Storyboard ,Anime And Shotlist

In this anime we decided not to use a script as we thought the film being silent would help build more tension and suspense. Also we thought the trailer would look more proffessional without peoples voices. Instead we decided to use a voiceover at the beggining where there is writing and music througout the other scenes. What is shown in the anime is that a ghost appears betwen the writing at the beginning, then a text is seen on a phone 'trick or treat' . This is to symbolise the idea of the rumour of whether the headmaster killing students, is true or not. Then four teenagers are seen who try to break into the school. You see them from a distance and closeups of the teenagers are seen too. There are quick cut shots of them running up the stairs and there's a close up of a door handle of a rooms they enter. These are shown to create the idea of suspense of the teenagers being in a school during the evening. Throughout the film you keep seeing the same sort of ghostly figure in the distance which represents the headmaster. The audience doesn't actually get to see if the rumour is true or not, so that there is still ambiguity and reason to come see the film. Also between shots, the production company is seen, the name of the film is seen and at the end the release date is
stated.

SHOT LIST

Risk Assessment

Locations

These are the locations we have picked out to film in. They are all areas around the school as this is where the plot is based.

Rough Narrative Structure

Equilibrium

• It’s a Normal school day
• A Group of friends are seen. The group consists of three boys and two girls.
• One of the boys tells a myth about an ex head teacher who committed suicide in the building

Disruption

• The group of friends break in to school
• They hear noises and get worried

Recognition of Disruption

• They see a shadow of a teacher
• The boy who tells the myth ends up going missing

Attempt to repair disruption

• Boy tells the rest he was joking and they try to get out of school . But they get locked inside.
• The group hear noises
• Then the rumour seems like it was actually true and it turns out to be a hoax.

Reinstatement of equilibrium

• The group leaves the school
• The next day they tell the story at school
• Nobody believes the story or a year later a new group try’s to find out if what happened to the group the previous year was true or not.

Characters- Group of 5 stereotypical teenagers

Costume- Tracksuit bottoms, Hoody , Caps, T shirts, Trainers, Jeans

Setting- At School

Use of Camera- Webcam, Handicam, Mobile.

Character Analysis

There will be three boys and two girls, their names are Aaron, Jay, Shaun, Tara and Laila.

Jay- He has the qualities of a rebel and is the leader of his group of friends. He’s 17 and has the stereotype of a teenager who is arrogant and does as he pleases. His costume consists of a hat, tracksuit bottoms, trainers and hoody. He comes from a working class family and lives in an estate. He lives with his mum and has a stepdad that abuses him. He’s on the verge of getting kicked out at school due to bad behaviour, truancy and bad grades. He’s a smoker and generally is an attention seeker.

Aaron- He comes from a middle class family. He’s quite smart and well mannered, however can be easily influenced by his friends. He wears smart trousers, shirt, cardigan, plimsolls. He also is 17 years old.

Sean- He’s a typical teenager who is 17. He wears a hoody, tracksuit and trainers. He lives on the estate, the same one as Jay. He comes from a working class family. He also follows jay around and gets involved in the wrong crowds resulting in getting bad grades. He also is on the verge of getting kicked out of school. He smoke and lives with both parents.

Tara- Is best friends with another girl called Laila and they are seen as attention seekers. She wears leggings, top, pumps, earrings, necklace, and bangles and wears a lot of makeup. She comes from a working class family and lives with her mum. She’s an average student who attends school most of the time. She’s popular amongst her peers and she too is 17.

Laila- Is new to the area and live with both parents. She go into the wrong crowd with Tara and boys. She’s a simple girl that wears clothes such as jeans, top and shoes. She wears subtle makeup. She gets good grades but suffers due to new school and friends.

Production Logos

I did research on production company's to gain an idea of how to create my own on for our trailer.


This production company is called Universal Pictures. The name has a significant link to the picture as the image shows the world. The title is boldly stated in front of the globe to signify its importance. Also the gold is used on the word universal. Usually gold is usually associated with something thats valuable and expensive, therefor this symbolises the importance of the production company's name.







