The antagonist

Bearing in mind that our film is a Psychological/supernatural horror film we have had to put a considerable amount of thought into how the antagonist will appear, should it be embodied or personified. We thought about possibly modelling the antagonist after some other well known psychological/supernatural horror 'bad guys'.

 

Demon from Insidious.

 










 

Gypsy from drag her to hell















The evil girl from the grudge





















We also considered a different approach in modelling our antagonist after a 'bad guy' from another film genre in jeepers creepers.


The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers.

Cyprian

Distributing our film

       

   

We would first distribute our film to various film festivals, such as the Toronto and Sundance Film festivals, to create a buzz around our new independent film. If successful our film could gain the same exposure as other independent films which were screened in such places, for example Slumdog Millionare, and hopefully share their success. For the general public we will also distibute our film to popular cinemas like the Odeon, Cineworld and The Picturehouse and subsequently release it onto blu-ray disc and DVD, which will ultimately help our Film to fetch higher revenues.   


Cyprian

Weekly update: Week ending 2nd December 2011

Hello and welcome to another weekly update

This week, we finished editing our small tutorial and successfully placed it onto our youtube page.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5fIRnhLk1k&feature=player_embedded

Also this week, while we were shooting our tutorial, we took photographs of what we doing and put it on our blogger.

Fig 1. Photograph of Cyprian, our cameraman, working with the camera 

CAMERA SETUP 101

This is the official Phantom productions tutorial on how to set up a Canon EOS 7d camera on to a Vin 10 Pro 5 tripod.


Cyprian

Using the equipment

Demonstration on how to use the kino flo light.

using the kino flo lights.

Production of the camera tutorial.

Talking about the kino flo lights can be used.

How to use the lighting equipment.

Filming the tutorial on how to set up a camera.

Cyprian

Weekly update: week ending 25th november

This week has been a busy one for the team. We shot an tutorial film on how to place a camera onto a tripod. We are currently editing this clip and it should be on our youtube page very soon! Also this week we all took time to write some textual analysis's on different movie magazines and horror movie posters.

Textual analysis of a movie magazine (Michael)

Textual analysis of a movie magazine

 Total film is a British movie magazine published by future publishing 13 times a year. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and BLU-ray news. Guest editors have included Peter Jackson, Kevin Smith and Ricky Gervais

 The front cover consists of a near middle aged Caucasian male posing with two guns. He is also wearing a dark heavy jacket. The two guns are placed at an angle which gives the audience the impression that the man posing with the weapons is highly skilled to use them or is maybe even an assassin. His fingers are clenched tightly on the two guns which could denote he is ready to pull the trigger or could denote he is holding someone hostage. The background of the magazine indicates the setting of the photo is set in a snowy cold day which could connote the fact the main character has no empathy for anyone. The use of a mid-shot on the front cover covers up the lower body of the male and arouses and creates suspicion as to what exactly the male has on him in terms of weapons

The look on his face is one of seriousness which also denotes he is has no sense of empathy. His posture is very aggressive and relates very well to the plot of the film due to the fact in the film; he is seeking vengeance for the death of his wife and child. His costume is black which gives the audience the impression that he is not a bubbly person. The lighting for this magazine is mostly low key. For example in the chest area of the Caucasian, this part of the body appears to be darker then any other part of his body which could give the audience the impression that he is hiding something sinister underneath his jacket. Also the low lighting used in the picture could connote that evil and darkness has engulfed him and twisted him. This relates well with the plot of the film; in the film and the game itself he is a normal happy person with a bright future with his wife and newborn child. When his family are murdered he seeks vengeance and in my opinion, the more and more he sought after it, the more and more he changed. The prop of the guns are cleverly placed at such an angle that it could connote he is on a crossroads in terms of his psyche and his mental stature. 

