Shots, Angles, Movements, Camera Styles I plan to use

Shots

For this I will explain the most effective point at which I plan to use each shot.

Mid Shot- This will be the most commonly used shot within my trailer and I think that the most effective time ill use it will be when my victim is walking through the woods moving around searching for a way out.

Wide Shot- This shot will be used at the end of my trailer when the scary is moving closer with jump cuts.

Extreme Long Shot- Ill use this shot twice in my trailer, once when the victim begins to run from the distance and again when the scary girl.

Long Shot- This will be used when the girl moves closer in the jump cuts at the end of my trailer.

Close Up- Ill use this shot at the very end of my trailer as the iconic clip I will finish upon and it will be a close-up of the scary girls face zooming into an extreme close-up.

Extreme Close Up- I plan to use this on a close up of the phone to see who is calling. I also plan to use this when the scary girl opens her eyes and I will zoom into this shot, this will act as a way of shocking my audience.

Over The Shoulder Shot- This will be used when the abductor walks into the bedroom and will almost show his view as he stands over the girl in bed.

Two Shot- This will act as one of the scariest shots within my trailer with the victim standing closest to the camera unaware that the scary girl is standing just behind her.

Point Of View Shot- This will show the point of view of the girl as she is thrown into the back of the Van.

Angles

The main angle I will use throughout my trailer will be eye level, the reason for this as i want to create as much realism for the audience as possible to add to the horror effect and if they see themselves being the same height then they may be able to connect. Ill use a low angle in a few shots of the girl when she is at the party, this will present to the audience her confidence within that situation and ill contrast this with high shots when shes in the woods presenting to the audience her scared, lack of confidence and the dominance of the scary girl in that situation.

Movements

I won't use too much of a variety of movement apart from in the party scene where the main movements used will be pan and tilt, this to show a lot of the party. Another camera movement ill use is follow, an example of when ill use this is when the abductor walks in the bedroom and ill follow him in an over the shoulder shot as he gets ready to pull the sheet off the girl. The most effective camera movement i will use within my trailer will be zoom, this will be when i move from a close up of the girls face to an extreme close-up, this to act as a way to shock the audience.

Camera Styles

I've decided to film the majority of my trailer handheld, this to give it that unsteady appearance and provide the audience with an inter textual reference to the film The Blair Witch Project, the most effective shots will be the party scene, this will almost make it seem like its a point a view of view shot of someone else at the party and give the audience the feeling of voyeurism and being part of the party. Another effective shot will be within the woods where ill film some parts of it though will be filmed using a tripod an example being the very first shot where the abductor barges into the house, the reason for this is because i want the opening of the door to be the most recognisable movement instead of the moving camera.

The Shortcut Anamatic

This is the animatic for my film trailer, this has helped me to decided what shots, edits and sounds I want to use within my finished trailer.

Sound I plan to use

Sound is one of the crucial elements within any trailer and for myn I've chosen to use a song and sound effects.

Song

The song I've chosen to use is called end credits and is by the band chase & status.

This song is very popular with the younger audience and so appeals to my target audience of 15 to 30 year olds. Its also recently been the soundtrack for a film called Harry Brown and so the audience may spot this inter textual reference which like my film is also British and of a dark nature. I also think that the lyrics for this song are quite chilling and of a horror style. I'm planning on really emphasising upon the lyrics and have a part within the trailer that's just black, with some words telling the story but the main thing that i will aim to make the audience pick up is the 3 lines of lyrics which are.
When the blood drys in my veins,
and my heart feels no more pain,
I know ill be on my way to heavens door.
I think these are very powerful and they describe death which is very relevant to my horror film trailer.

Sound Effects

Ill use 3 different sound effects within my trailer, these will be:

• White Noise
  

this will be the background music of my trailer throughout the whole 3 minutes and will act as another inter textual reference for the audience as this noise is also used within The Ring trailer.

