Editing Software Research

During the filming of my trailer, I thought about what I would actually edit my trailer on. In order to choose a software, I thought about how accessible the software was and secondly how it would make my trailer to its best quality.

• Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a free of charge video editing software, part of the Windows Essentials package. It's simplistic, easy to use and you only need to drag and select what you wish to add in your video. It's easy to add musical soundtracks, captions and credits and processing the video is easy to follow and you can upload straight to YouTube. This software would be ideal but for a professional looking trailer, in turns of editing and special effects, may not be a the best software to use but I will consider it for cutting clips down.

• Sony Vegas

Sony Vegas is a paid programme for editing software that makes video editing (colour correction, etc) easier and would be excellent way to make my videos appear much more 'professional' looking simply through the colouring used. I have used it before in the past and makes trimming and editing videos much simpler and is something that I have considered a lot for editing my trailer.

• iMovie

iMovie is a free software for Apple products that allows you to edit, trim videos and additionally to follow templates to create a much realistic trailer for films. This is another software I have considered though only will be effective when editing and trimming and not for elements such as colouring and text effects.

• Adobe After Effects

Finally Adobe After Effects is a programme that is notorious for brilliant after editing effects. This will give me a chance to create sinister looking texts, though through watching tutorials on YouTube in order to understand how to do so. This will also add a lot of time in terms of editing but will be very effective to add to my trailer.

Based on this analysis, I now am able to think more about the different options I have in terms of the editing and overall look of my trailer. It will allow for me to be more creative when I consider which software I will use to edit.

Magazine Test Shots and Ideas

IDEAS

MAGAZINE MAIN IMAGE IDEAS

These are several images that include grunge/emo poses and holga effects that I hope to mirror in my film's promotional magazine. Firstly, I considered one of the characters having writing on their hands with something along the lines of 'help us' or 'when in darkness'. These grunge and emo style images all have interesting clothes and effects, such as a splatter paint effect and black and white colouring with high contrasts. Secondly, I also wanted to use a holga effect because it's a futuristic and createsa a distorted effect and will be interesting in terms of colouring.

TEST SHOT

Here are the test shots I created to test the pose I chose for the main image. I choose for Jessica to be acting as though she was crawling towards the camera with only one light lighting the photo. I conducted several shots in order to experiment with the lighting and also to see what the final image may look like.

Camera Filming Inspiration and Ideas

For the types of shot used, I wanted to be as creative as I could in my trailer. I wanted to find existing videos on YouTube that are creative with different types of shots. One vlogging channel that I watch regularly does this, the Michalaks. They are a family who vlog the weeks events in a range of beautiful and creative montages, using a wide range of camera shots, angels and colours, the music fits with the scenes perfectly and is going to be a huge inspiration for my trailer in turns of creativity.

I screenshot several shots from the video that I hope to also use in my trailer and use angles and movements similar. From the screenshots I created a mood board of my favourite images so to give a clear idea of the different shot types, angles and movements that I will use.

This type of shot was one I wanted to use in my trailer, where an actor is stood in front of a light (in this image it happens to be TV and I may recreate this, but with a more sinister video) with the model's back not facing the audience. I hope to use this in my trailer for my villain, it will enable for their identity to remain a mystery and to create a stylised, powerful image around the villain's unknown character.

This gif was not taken from the YouTube video, but the video
does use several time lapses to show time going by

I also hope to use a timelapse of either the school (as the sun sets and darkness fall) or of the town. Time lapse are effective and make time appear to go by much quicker and aesthetically they look a lot better than just speeding up the video.

This screenshot is clearly shot through a window pane. It makes the landscape appear much older, vintage and run down. I could use this type of shot, using a low angle, to perhaps show a character in a mysterious way.






Based on this analysis, I have considered and thought about what the camera angles and shot types will look like throughout my trailer. Additionally, it has also allowed for me to think about what these different angles and shot types mean, for instance, using a low angle to show a character will make them appear to be much more powerful and bigger, suggesting an important character who is above everyone else. It has made me think more thoroughly about the impression and feelings I wish to evoke from these angles and shots. 

The Different Types of Posters

For my poster I decided to firstly look into the different types of posters that film industries release their audiences.