The main anchorage that the target audience are immediately directed to on the front cover reads: MAX PAYNE. Wahlberg finds his bourne. The text is not formal and is in sans-serif font. The other text in the magazine follows a colour scheme and goes well with theme of the main front cover, due to the fact the colours, for instance, the colour grey is a dark colour. However at the same time, the colours juxtaposes with themselves because of the fact, for example the colour yellow is a bright colour and is used in the magazine. The masthead of the magazine (Total film) is big and bold which could relate to male in the magazine front covers bravery. It’s in sans serif font which connotes it has a modern appeal which may be used to appeal to the magazines target audience

Textual Analysis of a Movie Trailer (Michael)

Title: Saw 3D

Year of release: 2010

Director: Kevin Greutert

Producers: Mark Burg, Oren Koules, Gregg Hoffman

Production/Finance Company: Lionsgate

Actors: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell

Film origin:  Saw 3D is the seventh and last Saw film in the largely popular Saw film franchise.  An eighth Saw film was originally planned for cinema release after Saw 3D but was scrapped due to the declining popularity of the Saw franchise. Saw 3D like many of the other Saw films was dubbed as being ‘Torture porn’ because of the excess splatter and gore in the movie.

Synopsis: A group of people, who survived jigsaw’s games, gather together to seek the help of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own hidden secrets unleash a new wave of terror .

The trailer begins with a voiceover and dialogue which says “You can’t hide”. This use of dialogue is clever because of the fact many saw fans who hears this voice will easily recognise this to be Jigsaws voice, an iconic antagonist heavily associated with the Saw franchise. These three words are straight to the point in terms of what the rest of the trailer or film is about; a battle for life. There is then a quick cut of a device experiencing static which connotes uncertainty and disbelief, words associated with the horror genre.

Following that there is a quick unusual Foley sound which fits with in well with the quick fade. The following caption “Every master craftsman” appears and goes into another fade. It then fades into a scene with a writ off car and man in the background which with the low key lighting used gives the audience no indication of where the location really is.  There is then a quick cut of something unclear to the audience which is something very common in splatter teaser trailers.

Following that there is another quick fade into the following caption “AND ALL TRUE GENIUSES” which with the previous caption connotes that there is a running story alongside the teaser trailer.  Following that there are four clever quick cuts which identify the key actors in the film all looking tormented.

There is then another fade into a bright normal location which acts as a juxtaposition to the previous act which conveys a sense of false assurance. There is then a quick cut of a prop familiar to many saw fans.

There is then some quick cuts and intense sounds to go with it which shows the characters in unclear locations; something associated with the saw franchise

To conclude, I think that usage of nonlinear editing is a success with Saw 3D because not only does not give many of the plot away it also leaves a feeling of ‘what just happened’ in the audiences mind.

Textual analysis of a movie poster (Michael)

Drag me to hell is a psychological horror film, written by Sam and Ivan Raimi and directed by Sam raimi. It stars Alison Lohman, Justin Long and many others. The story is about a young loan officer (Alison Lohman) who finds herself under a curse which in a few days will take her to hell. Desperate for curse lifted, she tries her hardest to save her soul however she is tested by evil forces.

The colours used in the poster are very dark and connote emptiness and torment. This is cleverly connected to the theme of damnation which is the main character is ultimately subjected in the end of the film. The use of the fiery reddish orange colour at the bottom of the poster is cleverly placed there to convey to an audience that the character is slowly yet surely being dragged to hell as the colour symbolizes fire and torment. The mixture of colours to form the dark grey colour of the sky connotes the theme of Armageddon/end of the world in a readers head because of the fact the colour of the sky does not normally look like that . The colour of the anchorage is white which in deeper depth could connote a sense of salvation for the character in the poster as white symbolizes purity and holiness, attributes associated with Heaven.

The main props are props of some ghastly hands placed on the actresses’ body to portray to the audience that she is hell bound against her own will. This is shown by the mouth of the actresses being open and her eyes closed to convey her pain being unbearable. The setting of the poster seems to be in the suburbs which break stereotypes as suburbs are normally portrayed as being leafy, boring and predictable. However something like damnation is clearly not predictable thus breaking the stereotype of suburbs being predictable. The lighting in the poster is neither very low key nor high key which could make the intended audience uncertain of what the fate of the actress. Thus the lighting acts like a persuasive tool to attract the target audience as it makes the audience keen to know whether the actress in the poster is going to suffer eternal damnation or not. There is nothing unusual about the costume the actress is wearing which could give the audience the impression that her torment came out of nowhere.

The camera shot used in the poster is a mid shot which cleverly hides the lower part of her body. The usage of a mid shot could give the impression that’s its too late for her, that she is now hell bound or that she is running out of time.  This just like the lighting the camera shot is a persuasive tool to attract the audience because its gives an internal impression in a viewer’s mind the possibility that she is damned.

