Casting Shots

Initial Ideas For The Title

We thought a mind map would be a good way to jot down all our ideas and work off them etc. after a lot of deliberation, we came up with using an anagram. This would make it more interesting but also give a meaning to it. We tried out a lot of different names and swapping the letters around etc until we finally came to TALBUR MANOR, which when you re arrange the first word, it spells BRUTAL which fits in exactly with our trailer/film.

Initial Storyboard

This is the initial storyboard for our trailer, which could help us see the order in which all the events happen and maybe what aspects we need to improve on. We have already analysed this and realised there are certain areas where we need to add more detail.

Sorting Out Shots

We put together a rough draft of all the different shots we want to use in our trailer and to try and make sure there is a good variety of them. This was to try and make our piece as professional as possible and to work and timings.

Shooting Schedule

We decided to plan ourselves a shooting schedule so we could clearly see what sections we needed to film on what days, so we could keep on task and finish the project on time.

Weekly Updates

WEEK 1-
This week is the first week of our production process, it has been successful in the ideas that have bee raised as well as location talks and casting shots.We have completed our target audiences and influences as we have looked at different trailers in depth, to get an understanding of what is effective and would make the trailer more appealing and making the audience wanting more.The casting of characters have been made, and the background of their lives as well as of the film.We have completed our questionnaires, the next thing is too look at our results and to see which aspects are most popular. The next part to complete is our storyboard and fixing in place what comes next.
The process is going well so far and we are on task!

WEEK 2-
Over the past week, we have fully updated with our schedule, draft of a storyboard, casting shots, synopsis along with carrying out the questionnaire and analysing the results. At the beginning of the week, we were going to attempt to start filming the first couple of shots but due to a member of our group being ill, we are now going begin filming on Monday 28th September. During the week, we also went to some of our locations to see we could see how everything will work.

WEEK 3-4
On monday 5th of October, we were planning to re-film our trailer and make improvements to the opening section, however due to bad weather conditions that would affect the mood and atmosphere of the trailer, as well as an absence within the group we have had to postpone are filming session until the following day, Tuesday the 6th of October.
Therefore continuation of our blog is in process as well as more improvements and ideas our being suggested.
As for the filming session we carried out last Monday 28th September, we felt the filming session went well, and shot the trailer how we had visualize, we shot it a few times to enable us of timing and shot angles, however when looking back on the filming session we saw many problems of the trailer, for example we needed different angle shots, for it to give you an understanding of the settings as well as the full view of what's happening. We also thought it looked a bit staged and to well rehearsed, therefore looking fake and unrealistic not what we intended for the film.
Looking at these criticisms we have made it enables us to go back and film again and making those improvements we want to change, for our piece to look more professional and what we intended.

Questionnaire

As part of our research, we decided to carry out a questionnaire on twenty different people, ranging in ages from eleven to twenty. We felt that this was a representative sample and therefore would give us a valid set of results. We asked standard questions to do with horror films just so we could get an idea of what aspects to include in our trailer and what people want to watch.

When we gave or questionnaires out the majority of people asked were between the ages of 17-19, however this is alright because most people in this age range are between 17 and 19. The most popular results for question 2 was blood, screaming, suspense and disorientation. The 3rd question was would you want much of the trailer to be given away? And everyone said no to this. In answer to question 4, everyone said yes to it being fast paced. In terms of question 5 the most popular results were eery, creepy, high pitched and nursery rhymes that have a different twist to them. Most people said that they would want a voice over in the trailer, in answer to question 6 and that they would want the characters to be doing the voice over, which was the last question. This has helped us a lot in deciding what features we want to include in our trailer and different ideas have come up that we hadn't thought of initially.

Synopsis

Car+Girls+Roadtrip....

As four girls hit the road for the summer of their lives, little did they know it would be their last. The film follows the unexpected happenings of Amy, Beth, Zoe and... Serena. The joyous laughs of the teenage girls are short lived as they approach Talbur Manor where a sudden flashback unravels a series of unfortunate consequences. One of the girls has a sudden flashback from her not so distant past. As they events begin to unroll Serena gathers distorted images which eventually reveal a male figure. With fear and anziety running high, the girls do everything they can to escape the viscious acts of the mstery man. But little did they know that the real offender was a lot closer to home....

=BRUTAL

Target audience and Influences

From planning our production, we have concluded that our target audience should range from the age of 15 to 30, as our storyline for our film would be most appropriate for a 15 certificate. This chosen certificate is down to the fact that the content of the trailer includes horrific aspects and flashing images that could be disturbing for a younger audience.

We have decided to range the age up to 30 as viewers over this age, may not take an interest in the young aspects of the trailer. Also, because the characters of the film are of a younger generation, we feel that the younger audience will be able to relate to it better and get more involved in it.

Part of the film is based on a group of female friends going on holiday together so have therefore decide our trailer is suitable for both male and female viewers, however we have touched upon the idea that females are more prone to fear and anxiety. Males, on the other hand are more interested in the thrill factor. This is reflected on our decision to cast only female friends as the main characters in order to give a sense of vulnerability.

In terms of influences for our production, we have watched a number of trailers of existing films which we feel are similar to the production we intend to make.

The first trailer we watched was Bruno. Even though this is far from a horror film, there were certain aspects we felt we could use/work with. The main aspect was at the very start of the trailer, where there was use of slow, almost eerie music in the background where all of a sudden, there was a very strong drum beat every two, three seconds or so where a different review flashed up every time. As time went on, the reviews flashed up quicker and quicker until it then led into the title of the film. I think this worked very well especially as it was more unusual to have it at the start of the trailer. The use of sounds and plain text (just white over black) we could definitely incorporate in our production as even though this example wasn’t a horror film, it gave that feeling almost immediately.

The second trailer we chose to look at was The Strangers. It is set in an almost derelict house close to a forest which is similar to how we want our production to be. It starts off as a couple having a normal evening in the house, and then things begin to change. The use of loud noises for the nagging on the window etc works well as you can not see what is happening, only hear the sounds. There is also use if two empty swings swinging in the wind where it is clear people or something has been on. This works well as it gives the feeling of suspense as to what was there, and where have they now gone. The use of a swing is typical in many horror films and we hope to use this in our production. The creaky sound of the swing is also carried on in the background of the trailer which was an interesting aspect to have, but it worked well. The use of sounds is very important particularly in horror films so it’s very useful to see how different sounds are used throughout the films.

Initial Ideas

During the initial planning of the trailer, we started off by making a rough sketch, of notes to do with the genre, plot, characters and a chronological sequence of events to happen in the trailer.

Study of Cloverfield

The teaser trailer for Cloverfield really gives a big sense of bewilderment, excitement, suspense and a whole other range of emotions. The average teaser trailer dosn't provide a lot of information but this one literally shows you a few clips without even mentioning the title of the film. It starts off with quite a relaxed and fun atmosphere at a part in a New York apartment, which is suddenly thrown into mayhem as a firebomb hits the city. There is no explanation as to whats going on as it is all hand held footage, which again leaves the audience feeling indecisive about whats happening. The hand held camera makes it feel so real and authentic that it is hard to believe that it is a film and not real life, almost like a Blair Witch Project sort of feeling.

Shortly after this, a second trailer was released, which actually announced the films title, Cloverfield. Unlike the teaser trailer, this had quite a dissapointing effect on the viewers as it gave away a lot of the basic structure and plot of the film. However the constant rickety movements of the hand held camera, definitely still give a sense of suspense and anxiety, which is very effective. However this could also be seen as a negative point as this second trailer really shows us what the hand held camera can do and for many viewers they would find it quite nauseating, which makes it ineffective.