Magazine cover research

For our other tasks, we have to produce a movie poster and a magazine cover to go alongside our trailer. I have already researched movie posters and our group are happy with the idea of using a similar style to the 'Blair With Project' poster and use a part of a face to show fear and anxiety. Now I need to research magazine covers which advertise scary films or even films of other genres just to see generally what the style is like and if it relates much with the actually narrative and plot of the movie they are in.

The poster on the left is of the two main characters in 'Paranormal Activity' appearing in the American magazine 'Entertainment weekly'. I think the image of the two relates to the narrative of the film because it shows them in a bed looking scared and worried. The majority of the film is filmed in the bedroom and the it is a scary film because they get haunted by a paranormal presence. Therefore, the magazine cover goes well and relates with the movie.

Although, 'Batman: The Dark Knight' is not really classed as a horror film, I think this magazine cover is a really good example of an image that relates to the film. Heath Ledger is dressed in the same outfit that he wears in the film and is in character which makes you relate to the film and our knowledge of the film. The look on his face realtes to the character he plays as well and advertises the film well. It would have a very different effect if it was just an image of Heath Ledger dressed normally, posing for a normal shoot.

Here is another example of an Empire magazine cover and I managed to find one with a horror film advertised on the front. Although the horror film is not the same genre as ours and is quite an old film, it still shows us how the front cover is set out and how the image advertises the film as if the image is a still from the movie.

The image has a lot of red in it which has connotations of danger and evil, which signifies to the audience that this is a horror film. For our movie, I think darker colours with a green tint would suit better for our paranormal effect.

For our magazine cover which advertises our film, we need to have an image that connects with both the trailer and the movie poster, otherwise there will be no connection from the audience to the the trailer.

Movie poster research

We have started to look at horror movie posters and magazine covers today because we need to produce one of each ourselves for our film. Doing this research will help us decide what sort of image we would like as our movie poster and also what kind of image would be appropriate for a magazine cover.

On the left is the movie poster for 'The Blair Witch Project' which is probably the nearest thing to our own movie trailer. As you can see it shows a close-up shot of one of the characters looking scared with tears in her eyes. This fits in with their movie because it is all hand held camera so therefore this shot which looks like it has been taken by herself fits.






This is another version of the movie poster for 'The Blair Witch Project'. Although it's different, it is still very effective because it is in a black and white style which looks like an x-ray. Also it is a shot from the ground looking up, which makes everything seems huge and exaggerated. This sort of shot could be good for our movie poster because our end shot of our trailer is a shot from the ground, therefore would tie in with what we have already don


e in our trailer.



On the left is the movie poster for 'Paranormal Activity' which I have looked at quite in depth for my research on existing horror movies. Again, I think the poster is quite effective because it is edited in a way to make it look like CCTV which makes it a bit mysterious and fits with the films narrative and plot because they set up a camera to film their room like a CCTV camera.


I think having people's comments about the film at the top of the poster works well because it makes you want to see it if everyone is praising it. I also think the red and white writing work well against the black background. The colour red has connotations of danger, evil and horror so it definately works with the genre.







On the right is the poster for the film 'Mirrors'. Again, it has used a face which I think is really effective because like I said earlier, it shows emotion and automatically connects with the audience that it is a horror film. Normally, other factors come into the connection with the audience about the genre of the film such as the title etc, however I don't think 'Mirrors' automatically make you think of a scary film. Therefore using the image of the face works really well alongside the title to create the scare factor.



At the moment I really like the first 'Blair Witch Project' poster with the face on it. I think it is simple yet really effective and works well with our movie trailer because its believable and looks realistic. Our trailer is shot using a hand held camera and is supposed to be a sort of documentation of the girls journey that has been found. I also think that using a face, you can show emotion really well which connects with the audience. Using an image of one of the girls in a similar style to the 'Blair Witch Project' poster, would work well and go really well with our trailer.

Editing continued...

Today we continued to edit our footage. It is coming along really well and my group and I are so happy with what we have achieved so far.