Character Posters

Many films choose to showcase their character through a series of character poster, which contains an individual from said film. It may include the characters name (though for these Harry Potter posters, the characters are so well-known that names are not even needed). This is one of the ideas which I had for my own ancillary products, to make a poster for each of my characters in order to create a series of posters so to introduce my characters to my audience as characters are such a strong aspect to my film.

Teaser Poster

Teaser posters (sometimes known as an advance poster) is an early promotional poster for a film. It contains a very basic image or design which enables for hype and excitement to be built around the film without revealing much information, so to keep a mysterious element to the film. Teaser posters include a date at the bottom, a tagline which all tie in together to showcase elements of iconography. These posters often contain an iconography symbol associated to the film, for instance The Dark Knight teaser poster includes the Batman logo. This logo or symbol will also be included on any further posters, trailers and even once the film is distributed through to DVD.







Theatrical Poster

These types of posters are released near the the date of a films release and are showcased outside of cinemas. Theatrical posters are generally the main posters and give key aspects of the plot, characters, location and actors away. These are crucial posters to a films success for the films marketing companies.











Based on this research for the different types of posters, I will be focusing on creating each type of poster for my film. Though this will prove to be time consuming, it is so I will be able to create a certain hype and inform as many of my target audience as I can. These posters will be distributed throughout various social media sites as this is what my target audience uses on a day to day basis. Through using each of these poster types my media product will be have the opportunity to have as much marketing strategies as possible.

Auidence Research Questionnaire Results and Analysis

A few weeks ago I released a questionnaire via Google Forms which I sent out over social media and to friends and members of staff and received 50 responses. The results for this questionnaire are crucial to my product's micro and macro decisions and other aspects such as the title, what to include and what not to include, the characters and even what weapons will audiences be most affected by. Below is the results that I received from my questionnaire.

The results collected tell me that my target audience are both males and females, aged 16-25 and therefore mean that my characters (who are within this age bracket) are able to appeal to my audience and allows for my audience to empathise with the characters. These results also helps me greatly in what I will include within the trailer itself, for instance, the use of the needle as a weapon which is unconventional and many people do in fact fear needles. It also helped me in picking the title for my film 'When In Darkness' which I feel fits with firstly the genre and also provokes aspects of fear.

Overall, this analysis of my audience questionnaire will help me to shape and create a successful trailer in which my intended target audience will enjoy. I can refer back to my questionnaire results when justifying certain reasons for mise-en-scene and finally these results will be what ultimately what will make my trailer successful with my audience.

Representation Theories

Lacan – Psychoanalysis and ‘The Mirror’

Lacan's theory of 'identity' revolves around the idea of identity. Lacan considered the point in which a person develops a sense conscious and self-identity. He said that a child recognises their own reflection and think about how other perceive them, changing their own appearance to satisfy their perceptions of how others will perceive them. 

Mulvey extended this theory, she writes about 'the sliver screen' which she says is used almost like a metaphorical mirror that reflects back to the female consumer representations of the female identity, however these representations are not complete true reflections of the viewer but rather male idealised femininity ideologies.

Queer Theory – Judith Butler

This particular theory came from the field of Gender studies. The Queer theory suggests that male and/or female gender roles do not control our entire identity or even how we as society perceive others identities. Gender in particular, represented in broadcast Medias is fluid and flexible, depending on the context of said broadcast media. This theory was a way to combat and challenge negative representations of gay sexuality within the media and the idea that these people should be divided and categories due to their sexuality and in addition a person’s identity should not dwell upon their sexual preference. It allows for us to question just how the media represents homosexuals.

Subculture – Representation of Groups – Dick Hebdidge

 Dick Hebdidge stated that a subculture is a group of similar minded individuals who feel neglected by society's standards and whom develop a sense of identity which is different from the dominant ideologies and culture which they belong to.

Ken Gelder: 6 ways in which subculture can be recognised.

1. More than often have a negative relationship to work
2. Ambivalent relationship to class
3. Through their associations with territory
4. Their stylistic ties to excess
5. Through their movement out of domestic setting into non-domestic forms of belonging
6. Through their refusal to engage with what they might see as the 'banalities' of life.

