Final Trailer

Final Magazine Cover

magazine front cover by Katy Lockwood

Final Poster

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 1 by Katy Lockwood

Peer Assessment

First Draft

Marketing and Distribution research

In terms of the marketing and distribution of my final product, I have looked into a few ways in which I can issue it to my target audience. These include:

• Youtube
• Social Media i.e. Facebook, Twitter
• Magazines and Newspapers
• Billboards
• Posters

Distribution- This is the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients. The distributor's job is as follows, they must:

• Acquire legal rights to show a film
• Negotiate a budget and pay for the advertising and marketing
• Organise industry screenings for exhibitors
• Create and distribute print files and trailers
• Make and distribute blue rays and DVDs to various places

Editing progress

Below are some screenshots that I took whilst editing my poster and magazine front cover  (bottom right hand page) on photoshop. You are able to see the progression between each of the steps and how I have made some changes, such as the colour of the eye (this was done using an image of a doll's eye as I thought it would better suit my story idea). I also took screenshots of the particular tools that I used to create my edits, this shows how I have improved in my phootshop knowledge. And finally I was experimenting with different backgrounds for my magazine cover because I didn't just want to have a solid colour such as grey or black as my background as I thought it would look very simplistic. Therefore I chose the very last picture of the tunnel because I liked how it changed my image from being 2D to looking 3D. As seen in my final magazine front cover I also changed the opacity of my model as it further echoed the idea of her being twisted and ill- looking.

Font ideas

Below are some fonts that I looked at to use as the title of my film "THE DOLLS HOUSE". I got these fonts off of  websites called dafont and fonts2U.

Photo ideas

Below are the photos that I took prior to creating my poster and magazine front cover, I didn't use all of these photos however they were still beneficial to me when planning for these ancillary tasks.

I liked this photo however I don't think that just having the front of the doll's house was as effective, I liked the model looking out of one of the windows, however I don't think it looks realistic.

I used this photo on my poster and I photo-shopped it into an image I had taken of the doll's house, by replacing one of the windows with this image of the model's eye looking out of it, making the photo look more creepy and eerie.

This photo, although similar to the previous one was not quite right for me as the position of the eye in the window wasn't central. I wanted to try it at an angle but decided that this doesn't work, especially as I wanted to photoshop this image into the one of the doll's house, it wouldn't look right.

I thought that the use of the hand coming out of the doll's house would look quite effective as it suggests that the audience is being pulled into watch the film. However, realistically this was a hard photo to shoot and it only consists of the front of the doll's house, due to difficulty with transportation of the entire doll's house.

This was the first photo that I took, however it wasn't good enough for my poster because I didn't like the top middle window being open, I would have preferred for the window on the top right or left hand corner to be open instead. Also this photo was taken at a bit of an angle which I am not fond of. 

Similarly to the previous photo, I do not like how the top middle window is open as I would prefer the door to be and also I feel like I took this photo from such a height that the angle doesn't look right. I think it would look effective face on.

I definitely did not want to use this photo on my poster because it was taken from a low angle which although it implies that  the doll's house is important, does not look right and wouldn't on my poster. Also the doll's house doors are open and I don't like the fact that you can look into the doll's house. I would prefer it if the audience used their imagination to envision what goes on inside.

This was the main image I have decided to use on my poster and the reason I chose it was because it focuses purely on the doll's house and I liked how the door was positioned so that it was open, making my target audience feel intrigued and interested in watching my trailer. I also liked the angle of this photo as it wasn't titled or twisted as that might give off the wrong impression.

Even though the lighting in this photo isn't very good, it could be edited however I still didn't want to use this photo on my magazine front cover because the model was looking down at the camera and didn't look as sinister and twisted as I wanted her to.

I knew I didn't want to use this photo because of the light on the top of the model's head as compared to other parts of the photo, it is the lightest and looks slightly abnormal. Also I still didn't quite like the expression on her face  as it didn't give off the impression that i wanted it to.

This was the photo that I decided to choose as my main image for my magazine front cover because I like how her head is tilted at an angle and it isn't the camera that is titled because it portrays her to be sinister and evil. I also like her focus on the camera, as if she's looking at the audience.

Research Focus Group- Conventions of Horror Trailers

FOCUS GROUP LINK

Attached is a video of our media focus group, in which my class and I discuss the typical conventions that you see in horror trailers, this includes mise-en-scene, sound and editing.