We managed to get an image from the internet which is the movie certificate title that appears at the beginning of most trailers. We found a 'rated R' which was really lucky because it suits our movie as it means resstricted and our film is scary and would therefore be restricted viewing.

On the left is an example of the image we used.

We also put the 'Lionsgate' image after this age certificate title to make our trailer look more realstic as if a film company had made the film. We chose 'Liongate' because they have made films such the 'Saw' movies and 'The Last Exorcism'. These films fit our genre so therefore we thought Lionsgate would be an appropriate film company to use. There was a red version of this 'Lionsgate' logo but we chose to use the grey and white coloured version because it fitted the look of our trailer as we had used greyish and dim colours.

We have all the footage we need and in total so far our trailer equals about 1 minute 15 seconds which is perfect because the trailer is meant to be between a minute and a minute and a half. This time included title sequences, the age restriction and Lionsgate titles and a 'coming soon' title clip at the end.

Today we started to put in transitions and played around the speed of some of the clips. We slowed down the clip of the lock on the door and the clip of one of the actresses looking worried. We thought this would make it seem more tense and eery. Without doing the music yet, we showed our lecturer to see what he thought of what we had done so far and whether he thought it flowed nicely. Once we had showed him, our lecturer said he didn't think the slowed down parts worked very well because they were a bit too slow. He also said that we needed to add in a few more transitions because it cuts from a well lit scene to a very dark scene with no transition so it didn't look very professional. Taking these comments on board, we added in some transitions and changed the speed back so it wasn't as fast as it was originally but wasn't as slow as we had changed it to first. It is looking a lot better.

We started looking at the sound clips that were already on the iMovie software to see if it offered anything that would suit our trailer. We managed to find an ambient noise which sounded a bit sinister and eery. We have used this sound clip over our text slides during the trailer.

Our next step is to add in more music and take out any of the unwanted noises such as talking in the background. We need to find more dramatic music to use during the main body of the trailer to build suspense and attract the audience. We also want to find a scream noise to put over the 'coming soon' title at the end to finish the trailer off nicely.

Editing

Today we uploaded the footage we had filmed last Wednesday to iMovie. We then started editing and picking out the bits we wanted and have managed to put together just over 50 seconds worth which is good because in total we need about 1 minute.

Seeing as we had some footage from our first filming session in the dark but then footage from Wednesday which was in daylight we wanted to see if iMovie had an effect which allowed you to change it to black and white or a night vision mode. We used the iMovie tutorials to show us how to do this. In the end we chose the effect called 'Sci-fi' because it gave the look in between black and white and night vision so it gave it a scary and paranormal sort of look which was perfect for the genre of our movie.

We managed to put in a title scene as well which is placed just before the last clip. We also added in a fade to black transition and a transition which displays text about the storyline. I am really happy with today's editing because I feel we are nearly there. We just need to add in a bit more footage to boost the length of time and sort out the music for the trailer because there is some background noise and laughter that we don't want.

Filming part 2

Today (24th November) we went out to film the rest of our trailer. We had shots we needed to get and managed to get this done at the woods near college. Although we changed location from where the first set of footage was filmed, it is still a very similar location and would easily fit with the other footage we have.

The only problem was that we had to film in the day so therefore the footage is quite bright which doesn't really suit the nature of our trailer. However, we decided that we would turn our footage into black and white so that it looks like it is shot in night-mode and therefore more suitable to a horror trailer.

We also took some still location shots to show where we filmed the second part.

On Monday's lesson we will upload this footage to the computer and continue to edit it down to make our final teaser trailer.

Movie title font ideas...

Today we decided to look at possible fonts for the name of our movie. We wanted something that would give off a scary vibe and show to the viewer the genre of the film. Here are a few of the possibilities;

Movie Name Ideas Continued...

We asked the class to pick which title they thought was best for our film and these were the results...

