Idea update and inspiration

The updated idea for my trailer

Plot
My trailer is for a supernatural and psychological horror film; which involved a person being haunted by a series of creatures in his dreams - which then enter the real world. But it is unclear whether the main character is hallucinating the creatures, or whether they actually exist. The trailer leaves this as a mystery, so that the audience will want to watch it and find out. My main character represents the average person within my target audience. This is an average 20 year old male, who enjoys partying and socialising. He likes to have fun and occasionally takes a few risks.
After researching the causes of hallucinations, I thought that the event causing the nightmares could be; a traumatic accident, a drug addiction or a haunted possession. I will probably go for the drug addiction, because I don't have the budget for a flashback to a traumatic incident (e.g. a car crash) and the idea of a haunted object is extremely cliché. For example, films like 'The evil dead', 'The possession,' 'Annabelle' and 'Drag me to hell' all have cursed objects.
I haven't figured out where he'll get the drug from and whether it will be an addiction or a one time thing. I originally wanted a smoking-type drug because I think the smoke effect would make good visual effects. But I don't want to put the actor's health at risk and fake cigarettes are out of my budget. A pill is an easier option (I'll just use a vitamin).
I like the idea of lucid dreaming; where the sleeping person can manipulate their dreams and fulfil their wildest fantasies within their mind. My original idea included the main character taking a pill, which gives him this awesome ability - until his dreams turn to nightmares. But now, I realise that filming these 'awesome' lucid dreaming scenes isn't possible. Given the chance, a 20 year old male would probably choose to dream about living a luxurious lifestyle, or maybe exploring places of paradise. There's no way I can film this. Therefore, I adjusted the idea. Instead, the character will just take a pill, which messes with his mental stability and sense of reality.
It will give him sleep paralysis (the state of being trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake up) as well as insomnia. He'll start to blur reality with his hallucinations of being attacked by demonic creatures.
The plot progresses as one of the creatures starts to interfere with his real life. There’s a myth that if you astral project (where you see yourself sleeping in a dream), then your spirit need to get back to your body immediately, or a demon will take over it.
In my trailer, the main character will eventually astral project and a demon will take over his body; using it as a vessel to inhabit the real world. The plot of the film is for the character to find a way to get back to his life; while surviving in a world of demons.
I have an idea that the drug given to the character could have actually been a trick by the creature, who wanted the character to lose control of his mind - so that it could take over. Although, I haven't figured out how the demon would have given it to him in the first place.

Visual effects

-To main challenge will be creating the creatures. I have a few ideas on how they will look, but making the vision a reality will be difficult. I could either physically make them (with paper mache or clay), edit them (e.g. with photoshop and make them move) or use an actor with makeup.

I am not good at Fx makeup, but this is the quickest and easiest option. Because of my lack of skill in this topic, the outcome wouldn't be very visually impressive - but the movement of the creature would be fluid and realist. Unfortunately I don't know any makeup artists and hiring a professional is way out of my budget.

I am good at making 3D models with clay and paper mache, but they take a long time and I have quite a few to make. Also, they wouldn't be able to move a lot.

I think the majority of my creatures will be made in photoshop or after effects. I know how to create shadow effects and figures and how to add movement to an picture. It would better looking than an actor in makeup and it would be a quicker alternative to physical props. But if I had the time, I would choose to make props.

-Another visual effect includes the out of body experience. I want a scene where the character is sleeping, but his spirit emerges from his body. I can do this by filming him laying in bed and sitting up. But I can duplicate the footage and overlap it, making the second version more transparent to give it a ghostly effect.

-To get the best quality footage, I will film in the daytime and add a dark filter to make it look like evening/night time.

I made a Pinterest account: https://uk.pinterest.com/angelapigna1164/ with scary pictures that inspire me, for the pose and appearance of my creatures. The description of the images show the main reasons why I have selected the images. Here are some print screens;

The reason that I selected the image (top left) was because I want a creature who is cut in half. I like the gory blood on her, with the pale skin and eyes.
The image (top, right) is the effect I want for the astral projection scene.
I like the long, twisted limbs on the creatures (left).
The main demon (who overtakes the character's body) is bald, with a wide grin and bulging eyes. If I can't design this character, I will swap it for a shadow figure - which will still look intimidating and creepy.



Magazine plan
The main image for my magazine cover will be a shot of the astral projection scene. He will be lying in bed, with his spirit emerging from his body. This is intriguing and it conveys the main theme of the movie. I won't have any secondary images because I want it to look simple, professional and mysterious.