Storyboard

This is my storyboard for my horror trailer, I think it's very important planning shots prior to filming as it helps you maintain focus whilst filming along with giving you a clear idea of each of the shots that you will use in your trailer. I found it quite hard to think of all the different angles that I wanted each of my shots at, however it has given me a good starting point for thinking about different shot ideas. However I do think that there are some negatives to creating a storyboard, the main negative for me is that it now makes me feel quite restricted when I'm filming my trailer because I'm not wanting to stick to the storyboard step by step, I want to rearrange the order of some of the shots and change the angles. Plus I feel as though there is limited space for me to explain each of my shots, meaning it is not as detailed as I would like it to be. Although it does allow me to show my cast how I'm aiming for the trailer to look, it also guides them in their body language and what they're saying- if they are speaking. This was the main advantage of creating a storyboard for my trailer, as I sent it to the main character of my trailer so she was made aware of the filming process.

Film Name Ideas

Below is my brainstorm for ideas of a name for my horror trailer. I decided to use the name 'The Doll's House' because I thought it represented the film really well as a whole as it focuses on things that happen in a doll's house coming to life. Plus I thought that it left people's imagination open for them to think about the content of the film and what happens, making it intriguing.

Potential Location Shots

Below are my ideas for the location of my horror trailer, due to the story behind my trailer, I have decided that the best place for me to shoot it would be in a house. I have taken photos of rooms which I think are a worthy place for me to film.

I like this location, however due to the height that the dolls house is at, I don't think it would 1. be very safe and 2. be easy access, therefore will probably be ruled out. Although the reason I considered this location was because of the natural lighting that came into the room, meaning I wouldn't have to use a soft light, I could just pick a good time of day to film. 

Here, you can see from a different angle just how difficult it would be to film in such a small space. It would be hard for the main character to play with the dolls house as there is no stall, meaning she would have to be standing which I personally think would just look un- natural.

This was a location that I thought would much better suit my taste as it is a very plain room with not a lot of colour, which I liked due to how creative I could be with it. It was a lot more spacious than the previous room which would give me enough space to set up a tripod and a soft light- which I do think is the only issue with this location. The fact that the natural lighting isn't very good would mean that I would have to purchase or borrow a soft light, however overall this would make my trailer look much more professional, with the correct type of lighting.

For my trailer, I would need to shoot a scene in a bathroom. Therefore I thought that this bath suited my requirements and all I would have to do would be to move the shampoo bottles out of frame, other than that, there is enough light and I wouldn't have to do much else for this location. 

In my trailer, I was hoping for a scene with a woman wiping her 'bloody' hand across a steamy mirror, therefore I thought that this mirror would be perfect. It is quite old- fashioned which I liked and it was in the same location as the bath in the previous photo, meaning that I could easily run a bath or a shower in order to steam up the bathroom and the mirror.

Camera shot ideas for my trailer

Shot 1- Establishing shot of the doll's house. Music- Once Upon a December. Music box- zooms in.

Shot 2- Shot zooms in on what appears to be the back of a young girl's blonde hair as she hums the song.

Shot 3- As she hums the song, the shot changes to a close- up of her hands playing with the doll's house (sound bridge)

Shot 4-  Audience can understand that this is a woman as the camera jumps to an extreme close- up of her face as she turns around creepily.

Shot 5- The woman then speaks, "She wouldn't listen" jump cut to shot of the baby in the bath covered in blood with investigation voice over.

Shot 6- Establishing shot (could be quite blurry- camera is trying to focus) of a steamy mirror. The woman then smears her bloody hand across it showing guilt.

Shot 7- Panning across to see that the baby has been killed.

Shot 8- Shot of the woman kneeling down over the bed as she punches the bed and rips out her hair.

Risk Assessment

Attached is my risk assessment for the filming of my horror trailer. Risk Assessments are very important prior to filming because they outline any potential risks that could occur, however they let you manage them and hopefully lower the risk of them happening.

Interview with members of my target audience

Recently I interviewed three people, ages 17/18 who are interested in horror films. Due to this, I wanted to find out the reasons behind this, hence interviewing each of them to find out their thoughts in order for me to have a clearer idea about the hype of horror. This is what they all thought...

Q- What makes you enjoy watching horror films the most?

A- I love the rush and adrenaline that they provide.

-I love the suspense that builds up and the fact that there's no escape and you can't prevent the fear that you feel.

Q- What sub- genres of horror interest you the most?

A- Psychological. 

-Paranormal.

Q- Why?

A- I love the realism that they portray because it makes it so much more relatable to the audience and creates a massive sense of fear.

-I like them because you can't see an obvious villain such as within a slasher, I just feel like they can look a bit tacky.

Q- What would you consider to be a bad horror?

A- For me it would be gore because it's just so non realistic and I always find that the quality is much worse.

-I don't have a specific type of horror that I consider to be bad but if the film doesn't have a plot, then I would consider it to be bad.

From this interview I can now understand the reasoning behind the massive appeal of horror films and what I would/ would not have to do in order for my horror trailer to be considered 'good'. This has hugely helped me with my research into horror as I now have a better understanding as to what my target audience wants to see within my trailer.