Other ways of identifying a subculture may be through symbolism that is attached to clothes, music or visual aspects. Subcultural values often associated with being mainstream and 'trendy'.

Anthony Giddens – Traditionalist vs Post Traditionalist views of society

The media's representations of society can be viewed as either traditional or what is called post traditionalist. Traditional societies are ones where an individual choice is limited by its dominant traditions. Giddens states that we are living in a post traditional society where we are less concerned with patterns set by previous generations that our choices are only limited by what the public opinion allows.

Bell Hooks - Interconnectivity of race, class and gender

Bell (pen name Gloria Jean Watkins) focused upon the perpetuation of the system in terms of domination and oppression within the media and how it influences attention to the devaluation of black women. There is an apparent lack or otherness and how women and ethnic minorities tend to be represented as the 'other'. Their 'primary purpose' is simply to be outside of the norm (a CIS white male hero). Therefore, they are known more by the context of lack than by a complicated identity. This particular theory can in term be linked and associated to ideas of monstrous feminine (femme fatal) found within feminist analysis of literature and art.

Feminist Theory

livebooklet.com

Feminism is the belief that all women should have equal rights to males. The feminist movement therefore fights for equal opportunities and rights for women.

Notes on radical, Marxist, post-modernist feminism and the dual system theory

The Male Gaze Theory by Laura Mulvey

The theory of the Male Gaze was developed by the feminist, Laura Mulvey. She describes how the consumer of media products, is placed into a perspective of heterosexual males. Mulvey believes that women should be able enjoy the attracting of the gaze, and place themselves in positions to be looked at. She states that in film women are generally viewed as objects, rather than indiviuals, because of the camera work is created from assumptions that the majority of viewers are heterosexual males and therefore is the default target audience for most film genres seen in Hollywood.

John Berger

"Men look, women appear."

John Berger suggested that women are solely used for objectification within all platforms of media.

The Female Gaze?

In contrast to Mulvey's theory, Kaplan and Sliverman (1980) argued that the gaze could also be adopted by both male and female subjects: the male is not always the one in control nor is the female always the passive object. Teresa de Lauretis (1984) stated that the female consumer does not simply adopt a male position but is typically involved in a double-identification' with both the passive and active subject positions.

Narrative Theory of Equilibrium: Theory by Todorov

Narrative Theory of Equilibrium from alltimejas

Todorov's narrative theory simply states that most narratives will follow the same or a similar pattern through these five stages.

1. Equilibrium - This is the first part of the story will showcase a normal start, where characters are content with their lives and everything is as it should be.

2. A Disruption - This is where the problem occurs, something that disrupts the happiness.

3. Realisation - The part of the plot where characters realises that there is a problem and chaos ensues.

4. Restored Order - Characters (mainly the protagonist) attempts to fix and repair the damage that has occurred.

5. Equilibrium Once Again - This is the end of the plot where the problem is resolved and a similar but not at all identical equilibrium is restored.

The Simpsons Movie is an example that follows this narrative structure beginning to end. From the beginning where Homer and his family and shown going through their day-to-day life, to when Homer saves Springfield from devastating destruction, restoring equilibrium.

Stereotype Theory

Richard Dyer (1979) believed that stereotypes are always about power - that those with the most power choose to stereotype those with less power. Hence why he argued that there were more stand out stereotypes for gay men, non-white racial groups, working classes and women in society.

Medurst (1995) did suggest that stereotypes are seen as a type of 'media short-hand' which produces an easy point of contact when the product needs to communicate easily to their audience. Certain genres and mediums are more prone to the use of stereotypes, for instance, 'dumb blondes' are more likely to be shown in horror films (and then later killed off).

'Dumb blonde' Karen Smith from Mean Girls

These theories relate to my media product because of the large amount of stereotypes that appear in existing films. For instance the character Karen Smith from the 2004 teen comedy film Mean Girls. She is portrayed as extremely stupid and easily influenced by other members of the group the 'Plastics' and additionally her reputation is mainly promiscuous. Examples of her rather air-headed behaviour includes that she believes she is psychic as her breasts can tell when its raining and that she thought it was okay to kiss her cousin as she believed that a first-cousin was more distant than a cousin. In order to avoid using these stereotypes I will reversing these roles in order to make a more memorable film.

