My Black Card

Making the black card gave me a chance and a small exercise to remind myself of how to use Photoshop and a few of the basics I learnt last year.

To make the black card I first of all had to open a new Photoshop document and format the size to fit my trailer. I used the fill tool to make my background black I then reminded myself of how to inset and format text. And how to insert and resize images like the 15 certificate by opening them up in a separate Photoshop window and dragging them across and organising the layers.

I had to get an existing black card from Google images to get the signatures of the director and president of the BBFC for my black. I cropped the signatures on a separate document and dragged them onto my black card.

Flat Plans

Here is the flat plan for my magazine I used a red, green and a black colour scheme. The title of the magazine is red following the colour conventions of my the Pied Piper and fuelling the brand identity it is also an eye-catching and the big bold font reinforces that.

 

I kept a lot of the font simple and refrained from using too many horror themed fonts so that my magazine is easily readable as well as appearing more professional. I only really used a horror style font on the sell line across the top of the page to signify that the magazine is a horror special; the font style illustrates the content of the magazine. I chose to use green because I felt using all red would have been dull and using green catches the readers eye to the theme and  the selling point of the magazine; the green signifies the gruesomeness of the font and the genre.

 

I used similar fonts for the other sell lines and my film titles name except for the P's in pied piper which deliberately are different. I think this will draw audiences towards the film which is my primary objective. I got this idea from when researching Scream 4 seeing they had deliberately made the 4 in the film title to look like a blade connoting the murderous persona of the slasher and the horror genre. It also emphasises to the audience that it is the 4th film; something newer and fresher than the previous giving the film a unique selling point.

 

 

 

For the image I took inspiration from the Kirk Star Trek cover. Looking at this image I felt that the character of Kirk looked ruthless and powerful this is what I wanted to illustrate for my antagonist.

 

I decide to disguise my character identity more than Kirk by using shadows to make him look a more uneasy dangerous character connoting mystery surrounding him by only revealing only fragments of his face in comparison like his eyes, nose and scares leaving audiences wanting to discover more about the character. The cuts signify pain in the film.

 

His eye line is high in the frame of the poster signifying his power and I wanted my character to be staring into the eyes of the audiences looking at intimidating like he is hypnotising them. Inside the eye I used an image of the victim to suggest all he can feel is hate and revenge and suggest he is about to strike which links onto my poster this illustrates continuity.

 

 

 

 For my poster as you can see it leads on from the image on the magazine of what the pied piper can see. For the poster I have again used red as the colour to reflect the professionalism of the movie and present continuity I have used the same type of font again with the P's again standing out as sharper.

 

 I have used the phrase "have you paid the piper" which I plan to use on the trailer as well as the poster to repeatedly reinforce the phrase so the film is engraved into the audiences head I got this idea from the repetition of the phrase man of steel when researching marketing campaigns for the 2013 superman reboot.

 

The You is highlighted in black to directly enforce each individual to watch the film and to create a sense of a relationship between audiences and characters. I also highlighted Piper so audiences immediately recognise him as the antagonist.

 

 

 

 

As you can see I took inspiration for my posters from the films below modern and traditional. Like both of these I plan to have the text of all the production, director etc. at the bottom. Like the tall man I may use the name of the lead actress written across the poster as a main selling point of the film.

 

The image is the brunette victim a traditional convention of the horror genre. And she is in great distress illustrated by the cuts and blood on her face. She has a hand over her face with her mouth wide open connoting she is terrified and screaming; I took this inspiration from the Scream having a woman on the poster of the film can also used as a sexual icon to attract a greater number of male audiences to my film.  Her face is also pale suggesting she could be becoming possessed

 

The background on my flat is quite bare so I plan to either  use rats a traditional convention in the pied piper or smoke or the antagonist himself lurking behind the victim as seen in the Tall Man to make my poster more frightening, exciting and appealing to my audiences.  

 

 Reflection and Summary

 

For the magazine I am going to have the antagonist eye line high in the frame looking dominant and looking down at the reader to signify his authority. Following looking at the Star Trek cover I want to cast a shadow across my antagonist to create mystery and connote he is dark character and is a dodgy character who lurks in the shadows. I will do this by using the facilities in the studio when I do my shoot to manipulate the lighting. Also my looking at the total film cover my cover will also feature a colour scheme dominated by red because I believe it looks sharp however instead of using grey I will use black to signify the darker genre of horror to sci fi I will also have my sell lines along the side of the image and the mast head above as I believe it looks professional to do so.