This production company is called Pixar Animation Studios. This has a very plain white background but the title is bold and black. The lamp symbolises the ‘I’ in Pixar.







This production company is called the Warner Bros. Pictures. The ‘W’ and ‘B’ are used to symbolise the name and are enlarged to suggest that the whole name doesn’t need to be that large due to it being a well known company. Although the actual name is written across the initials, but in a smaller font









This production company is called the Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The ‘20th’ is larger than the other words to demonstrate how significant this film is and what time it has been distributed. The other words are much smaller that the number but still in the same bold font to demonstrate that, thats the other part of the name.





This production company is called ‘Dream Works Pictures’. The image of the clouds represents the idea of somewhere above and night time. This links back to dreams as this is the time when people are sleeping.i.e. dreaming. The title is then written in white to carry on the theme of dreaming and the idea of white clouds blend in to it. The title is boldly written and placed on top of the image. This is to show the significance of the company.






This production company is called ‘Walt Disney Pictures’. Disney land is behind the logo to represent what the production company produces.ie. Films that are Disneyfilms for kids. The title is then put on top of the image to show its significance and to separate the idea of the place and the production company.

Mood Board

This is my mood board which indicates the theme of horror due to the images of isolated locations, a killer, a ghost and haloween.etc.

Conventions of a trailer

· Upbeat music
· The pace builds up with narrative creating suspense
· Establishing shot at the beginning of the trailer
· Production company logo
· The length of each shot shortens as the pace builds up
· The action becomes intense as the trailer continues
· Mainly straight cut transitions
· Camera Angle: Medium
· Camera Shot: Range of extreme close up, close up and mid shot
· Approx: 80 shots
· Length: 2.00 minutes approx

Functions and Features of a Trailer

Types of trailers there are
A teaser trailer may be edited and released online, or it can be played in the cinemas as a promotion campaign. This is shorter than the actual trailer and is designed to stimulate the audience for more information about the movie. The word of mouth will start where people tell each other about the film. Then a theoretical trailer is played 3-4 weeks before the film is due to be released. Trailers are also used in television advertising campaigns, these are called TV spots. The reason why these maybe very short is because airtime is very expensive.

How trailers are chosen to preview before certain films
The cinema manager selects trailers aimed at similar target audience to that of the main film showing, hoping the attractions will encourage that audience to come back. The cinema manager does this based on their marketing knowledge. When the cinemagoers return this demonstrates the process is successful therefore it is repeated and produces a regular audience.
Trailers are also given classifications similar to the actual movie. For example a 15 certificate film trailer can’t be played in front of a younger audience when put on the television. Solutions to this may include cutting unsuitable material when showing the trailer and at the end letting younger viewers know they need to return with an adult to watch it.

Trailers- Location
The internet is now seen as a great way for film marketing. Websites such as IMDB, Apple movie trailers and official film websites all have trailers edited for all audiences. This is significant as in cinemas age restrictions may be hard to enforce. To comment on trailers, online forums are now available to discuss film releases and links to sites through social networking enable the audience to engage with the film before it’s released. A film distributor would see online marketing effective to gain an audience.

Trailers genre and how it’s established
We decode films when working out what the genre of it is, this is done through sounds and what we see. For example if its dark and screams are heard, then we may relate back to the genre of horror. This is recognisable images and sound conventions in that particular genre. There can be a mixture of genres so that it adds to the enjoyment of the audience. This is due to leading the audience in one direction and then going into another. Also the actors as well can add to the genre e.g. Jim Carey is related to comedy. Actors can encourage the audience to watch the film and let the audience know what the genre of the film is.

How does a trailer show that the film is worth going to see?
The film trailer must indicate that this film is better than other films within the same genre. This can be done through the USP (unique selling point). A USP is something distinct and innovative when using special effects. A USP can also include a famous actor/actress to attract an audience. It can also be a hybrid of genres. In general all these things make the movie different from all the others in the same genre.

