Final Designs for Advertising/Promotional Campaign

Film Poster



Film Magazine Front Cover

Draft designs for Advertising/Promotional Campaign

Film Poster-

Film Magazine-

Music for Trailer

Choosing music for our trailer proved to be one of the most difficult tasks for various reasons. We considered a lot of different artists and soundtracks from different horror films but the majority didn't fit in with the style of our trailer. We decided to use the soundtrack from The Grudge but after completing the editing of our video our group decided that the soundtrack made the trailer look like it was advertising a fantasy film rather than our intended genre 'psychological horror'. After each member of our group spent many hours researching into typical creepy and eerie soundtracks I finally came across the below link and shared it with the rest of the group. We all agreed that this was the best fit sound track to our trailer.

Venue Permission

Most of the locations we filmed at where public places therefore did not require permission to be film at.
However the following locations were privately owned so required permission;
-Costa Coffee


-The House we used
The House we decided to use was a member of our groups so permission was given by her parents (the owners of the location) for us to film at.

As a group we felt that permission needed to be required from the church governers in order for us to film in the graveyard. As St Andrews Church is only open at certian times of the day we decided that the best way to contact the governers would be via email. Below is the email sent from a member of our group.

Costume Lists

As our film was based on real life- costumes had to be kept realistic. We made both actresses aware of what we required them to wear before filming. The costumes included...

Victoria Francis’ Costumes

Café -Casual Clothing
Train Station -Casual Clothing
Inside the house -Casual Clothing
Outside the house -Casual Clothing
Graveyard -Funeral Wear
Alleyway -Casual Clothing

Hannah Hobson’s Costume

Graveyard Scene -Formal Wear

We also made the main character(Victoria Francis) aware that she would need to wear the same outfit on the different days we split the same scene over. This was so that the scenes would look like they were filmed all together. Also if she was to wear different outfits then the Scene/Filming would not look realistic.

Actual Production Schedule & Daily Planning Sheets

Below is a copy of our actual production schedule. We found it hard to stick to the exact dates and times as a group due to different members of the group being unable to attend for varies reasons. I was only able to attend one of the filming days due to the fact I was on work experience in Stafford for the October Holidays(the only time the rest of the group could get to together)so they filmed a lot of footage without me. However I filmed the majority of the main graveyard scene and also managed to film smaller clips when possible such as the 'knife in the picture' clip you will see later in the trailer. I also made sure my opinion was gave when deciding which of the clips to use from the footage filmed by the rest of my group.
Because of this we had to create a new production schedule showing what members of the group attended what filming sessions.




Below is the daily planning sheet- showing what happened at each day of filming.

Actor List

The main character in our film trailer was Victoria Francis. We used Victoria as she had a lot of acting experience and was a member of LIPA. As Victoria was the main character she was featured in all scenes; Train Station, cafe scene, graveyard Scene, outside the house scene, inside the house scene and the alleyway scene.


The second actress in our film was Hannah Hobson. Hannah also had acting experience and had took part in several school productions. Hannah was only featured in the graveyard scene acting as a Solicitor.

Prop Lists

Below are all the props that we used during filming the Costa Coffee Scene. We used the following props as mise en scene; A knife, Costa Cup & Saucer & a photograph. We also used the following props to film this scene; Camera & video camera.


Below are all the props we used during filming the Graveyard Scenes. We used the following props as mise en scene; A key & 2 gravestones. We also used the following props to film this scene; Camera & video camera.


Below are all the props we used during filming scenes inside the house. We used the following props as mise en scene; A photograph, mirror, shower curtain, chest of drawers and an old style telephone(as we needed a telephone with a cord attached to it).



We also used the video camera and camera to film smaller scenes in our trailer such as the alleyway scene.

Planned Production Schedule

After creating the storyboard we could see that there where 4 main locations we needed to film at. As a group we came up with 4 tasks that would need to be completed during the production /filming. Using these 4 locations and 4 tasks we designed a production schedule which will have allowed us to all have an equal chance at doing all 4 tasks in all 4 of the main locations. If we stick with the production schedule, filming will be easier to organise and it will save us a lot of time. Below is the designed production schedule in which you can clearly see we have all allocated ourselves different colours in order for us to see which tasks we will complete in which locations.



