Contacting Actor(s)

Relating to the actor who I wish to play the main role within my film/trailer, I have contacted them verbally and they have agreed to take part in the film. We have also arranged a specific date and time for which the film will be shot, the costumes etc. and, once again, this has been mutually agreed to.

Photoshoot/Filming Plan

1. What emotional impact do you want your photography do have upon the reader? How?

The photographs displayed within the tasks should provoke a reaction from the audience that matches the overall emotional impact they should receive from the final film trailer. By placing the subject of these photographs in a suspenseful, depressed or worried expression then hopefully this will help convey the emotion and theme of the film through to the audience. By implementing a similar expression in the photographs for both tasks, as well as through the shots in the film trailer, this will help create a sense of cohesion between the three pieces. I want the reader to feel as if they can empathise with the main subject of the images, perhaps connecting with the sense of isolation and desperation that the character is feeling in the photographs. I will achieve this by portraying the character with a desperate expression, making it immediately obvious they are in need of assistance.

2. Who are you going to photograph/film?

For both photoshoots (for the two print tasks and the film trailer) I have a clear idea of who I want to use. I will be using my father as the main character who will be therefore appearing in all three tasks, as I believe they are the perfect candidate for the desired effects I want to convey through the film and print tasks.

3. What props will you need?

There is a prop which is required for the filming of the film trailer, a greeting card. I have purchased two of these in preparation for the filming of the scene. Despite only requiring one, I have purchased two in the event that we decide to change a certain aspect of a scene after sealing the card, or in the event one of the cards/envelopes becomes damaged. Other than this, I do not believe I require any additional props for either photoshoot.

4. How are you going to emphasise colour?

Colour will be emphasised by filming the trailer at night, immediately setting the tone of the film as a dark and melancholy tone. There will be ambient lighting provided by nearby street lights which will ensure the trailer isn't filmed in complete darkness. For the interior shots, I will use regular lighting, but in a particular way to provoke certain emotions throughout the trailer. An example would be the beginning shots where the character is entering the house. These would, naturally, be fairly bright, as the character is still unaware of the dangers he is facing. As the trailer progresses, however, and he becomes more aware of these dangers, I will utilise far darker lighting effects to convey this empty and dark tone where required.

For the two ancillary tasks, I will be very careful to use appropriate colours, taking the necessary photographs in such a way that colour is clearly emphasised in the desired way. For the poster, I will aim to get a melancholy colour emphasising the character's distress and inner turmoil. Regarding the magazine cover, I aim to do the same, however to a lesser extent, as magazine's typically would not follow all of the conventions the poster or trailer do, as it is a separate text from either of the two others.

5. Have you briefed your personnel/photographer? 

I have briefed the actor that I will be using in my film trailer and, consequently, my two ancillary tasks, and have agreed that they are able to attend the photoshoot(s) on the desired dates.

6. What lighting will you need? Any other equipment?

As discussed previously, I will need no special lighting other than the lighting provided by the environment, as I wish for this trailer to look as natural as possible, helping the audience to connect with the storyline/main character by getting a vibe from the trailer indicating that it is very natural and not staged, adding to the credibility and believability of it.

As for the lighting of the ancillary tasks, I will be using certain lighting effects for the poster to create a silhouette effect on the main character, indicating that everything else apart from the main character is illuminated, once again linking to his state of emptiness and inner turmoil, the continuing theme throughout the three tasks and the film as a whole. The poster, however, will not use this effect, and any lighting I do decide to use will be applied to the subject's face, the prominent factor within a magazine cover, as previously discussed. If I were to use any artificial lighting, this would primarily be used to cover half of the subject's face, providing a sense of ambiguity. This effect can always be added during the construction stage at a later date, so it is perhaps not entirely required, or at least not completely compulsory.

7. Where will you shoot? Will you need a backdrop?

As discussed in my possible locations post, I will be filming in a house. This once again links to the fact that the trailer should look as natural as possible, and any use of 'abandoned warehouses' seem to resemble tropes or clichés rather than core conventions of a film trailer, coming across as too gimmicky and obvious for a psychological horror film such as this one. A regular location, such as a house, is far more believable and acceptable for a horror film such as this one.

For my ancillary tasks, I will be using a plain backdrop to give me the ability to manipulate the image far easier than if there was a background that was filled with lots of information and details. By avoiding a heavily detailed background, I will also be able to keep the focus of the image centred around the character and nothing else.

8. Make-up? Costume?

Mentioned above, I have stated how I wish for the trailer to look as realistic as possible. I wish for the audience to feel as if they can connect easily with the character, and therefore by removing any superficial elements such as make-up, costumes etc. then this can help to bring a sense of realism to the piece, helping the audience connect far more easily with the character than they otherwise would be able to.