 

For the poster after looking at the scream poster I want a similar pose looking shocked like something is about to happen or connoting the antagonist is behind her creating excitement around the trailer. I now want my poster to be in black and white and to look traditional I will try and use Photoshop to make the eyes stand out as well because I believe they express a lot of emotions and will draw audiences towards them. In my flat plans she is made to look lost with the wide open framing however I like the tight framing in the Scream poster rather than the Tall Man because you see more expressions of the victim.

Recce Of Locations

To film at the train station I will have for permission from the staff there. The hazard of getting hit by a train is very obvious but also extremely unlikely to eliminate the risk we will not go beyond the yellow lines on the platform. 

I decided to use the train station because I want to film a train flying past to create fast pace of the trailer. Northallerton has just two platform and they are positioned opposite I may use this to my advantage and have the antagonist stood on the opposite side of the station then disappear after the train has passed to create suspense. 

There are also hazard signs and bright red lights all around the station I plan to film to signify the danger of the pied pipers presence. Although no one mentioned train station as a location for a horror I believe it will signify that this a modern adaptation of the pied piper. 

There is no real risks of filming at a church the church is still used today and the architecture will be secure. The only risk will be the traffic in the high street therefore we will reduced the risk by being careful when crossing the road and looking left and right. 

Churches and graveyards were mentioned in my primary research. I plan to film the bell of the church tower when it strikes on the hour as I have found when researching horrors that rhythm creates a huge amount of tension. The church symbolises religion and ties in with how pied piper symbolises the devil.

The risk in the park is the late night filming as you can get drunk people staggering around the park and night and it can be quite isolated at night. Luckily when I will be filming it will be getting dark around 5 and it will be safe to film in the dark.

For the park I wish to create some shots of the park abandoned with the swings and roundabout moving on there own to suggest that it is haunted and later add the voices of children whispering to make my trailer creepy. Doing this recce I have noticed the trees in this picture would also be great shots as they symbolise death because all the leaves will have fallen in autumn. 

I have chosen to use this alley leading on to the park, it is not isolated as it is off the main road as well as being next to county hall and the train station. The only risk I could think of is tripping over and grazing a knee. To reduce this risk my actor and actress will have to be cautious when running for rocks sticking out etc. The location is not isolated but I can make it look isolated on screen and this will signify the antagonist closing in and getting closer to the kill. 

All the locations are in Northallerton and are in 5 - 15 minuets in walking distance of my house making them easily accessible to get additional footage I may film in my house or in the street. For the street I will just have to watch the road though the estate is very safe in terms of people driving. 

In my house there are more risks that are more difficult to identify than the other locations like any other house. The obvious risks will be eliminated like overloading sockets and checking for cracked sockets; the fire alarm in the house will prevent the risk of a fire. House were the most popular choice of locations for horror although it does not really tie in with my narrative however I will bear it in mind for an additional option.

The green cross on the map is my house the red crosses are the other locations I plan to use in my tralier.

Fairytale Adaptations

Throughout my research I have looked at horror texts and my idea for my film is going to be based on the fairytale the pied piper with a horror twist

The fairy tale of the pied piper of Hamelin is about a rat infestation in a town and a piper is hired to lure the rats out the town with the promise of gold. He did this using his magic pipe, often a flute and drowned the rates in the river Weser. When the citizenry refused to pay for disposing of the rats he turned his magic on the children. There are alternate endings to the story, a darker one being he lead the children into the river Weser drowning the children just as he did with the rats.

A pied piper horror to my knowledge has never been done before so this would give my product a unique selling point. To make it my own I would make a modern adaptation of the Pied Piper. I would use the rats as iconic element as a lot of people have fears and phobias of rats. Instead of using children I would use late teenager or students so that my film exemplifies the major target audience of 15-24. Taking the magic of the flute from the legend the flute could either be a murderous weapon the modern day Piper uses to slash his victims. An alternative is the magic of the flute possesses it's victims or even both.

Examples of fairy tale adaptations in modern film include fantasy and adventure, Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kirsten Stewart. And more relevant 2011 horror fantasy Red riding starring Amanda Seyfreid.

