Monday, 17 October 2016

Flat plan: Poster

This is the plan for my movie poster. It features a mysterious hooded character holds a glowing pill in his outstretched palm. He seems to be offering it to the audience. I want the theme to be quite mysterious here, to create lots of intriguing enigmas. That's why there is minimal text.
Again, I'm sticking to a black background with silver text for the colour scheme. Originally, the hoodie was meant to be black but I thought this would blend in to the background too much so I changed it to grey or blue.
The layout is a 'Z' formation. This means the reader's eyes start on the top left word read along to the bottom left word. When they have finished, their eyes will have followed a 'Z' shape.

Flat planning: magazine cover


This is the plan for my magazine cover. It has well known magazine conventions, like the masthead, skyline, puffs and taglines. I have stuck to my original idea, with the image being the astral projection scene. The character is sleeping, while his spirit forms ascends from his body. The title and font is meant to be silver, while the background is black. I have limited the colour use on the other features, so as not to liven up the atmosphere; yet still bring out those features.

Saturday, 8 October 2016

Costume and props Research & planning

My GOV.uk research showed me that my target audience are males who take in their appearance, but aren't necessarily vain. Teenage and young adult males have a good social life and care about having status and attracting girls. A lot of them have a keen interest in expensive shoes, while others like trendy jeans and jackets. Studies suggest that males are getting vainer; they spend more time looking in the mirror, buying skincare/perfume products, working out and styling their hair. This could be due to an increase in male magazines, social changes and a wider range of male cosmetic products.
My research told me that the males in my target audience were middle class citizens. They therefore buy clothes from high-street bands, such as George and M&S.
This outfit is a good example of the type of clothes and colours, that a typical teen/young adult would buy. (Source: http://www.marksandspencer.com/).
Since my main character represents the majority of my target audience, he should wear middle class clothes - which show him as a casual, average looking young male. Such outfits include; hoodies, jeans, tracksuits, shirts, smart jackets, chinos and trainers. Ordinarily, a guy might choose clothes with a splash of colour or a funky design. But I want the visuals in my trailer to look drab and dreary - so the clothes have to grey, blue and/or black to fit into the miserable setting and work well with the filters.
Examples of clothing in movies
Movie: warm bodies. The (teenage) male in this film is wearing a simple grey top with a red hoodie. The colour grey suits him because he is a zombie, but the red suggests warmth to show that there is still a human element to him.
It is a realistic choice of costume for the character, as he is just a regular teen.

Film: House at the end of the street. This character wears a blue, checked flannel shirt over casual denim jeans. The colour blue connotes calmness, which represents his vulnerable and reclusive personality.
This is the kind of minimal, stylish (but understated) look that I want for my trailer. I believe that the costume the character is wearing at any given time, represents their physical and emotional state.







Film: The purge: Anarchy. I like the black jacket and shoes on this character, as it makes him look mysterious yet confident and ready in the face of danger. The jacket is also there for practical use, since this character is outside for the night. My main character is outside for a lot of scenes, so he'll need a light jacket or hoodie. If I decide to add in some rain, it would make sense that he'd wear a coat - depending on the context of the scene.
This character's boots look comfortable - making them easy for him to run in. My character will wear walking shoes or boots for this reason, during a running away scene. Since this guy is a sergeant, the belt and weapons relate to his profession and tell us more about him. But my character will wear no such accessories, since he doesn't have any special authority or status.

Other examples
Here's some variations of different styles. my choice of trousers will mainly be dark jeans/trousers, since they go with any top. The jacket (right) is a good choice for outdoor wear and the colour suggests hostility, for the paranoia scenes.






He is going to wear tracksuits in a few scenes; to show that he is mentally breaking down and is therefore in a deteriorating physical condition as a result. Tracksuits usually mean lazy, unmotivated behaviour - which is a side effect of my character's sleep deprivation.
I chose the colour grey because I think it's miserable and physically draining. If I use pathetic fallacy - (like a rainy day), it will blend in with the sickly atmosphere.

One of the secondary characters is a mysterious figure (we don't see their face) who wears a black hoodie. I have chosen outfit because it completely conceals his identity and brings an unsettling feeling which will signify dark things to come.







I am including a psychiatrist scene in my trailer. If the character is shown, she will wear something like the items above. I have chosen floral print trousers, because I think they look mature and professional. The role of the white cardigan is to make her look like a clean, sterile professional figure. The pure colouring also paints her as a figure of hope - who could provide a brighter future. I can use some stereotypical props - like glasses and a clipboard, to further the professional, intelligent appearance. She will wear appropriate, plain black flat shoes.

I'll be using an actor (wearing fx makeup) for at least one of my horror creatures. This means I need an old top, which I don't mind getting covered in fake blood. It should be light in colour (preferably white) so that the gory effect really shows up on camera.
Almost every single scary girl in a horror movie, wears a white dress.




