pro CC' (2015.3) to edit out footage.  

Editing Prelim from hibah24

From this task I have been able to learn new skills in colour correcting as well as sharpening my skills in video and audio editing. I really enjoyed this task as I was able to look at the horror clip in detail in order to apply the detail to our recreation.

This is the final remake clip:

This is the original clip:

(The clip starts at 0.00 and ends and 0.53)

 

Consent form:

 

 

PRELIM: Shooting Scheduled

In order to make sure the filming of the clip goes to plan we have created a shooting scheduled that we can refer to when making sure we are on time and that we have all the necessary props, equipment ect.    

PRELIM: Storyboard

In this blog post I will be discussing the storyboard which we made for our chosen clip, from 'The Conjuring 2'. We decided to plan out the key shots from the clip in order to get an idea of how we will be filming.    

This task was helpful as it allowed us to plan the different shots while also gaining an understanding of how the clip was shot. I think it has helped us prepare for filming as we are now able to picture the aesthetic we are trying to recreate.

PRELIM: Analysis of 'The Conjuring 2' Clip

In this blog post, Hannah and I will be analysing a clip for the 2016 film 'The Conjuring 2'. We discuss camera treatment, mise-en-scene, lighting, characters and script delivery.

Key Shots