A2 - Equipment Needed for Filming

The equipment we used for our filming was:

Canon 600D camera

Canon EOS 600D - we used 3 Canon EOS 600D cameras in total because it enabled us to shoot three different angles of the same scene at once, or have two or three different scenes being filmed at the same time.

GoPro portable camera - our GoPro camera had a strap so it could be put on a person's head or chest to get a POV shot.

Tripods - we attached the Canons to tripods in order to enable us to get the camera steady, so the footage was as good as possible. If we decide later that we want footage to be shaky, we can do that later on FinalCut Pro.

GoPro portable camera

Props - Liver, plate, bowl, gun replicas, gas mask. We used a variety of props which were creative and allowed us to create a more interactive setting.

Torches - for the night shoot, we used several torches to create light. While the torches we used had headstraps, in the end we decided not to use them as head torches, preferring to carry them instead.

Handycams - sound recorders, we used them alongside the cameras to record diegetic sound that we could use in the soundscape of the trailer.

Liquid latex - we were going to use this to create fake wounds and injuries, however in the end we decided to avoid showing visible injuries because we noticed that not many shots were shown in horror trailers that showed injuries in any detail. In addition, none of us had enough experience to confidently create a realistic-looking injury.

We also had a smoke machine, but we didn't actually use it in the end because we didn't need it. We considered using it when our plot synopsis was a zombie idea, but when we changed our plot synopsis we didn't need to use it because it would set the wrong type of scene.

A2 - Revised Plot Synopsis

Because of our choice not to use zombies, we had to devise a new plot. Due to our filming date coincidentally being 11 November, Remembrance Day, we decided to name the film Remembrance Day. Our new plot reads as follows.

Remembrance Day, 2012. Three teenagers discover an abandoned house when their car breaks down. When they enter the house, they discover a horror that refuses to let them leave. Can the teenagers escape before the mysterious being kills them all?

A2 - Target Audience - SurveyMonkey

Click here to take survey

To gather information about my target audience, I will create a SurveyMonkey to receive feedback from a target audience. This allows me to consider other people's opinions and views, and use them to adapt the idea that I am currently working on. By advertising it on my Facebook and Twitter pages, I gathered more feedback from a wider range of people.

Questions I have used include age and gender (to establish where each person fits in my target audience), favourite genres of film, what they feel to be the most important part of a trailer (so I know which areas to focus on), favourite horror films (so I can use them as style models), their favourite part of a horror film trailer, the best way they think can create tension in a horror film, and how much viewing a trailer impacts their decision to watch the film in a cinema.

Overall, the responses to my survey were useful. The majority of the participants were in the category of 15-19 year old males, my ideal target audience (unsurprising, as the majority of my Facebook friends and Twitter followers are roughly my own age). Horror, Comedy and Action films were the three most popular genres of film according to my survey responses.

With regards to trailers, the participants of my survey suggested that trailers should set up the plot of the film without revealing too much as to spoil their enjoyment. Building up the tension of the trailer was considered by my participants to be an essential part of a horror trailer, as was using a variety of visual effects (including POV shots and unsteady camerawork).

Question 1 - What is your age?

Question 2 - What is your gender?

Question 3 - What are your favourite genres of film?

Question 7 - What is the best way to create tension in horror films?

Question 8 - How much does watching a trailer affect your decision to watch the film?

A2 - Editing Practice - Final Cut Pro

The main program I will use for editing my full task is Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro allows me to do more precise and frame-by-frame editing than I can with other software, such as iMovie. Final Cut Pro also allows me to add and edit sounds and music alongside the video, allowing for a more professional experience.

When I started trying to use the program I realised I had little experience with it. To get practice, as well as look at a style model for trailers, I edited the Dawn of the Dead trailer shot-for-shot, inserting cuts at every single cut throughout the trailer. Below I have put up several screenshots of my progress with the editing process.

While editing this trailer, I realised that a fade to black is one of the most common tricks used in horror film trailers. In this trailer, for example, at least 15 fades to black lasting roughly a second each are used, which is a large amount considering the trailer is only about 2 minutes long.

A2 - Technological Advances In The Horror Genre

Horror is a genre that does not require as many complex technological advances to be successful as other genres do. Examples of this are films like Paranormal Activity and the Blair Witch Project, which were both very successful without using much technology, using handheld cameras and cheap effects. However, some technological advances have been made which have affected horror films.