Features of a Horror Trailer

Conventions of Horror Trailers by Katy Lockwood

Horror Theorists

LINK TO PRESENTATION

Psychological Horror Research

Psychological Horror Research by Katy Lockwood

I decided to focus my research on the conventions of psychological horror films because looking at the results from my horror genre survey, Psychological Thriller was one of the most popular ones for my target audience. This ranging from 15-24. This research will help me as it comes to planning my horror trailer because I now know what should me made visible for the audience to understand that my trailer is a psychological horror.

Horror Trailer Target Audience Questionnaire Results

These are my results from the recent questionnaire I created for research towards the making of my own horror trailer. I wanted to find out what the preferred sub- genre of horror was for my target audience. From looking at the results I can see that most teenagers preferred genre is either a psychological thriller, zombie film or supernatural film. This helps me narrow down the genre I am going to use for my trailer. I still have more research to complete in aid of this however this is a good start.

Horror Trailer Target Audience Research

I created a questionnaire to find out what genre of horror films my target audience would like to see. My chosen target audience are people ranging from 15-25 years old, any gender. I am hoping that from this questionnaire I am able to determine the genre of which my horror film should be to successfully please my target audience.

Horror Trailer Analysis

Let me in- Review

This is my analysis of a horror trailer, I chose to discuss the editing, mise-en-scene, sound and camera angles of the film 'Let me in'. This analysis has helped me with my research into the making of my own horror trailer because it has allowed me to understand the typical conventions that are used within a horror trailer, meaning I will be able to take this away and use it within my own trailer.

The production company logo tends to be found at the start of the trailer, at least this is the case in the trailer of 'Let me in'. In terms of lighting for this trailer, the boy is shown in a bright light, possibly indicating his innocence. Whereas when the girl is shown, the lighting is much darker, highlighting that the girl is not considered 'normal' and that she is not be seen in a bright light. The mise-en-scene in this trailer supports the fact that the girl is not perceived as 'normal' as she is wearing dark coloured make up underneath her eyes, showing a lack of sleep, and has an abnormally pale face, suggesting she could be malnourished. This makes the audience wonder why she is like this, and believe that she is the villain in the film. Camera angles play an important part within this trailer, such as the use of the long shot of the railway gates. The lighting within this shot is also very dark, suggesting that this could be a sinister place. Due to the fact that the gates are poorly lit, it gives the audience the impression that something is being hidden.

Titles

The final title frame is different to many other titles from horror films as they usually consist of a black background with white text, showing the contrast in colours. However with the titles of 'Let me in', the text is in black and the background has been depicted to look like frosted glass, suggesting that this film was set in winter. The fact that it was set in winter makes the film scarier overall because whereas in summer, it would be bright lights and people having fun, unlike in winter where there is bad weather and dark, cold nights which indicates a sense of danger within a horror film. 

Risk Assessment for my Preliminary Task

Below is my risk assessment for my preliminary task showing any potential hazards that may occur whilst filming my preliminary task. I have explained what they might be, who is at risk of them and what actions I can take to hopefully reduce the risk from happening.

Focus Group

During this focus group, our media class analysed each other's preliminary videos and gave examples of successful attributes and suggested ways to improve, hopefully helping me improve my film and editing skills for my future horror trailer. As well as this feedback, I designed a questionnaire for others to complete, giving me a wide range of constructive criticism. The majority of this was positive and any negative comments given will be used positively when creating my final product.

What I learnt from this focus group is that my transitions needed to be smoother. I was aware of this myself in a particular part of the clip especially, but I found that the way to overcome the issue of my first tracking shot being too long was to cut it. However, watching this back with my peers, I have realised that this wasn't the best change I could have made as it was very noticeable to those reflecting on my work as one clip dramatically jumped to the next. Although throughout the remainder of my clip, the transitions worked very well and produced a smooth, professional finish.  


One improvement I would like to make myself, is the sound quality. Personally I believe it would be easier to record the sound separately from the camera shots. This way I can ensure that there is no background noise (such as the wind, sounds of people or animals)  seeing as I filmed my preliminary task outside. However saying this, within my horror trailer, I do not plan to have much dialogue as I don't think it fits within the conventions of horror so hopefully I won't have this issue for my final product. Another way I could have overcome the poor sound quality was to use an outdoors furry microphone cover as it only captures sound that is in front of the microphone and blocks out any background noise that I might have a issue with. 

One other feature that I would have liked to change is the dialogue because I made the mistake to only tell the actors on the day of filming this preliminary task what they would be doing. Therefore for my horror trailer I am planning to give the actors my storyboard beforehand so that they are roughly aware of what they would need to do. This way they can practise the dialogue (if used) to ensure the conversation sounds natural because within my clip, peers mentioned that there was a gap after each camera- shot- change, I would definitely like to change this because I want to give the impression that the entirety of the clip was filmed in one take. This will help the clip look more professional on a whole and will portray the use of editing and film skills. 