As you can see, the questionnaire shows that the most popular name was "The Unknown". Our group are really happy with this because it was our favourite name and was hoping it would be the favourite amongst the class too. So therefore the name for our film is now "THE UNKNOWN".

Movie Name Ideas...

We had a production meeting today to discuss titles for our movie.

• The Woods
• Alone
• Haunted
• Nowhere to hide
• The Unknown
• Hidden

We have put together a questionnaire for our fellow classmates to help us decide which name best suits the idea behind our film. We wrote a short brief of what our film is about and then asking for their opinion.

Here is a screen print of the questionnaire we wrote.

Theme tune ideas...

Today I started to look at music to use in the background of our trailer. We wanted music that has an eery feel which therefore builds tension in our trailer. As our trailer is a scary movie, we feel this type of music fits with the atmosphere, whereas an upbeat, pop song would not fit.

I went onto YouTube and searched the themes for scary films to give an idea of what music they use. I found that these were the best so far and would fit our movie trailer too;

1. 28 Weeks Later theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmPwaq_4ovA&feature=related

2. Halloween theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWE4bFhx_MU&feature=related

3. The Shining theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mzNO6MzFEg&feature=related

I will put these music clips by with the rest of my team and see what they think. We might have to use more than one bit of music in the trailer, some slower bits and some more dramatic bits.

iMovie

(Image of our editing of our footage)

Today was the first day back at college after half term and we had our footage ready to upload. Once we uploaded the footage to an external hard-drive, we watched what we had and picked out the bits we thought would be good to use and what wasn't very good.

We chose a shot of the girls walking through the subway, a shot of them looking around the outside of a deserted building and a shot of Beccy looking worried.

We watched an iMovie tutorial to give us a quick guide to using the programme. It showed you how to upload, cut parts of the film, add in music and transitions and lots more. It was really helpful and iMovie is really user friendly which is good because it makes it a lot easier for us to edit our film to make the trailer.

Here is a link to the website which shows the iMovie tutorial that we watched:

http://www.apple.com/findouthow/movies/#intro

Shooting our trailer - 1

On the 27th October, our group along with 3 actors (Beccy, Jenna and Alice) went out to try and get some footage for out movie trailer. We chose foxes forest in Hilsea because it seemed to fit what we were looking for - a spooky, dark, wooded area.

We met at about 6.30 as we wanted it to be dark because it gives our trailer a bit more of an atmosphere. If it was filmed it broad daylight I don't think it would have the same effect because all of the scary movies I have watched have mostly been set at night.

We managed to get a fair bit of footage (about 7 minutes in total) however we experienced a bit of trouble because we didn't have enough lighting and the footage was very dark. We have realised this now and will go out again together to get the last of the shots we need in the near future.

Shots still needed;

Them realising something is in the woods

A sense of panic amongst the girls

The end shot of the camera falling to the floor.

Synopsis

Three friends decide to go on a camping trip to a woods that they have heard has strange things happening inside. They have been told it is haunted and that people disappear in there. The three friends, thinking that these tales are a load of rubbish decide to go and explore for themselves, having a laugh and not taking anything seriously.

They set up camp and then go off with their hand held camera to explore this supposedly haunted woods. However, whilst they are filming and making fun of the stories they hear noises and strange things in the woods and instantly start to worry, although they try to cover up their feelings and shake it off.

As night falls, more strange things start to happen and they begin to actually panic. Trying to dodge this 'thing' that is following and haunting them, they become trapped and don't know what to do.

The film ends with them seeing whats been haunting them and them dropping the camera to run away. The end shot is of their feet running away and screaming.

Production Meeting

Today my group held a production meeting with out lecturer to make sure that we had everything planned okay and that the idea for our film fitted the specification.

We discussed;

Locations - Foxes Forest in Hilsea

Actors - Beccy, Alice and Jenna

Shooting schedule - All filming to be done during half term, ready for first week back.

Synopsis - Discussed background to the movie and basically what is going to happen.

Dialogue/Sound - Agreed on minimal improvised dialogue and some music to help create tension.