Encoding and Decoding: Theory by Stuart Hall

Stuart Hall researched into the role of audience positioning within media texts and products from the different social groups. Hall produced a theory that suggest three ways that consumers read and receive a media text.

Hall was interested in how much power that the media has, which included how the media will propagate certain social values in order to create dominant ideologies. He believes that the mass media creates and defines issues the public should concern with and also what they should be interested in through audience positioning.

Film Iconography Board

This is the iconography for my film, this gives a visual idea of the symbols and conventions which I have considered including within my main media product. I presented this in a mood board in order to make it look aesthetically pleasing and is a clear way of presenting these symbols and conventions. I have included the ideas of the characters which all have very different perspectives from one another. Also included are several objects that are often associated with school and others that are linked with both murder (a key theme within my thriller) and the gun and needle are weapons which I have also considered using.

Film Questionnaire

Embed above is the questionnaire for my horror/thriller film in which the data collected will enable me to build my target audience's profile. Additionally, based on the results (which I will collect in a week) will help to shape my trailer into what my audience like, what they feel builds suspense and will make it a successful trailer.

Target Audience - An Explanation

Below is a presentation I will be evaluating my target audience for the media product I will be creating. Demographics and a specific audience is a crucial aspect of appealing and relating to an audience. This post will determine what my audiences age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic, nationality and sexuality my target audience will be.

Aesthetic collage for my target audience 

For my target audience I created an aesthetic collage of my target audiences interests, their hobbies, what music they listen to and even what they love to eat.

Age

16 - 25 is the age group that my target audience consists of. I have chosen this particular age because the characters in my trailer will be of a similar, if not same, age this therefore allows for audiences to empathise with my protagonist and other characters.

An existing film whom target audience is similar is the 2015 supernatural horror film whose entire cast is made of teenagers in high school. Their target audience was primarily of this age also, since the film was centred around the idea of social media (which is something that young people use daily) is what made the film such an success - aiming successfully at the target audience. The film was given a 15+ age rating from the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) as the film contained strong language, strong violence, threat, sex, suicide theme.

Gender

New York Film Academy showcased Gender Inequality in film

My media product is aimed for both genders as both of these genders as firstly there is a equal divide between genders and would be appropriate for either gender to watch. My main character is a female, she is courageous and confidence, a heroine. My female protagonist appeals to both genders as males will enjoy the 'bad-ass' action that she will encounter and females will empathise with the female character and may choose her to idolise with,

Socio-Economic

Placing my audience into a C2 cateogry and below would be practical and reasonable though I believe that anyone from any of the socio-economic can watch the trailer/film but those from a much higher group (A and B audience) may not enjoy, understand nor relate to the film. This is due to those within this category enjoy much different films from those in lower groups.

Sexuality

My character, Billie White, is openly bisexual and will enable my film to represent a part of the LGBT+ community which is something that doesn't appear very often within films. In the film industry and media in general there is a clear lack of bisexual characters and this is an important element for my film as it generates a much larger appeal to audiences and will give my film a chance to challenge the conventions of character. It is also noted that when films do show bisexual characters, their sexuality tends to be the only aspect of their character. I will carefully represent the character of Billie White in order to showcase this community positively, focusing away from a stereotypical bisexual as study has found that stereotypes of bisexuals can prove to be harmful. These stereotypes include bisexuals being very promiscuous, or that they are simply confused and indecisive about their sexuality, Billie will remain far away from these stereotype conformities.  

I will be carefully aiming for my target audience by using specific characters, costumes, locations (school for example to appeal to teenagers) and the colours that I use. Through the use of these elements I will make my trailer a success by appealing to my target audience rightly.

Target Audience Analysis Of Existing Films

For a film to be received by its target audiences successfully,  many of its components must combine together in order to make it a success. This means that the plot, the characters, the cinematography and the messages within the film must mix together perfectly with its target audience in order for it to be received successfully by the consumer.

I selected three existing films that included many conventional thriller features and then went on the analyse a good and bad review from each and make comparisons between the two. What I discovered is that the positive and negatives in reviews tend to contradict one another through a matter of personal opinion and how the audience decodes the film but what consumers tended to pick up on through the negatives was a lack of depth in a plot and the connection that audiences have to their characters. What they found positive about a film tended to lean towards the feelings an audience experience during a film - the tension, the mystery and the thrill within the film itself.