What are the features of a trailer?
Trailers are made to use short space of time in which it grabs the audience’s attention. They are meant to create a particular atmosphere in which it gives the audience a sense of the whole movie. It only gives a little bit of the movie making sure the audience is lured in to find what the rest of the movie is about. Trailers are usually fast moving therefore needing the audience to stay focused on what’s going on. Sound is another feature as it can manipulate our emotions and can help create an atmosphere. The voiceover can be used to advertise the film. It can also summarise the trailer, credit information and generally promote the film by building anticipation.
Conventions of a trailer:
The conventions of a trailer include highlighting the best footage in the film .i.e. happiest moments or the saddest ones. Another convention can be the showcase of actors and actresses. Visual images stay on screen barely before the next image is seen to portray that it’s actually a trailer and conversations are kept short as well. Dramatic camera angles show events or characters. The voiceover is usually used to tell the plot or credit information. Music is used to create an atmosphere and generally a sense of what’s going on. Titles and credits may not appear until the end. A trailer builds tension and a climax, once it reaches the climax, the trailer ends.

The Functions of a Voiceover
-It gives us an indication of the plot, settings and characters.etc.
-It tells us who is starring in the film.
-It gives us information on the director and producer which may then give the audience an indication of the genre based on previous work they may have done.
-Gives us information on the film’s release
-It sets the atmosphere and tone for the film

Examples of a voiceover script:
Imagine that (paramount pictures)
For Evan Danielson life was all work and no play.
But he’s about to get some help.
From the last person he’d ever imagined.
From Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.
This year ‘Imagine That’ the magic you’ve been looking for is right before your eyes.
Eddie Murphy.
Imagine That.

The Purpose Of A Trailer

What is a marketing campaign and why is it needed?
Film making can be cost effective, takings at the box office in order to cover the costs of production, pay investors as well as make money for the next release. When a film is realised it only takes a short amount of time to become a hit at the box office. The marketing campaign plays an important role in informing potential audience about the film by encouraging people to see the film in the cinema. The distributors need the film to be success in order to market it as a film that is valuable to watch and the result of this is that the distributor earns a better profit if so.

Why is the trailer important?
A trailer is important as it can create an atmosphere, sounds and action that a poster could not. This is why a trailer is vital in a marketing campaign. Trailers also can influence and stir our emotions and give us an essence of what the actual film is about which still images cannot do.

When is the trailer produced?
Most trailers are created and produced at the same time of when the film is being edited. The timing of a trailer campaign must be shown far enough in advance to generate excitement about the film’s release, but not too early otherwise people may forget the film. A ‘teaser’ trailer is used to create a ‘buzz’ about the film’s release. These teaser trailers are usually seen online due to websites that accompany the film’s release. After the ‘buzz’ is created, theratical campaigns and television spots will start to maintain the initial ‘buzz’.

Global Releasing
When a film is released in different countries, the date maybe different in each country. Therefore the film trailers need to make sure the release date is correct in that particular country it is aired. Any films we see in the UK are from America as trailers use American vocabulary and accent in the voiceover. The trailer may be re-cut in different countries, with a different voiceover and dubbed speech. Changes in media technology have had a big impact on the way that film titles are released internationally. In Europe for example they can have pirated versions of US movies. As a result of this box office profit is at risk. To ensure this doesn’t happen, people who promote a film need to carefully control the process of its release. This is why films are increasingly released on a ‘day and date’ which means that the film is released around the world on exactly the same day.

Reasearch on Digitital Literacy and Memes and Remix

Digital literacy
Through technological change we have gained YouTube, social networking sites on demand media, video games, virtual worlds and MP3 player’s .etc. This relates back to the new ways we can communicate that were impossible before web 2.0. Digital literacy can be a tool for reducing the ‘digital divide’. Some of this technology has created their own literacy, e.g. we can read about ‘web literacy’ and ‘game literacy’. However there seems to be a lack of clarity based on what these literacy’s are all about. For example it is not clear that websites are just used for gaining information quick and accurately or is it about protecting yourself from internet fraud.