There were some positive comments made about my preliminary video, one of which being that my camera angles complimented the dialogue used by the actors. I tried to vary my camera angles as much as I could but I think from completing this preliminary task, the three camera shots that worked best for me was the tracking shot, the two shot and the over- the- shoulder shot. They allow for the audience to see the actors body language and facial expressions, which I believe to be an important feature within a horror film, to ensure I portray the typical horror conventions. 

Results from my preliminary questionnaire

From looking at the results from my questionnaire, I can see that the overall feedback on my preliminary task was that my choice of camera angles complimented my video and that the three main shots that I used would be good for my horror trailer. My main improvement was my transitions from one clip to another, some commented that on one transition especially, the camera jumped straight to the next clip, leaving an unprofessional look to my clip. However this will now be something that I will ensure I improve for my horror trailer.

Questionnaire for preliminary task

Below is my questionnaire that I have devised for my preliminary task to allow me to find out what my peers make of my video. I have asked four questions which should hopefully help me improve when it comes to filming my horror trailer. I found that this questionnaire was much more efficient to create on google drive because it allowed me to insert my preliminary clip into the questionnaire which was useful considering my questionnaire was purely based off of my video. 

Storyboard for the preliminary task

This is my storyboard for my preliminary task, I found this very useful to create because it allowed myself and the actors involved to refer back to it in case we were not sure of what to do next. I decided to do it in 'post-it-note' form as it was more original and showed the progression between the variation in camera shots.

Preliminary Script

Prelim Task- SCRIPT

Above is my script for the actors who took part in my preliminary video to use as a guide for filming. I believe this worked very well along with the story board because I mainly used the storyboard to portray the different camera angle I wanted to use and for the actors to see how there body language should be. Whereas I used this script for them to understand what I would like them to say.

Preliminary task

This is my final preliminary video, I have had to make some changes in terms of transitions when editing however I do think I need to still spend more time on them because it makes lessens the quality of my work. Therefore when editing my horror trailer I need to make sure I focus my time on the transitions because I want each of my shots to flow seamlessly from one to the other. I believe my use of camera angles worked well however I now understand that when filming outside, background noise can get in the way quite often. Meaning when it comes to filming my trailer, I may well invest in a furry microphone cover to ensure that the quality of sound is spot on. There are other ways I could improve the quality of sound such as recording the sound separately from the clip although I believe it will be much harder to edit as I would need to make sure that the actors dialogue matches their lip movement.

Camera Shots by Katy Lockwood

Trailer Review

This is my analysis of a horror trailer, I chose to discuss the editing, mise-en-scene, sound and camera angles of the film 'Let me in'. This analysis has helped me with my research into the making of my own horror trailer because it has allowed me to understand the typical conventions that are used within a horror trailer, meaning that I will be able take away and use within my trailer.

Let me in- Review

The production company logo tends to be found at the start of the trailer, at least this is the case in the trailer of 'Let me in'. In terms of lighting for this trailer, the boy is shown in a bright light, possibly indicating his innocence. Whereas when the girl is shown, the lighting is much darker, highlighting that the girl is not considered 'normal' and that she is not be seen in a bright light. The mise-en-scene in this trailer supports the fact that the girl is not perceived as 'normal' as she is wearing dark coloured make up underneath her eyes, showing a lack of sleep, and has an abnormally pale face, suggesting she could be malnourished. This makes the audience wonder why she is like this, and believe that she is the villain in the film. Camera angles play an important part within this trailer, such as the use of the long shot of the railway gates. The lighting within this shot is also very dark, suggesting that this could be a sinister place. Due to the fact that the gates are poorly lit, it gives the audience the impression that something is being hidden.

Titles

The final title frame is different to many other titles from horror films as they usually consist of a black background with white text, showing the contrast in colours. However with the titles of 'Let me in', the text is in black and the background has been depicted to look like frosted glass, suggesting that this film was set in winter. The fact that it was set in winter makes the film scarier overall because whereas in summer, it would be bright lights and people having fun, unlike in winter where there is bad weather and dark, cold nights which indicates a sense of danger within a horror film.

Conventions of Horror Movies

This powerpoint consists of the four main conventions that are typically visible within a horror trailer. I have talked about what they are and have included some examples from current film trailers to show my target audience what they should be expecting to see. 

Horror Genres

https://prezi.com/p/ig9cgizf6wn2/

The link above displays the typical genres and sub-genres of a horror trailer. I have included examples of these genres in which I think convey the specific genre well.