Using CGI to create a monster (Davy Jones as
portrayed by Bill Nighy in Pirates of the Caribbean)

CGI

CGI (computer-generated imagery) is one of the most commonly used tools in a major film director’s arsenal. It is basically using technology to create digital images that could not be possible to see or film around in real life. This is useful in horror, as it enables directors to create monsters that could not be portrayed by a man in a costume. However, the impact of CGI has been criticised by many fans of horror, as it is not necessary to be done, and many would consider it to be lazy and not necessary. They would consider it better to use prosthetics and other special effects, as it inspires more creativity in the director, to shoot scenes where (for example) a hand rips through a man’s chest from the inside. We would probably still find it a challenge to use CGI effectively in our trailer, because none of us have any major experience in using such software to create anything that looks realistic.

Science/Medicine

Technological advances in the real world have often inspired the plots of horror films. For example, you often get mad scientists “playing God” who create new monsters or diseases, with ideas inspired or taken from genuine scientific breakthroughs. Examples of this would include I Am Legend, and Frankenstein. The original film idea we were working with, before we changed our plot, was actually inspired by developments with genetic manipulation of crops, which in our story spreads a zombie-like disease when eaten. However, as our plot has changed away from zombies towards a serial killer, the prominence of scientific and medical advances has decreased.

Props, Prosthetics and Fake Blood

The “bread and butter” of any horror director’s toolkit, props and prosthetics have been used throughout time to represent scary things. In many cases, the prop or prosthetic is the “trademark item” of the monster of the film, and has immortalized the character, such as with Freddy Kreuger’s glove, Jason Vorhees’ hockey mask, Leatherface’s chainsaw and Dracula's cape and fangs. Some of these fairly-commonplace and mundane items have become permanently associated with a particular villain, and now if featured will often be as a reference to the original film in which they were used. We have used several props, including guns, an axe and a gas mask to create a more intimidating villain. In addition, fake blood was applied liberally to the "dead body" as well as the axe prop, to make it look more terrifying. However, we steered clear of using prosthetics, simply because none of us had any experience with using or applying prosthetics to people, and therefore it would probably end up looking foolish.

A2 - Potential Locations

Below is a list of locations that I think might be good to film at, and reasons why it may be a good location.

The Beacon - I think the Beacon might be a good location to film at because it is very distinctive and recognisable, and it clearly stands out as a landmark of Bodmin. One concern is that there are often people walking around the Beacon, and therefore it may be a bit of a challenge to clear the area for an entire day when it is good weather to film.

A Graveyard/Cemetery - Filming a horror film in a graveyard is an incredible cliche, but it also creates an atmosphere of death that is harder to create at some of the other locations suggested. We may do some establishing shots at a graveyard, but no action or chase scenes because that would be disrespectful.

Shire Hall - Filming outside the Shire Hall, in the middle of town, might be a good idea in theory, but in practice, it would be difficult to clear the area of all people long enough to film all of the scenes we need.

Fair Park - Again, filming at Fair Park would be good in theory, with plenty of open space to film a chase scene or a fight scene, but in practice there might be too many people there to film it so it looks realistic. In addition, if we were to film in such a place, it would be almost impossible to clear the area and avoid having lots of people staring at what was going on.

Bodmin Jail - haunted town landmark?

Bodmin Moor - Bodmin Moor has a reputation for being a spooky place, and would be an interesting location to film at. It is rugged and harsh landscape, which is good for creating a feeling of isolation. However, many of the good locations would be a long journey into the Moor, and running scenes may not be as practical in difficult weather conditions.

Bodmin Jail - Bodmin Jail also has a reputation as a haunted place, suitable for a horror film. It looks quite intimidating, and I feel confident that they would allow us to film some scenes inside the Jail if we gave them prior notice. However, given our focus on it being a serial killer rather than a ghost, this may no longer be as good an idea as it was for a paranormal horror film.

Camel Trail - Along the Camel Trail is a series of abandoned train depots, which would be a good location to do some filming at. They are fairly isolated, with few people lingering at them, and therefore would be a good place to shoot some action scenes.