• Banging Sound

This noise will be used within the beginning 40 seconds and last few shots. When its used within the first 40 seconds ill use it when the clip cuts to black, this will also be the first sound the audience hears and ill make it as loud as possible so that it shocks the audience and really attracts there attention to ensure that I keep it throughout the rest of the trailer. Ill use it at the end when the name of the film comes up and also the coming soon image.

• A Scream

Ill use this sound at the end of my trailer and when I show the close-up of the girls face, this will act as a way to shock the audience and entice them to want to see more after the trailer. Its also a noise which is associated with the horror genre and so this will act as a recognisable feature for the audience.

Website Influences

For my second ancillary task I chose to create a website. To find out how I could make my website suite the horror genre i chose to look at four film websites and look at what elements of there websites would be best for me to use to make my website appeal to my target audience. These films are The Ring, The Grudge, The Blair Witch Project and The Orphanage.


The Ring Website


http://www.thering.jp/



This is the website for the film The Ring, when you first click onto the link for the site you are met a video which gives an introduction to the site. Like The Ring poster this is also dark with black being the dominant colour used, also the main image is positioned right in the middle of the page, this to make it the focus. The site is not set out to what would typically be seen as a website with the different buttons or links to pages being scattered all over the page. These buttons are also quite random with the words used but these all have reference to the film, examples being patient, child, mother. As well as these though there are buttons which would be present on most film sites like behind the scenes for example. The site shows some disturbing images like a syringe, this shows the disturbing nature of the film to the audience. The website also looks quite confusing, this representing the unexpected nature of horror films and a way to show the audience what genre the film is. The website is also animated which again makes it different from typical sites.

The Grudge Website

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thegrudge/site/flash/

When you first click onto the official website you are presented with a page that shows different features of the film as the buttons. Examples being order the DVD, DVD features these show that the main aspect of the site is the selling of the DVD and the page is similar to that of a typical website homepage. One thing which is different though is the final button on the list, this is 'enter the site'. When you click this button you come to this flash site which allows you to click on various areas of the page and explore the setting of the film. This provides the audience with an interesting introduction to the film and again similar to The Ring website the main image of the site is in the middle of the page. the imagery within this site is also dark and animated again similar to The Ring site.

The Blair Witch Project Website

http://www.blairwitch.com/

This is a very simple site which simply gives the title and four links being:

• mythology
• the film makers
• the aftermath
• the legacy

Each of these carries a certain mystery to it which will leave the audience wanting to see more and wanting to click on these links. This is something which The Ring website also uses with words to attract the audience to want to stay and explore the site. Again like the other two websites the main colour used is black, this similar to the posters and a form and convention of horror film websites. This website similarly to The Grudge and The Ring also offers the DVD for purchasing which is a common occurrence on any film site.

The Orphanage Website

http://www.newline.com/properties/orphanagethe.html

This site is for the film The Orphanage and this is completely different to the other 3 websites. This site sticks to the forms and conventions of typical websites with the links bar being at the top of the page for example. This site seems to be more about selling the DVD than attracting an audience to watch the film. But like the other 3 posters the image is dark and theres also the recgonisable link with the posible where the same image is used.

What from my influences do I plan to use in my website?

The main influence for me for my 2nd ancillary task, the website, is The Ring. I like the way that the makers have positioned the website in the centre of the page and made the whole site look dark with the lighting of the image and the black sides of the page. I also like the use of buttons scattered randomly around the page, this is something which I plan to use on my site. I also want to make my site animated to suit the forms and conventions of films which are most similar to myn like The Ring. in terms of what the buttons will say I like the use of words within The Blair Witch Project website which are quite mysterious and will entice an audience to want to stay to explore the site. I also would like to try and add a sound effect, one which i used within my trailer for the background sound of my website, this effect was also used within The Ring website. unlike all of the sites though i wont offer a place for the film to be bought. this is because my film is one which i soon to be released in cinemas and not on DVD. There is one aspect of The Orphanage website i like and thats the link it has with the poster as they've used the same image in both, this is something which I may do with my ancillary tasks.