The adaptation of Red riding hood from fairy tale to thriller is constructed through the themes of the trailer. The mysterious music opening the trailer signifies that this is not your stereotypical children's fairytale. The narrative immediately introduces problems and tragedy with a happy ending to this story looking extremely uncertain.

The mystery surrounding the film is who is the wolf in the village? A twist on the original as this wolf has a human form this creates realism and connotes the supernatural horror genre of the transformation into a supernatural beast, murdering village folk. The wolf growl is a warning to the audiences; it is heightened and in asynchronous and is at the start and end of the trailer to connote the wolf is surrounding the audience and has us trapped.

The frothing red smoke intoxicating the inter titles signifies the blood and death in the trailer. There is evidence of pathetic fallacy the weather creates the mood in the trailer. The fog connotes a bleak outlook for the future of the weather and the snow connotes the cold cruel reality of the deaths.

Rhythm in the trailer such as the asynchronous sound of the wood cutter chopping signifies the horror genre because we can feel the tension building. The close up of the main characters reveals fear in their eyes and the tight framing suggests they are trapped.

A final reason why we can tell this is a fairy tale adaptation to horror is through the costume and props, the red hood that Amanda Seyfried wears keeps her identity hidden from other characters to suggest she is hiding and fearful of something whilst following the original conventions of red riding hood. The red connotes passion, love, blood and evil all the themes in the film. The torches in the trailer are suggested as weaponry and signify the villagers are under threat and must arm themselves to survive.

Costume and Props

Victims 

My victims will wear stereotypical student clothes like skinny jeans, hoodies and t-shirts from high street shops such as Topman, Topshop as this were the target audience of my film are known to shop. My victims that I cast will already own these costumes as they wear them on a regular basis this will emphasise the realism off the film.

However the victims will wear darker or faded colours than usual to follow conventions of the horror genre and signify the misery mood and darkness the victims are faced with in the trailer. Bright colours for example would be used in a romantic comedy and would take the seriousness out of the horror.

If I wanted to rip the clothes or cover them in dirt to connote the desperation and suffering of the victims I wouldn't use expensive clothes from Topshop etc.. I would ask my cast to wear old scruffy clothes or buy cheaper clothes from Primark, Tesco's or go to a charity shop. An alternative option is for my victims to wear white school shirts to make the characters seem younger and to emphasise the mystery of the horror is based around students.

These are the types of clothes my victims could wear:

If I decide in the trailer I want to have my victims possessed they will wear pale white makeup and fake blood. I will buy these from fancy dress shops or as I am likely to be filming in October with Halloween coming obtaining costume should come easy. The victims will also back comb there hair this signifies the struggle and detrition of the victims' physical body as they're mental capacities are being taken over.  

Here is a picture of me last year wearing makeup last Halloween as the Joker:

Antagonist

My antagonist is the Pied Piper. The Pied Piper is a symbol of the children's death by plague or catastrophe; here is a traditional/historical picture of him:

Obviously I couldn't replicate the costume worn then, it is outdated, comical and wouldn't be taken seriously as a horror. The joker for example moved away from the traditional harlequin/jouster look seen on a set of cards to wearing suits. This connotes his authority making him Batman's greatest nemesis over the decades and the most feared villain in Gotham.

Therefore I will take elements of the pied pipers traditional costume such as the long pointed shoes, today these could be formal shoes and this would signify status and power over the victims costume.

The earliest references to the Pied Piper describe him as a child abductor dressed in multicolour clothing however he is traditional represented wearing red often a cloak or tights. I will take inspiration this and red will be a key part of the Pied Pipers costume in creating a brand identity.

I could dress the modern Piper in a red hoody for instance with a long coat and black skinny jeans. Although in the trailer the Pipers clothing won't be shown in whole I will only reveal segments of the costume in a range of shots e.g. a pan up of the pipers' cloak or jacket this signifies the mystery around the antagonist, building suspense and excitement.

A key prop in the pied piper is the flute. On my posters I wish to manipulate the flute using Photoshop to hint the flute is a murderous weapon he uses to torture his victims. This idea came from seeing the Scream 4 poster in my research. On the poster of Scream 4 the chin of the mask was deliberately sharp and shiny to look like a blade. I also plan to use the flute as creepy asynchronous music through the trailer.