The same principle applies for the ancillary tasks, as horror film magazines would not traditionally feature the subject wearing a piece of clothing such as a suit for example. Because of this, I will be ensuring that the subject looks as normal as possible, while still being able to direct their facial expressions and body language to achieve the desired effect and thus emphasise the overall theme of the film trailer and the corresponding advertisements.

Music Choice and Copyright

For my music choice, I decided to ask one of my friends to compose a piece of music for my trailer. I knew of my friend's experience using GarageBand to produce music beforehand, and decided to see if they would be available to produce a piece of music for my film trailer, more specifically, music intended for the horror genre.

As you can see, they have agreed to provide me with the two musical pieces that I will use within my trailer. Because I am not sourcing the music from a professional musician/record label, I will not require copyright permission, but will still credit the creator in the credits of the trailer.

Filming Considerations - Possible Actors and Locations

For my film trailer, I will consider possible actors and locations that would be suitable to incorporate to include within a horror film and, subsequently, a horror film trailer.

Possible Actors

For my horror trailer, I was considering people in my age range to act as the leading role. I quickly decided against this idea, as the psychological horror theme, in my opinion, would work best using an older subject as the main character. Because of the fact that a younger cast may not be able to carry out the slightly unsettling and 'empty' vibe that I wish to get from the character, I have decided to cast my own father in the trailer.

Possible Locations

Because of the nature of the horror film trailer (i.e. being more of a psychological horror rather than a physical horror that utilises jump scares/physical appearances etc.), I have decided to refrain from conventional locations in 'typical' horror films such as abandoned warehouses, old buildings etc. with the majority of the trailer being set in a dark street and then a dark/empty house, with no visible signs of being 'haunted', with the character developing the sense of fear themselves, thus creating the overall 'horror' aspect of the film. These locations are fairly simplistic, but, as mentioned, I feel these 'normal' locations juxtapose greatly with the 'abnormal' emotions and events within the film.

Half Term Review

Currently, I believe I am making good progress in terms of my research and production of my actual products. I am incorporating features and conventions that I have picked up via my research and incorporating it as best I can into my actual products, as well as continually researching new conventions and concepts to incorporate into both my main task and my ancillary tasks.

Over the half term, I hope to make good progress with all 3 of my tasks, as well as continuing to research more conventions that will assist this and document any progress I have made regarding any aspect of the creation of these three products.

Ideas for Film Production Company Names

For my production company name, I wanted a name that reflected closely on the horror genre. Because of this, I decided to choose a name that resembled the psychological horror theme that I was aiming to replicate with my film/film trailer.

Insanity Productions
This name seems to suit the theme I was aiming for, however appears to be a bit too 'blunt' as a choice for my production company, perhaps emphasising the theme or genre far more than is required. Because of this, I will attempt to soften the emphasis on the genre, but still make it apparently clear that it is a production company that focuses primarily on the horror genre.

Straitjacket Films
This name is a lot more practical, as it implies that the films are primarily horror and/or 'psychologically orientated' however never explicitly states this. It leaves the audience to think of a straitjacket and make the connection themselves. I like this name, but in my opinion, it is still a bit too 'forceful' and emphasises the concept too much.

Night Vision Films
This name is far more reminiscent of the type of name that I would like to name my production company. The 'night vision' concept does not necessarily refer to horror films, but these are most certainly a convention in certain horror films such Paranormal Activity. Despite this, however, I would like a more playful and memorable name, and this name simply does not have that memorable element about it.

Loose Screw Films
The name 'Loose Screw Films' seems to blend this balance of playful, memorable and psychological horror. It is not too serious, but also not too informal, as well as being a name that is reasonably memorable in my opinion. Accompanied with a logo helping to emphasise the name, this could be a possible contender for the name I eventually choose.

Silent House Productions
This name seems to also give that idea of playfulness and memorability; however, much like the first name, is far too blunt and obviously a production company that will specialise in the horror genre, something which I would far rather the audience figure out for themselves instead of being explicitly hinted at by the name of the production company themselves.

Progress Update - 11th February

Currently, I have finished my two print tasks (the film poster and my film magazine front cover). I believe that my final two versions are of a high quality, and suit the brief which I had chosen at the beginning of the task. The poster has a dark, empty and lonely feel, and also matches the style of the movie in regards to the theme put forward and the fonts used. The magazine deliberately does not include these conventions because typical magazines do not tend to follow the conventions of the products, and tend to adopt their own brand.

In my opinion, there may be a few minor improvements I could make to the poster, such as changing the positioning of the text, but this may or may not occur depending on how my thoughts change about it in the next few days.