Cycle Path - The Cycle Path has several large fields alongside it that might be useful to film a chase scene at. However, it is difficult to identify it as a wooded or isolated area, because it has a road and a railway line next to it, providing the characters with easy escape routes that we might not want them to use.

Church - Filming in a church is potentially disrespectful, but filming around the outside of a church can create a good background for action to take place at, or can create good establishing shots. If we head to a more isolated church, we can get some good shots to help set the tone of the trailer, with no real issues.

In the end, the majority of our filming was done at a friend's house, because it was fairly isolated and there were no issues with filming minors or unwilling people. We also filmed a small amount of footage at a parade on Remembrance Day, to link in with the revised plot idea of a killer attacking on Remembrance Day. This was also being filmed by other people, so there is therefore obviously no restrictions or concerns with filming the parade. Our night shoot was carried out in some woods nearby, in an isolated location that enabled us to do filming without being disturbed.

A2 - Film Institutions

In the media, there are a number of major institutions that control the industry. Three of the biggest conglomerates in the film industry are Time Warner, Disney and NewsCorp.

Time Warner is one of the major film conglomerates. It owns companies including Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, and therefore is responsible for major money-making films such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. It also owns the major American broadcaster HBO, which owns TV series' such as Game of Thrones and also broadcasts a number of films.

The Walt Disney Company is considered one of the most recognisable of the film conglomerates. While it is associated frequently with cartoon animation from subsidiaries such as Pixar and Disney, it also owns subsidiaries that produce major blockbusters, primarily via Lucasfilm and Marvel Entertainment.

NewsCorp is mainly known now for its news companies, that have recently been in the media for phone hacking. However, it also owns the film company 20th Century Fox, and therefore has produced a large variety of films. In addition, it owns the broadcaster Sky, and therefore gains a large amount of revenue from showing films from other companies on any of its specific film channels.

I believe that the distributor of our film would be Paramount Pictures, which is a subsidiary of the conglomerate Viacom.

A2 - Synopsis

Written here is the synopsis to my own film idea, which I pitched to my group so we could decide which film idea to go with.

A group of youths are clowning around in a graveyard one night, and one of them dares the others to go up to a grave and read out an "incantation" that will raise the dead. They do it, but nothing happens immediately, so they go home. The next day, one of them (the one who dared the others to read the incantation), is found murdered, as though it was done by a zombie/one of the undead. They must try to put the evil spirit to rest before it kills them all.

We have filmed a group discussion to determine which of the proposed synopses we would choose to follow in our group work.

Group synopsis from K Gold on Vimeo.

However, as a group we decided to go with a different synopsis, the one written by Josh. We chose to steer away from my synopsis because we felt it was too dark and we would be uncomfortable to film some of the scenes (particularly the scenes reading incantations in a graveyard in the middle of the night).

Below is Josh's synopsis, which we preferred as a group.

In world where people are scared by what goes bump in the night, possessions and floating sheets a new splash of horror is needed to relight true terror and fear to an audience of common day sissies. “The Field” is the new horror set to scare audiences to the bone. A film so horrific it even makes Jason tremble and Freddy wish he was dreaming.

The blissful, tranquil country side a relaxing weekend to allow Mark to relax with his friends just one last time. It is the few months before Mark, Chloe, John and Tasha go their separate ways in life and they decide to have one last weekend together to properly say their goodbyes they pack up and leave the city to relax just them no outsider influences but the world is a new world. Endlessly expanding developing but to what end?

A new wonder wheat has been produced by top American scientists and has been said to be able to end starvation in the world and be used as a new source of energy. Despite the Americans inventions the first major and currently only plantation lies in the UK who previously denied growth of such crops as this isn’t just any crop it’s GM. Kept under wraps by both American and English governments can this wheat truly be the answer?

The villagers that Mark and co originally meet seem distant at times but friendly none the less they appreciate the sentiment of the groups trip and aim to please their guest to their secluded farming town. As night falls things begin to make a terrible turn for the worst as villagers turn savage, feral and start to kill innocent and track down anyone like a pack of wolves. But what is it that makes the villagers turn so violent?

A new take on the zombie type film jam packed with more tension and fear then ever. Beautifully crafted use of editing and screen play set the mood for the terror factor that is “The Field”. This chilling tale is one not to be missed.