The anchorage in the movie poster is sans serif and very formal which could set the tone of the film in terms of the fact it’s a serious issue. Also the colour of the text is white and could connote that there is still chance of her not going to hell. It’s placed correctly just below the middle of the poster with a tagline that says: Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend and a bright future. But in three days she’s going hell. This tagline further persuades the audience because it’s one of the first things they see when they see this poster. Such a tagline is horrifying because at first it starts of normal one might say and ends with something that would frighten many people

Written by Michael

Textual analysis of a Scream 4 teaser trailer (Christina)

Film Title: Scream 4
Year of Release: 2011
Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Iya Lebunka & Kevin Williamson
Production/Financing Company: The Weinstein Company


Main Actors:

Lucy Hale … Sherrie

Roger Jackson (The voice)

Shenae Grimes (Trudie)

Dane Farewell (Ghostface)

Anna Paguin (Rachel)

Kristen Bell (Chloe)

Aimee Teegarden (Jenny Randall)

Britt Robertson (Marnie Cooper – as Brittany Robertson)

Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott)

Alison Brie (Rebecca Walters

David Arguette (Dewey Riley: Police Officer)

Courtney Cox (Gale Weathers-Riley: Police Officer’s wife)

Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed)

Emma Roberts (Jill Roberts – Sidney’s cousin)

Marielle Jaffe (Olivia Morris)

Films Origin/Info


Scream 4 was originally meant to be a trilogy, but Bob Weinstein – the head of The Weinstein Company along with his brother Harvey Weinstein – thought that it was a good idea to make another film. Depending on the box office, Scream 4 is intended to be the first of a new trilogy. When scream 3 was released in the year 2000, it was Ehren Kruger that was brought in for re-writes. This was due to the fact that Williamson had to leave productions early because of contractual obligations. Campbell, Arquette and Cox are the only returning cast members from the previous films and were the first to sign on to the film in 2009. Panettiere and Rory Culkin were the first of the new cast to sign on in May 2010. Ashley Greene was initially the choice of the lead character, jill, but the role eventually went to Roberts. Filming took place in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan in June 2010 to September 2010, with reshoots in early 2011.


Synopsis


Scream 4 is about an author of a book, named Sidney Prescott. Sidney Prescott returns home to a town called “Woodsboro” and this is where her book tour is supposed to end. During her visit she reconnects with Sherriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married. She also meets her cousin Jill and her Aunt Kate. Unfortunately, Sidney’s appearance back in her hometown brings about danger towards her friends and family-including Dewey, Gale, Jill & Aunt Kate, as the Ghostface killer returns. When Sidney's cousin Jill's life is threatened, and her friends are being picked off one by one, Sidney, Gale and Dewey need to figure out who's reinventing the deadly game before it becomes too late.


Analysis

The teaser trailer starts with a phone ringing followed by a fade in transition revealing the main character. The shot is very brief as it then cuts to another short footage of the main character. The medium close up shots of Sydney Prescott shows her facial expressions. She is portrayed as a young vulnerable woman and this is seen through her NVC, as she looks frightened and confused. The sound used here connotes the horrific genre of the film. The non-diegetic music adds on to the spooky effect of the teaser, when used in combination with the fade in fade out transitions. Also, we can hear the voice over through dialogue of the villain in the film. This is a good way of teasing the audience because it gives them a feel of what the antagonist sounds like. Also the voice over makes the trailer sound more scary because the voice is a bit deep. This makes viewers aware of the fact that the trailer is promoting a horror film. The voice of the villain carry's on throughout the teaser.

After the opening of the trailer, more fade transitions are used to reveal several more shots together. The transitions are quite slow which could possibly connote peace. However, the next 9 shots contrast the idea of peace, as the several characters seen here are also shown as vulnerable characters. They all seem to be confused and frightened just as the character seen in the opening shot of the teaser trailer.

Firstly, the shots followed after the opening shot are very brief; however it is very clear to the audience. The medium close up shot of the police officer, shows that he is confused through his facial expressions. This shot is a good element in the teaser trailer as he is portrayed as a character with authority, this is also apparent through his costume. This will engage the readers into wanting to know what the film is about by getting them to be confused as well, questioning as to why the police officer seems to look so confused. 