Here are some pictures of me trying on some of the costume the antagonist would wear:

Idea Generation

This is me talking about my idea for my film and my idea for the trailer





Here is a spider diagram of my trailer marking off the key narrative points. The numbers signify the sequence order of the trailer.

 

Primary Audience Questions

Here are the questions I used to create a survey on http://freeonlinesurveys.com/ 

1. What is your favorite horror film? What is it you about it you like? 
2. What frightens you in a horror if anything and why? 
3. What would you expect to happen in a horror (themes)?
4. What draws you into going to see a horror film?
5. What kind of locations would you expect to see in a horror film?
6. What would you expect the antagonist to look like? 
7. Should the antagonist be male or female?
8. If you could make a horror film what would it be about?
9. What colors would expect to see on a Horror Print (Poster or Magazine)?
10. Would you prefer the antagonist or the protagonist (victim) on the film prints? 

I then posted a link to the survey to my Facebook and Twitter accounts. The people who answered my questionnaire will be around my age and in the target audience of 15-24.

After a day I received 15 responses, here are some of the results: 

My audience gave mix responses to what draws them into going to see a horror. They include the reviews to entice people through my trailer I could use inter titles for example saying "breath-taking" the daily mail. I could do the same on the prints, on my poster I could quote my magazine saying "terrifying." creating synergy between the two.

Others were persuaded into horror by their friends so to take advantage I will use social networking links and logos on my products so the word spreads allowing the audience to expand and grow. Other opinions included originality so I must illustrate a strong unique selling point in my product. Emotion and story line I must take great care into writing my narrative that it is interesting I will do this by asking people as I plan what they think of it.   

11 of the 15 audience member mentioned the location should be abandoned. Houses were the most common location mentioned although haunted houses were mentioned they would be hard to come by as I would have to use a large old country house which I do not have at my disposal and would be impractical trying to get my cast up and down there. For a house I could use my own this would be simplistic option or a friends house depending which would be best to portray conventions of horrors.

 Another location I could use is streets and alleyways as they are easy to come by and I could film at night when not many people would be about creating dark moods and the sense of complete isolation. Graveyards and the woods were mentioned, which I could use to for a few of the shots e.g. zooming in a grave stones to signify death and to create suspense. Although I would probably not use them for the whole the narrative as it would make my trailer look too cliche.

My audience showed an overwhelming preference for a male antagonist; 80 per cent voting for a male antagonist aside 20 per cent opting for a male antagonist. This may be because males are seen as more threatening and dangerous because of their masculinity. I agree with the choice of my audience and for my film I plan to use a male antagonist.

Together the audience research paints the picture of a tall, skinny, dark haired but pale man . Other descriptions included long hair and facial hair to make him look scruffy and rugged signifying a dodgy looking character who you would avoid at all cost if you saw him on the streets as he looks psychologically unstable. I would have to find a male aged 15-24 that fitted the first criteria and create the second criteria through costume and makeup.

What was interesting as with most antagonist in horrors they have masks yet there was only one mention of a mask perhaps has it been multi choice more people would of vouched for a masked antagonist. Although maybe the audience want to feel a connection with the antagonist as well as the victims. Although the audience agrees the antagonist should be mysterious therefore I am unlikely to show his face in no more than 3 shots I am likely to show a glimpse of the antagonist face at the end of the trailer to climax the tension and draw audiences into the film.

The most popular color choice was black, the audience preferred dark colors to signify the evil and mystery surrounding the film. An alternate choice I could use is blue which would go against the stereotypical horror conventions and would give my horror I unique selling point. However I my theme is most likely to centered around red as I believe it is the most eye-catching color. Red was the second most popular and it connotes the blood and gore I want to connote in my film.  

I dismissed the results saying both as I want my prints to be simplistic and bold rather than cluttering the page trying to cram two character in between sell lines. If I redid the survey I would have this question as a closed multi choice answer. As a result I can only distinguish 7 people said they would prefer the antagonist on the prints in comparison than the 3 who said protagonist. The rest were undecided. Therefore I am likely to use the antagonist for my prints because as my audience said the distinctiveness of the antagonist is more enticing than a victim who is an everyday young female.