Memes and Remix
A meme means describing a rapid uptake and spread of a particular idea, either written text, image, and language. Etc. A new example is the remix video ‘Read my lips Bush/Blair love song’ on YouTube that has been seen by a large audience and portrayed in more traditional style of media. This shows that meme not only spreads an idea but can get a rapid response as well. When people pass on a meme they demonstrate their own version of the idea initially proposed. In the seminal book, ‘The Selfish Game (2006)’, Dawkins used the term ‘meme’ in relation to Darwinian principals of evolution, that states that it is an aspect of human nature, related to survival instincts, that we will pass on the ideas in various cultural contexts, just as a gene would in biological terms.

Conclusion Of Analysis

From all of my trailer analysis on horror trailers, I have gained detailed research which includes a narrative, unique selling pint, target audience, music, shot types/camera angles, pace, dialogue, voiceover, special effects and credits and intertitles.

For narrative, during all my trailers I found the plot to start out in a safe environment that creates a false sense of security. Towards the middle and the end, the trailer seems to get faster and makes the audience feel more uncomfortable as the trailer builds tension and suspense to portray that in fact it is a horror film.

From my analysis I also found that the horror films were aimed at young adults and older people rather than the younger generation. This is due to the age restrictions on the movies as they were usually 18 and over. Also they are aimed at young adults because of the amount of violence in the movie.

The shot types during the trailer were very quick and cut to different images to create tension and not let the audience see the ending. T his was consistent in every horror trailer I found. The most common shot used was close ups and extreme close ups within my analysis. This could be due to the fact that try and have the element of surprise relating back to the conventions of horror.

Story board of The Ring

This is my storyboard, where I print screened diffrent types of shots of 'The Ring's' trailer and wrote about why they had these particular shots.

Analysis of Sorority Row

Genre: The genre is Horror because it uses conventions such as murder, a killer, and people looking frightened.etc. These all represent a horror film. Although you could argue it's a hybrid of a romance and horror story as it has conventions of teenage girls talking about boys and how one of them cheats on a girl and their revenge leads to a death.ie the horror side of the genre.
Narrative: At the beginning the trailer shows a sorority, talking about how a boy cheated on a girl thats in their sorority. They plan revenge as she pretends that he kills her. Her boyfriend believing she’s dead really does end up killing her. After that it seems like she comes back from the dead and starts killing the sorority and her boyfriend. However we are left in suspense as to whether it’s actually her or another prank. The narrative is told from chronological order and the only thing thats left unknown, is who the killer is. This could be because they aim their movie at teenagers of a similar age of the teenagers in the movie.ie 18-20 year olds. They loose the audiences attention if the narrative is not done in chronological order therefore that's why its told very clearly.

Unique Selling Point: The Storyline is a unique selling point as it gives us a sense of security when they use conventions such as a school, teenagers, partys and teachers. Afterwards the storyline turns and becomes a horror movie. This may attract more people as they want to know who the killer really is. So the suspense also used is a unique selling point. The genre is a unique selling point as it pulls audiences that prefer this type of genre and it aims the film at a specific group, 15 and over. This is due to the age restrictions and the fact they have teenagers of this age aswell. The actors are also unique selling points as they use an actress, Audrina, from a reality series called The Hills. This is a unique selling point as audiences may already be familiar with her so they may be more attracted to the film. Also Audrina has an audience of her similar age which is around 20 and her reality series is about her lifestyle as a young independant woman living with the same sort of people, this is similar to the movie as all her friends in the movie are the same age and talk about the same things such as boys and partys etc. This is significant as the producers and directers are aware of what Audrina is already associated with on the hills, therefore gains an audience straightaway as the audience can see she's in a similar sort of movie therefore attracted to watch this movie aswell.

Target audience: The film is targeted at ages 15 and over this is due to the age restrictions. In cinemas it’s a 15 age restriction. This is because of elements of the film such as violence that’s not suitable for a younger generation.