Poster Influences

The first ancillary task I have chosen to create is a poster and I have chosen to look at 4 film posters to see what aspects of their posters i can use when creating my poster to give it that horror look, these are The Ring, The Grudge, The Orphanage and The Blair Witch Project. The idea of a poster is to make the potential audience want to see the film and all of these posters use different techniques to do this.

The Ring

I like how simple this poster has been made to look, with the focus being on the title and the dominant central image of the ring. I think its easily recognisable as a horror film poster because the use of black reflecting the dark setting, lighting and nature of the film. Also the use of the tag line before you die, you see shows to the audience the genre of the film. This line is very clever as it almost has a double meaning. In reference to the film the poster makers are talking about before you die, you watch the tape, but to anyone who hasn't seen the film they may think they are referring to the watching of the film, this could entice an audience who may feel they want to prove them wrong. This poster leaves a lot unexplained with the audience being left lacking without information but this would act as a teaser for the audience who could be drawn to finding out more about the film.

The Grudge

Like The Ring poster The Grudge posters main focus is upon the title and the central image of the film. This image is very horror like with the dark lighting used and the pale appearance of the long haired girl. The poster leaves a lot unexplained with the audience being unable to tell that the film is set in Japan and this is similar to the Ring poster. This acts as a teaser for the audience to want to find out more and so they'll want to see the trailer. Like the trailer the grudge film makers have emphasised upon the use of Sarah Michelle Gellar and put her name above the title, this being a way to attract an audience. Again theirs a tag line being 'it never forgives, it never forgets' by using the word 'it' the audience may think that's its a creature that's being talked about and with the use of Sarah Michelle Gellar who dealt with many creatures in the successful sci-fi Buffy, this could act as another way attract an audience.

The Orphanage

The Orphanage poster differs to both The Ring's and The Grudge's posters with the picture being the main focus of the image and the title coming second. this would be because the poster makers want to give a introduction to the storyline of the film and this would be the reason why the setting The Orphanage is the background and why the child ghosts are prominent within the image. Also the main character, the women, really stands out against the rest of the image and this is because of the way they've lit her choosing to use a light on just the front of her body, this creating shadows behind her adding to the dark lighting they have created within the image. The poster also looks like its an old looking photo frame, this could tell the audience that its set in past. Again typical of all horror trailers the lighting is dark.

The Blair Witch Project

This like The Ring and The Grudge posters is simple but it also shows the setting of the film like The Orphanage. This poster also differs from the other 3 because of the use of the description of the film but this film is a cult film and so its different from the other 3 and also myn too. I think the image of the face presents fear to the audience and there's also the overpowering look of the trees looking over the rest of the image. This could present to the audience the struggle for the characters who are lost in the darkness of the rest of the image and all they can see when they look up is woods. The image also shows the use of a torch light, this shows the use of an artificial light which will make the audience realise that its not a typical horror film. Again like The Orphanage the title has less of a place on the poster with the image and the description having a greater part. the use of dark again typical of a horror film poster to present the dark storyline the film has.

What from my influences do i plan to use for my poster?

I think the main form and convention of horror film posters is the dark appearance used and this is something which I will definitely do to present to the audience the genre of my poster. I've decided that i like how The Orphanage and The Blair Witch Project Show the audience the setting of the film and this will be something I will do with the wood being a dominant part of the image. I also like how the women in The Orphanage stands out and this will be something i will look at doing within my poster and may use the white dress of the girl to make her stand out against the dark background i will create. In terms of the title i think i want it to be quite dominant within the poster like the grudge and the Ring, the reason for this so that the audience recognises the name as it tells the audience what the film is about, a shortcut. I will also use a tag line and have created a line which is 'The Route To Regret', I think this is catchy and will stay within the audiences minds.

What will i need before i start shooting?