Poster plan
A lot of poster plans don't actually include the main character (e.g. 'Alien' and 'Cabin in the woods'). So I was thinking of maybe having a mysterious shadow figure (which is one of the creatures) as the main image. I imagine this will look unsettling and compelling. I could also add the pill in as the point of focus; since it is the element which causes all of this chaos.

Here is a PowerPoint, showing the most inspiring pictures for my magazine cover and poster.

Inspiration from Trailer extracts

1. A nightmare on elm street

I watched the trailer for this horror movie, because it relates to the theme of nightmares being integrated into reality. This is the premise of my own trailer.
I liked this shot, which shows the character being lifted out of her bed by a supernatural force. It reminded me of my astral projection idea. I like the lighting here. The blue glow from the window illuminates what's happening, but it's still evident that it's night time. When I film my trailer, I will use a blue filter for when the character is having a nightmare. This makes the nightmares distinguishable from reality, by giving them a colder atmosphere.

2. The conjuring

 This trailer inspired me because it had lots of intense scenes, where the creature is behind the main character, or when they come face to face with eachother. When the creatures appear in my trailer, I also want an intense build up, to give the viewer more adrenaline and therefore make the scary bits even more effective. The creatures in this trailer seem to appear in enclosed environments, where the character can't easily escape. This makes the situation more intense and unnerving. The pale face and dark features of the creature make it look ghostly and eerie in the darkness. It is more nightmare inducing than a gory, messy creature which resembles a typical zombie. This has given me more Fx makeup and prop inspiration for the design of my creatures. I think the shocked, frozen reaction of the main character is good too. If she had screamed and become hysterical, it would have ruined the slow creepiness of the scene. The trailer felt more mature this way. It didn't feel like a cheap slasher with bad acting and overreactions.

Ideas from other media platforms 

TV shows
In my audience profiling (secondary research), I found out that my target audience liked to watch TV shows; especially ones with dark, clever and original storylines. So I decided to see what editing styles (e.g. font, cinematography) I could copy and use in my own trailer.

1. Bates motel

This is the Motel sign on a dark, rainy day. Firstly, I like how creepy it looks - with the broken letters and the red 'vacancy'. It draws people in, but not in a warm and welcoming way. The rain really adds a dreary effect and the bluish sky looks almost surreal, as opposed to a typical grey one. The trees in the background really add an enclosed, mysterious effect which make you feel like you could get lost in there, or that there are things lurking in deep. The low angle shot makes the sign look daunting and intimidating; as if the motel itself has an overpowering force. They've used silver, sharp letters to give the place a cold atmosphere - making it blend in with the unpleasant environment. This contrasts a conventional vacancy sign, which may use warm orange letters to make the motel look like a cosy refuge from the harsh outdoors.
The slanted angle makes the sign look taller, since the top left corner of it appears to be raised. This again, goes with the intimidating effect. The close up shot makes the sign the centre of the attention.
In my trailer, I'm going to use rain and textured clouds, for a stormy effect. It is stereotypical for the horror/gothic genre, but it really creates an unsettling atmosphere. I like the silver letters and the tree silhouettes in the background. I'm thinking of using the sharp, silver letters for the credits and having some trees in the background of some of my shots.

 2. Teen Wolf


This show was apparently one of the most watched for people in my target audience. What inspires me is the costume choice for the male characters. The outfits they wear are smart, yet casual. They wear simple jeans, shirts, hoodies and jackets. It's exactly the kind of items of clothing that middle class young adults usually wear. My main character is going to dress very similar to these characters, but he will probably wear less stylish clothes with darker colours. This will reflect the cloudy state of his mind.

Websites 

1. Sinister

The images on this website are grey and black, with grainy quality and heavy shadows. The font at the top looks like the letters have been scratched onto the page; due to their skinny, jagged shape.
I like how there are two pictures of the main character. It shows 2 sides of him; his alert, fearful face and his ready, courageous bodily stance. I could use this idea for my trailer (e.g. in my magazine or poster) because there are two versions of my main character; his spirit and his possessed body. However, the jagged lettering at the top doesn't appeal to me because it looks cliché and can appear amateur. The title of the film at the bottom has a strong, solid font however. I also like how there's a blur behind the letters, which symbolise a ghostly presence.

2. Friday The 13th

With this website, I like how the stalker is against the background, as if he is hiding away and spying on the audience.
We can't see much of him because he is covered in so much darkness. We can mostly his mask and the outline of his body. But his mysterious and startling appearance still makes him the main point of focus. His clothing and hidden face is similar to the mysterious shadow creature in my trailer.
I also like the creators have used layers to create a 3D effect, thus making the main elements jump out at the reader.