Music: The trailer has rock like music at the beginning where the whole trailer seems like a teen movie to create a false sense of security. A different soundtrack is then put on and the volume is put down so we can hear what the characters say. This is so that the audience understands what types of people are in the movie and dialogue is a good way to let the plot be developed and understood properly. Afterwards the normal music is completely gone and screeching and fast paced music is used towards the end. The music gets faster in the trailer, so that the shots of the film can get faster in time with the music. This creates more suspense as the shots and music gets so fast its impossible to understand the ending. This is significant as it creates ambiguity which is an important convention of horror movies.

Shot types: Close Ups are used when members of the sorority turn their heads and their faces become clearer as the camera comes towards their face. Also when their faces are seen, also the teachers face is shown, close up. This is to show who the main characters are and their stereotypical look. Although another reason why these people are shown right at the beginning, could be, because these people are the ones that are confronted at the end, by the killer. Thus close up shots used at the beginning are used to link it with the end of the trailer. Also close up shots are used when dialogue takes place. This is so that it’s clear when the characters are speaking and we are able to see their expression clearly when saying it. This is significant as the audience can make a judgement based on how they talk and how they look.ie teenagers enjoying their lifestyle. There’s an establishing shot of the house where the girl fakes her death and where the sorority plan to take revenge on the boy. This shot is significant as it resembles where the actual storyline takes place. Web 2.0 such as a laptop is used when the girl fakes her death. Mobiles are also used within the movie aswell. This represents the time when the movie was filmed.ie the present. It demonstrates the relevance of it in today’s society as well as appealing to teenagers who use this technology. There’s a High angle shot to show all the characters in the dark. This is before the actual murder. The importance of this shot, is that it creates suspense and an atmosphere that something bad is going to happen. It is significant as this relates back to the conventions of it being a horror movie. When the murder has taken place, cutaway shots are used to portray the distress on the rest of the characters. It represents the panic of the characters through the rush of the camera moving to different characters and shots that last less than a second.

Pace: The pace gets faster and faster, it only slows down when most of the significant parts of the storyline is told. This is so that the storyline is clear to the audience. By doing this, the audience is hooked on to the main plot of the film and understands it clearly. After this part is shown, the pace just gets quicker. As the pace gets faster so does the music and shot types, this enables only a glimpse of the film without revealing the ending. This is significant as the audience is attracted to the trailer due to the fact they would want to find out the ending.

Dialogue: Conversation is used to reveal the plot. Also by pacing the conversation in chronological order.ie revealing a sorority together and then their plan to fake a girl’s death because she talks about her boyfriend cheating on her. This dialogue is vital inorder for the audience to know what the characters roles are in the film and why a death takes place later on. Also the plot is revealed in their expression as their reaction to certain situations demonstrate what is happening ie screaming to show their fear. This indicates conventions of a horror film aswell.

Voiceover: One of the girl’s in the trailer talks about a ‘prank’ when showing shots of the sorority on graduation day and how they all have a secret to hide. This is significant as this is when the trailer turns from innocent shots of a school to a killer coming after the sorority. The voiceover enables the turn of events and helps the trailer be portrayed as a horror film.
Special effects: Black and white shots are used when the murder takes place. This is an important effect as this is when there is a turn of events when the innocent prank turns into a murder. The use of the black and white signifys a big event happening that completely turns the movie around and also turns the teen movie into a horror one.

Credits and intertitles: There are intertitles in between the trailer such as ‘There’s a secret’. This is to create suspense and keep the audience waiting. Again this represents the conventions of a horror film and targets it at the audience as they are in suspense of what the secret is. Also these could be used so that the audience doesn’t stray away from the trailer and they have to watch the whole trailer in order to see what the secret is, or the film to see who the killer is.

Heres the link n youtube to sorority row's trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbdY3_vLc2k&feature=related

Analysis of Devil's Backbone Trailer

Genre: This is a hybrid of Horror and Action. It’s because it contains conventions such as ‘ghosts’ that would be used in a horror movies. Also bombs explode and people jump into some sort of lake which all reflect the conventions of an action movie.