A2 - Legal Restraints and Age Ratings

There are obviously some legal restraints with any type of filming. One would be getting permission to film at locations that are private property. To get around this, I do not intend to film at any locations that are private property, and instead plan to only film in public places, where there are no laws against it. If I need to film at any private property, I will be sure to get permission from the owners. Another would be regarding the people being filmed. To film people under the age of 18, consent from their parent or guardian is required.

I also have to watch out and make sure none of the ideas I use are copyrighted. However, because we are creating the ideas ourselves rather than adapting an existing story or idea, we should have no problems with any copyrighting issues.


The standard ratings system in the UK is the BBFC, which is the panel that determines what age certificate a film receives. The possible age ratings are: U (universal), PG (parental guidance), 12A (12 advisory), 12, 15 and 18.

My film would probably be rated as 15. I could not make an 18, because it would be ridiculous for someone under the age of 18 to make a film he wouldn't be old enough to watch. As a violent horror film, it cannot be lower than a 12, and due to some of the scenes I have planned, which are fairly gruesome and imply heavy violence and gore, it would have to be rated 15.

A2 - Theories of Audience

The Hypodermic Needle Theory (AKA the Magic Bullet theory) suggested that audiences would blindly believe whatever information was fed for them, and that all audiences were passive audiences. It suggests that information is passed directly from the media source (the gun or the syringe, depending on which metaphor is used) into the passive audience member, and the audience believes it without question. This idea was prominent in the 1930’s, and inspired many propaganda campaigns. However, it was proved to be ineffective against many audiences by Lazarsfeld, who suggested instead that audiences choose which media sources they allow to influence them.

For my trailer, I do not believe that the Hypodermic Needle theory is particularly applicable. This is because in practice, the majority of the time, the majority of people do not blindly follow whatever they see on TV or in films. If this was the case for my film, it would end up with the audience going out and becoming serial killers, which is clearly not true. However, the Hypodermic Needle played a major part in the creation of age ratings, for fear that younger audiences would carry out the actions that the films portray, many of which are inappropriate and offensive.

Another theory of audience is the Uses and Gratifications theory, as created by Blumer and Katz. This suggests that audiences actively choose which film they want to see based on what they get out of it, for a variety of different reasons including entertainment, to gather information, to develop socially and as a diversion to avoid a problem they are having.

A2 - Analysis - The Woman In Black Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lReemWmO5o

The Woman in Black is a UK horror film starring Daniel Radcliffe as a man who moves into a haunted house while trying to sell it, unaware of the ghost living inside.

The trailer features a non-diegetic voiceover from a young girl, which is (in my opinion) more creepy than it would be if it was spoken by an adult. The girl is reciting what sounds at first to be a nursery rhyme, but then takes a sinister twist. It refers to a “spectre of darkness” who “always comes back”, and is eventually revealed to be The Woman in Black, a malevolent spirit.

At the start, mysterious children’s toys are seen, which provide a sound to accompany the girl’s rhyme. The toys are neglected and dusty, which suggests that the ghost had a child before it died, and the story of the child did not end well.

The next scenes show Radcliffe’s character in the back of a horse-drawn cart, passing a cross at the side of a road, before arriving at an abandoned and run-down manor house. The cross at the roadside is a common sign that there is a grave there, which is never a good sign.

Many of the shots focus on children, suggesting that children will play a major part in the film. It also connotes the innocence of youth being threatened by a horror that they wouldn’t understand. The focus on children, combined with the appearance of the neglected children’s toys, could connote to a canny observer that the ghost is angry as to the loss of her child, and is jealous or enraged at the other children. This would lead her to target the children as retribution.

An old and tattered picture is also shown, of a man, woman and child. The eyes of all three have been severely creased, and are unable to be seen. This could connote that what is shown after this picture is horrifying, and not something that normal people do not want to see.

Radcliffe’s character is then seen living in the run-down manor, and begins to see the ghost of the Woman in Black, as well as the ghost of a young boy. A message is written on the wall to him, telling him “You could have saved him.” This also implies that Radcliffe’s character has seen the loss of a male character (presumably a son or younger brother) in his life before moving to the manor house.