Prom Night (2008)

Negative Review

Positive Review

Knock, Knock (2015)

Negative Review

Positive Review

Gone Girl (2014)

Negative Review

Positive Review

Based upon this analysis, I will think carefully about how the features within my film trailer will combine together in order to make it successful. I will try to introduce my stand-out character personalities effectively and communicate the plot so the themes are shown rightfully.

Justification of Research Methods

For my research into what my target audience thinks about thriller films I firstly looked into the advantages and disadvantages of the research types - focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. Embed below is a presentation showcasing the pros and cons of not only interviews and focus groups but also the advantages and disadvantages of qualitative and quantitative data.

The presentation also explains why I had chosen creating a questionnaire in order to collect my data, which was because questionnaires is very quick and easy to produce and also to receive its data, they allow for a large sample to complete it and the data is easy to generalise than an interview for instance.

Main Media Plot Development + Details of Whole Plot

 My initial idea of my media product was in fact a dystopia, where it warns audiences of the dangers of society and portrays a futurist, imagined universe where an oppressive society remains in control through a picturesque illusion of society. I considered this genre massively, as I harbour a strong love for literature and films set within a dystopian society, but I decided not to stay with the dystopian idea as I felt like I was constantly changing my mind on plot ideas and moral lessons.

 My second and final idea that I feel very strongly about and I feel has a interesting plot is a thriller film (which elements of horror). This will be set in a school setting, where five 17-18 year olds (sixth formers) are told to stay at school (during a storm) for engaging in a fight with one another. During their so called 'detention' the caretaker locks up and the power cuts out. One of them is murdered in the library when searching for power supplies. The remaining four must survive until sunrise to make it out alive. I favoured this idea as thriller trailers I believe are unique. They pull audiences in easily through the use of suspense, quick cuts, low-key lighting and character's facial expressions.

 Based upon this analysis, I have decided upon remaining with my idea for a thriller trailer as I will be able to include a wider range of techniques such as camera angles, movements, lighting, colour and In order to create a successful thriller trailer, I must include the conventions of a thriller which include a contrasting use of high-key and low-key lighting (to highlight how the antagonist affects the storyline), the use of quick cuts and focus on ways to create suspense in my trailer. I will endeavour to achieve this through the use of dramatic non-diegetic sounds and tie that music in with the editing transitions and focus on character expression.

Thriller Iconography Board

This is the iconography board for the thriller genre, it shows a visual on the conventions and objects that are commonly used and linked with thriller. These symbols and iconography enable for the genre to be recognisable. Iconography is important as it has a lot to do with the mise-en-scene. The physical objects and attributions within a scene of a certain genre give indicator to the audience into what may or may not happen and additionally create the story line and heightens feelings that audiences often feel when watching a thriller - fear, confusion and curiosity.

From this, I will be able to visualise what my film may look and feel like from this iconography board. I now have a more grasping understanding of what is generally more included and associated with the thriller genre of films. Finally, this will enable to communicate my genre through the symbols and objects included within my trailer.

Conventions of My Genre (Thriller)

Genre

 The genre that I have selected for my film is the heart racing genre of thriller. Thriller is considered to be a broad genre in literature, films and television and within thriller there are numerous and more than often overlapping sub-genres. Hitchcock stated that thrillers allow for its audiences to "put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like. Thriller is therefore a flexible genre that's more daring and made by independent companies, aimed at niche audiences and have much more freedom and creative control over their final product. Postmodernists encourage as flexible genres challenge the common conventions of a genre by mixing and using a wide range of characteristics and conventions that belong to different genres. For instance, many of thriller's conventions overlap that of the horror genre and will sometimes leave audiences confused as whether a film's genre is a thriller or a horror.

 In thriller, the plot generally revolves around a battle that takes place between the protagonist and the antagonist, when there is a disruption in the equilibrium. The story then showcases a chain of unfortunate and sometimes deadly events and endeavours to build tension and creating a suspenseful climax. The protagonist's aim is to restore justice within the story, where the antagonist will be determined to destroy it. The aim of a thriller film is to create excitement and suspense for its audiences.