We also designed a timetable of when we plan to film our project. The timetable shows dates and times so we all have an idea of when we need to film.

Story Board

We designed the below story board to plan our film trailer. By doing this we are able to plan and find out several things required for out trailer to be successful. These include; which locations we need to use, what type of actor/actress will be needed, what props will be needed and what shot types we will need to use. If we stick to this story board throughout the process of filming then our project will be made easier to film and edit as we know what needs to happen.

Location

As a group we decided on several locations to shoot our A Level Media Coursework at. One of which was St Andrews Church in Maghull. This was an ideal location as it coincided perfectly with our chosen film genre 'Psychological Horror'by having a dark and mysterious atmosphere.
In order to be legally allowed to film in this location we required permission from the Church Parish. A member from our group sent an email to the Vicar of the church explaining what the reason we needed to film there was. He responded to the email and gave us permission to film in and around the church.

Here are a few images I took before and during shooting in the graveyard of St Andrews Church...
A wide shot from above -showing the first scene which will be used on our film trailer.

A medium close up of 2 graves- We used these 2 gravestones as they were really old, therefore we cannot offend anyone by using this image. They are also identical, which acted as realistic gravestones of the relatives graves that the main character in our trailer recently lost.


We also used the following locations;
-Maghull Train Station.
-Costa Coffee in Ormskirk.
-Lauren Talbots house in Maghull.

We chose these locations as they had perfect mise en scene needed to film our trailer. When deciding on which member of the groups house we would use to film at, it became apparent that Lauren Talbots house had a better layout which would make it easier to film our 'inside the house' shots. Including the scene in which the main character is dragged down a corridor- Lauren had a long hall for us to do this in. She also had a wider bathroom enabling us to capture the perfect angle during this scene. Below are some pictures of inside of the house we used.

Horror Film Questionnaire-Research

I have created a questionnaire to help me decide whether our group decision of creating a psycological horror film for our A Level Media project is right. I would be extremely grateful if you could fill it in. You can access it here.
Thanks :)

Psychological Horror Research- The Grudge film posters

The Grudge 1- released in on 2004.


The Grudge 2- released in 2006.


The Grudge 3- released in 2009.

Psychological Horror Research- The Grudge film trailers

2004-The Grudge 1.
The film trailer below clearly portrays the previous idea of psychological horror as it clearly shows character fears, guilt and beliefs. It uses eerie sound effects relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot. This film trailer is an example of a classic film trailer. It shows quick cuts and clips from the film without giving too much away, but also at the same time it gives away enough information for the audience to want to watch the full film- the whole purpose of advertising.


2006- The grudge 2.
The film trailer below is similar to the previous 2004 trailer for 'The Grudge' in that it clearly portrays the idea of psychological horror and that is a good example of an advertising film trailer. It also uses the same text style, that of which is a dark colour scheme, representing darkness and death. It uses similar types of background sounds and similar camera angles, which allows the audience to associate the second trailer to the first. The constant flashing of dark and light colours in both trailers puts the audience 'on the edge of their seat' wondering what is going to happen next.


2009- The grudge 3.
This film trailer differs from the first two. In that the main focus of this trailer is the voice over and the actual sound from the film ,rather than the eerie music. However the eerie sound effects are still played in the background to increase the audiences suspense. This trailer shows what has happened in the past 2 films and then shows what is going to happen in the 3rd. Linking them all together so the audience can see the connection between them. Throughout all 3 trailers, the characters are portrayed as vulnerable showing that the villan/evil force has a lot of control over them.

Our chosen genre

Within our group we have decided to create a psycological horror film trailer. Our target audience for the trailer is both genders aged 15+ as our film trailer will be rated 15.

Psychological horrors are subgenres of horror fiction that rely on character fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot.
The object of horror does not look like a monstrous other, but rather a normal human being, whose horrific identity is often not revealed until well into the work, or even at the very end.

Other films within the psycological genre include; The Grudge, The Shining & The Tenant.