The main piece of editing used is a series of jump cuts, linking exciting scenes that do not follow normal continuity. As such, this style of editing is most commonly used in trailers. A fade to black is also used in the trailer, before the title of the film comes up.

A2 - Analysis - Chernobyl Diaries Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9xuquibQc

Chernobyl Diaries is a horror film directed by Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) set in the region of Chernobyl, which was devastated by a nuclear disaster. A group of tourists and their guide travel to the region, where they discover unusual creatures that try to kill them.

The Chernobyl Diaries trailer opens with several tourist-style scenes, in front of several landmarks, including the Roman Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower. The next scene shows the group talking around a table, and one of them suggests a trip to Chernobyl, which the others agree to. The camera angle looks up at the group slightly, suggesting that (at least in their minds) they are the ones in control and in power.

The next series of cuts show news readers, and the military actions taken at Chernobyl. The text on-screen describes what happened at Chernobyl, for the members of the audience who did not know.

One of the main sound-effects used is the crackling of a Geiger counter. Geiger counters are often used in areas of high radiation, such as Chernobyl, to determine whether an area is safe or not. In the trailer, one of the characters (the guide) also carries a Geiger counter, for this purpose. The guide states that they will be safe because they have it. This turns out to be completely false, and is a reversed form of foreshadowing.

The next scene features the guide playing a practical joke on the rest of the group, pretending something in the water attacked him. This is misleading, not only for the characters on-screen, but also for the audience, who would have been expecting an attack.

The next few shots show the group taking photographs, using a series of quick fades to black. At the end of these shots, one of the group zooms in on a photo, to see their first, blurred glimpse of one of the creatures. At this point it starts to get more dramatic, with the non-diegetic music becoming more dark and sinister-sounding. Everything starts going wrong on-screen as well, with the group’s van breaking down and stranding them in Chernobyl in the middle of the night.

More fades to black are seen, and the group make the mistake of leaving their shelter to find out the source of strange noises. The silhouettes of creatures are seen, and then a long streak of dark liquid, which is presumably blood, is shown on the floor. This, along with the dramatic music, instils more of an atmosphere of horror in the audience. The non-diegetic crackling of the Geiger counter can be heard again, to reinforce the setting of Chernobyl.

A2 - Analysis - Logos

Paramount

In terms of denotation, the Paramount logo mainly features a mountain, surrounded by a ring of stars. Inside the ring, the word Paramount is written, and underneath the ring is the words “A Viacom Company”. The use of a mountain could connote that Paramount is the peak, and the top of the film industry. The stars which zoom around the mountain also connote that Paramount is among the best companies, as it gets to work with so many stars. In addition, using a circle suggests that there are no flaws or weak links in all of their series of films produced. In recent years, a disc has been placed behind the mountain so it is encircled by the stars on DVD versions, and recently on films such as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the number 100 has been placed between the two sections of text, to signify the company is in the year of its 100th anniversary. Unlike the other logos I have analysed, this logo uses the diegetic sound of the stars flying past the screen to form a ring above the mountain.

Some of the films/brands featuring the Paramount logo include The Godfather, Indiana Jones, all of the Star Trek films, and Marvel films.

Warner Bros.

The Warner Bros. logo features a badge with the letters WB, with a band around it reading “Warner Bros. Pictures”. Compared to the Paramount and the 20^th Century Fox logos, the Warner Bros. logo looks rather childish and more like a cartoon than a professional creation, which is a reference to their original products. This connotes that Warner Bros. caters for a younger audience than the other companies. However, the logo has been modified for more adult and darker films made by Warner Bros., such as the later Harry Potter films. The camera usually zooms through the logo to move on to the other titles.

Some of the films/brands that use the Warner Bros. logo include Harry Potter, Batman, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry.

20^th Century Fox

The 20^th Century Fox logo mainly features the words 20^th Century Fox, on a building, as a giant sculpture. Spotlights are shown shining up and around the logo, which could connote that only the stars/brightest actors work with 20^th Century Fox. The colour gold is used heavily in the logo, which connotes wealth and royalty, suggesting that 20^th Century Fox is one of the kings of the film industry. The sound played during the pan of the logo uses noticable brass instruments, which is commonly associated with royalty and those who have power, as well as connoting joy.

The 20^th Century Fox logo features in brands/films such as Star Wars, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes and Avatar.