This production meeting has been productive because it gave us the opportunity to sit down and go through all the elements of the film that we are planning to make and make sure we know what we want to have achieved - trailer wise- by the end of it.

Indication of narrative in a trailer

As you can see from my previous blog entries, I have been deconstructing scary movies - in particular Paranormal Activity. I have been doing this to get an idea of what existing products, movie wise, are already out in the public. Looking at these will give me and my group ideas for our own movie trailer we will be making in the near future.

I have been looking at the trailer for paranormal activity again to see what features it uses to give an indication of its narrative and what it uses to make us know that it is a film about the paranormal.

The most obvious thing about the film is the title. It is

named 'Paranormal Activity' which is pretty much telling us straight away it's a film about the paranormal and things such as ghosts and spirits. If it had a different title, I think it would be harder to identify what the film was about.

Towards the beginning of the clip, Micah says how he is setting up the camera because his girlfriend thinks there is something in the house.

This is a screen grab of Micah preparing his camera ready for filming. This clip of him saying how Katie thinks there is something in the house gives a strong idea for the narrative as well because we know that the film is going to be about the paranormal but now we know the two characters and how the paranormal activity is taking place in

side their house.

This screen grab shows footprints and marks in the talcum powder which give us an idea of the narrative because it shows that something does actually happen in the house while they are sleeping and they didn't even know it.

Events in the trailer

I have picked out 5 events that are shown in the trailer and am going to write what questions arise when I see these events. The main idea of a trailer is to give you hints aboutthe film and leave you asking questions so that you will want to go and see the full feature film.

1. The audiences reaction

This is a screen grab from the trailer of the audiences reaction. It shows the audience in fear like something has just made them jump. Looking at this image, I want to know; what has made them react in this way? Will I react in the same way when watching the film? Why has this been used in the trailer? (as it is not footage of the film).

2. The presence in the bed

This image shows a presence in the bed as there is something that comes under the sheets like a burst of air blowing it up. When looking at this image, I ask myself; again, what is doing this to the couple? Is it just an illusion? Will we actually find out what it is? Why can't the couple feel it?

3. The bite mark

This screen grab shows how Katie from the film has woken up to find she has a huge bruise on her side as if she has been bitten. Looking at the screen grab, it makes me think; has she been bitten? who has she been bitten by? did she not feel anything when it happened?

4. Quija board

Despite the bad screen grab, this shows a ouija board with a message written on for Katie and Micah in the film. In the trailer, it is a quick shot of the board so it is not given away. When I see this, I asked myself; What does it say? Who left them this message? Where did it come from?

5. Screen throw

This screen grab shows something flying towards the screen as if it has been harshly thrown. This happens right towards the end of the trailer to sort of top it off. It makes me think; Who has been thrown? Is it Katie or Micah? Who has thrown them? Are they alive?

Paranormal Activity grace the cover of 'Entertainment Weekly'

Paranormal activity graces the cover of 'Entertainment Weekly' in 2009 with the stars of the film - Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat.

The text on the magazine cover says, 'How the $11,000 movie became a big scary smash.' This shows how the magazine is highlighting that the film had such a small budget but has become a huge box office success-similar to 'The Blair Witch Project' in 1999.

However, I don't think that the image on the front cover relates to the film very much. Although it includes a photograph of the two stars in a bed - which is where most of the film takes place - I don't think it is a consistent theme when looking at the trailer and the official movie poster. The trailer and movie poser are shown in night vision to give it a more eerie feel which definitely matches the narrative and genre of the film. However, the magazine cover is done in bright studio lighting and I just feel it doesn't follow that same scary theme.

Although having the night-vision style photograph on the front page might not fit with the magazine's usual style, I think for promotion of the film, doing this would be beneficial because the readers will be able to get the feel of what the film is about and might potentially look like. For example, Empire magazine usually make their magazine covers look like part of the film which really gives you a taste of the visuals and feel for the film.