Unique Selling Point: The storyline is a unique selling point as it contains a lot of action scenes. ie the bombs that explode and uses another theme, horror, where ghosts are mentioned by children. However the storyline isn’t clear and concise as nothing is thouroughly explained. Quick cut scenes are used to prevent the storyline being chronologically told. Instead enigma and ambiguity is created by the plot not being told properly. This is significant as enigma and ambiguity helps create the genre of horror. The genre is a unique selling point as it is a hybrid combinig action and horror. This combination may attract more people as people who watch action movies usually, will be attracted to the action conventions of this movie and people who watch horror movies usually, may be attracted to the other theme thats used, ie horror. The significance of attracting a wider audience is benificial for marketing and distribution purposes. i.e the money that was used to make the film will be made back to the producers and writers. This is vital as they would have made a profit from attracting more people to watch the movie. The scenery is a unique selling point as it uses different types of locations for example a dessert is used. This is significant as it uses locations that the audience may not have neccessarily seen. This make the movie seem more attractive as it shows an environment that may not be familiar to the audience, therefore they may want to watch more.

Target audience: The target audience is adults as it has an 18 age restriction. This is because of elements of the film such as violence that’s not suitable for a younger generation. This is important aswell as it lets adults know what types of scenes maybe included in the film, therefore giving them the choice to watch a film that includes these types of scenes.

Music: The Soundtrack builds tension by getting louder. This is in time with the action within the film and cutaway shots at the end of the trailer. This in turn helps create suspense and tension. The importance of this, is that, it adds to the conventions of the film being a hybrid of action and horror.

Shot types: Long shots are used at the beginning and these shots last for a couple of seconds. This is so that suspense can be created due to a false sense of security which is essential when creating a horror movie. Although you could argue the long shots are used to portary the action side of the movie. Towards the end, the camera shots cut faster to the next ones. This is so that the story of the plot is not unfolded chronologically and more clips of the action are seen at a quick pace, so that the audience can't figure out what happens next. This is significant as it attracts the audience by making sure they see what type of genre the film is, but in paricular they don't reveal the storyline.

Pace: The pace starts at a slow pace and gets faster as the trailer reaches the end. This is so that we only get a glimpse of the action and the more exhilerating scenes, however when we do see them, they are very distinct shots i.e. A bomb exploding. However the audience doesn’t get to see the cause of this and neither do they get to see the effects of what has just happened. As the pace gets faster it leaves the audience in suspense and leaves them wanting to know the reason for the action taking part. This is significant as this will attract the audience to actually come and watch the film.

Dialogue: There are conversations within the film and a relevant keyword thats used is ‘ghost’. This is significant as it represents the idea that it’s a horror movie. The audience have already became familiar with the idea that it’s an action movie as it shows bombs explode and people rushing and jumping into rivers. The horror side of the movie is portrayed through the dialogue when two boys in the movie mention a ghost and strat a conversation about it.

Special effects: Bomb that explodes and it looks as if it explodes on to the actual screen. This is significant as it indicates the last part of the trailer and maybe the ending of the movie. Also the effects also illustrate that it is actually a trailer and not the actual movie.

The British Museum

My highlights during the ‘British Museum’ film making experience were seeing how the directors used a wide range of shots. These aided me to get a sense of what I would use in my film. Areas of the experience that were frustrating were the time spent waiting for other peoples shots to be taken. Time could have been used more efficiently as a lot of time was spent waiting and standing around.

The structure of the research and planning went very well, however the performance could have been done more professionally and we could have done more research earlier before the project. What I significantly learned, was that, a lot of practice is needed in order to gain a much better final result.

The roles that I identified with, on a personal level, were scriptwriting and planning before the actual day. The aspects in this process such as filming, shot types and planning will help me with my next moving image assignment. From what I have learnt in this whole process, is that, planning is essential in making a good final production.