Golden Trailer Awards

The Golden Trailer Awards is an awards show which occurs in the May of each year, awarding achievements in Motion Picture Marketing.
Awards are given out to trailers, film posters and television advertisements. There are many different awards given some of which include...


Best In Show
Best Action
Best Comedy
Best Documentry
Best Music
Best Thriller poster
Most Original





"Movie trailers play an increasingly important role in entertaining us and helping us determine where to spend our leisure time. The best trailers are works of art in their own right, expertly blending elements of cinema and advertising.


Each year through an open competition judged by film industry notables, the Golden Trailer Awards recognize the creative people who make movie trailers, and the best examples of their unique art, in a gala award show.


The Golden Trailer Awards is the awards show devoted to feature film previews. Since moviegoers consistently rate movie trailers as the most entertaining part of the theater experience, the Golden Trailer Awards celebrates the craftsmanship and allure of these potent mini-epics with a fast-paced show whose frenetic and sometimes irreverent style is perfect for the post-MTV era.


Taking only 90 minutes to roll through 16 categories ranging from Best Drama to the Golden Fleece, the Golden Trailer Awards is as diverse and exciting as the art form to which it pays homage."- goldentrailerawards.com

History of Trailers

The first film trailers produced were in the early 1910's. Film trailers have developed in a variety of ways since then.
Gold Rush was a film brought out in 1925. It was directed by Charles Chaplin and featured Charlie Chaplin as the main character.
After watching the trailer above you can clearly see that within the short amount of time it is shown for, it's main focus is the main character. It shows one clip of him being comical, clearly stating this film is a comedy. All sound is cut out and a composition of music is played over the top. The main advancement since this film was released is the addition of colour.
"Becky Sharp" was the first film to be released in 3-strip technicolour. This trailer was produced along side the film in 1935.

After watching the trailer above you can also see that the total time of the film trailer has increased. When film trailers were first brought out they were short promotional films which lasted under a minute whereas this trailer is aslmost 3 times as long as the first film trailer ever made, allowing more time for the audience to view a preview from the film.
A futher development to film trailers is quick cut editing. Today companies such as the Cimarron Group lead the trailer inudstry using mainly quick cut editing for films such as 'Twilight'. In the below trailer of 'Twilight' you can see clear examples of quick cut editing used for effect to show key characters and events within the film.

Shutter Island Marketing Campaign-Trailer Analysis

Above is the trailer for the film 'Shutter Island'. It uses a variety of shots, the most common at the start of the trailer being extreme long shots to set the scene of which is the island and the boat sailing towards it. Long shots are used to portray different characters within 'shutter island' so the audience get an overall view of what kind of people stay there. Close ups and extreme close ups are used to show the characters facial expressions during different situations.
A variety of camera movements are also used. Tilts are used to show characters faces and the object infront of them. Allowing the audience to see what is going on. A zoom lense is used at the start of the trailer to zoom in through the gates as they open, giving the audience the same feeling as the character entering.
Throughout the trailer the main character 'Leonardo DiCaprio' is shown persistently to enhance the importance of his role.
The use of sound puts the audience on edge as to what is happening. For instance the beat increases speed or pitch during particular moments increasing the audiences heart rate and putting them on edge which is exactly what a thriller trailer aims to do.

Shutter Island Marketing Campaign-Total Film Front Cover Analysis

Shutter Island Marketing Campaign- Film Poster Analysis

Brief Description of coursework

I recently recieved the brief for my A2 Media coursework from 'L31 Productions'. The main task they wish for me to carry out is to aid the marketing of a new film which will be released in November 2010 which will conincide with Winter and Christmas.
Within this proejct I must produce:
-either 2 trailers of 60 seconds length or one trailer of 120 seconds
-a film magazine and a poster to show how the film can be marketed

All of the above need to be linked in some way to show a synergy of a product. The trailer I produce will be viewed by an audience therefore it needs to be of a high quality. I must also consider the selection of mise-en-scene, actor, sound, props and editing.

Throughout my project I will post regular up to date blogs so I or anyone can track my progress.