I have uploaded images of both the paranormal activity cover for Entertainment Weekly and an example of an Empire magazine cover to show you the difference and enhance my point written above.

Movie poster for Paranormal Activity

This is the official movie poster for Paranormal Activity. It is quite a simple poster, yet captures the main idea of the film in the one picture. The film is about a couple who film in the bedroom whilst they sleep so they have evidence of any paranormal activity that happens whilst they are sleeping. So, in the image on the poster it shows the couple in the bed - where most of the film is filmed- and them looking at the open door as if someone is there who shouldn't be (however there isn't anyone that can be seen). The photo is also in night vision like from a hand held camera to show that most of the film is done at night and from a hand held camera.

The poster also features a quote so we get an idea of what a viewer thought of the film. The quote that is used is obviously going to be a quote that make the general public want to see it as this is the whole purpose of advertising from film companies.

There is also a sort of tagline on the movie poster saying "what happens when you sleep?" This question gives the public a good idea of what the whole story will be for the film if they don't really know anything about the film.

I also noticed at the bottom of the poster it has a thing saying about demanding the film to be shown at your local cinema. This is because the movie was originally shown at film festivals before its general release in the cinema. Where it wasn't a huge film, it wasn't shown everywhere but there was the choice to have it brought to your local cinema if enough interest was raised by the general public.

"Paranormal Activity" - Official Trailer [HQ HD]

Here is the official trailer for 'Paranormal Activity'.

The plot of the film is a young couple move to a new home in the USA but quickly become terrorised by a paranormal presence which starts to take over their lives.

As you can see from the trailer, it is in a sort of documentary style where we are sold to the film through the audiences reaction and parts of the narrative- not just the narrative of the film. At the beginning of the trailer it also shows text saying that they held pre-release audience screenings of the film. The audiences reactions in the trailer were used to create 'hype' around the film in the media and via word of mouth. This leads me to believe it had a positive effect because the film made nearly $200 million from only costing a mere $15000 to make!!

The trailer doesn't actually use any music, it uses the actors voices to give some understanding to what the narrative is about. This is surprising because nearly every trailer for a scary film I have seen has used tense music to create tension in the trailer. There are some loud bangs in the trailer to give shocks and make the viewers jump to give them an idea of what is to come in the film.

The film has no A-list actors/celebrities, only Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat who play the two main characters. This is unusual as most successful box office films contain popular A-list celebrities, however this is done because the film is supposed to be about real events and therefore to get this across to the audience they really need to have actors/actresses that make the film and narrative look like it could be a 'real' scenario.

In terms of editing of the trailer, there are jump cuts throughout to give the idea of suspence and a fast moving narrative. It also keeps jumping to the audiences reaction and then back to some shots from the narrative. This is done to again create tension and make you want to know what is happening in the film for the audience to react in such a way.

By Kate.

What are genre conventions?

Genre conventions are the 'specific settings, roles, events and values that define individual genres and their sub-genres'.

We, as an audience, become rather highly conditioned to expect certain things within a particular genre, such that we can be highly critical of or even reject or distrust something that doesn't follow what we expect to find- i.e. if it fails to follow what we call its genre conventions.

For example, in a horror film we would expect scary, tense music throughout to build the tension. Another example would be that in a comedy we would expect exaggeration of the situation and usually a happy ending.

By Kate.

What is a movie trailer and where might a trailer be seen?

A 'trailer' or 'preview' is an advertisement for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, on whose screen they are shown. The term 'trailer' comes from when they used to be shown at the end of a feature film at the cinema, however this practise didn't last long because people used to leave the cinema after the film ended and not stick around for the trailers. The term 'trailer' has stuck, but they are shown before a feature film starts now.

Movie trailers are most commonly seen at the cinema before a feature film starts. However, Internet viewing has become increasingly popular for trailer viewings - especially for lower budget films that don't have huge amounts of money to spend on expensive cinema screenings. Trailers can also be seen on the television and can sometimes be broadcast over the radio.
By Kate.