Sub-Genres

Conventions

• Violence is a common convention of thriller, violence is typically communicated through the use of mise-en-scene in props such as weapons (guns, knifes, etc).
• Fast paced, frequent action and resourceful heroes who must defeat and overcome the plans of a dominant villain
• Suspense and cliffhangers are used heavily in thrillers.
• Villain driven plot, where villains will throw obstacles at the protagonist
• Plot twists that endeavour to shock and perhaps even disturb the audience
• Dramatic soundtrack to provoke audience's emotions
• Characters tend to follow Propp's character theory as it includes the hero, the villain, the princess, the dispatcher, the donor, the helper and the false hero.
• Dark colour scheme and low-key lighting to connote mystery and provoking thrill
• Isolation is considered a conventional theme of thrillers and often shows characters in vulnerable position

Mirrors

Mirrors are a typical convention of thriller films as they are a way for audiences to see the characters reflecting upon their inner self and shows clearly to audiences exactly what a character may be feeling through facial expression. Mirror also are considered to represent the darkness within certain characters. An example of this would be the film Mirrors.

Plot Twist

Plot twists are what drives and creates unease within thriller films, A plot twist surprise and confuses audiences and could perhaps led to a discovery of a false protagonist. This involves presenting a character in the beginning of the film as a trustworthy protagonist, but later on getting rid of said characters (usually killing them) this convention is also known as a red herring. An example includes from a 1999 supernatural thriller film The Sixth Sense where a child has a psychologist doctor (Bruce Willis) whom he talks to about seeing dead people. Throughout the entire film this doctor helps him but later the audience discovers that the doctor is in fact a dead person also.

Thriller Film Examples 

The Black Swan

 The 2010 Black Swan was a psychological thriller, directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film includes suspense, plot twists and low-key lighting in particularly scary and heart-racing scenes. Part of what makes this film so terrifying to its audience I believe is the use of the unreliable narrator. Typically in thriller films, we are introduced to a narrator or a character whom we place our trust into, but Nina remains unreliable to its audiences, making the audience fearful as they have nobody in the film whom they can rely on. A convention that the film follows heavily is the use of mirrors as much of the film is shown through mirrors. Within the film Nina's reflection in the mirror moves independently from her own, making the audience uneasy and questioning just who is the real Nina and who they can truly trust.

The Purge

  The 2013 The Purge was a fictional thriller/horror film that was directed by James DeMonaco. The film centres around the idea of all crime being legal, including murder, making the film more of a social science fiction. The Purge itself includes various conventions of thriller, and does so effectively despite receiving mixed reviews. Suspense, mystery and and curiosity and feelings that revolve around this film. The film manufactures these feelings and emotions through the mise-en-scene within thriller films the mise-en-scene is crucial for creating the setting, environment and characters within the film. For instance, at the very beginning of The Purge, the characters are shown going about their day to day lives, highlighting the normality and shows them within a happy and positive environment. This 'happiness' is shown to the consumers through the lighting which is high-key, bright and additionally through the characters facial expressions, where they are seen smiling, happy and laughing. The facial expressions are also used to showcase the relationship and interactions between characters before these events occur,

Analysis of 3 Ancillary Products (Film Magazine)

Analysis of 3 (Ancillary Product 2) from alltimejas

Based upon this analysis of film magazines, I will endeavour to follow the general codes and conventions of film magazine and how it promotes and advertises the film's on its front cover. These conventions include the masthead, the main image, coverlines, barcode (where the price, issue number and date are generally located) and I will also be aware of the mise-en-scene I placed on my front cover and the colour scheme that I select on the cover in order to make sure that it suits my film's genre to provoke a certain emotion to my consumers and potential readers.

Analysis of 3 Ancillary Products (Film Posters)

Analysis Of 3 Ancillary Products from alltimejas

Based upon this analysis, I will be sure to follow the general conventions of a film's poster including the film's title, main image, actors names and also a release date. Depending on which genre I choose I will be aware of the lighting I use in the image and in addition the colour scheme that I include in features such as the text and title on my poster. I will also manipulate my images to make them more realistic to provoke the consumer to feel empathy and also enable my poster to stand out from any other competing ones.