After the shot where the police officer is revealed, there are 3 medium close up shots of young females. Makers of the scream 4 trailer stuck to the conventions of horror film trailers by making the female characters look inferior and fragile. it s possible to see this through the portrayal of their NVC. The way the shots have been put together is almost as if the directors want the audience to look straight in the eyes of the various characters. This is a good way of gaining the audience's interest.


In this particular shot displayed above, the young female presents sex appeal to an extent. The film makers have done this in a way that isn't too obvious by filming her getting dressed. She is barely clothed and her underwear is revealed, but only the top half of her body is revealed as it is a medium close up shot.

 Although females in horror films generally appear to be the ones most frightened and puzzled, the 7th shot after the police officer shows a male who is also portrayed in the same way as the female characters. This also creates a sense of mystery.

In the wide shot displayed on the left, are a group of teenagers at school. Here, they are taking part in a discussion where two boys are telling them about the "neo-conventions" of a horror movie. The way they have been portrayed in this part of the trailer gives the audience an impression that some of them may be the victims in the film. One reason for this is because; the body language of the teenagers reveals that they are stunned by what they're being told. Also, the incidental music added to this shot signifies that they are significant characters to the film, as well as, building up suspense. In this clear wide angle shot, it is possible to see that they are casually dressed in costume, to emphasise that they quite young people - because, stereotypically this is how young people tend to look like. This suggests that, the chances of them being victims in the film are very high as they are displayed as innocent characters, and according to the conventions of horror, innocent people usually get killed first or become victims.

There are also aspects of the trailer where low-key lighting is used. For example, during the next few cuts after the classroom scene, the lighting is used in such a way that creates a darker setting and gives a more scary atmosphere. Firstly, there is a quick over the shoulder shot used that captures a medium close up of two women looking up. It is clearly visible through their NVC that these women are scared because their mouths are widely open and they seem to be in shock. At this point a diverse group of characters are shown where they're all moving away from where a victim is about to land, falling from the sky. Low-key lighting is still used, and this makes it seem that danger is within their midst and that something bad is about to take place. Then, the death of one victim is revealed.

In this shot we see a body falling and being slammed into the roof of a van, with sparks and electrical sound effects used. This is the only death of a victim that is shown in the whole trailer, probably because the directors didnt want to give too much away. As it is the only death that occurs in the trailer, it gets the audience to wonder what is going to happen next in that particular scene or who will/will not survive in the movie. This is good because it makes the audience want to see the film and this is the main goal for the producers of scream 4 - to get people to watch the film and increase sales.

A while after that, the trailer continues to build up more suspense by revealing a few shots revealing some of the action that takes place in the film. This gives the audience a taste of what will occur in the actual film without giving too much away. The ghost face killer is shown as the character with the most power in the trailer. It is possible to say this because he is the only character using a prop (the dagger) , where he/she is seen attempting to kill a few other characters. 

The use of captions are also a very good part of this trailer. It gives brief descriptions about what the film includes and also who the ideas have come from. The effects used here are quite eye catching because two different colours are used for the text. Also the way the text has been animated makes the trailer more interesting. As the text slowly drifts, the light in the background is uncovered which is a nice effect because, it allows the captions to stand out more.

The trailer ends with a phone ringing and a young girl answering it. As she speaks to the person on the other side of the phone her body language gives away to the audience that she is frightened. The last character we see in this trailer is the ghost face killer. This suggests that the villain is very significant to the film. Also this is a way of increasing the chances of gaining the viewers interest because, the viewers would be able to see a bit about what this character is like and what they bring to the film itself. 

The film makers have been consistent with the use of sans serif fonts and colour scheme. From viewing this trailer, i can see that they have used the design of the film title in the release date at the very end of the trailer. For example, the same colours (red and white) are used in the film title and the release date). And the number "4" is designed in a pointy shape that symbolises the weapon the villain uses in the film to kill the characters. This is seen in both the release date and title. The reason for this probably is for the viewers to recognise and remember the film as well as the release date.


In my opinion i feel that the trailer for the film scream 4 is very good. The composition of the shots are quite simple but this doesn't take away from the fact that the trailer has an interesting narrative. It is easy to understand and probably appeals to a young audience because of the type of people that appear to be in the film.