• A Camera
- I will use this to film the shots for my trailer. I am going to borrow camera from school.
• Tripod
- Again i will borrow this from school. I’ll use this to keep the shots still.
• A Camera Tape
- I’ll use this tape to record the filming of the content of the project
• Costumes
- The costumes I will need are a tracksuit for the abductor, a nightgown for the scary girl and a dress and heels for the victim. For the costumes I will use clothes I or the cast already own and for those parts that I don’t I will go out and purchase.
• A Van
- I need a van as this is the abductors vehicle; I will get the van from my friend Craig who works for a van selling business
• Cast
- The cast I will need for my trailer will be.
• Lighting
- To light my sets for the film i will use torches and will research and experiment with the different ways i can use them to create the best effects. I will also use the lighting at the sets too, with the use of street lights.
• Car
- I need a car so that we can drive from each location.
• Props
- The props I will need for my trailer will be:
Beer bottles

Lighting

The Woods

With the majority of my filming being in a wood I wont have the resource of electricity and so I've considered using a variety of different techniques. One I considered was to find a strong light that could be connected to a car, this meaning that i could use a car to power the torch but an issue I had with this was the distance it was from the car park to the wood, which was too far for any lead of any light that I could find. Eventually I came to the decision to use strong battery charged torches. This would mean that they are easily portable but it could project an almost spotlight effect which could it look artificial. But if I shine the light from two different angles then this could prevent shadows and make the lighting look more natural.

My House

For these shots I will use the lighting available in my house but use the rooms next to where I'm filming, this will make the room I'm filming in darker but still provide enough light so that the footage can be seen. I will use this lighting for both the abduction scene and the party scene.

The Street

I have chosen a location which has street lighting and so this will make the footage look natural as well as being a good use of mis-en-scene.

Cast

Abductor- Ollie Reid



I chose to use Ollie as my abductor as i felt he looks like a criminal type character with his large frame and skinhead appearance.








Scary girl- Jess Cunningham

I chose to use Jess as my scary girl as her appearance has an innocent essence to it, this would make the audience sympathise with the character who switches from being the victim to villain of the film, this use of innocence is used within many horror movies like The Ring, The Grudge and The Orphanage, my influences and the best way to represent it is to use children who seem harmless. The reason for this being that people won’t suspect her to be as menacing and creepy as i will portray her to be and so this will add an element of surprise for the audience. Again i have stuck to the typical horror forms and conventions by using a her as shes young and innocent, the only difference is her blonde hair which isnt typical within films like myn.


Victim- Ailis McGregor


I chose to use Ailis as my victim as she seems like a typical 21st century teenager and so this will mean that the audience will connect with her character which will make the film seem more realistic for the audience. Also her brown hair would contrast against the blonde of Jess's, the scary girl. This defines the line between good and evil. But myn brings an element of a twist to it with the dark hair representing the good and the light hair representing the evil instead of the typical opposite present within both The Ring and The Grudge.


Extras- Craig Engall, David Barnes, Andy Grayson.

I needed the use of these extras for shots like the party scene and ailis’s exit within the party scene.

Locations

My House

This is the location for the beginning of my trailer where the abductor breaks into the house, walks up the stairs and takes the girl from her room. I’ve chosen to use my house as it’s easily accessible and when I consider the shots I want to include within my trailer I can see that I can create them within this location. I will also use my house as the setting for the party segment of my trailer; I have decided to do this as I thought having the link that the same place where the girl got abducted and where the party is taking place adds an extra element to the trailer.

Woods



This will be where the majority of the filming of my trailer will be, the main reason for the choice of filming my trailer in a wood is that they are seen as dangerous and scary and so suits the horror genre of my film. Other reasons which led to my decision to film in a wood are the ease of accessibility and also the unlikelihood of filming being interrupted. One issue I may face though is achieving the right sort of lighting; because of this I am going to have to look into the best ways to light my wooded scenes.

Street

This is an important location within the storyline; this is the point at which my victim decides to take ‘the shortcut’. For this part of my trailer there are many things which I need to consider. This being the type of lighting, with it being filmed at night I will need to find a place with street lighting as I want it to look as natural as possible. Also with it being a street I need to find somewhere which isn’t too busy as I don’t want filming to be continuously interrupted. I also want to find a location where I can film the street ahead while still being able to see the woods, the reason for this being that I can present to the audience the characters shortcut options and decision as effectively as possible.