 Getting the costume


I have access to all of the clothing I need, because I can find the outfits in my brother's wardrobe. He has a range of hoodies (including grey and black), plain shirts, trousers for all occasions and a mass of shoes. This is because luckily, he fits into my target audience. As for the female psychiatrist character, I have clothing which can pass as smart and professional. We are both willing to lend our clothes to the actors. I also have props - like some old glasses, a clipboard and some old clothes in the loft (that we can cover in fake blood).
There is no need to buy or order anything; which is good for my budget.

Friday, 7 October 2016

Textual analysis

I will be fully analysing two different film trailers and focusing on the following factors;
  1. Cinematography (Camera distance/movement)
  2. Mise-En-Scene (Colour, costume, props, lighting, location)
  3. Sound (Diegetic [part of the story] Non Diegetic [Soundtrack])
  4. Editing (pace, fade, straight cuts, flash cuts)
  5. Performance (dialogue tone, facial expression, body language)
Film trailer 1: Rings















I have used Slideshare (http://www.slideshare.net/) to present my analysis of this trailer.




Film trailer 2: World war Z


Here is my slideshare analysis

Monday, 3 October 2016

Research into institutions that distribute similar products

I used this website; (http://www.imdb.com  Date: 27/09/16) to research the distribution companies of films in my genre.
This Prezi shows some production companies that have distributed some films within my genre. I have analysed the target audiences of some other films that they have produced and have predicted if they would be interested in producing my film.


Film production companies that might distribute my product
 
Independent/Smaller scale 

1. Twisted pictures

They are an independent company, best known for producing the 'Saw' series. After the success of Saw, Twisted pictures got a distribution deal with Lionsgate and went on to produce 6 more movies.
Saw was originally a low budget, amateur short film pitched by Leigh Whannell. It was later theatrically produced and grossed a collective box office of $873 million.
They also worked with other films, like Chainsaw 3D, Dead silence and The tortured.
Twisted pictures might be interested in producing my product, because it is also low budget and amateur. After the success of Saw, they would probably be willing to take risks on indie horror films.
My films isn't similar to the films they've worked with, however. Saw and Texas chainsaw are gory, sick and twisted. They don't have strong paranormal themes, unlike my product. My trailer hardly has any gore and the storylines are completely different.

2. Ghost house

Ghost house is another privately held company, founded in 2002 by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi. They've produced supernatural, creature films such as; The grudge, The evil dead and Poltergeist.
Although these films are successful, with A list stars and million pound budgets; they have similar themes with my own trailer.
The grudge for example, is about an evil ghost who stalks the main characters and haunts them. This is similar to the creatures that terrorize my main character.
I think they might take a chance on my product, because they also produce some underground, low budget films. These include; The children, Dance of the dead and Room 205. Most of these have none, or very poor reviews. There is quite a list of these low budget films, which shows that Ghost house is willing to take chances on amateur film makers and not let the lack of success put them off producing horror films.

3. Blumhouse productions
Blumhouse (founded by Jason Blum) produces micro, low budget horror movies - like Paranormal activity, Insidious, The purge, Sinister and Ouija. Ironically, these have all turned out to be wildly successful cult horror franchises. It is a privately owned company, but they also have a 10 year deal with Universal pictures.
I think it's likely that Blumhouse would produce my film, because they release micro films (such as mine). The success from their previous films means they have enough profit to take risks and absorb potential losses, if the film isn't successful. My film is very similar to Paranormal activity; in terms of filming, storyline and production. This means they have a similar target audience; so fans of paranormal activity would be likely to watch my film.
A lot of the million pound films they've made were produced with only a few thousand dollars.

Mainstream

1. Lionsgate films
Lionsgate films is an American film production company, founded in 1962. It is a division of Lionsgate - a public incorporation, with many other subsidiaries such as; Lionsgate television, Lionsgate music and Lionsgate interactive.
They have produced major motion pictures; like The hunger games, Divergent and The expendables. Although, they have also worked with smaller production companies (like Twisted pictures and Blumhouse); distributing films like saw and American psycho.
They may be interested in my product, because they have worked with a number of horror films including; Jessabelle, Texas chainsaw, sinister, The possession and Cabin in the woods. Because of this, they'd have a large horror fanbase. Horror fans are always looking for the next big thrilling movie. The potential profit would be a factor that might make Lionsgate consider distributing my product.

2. New line cinema

This company was founded in 1967 and was originally a film distributing company that later became an independent film studio.
It is a subsidiary of Warner Bros and also specialises in video games and home video.
New line cinema has distributed a number of horror classics, like A nightmare on Elm street, Friday the 13th, Final destination and The conjuring.
They distribute in many countries, including Canada, The UK, Australia, Japan and France.
They are a mainstream production company and a lot of their films have high budgets. After so much commercial success, they may not produce a low budget British film such as mine. But some of the horror movies they've worked with (e.g. The conjuring, A nightmare on Elm street, final destination) have similarities to my product. 

3. Universal
 Universal is an American film company, owned by Comcast and is one of the 'Big six' film studios.
Some of its highest grossing films are; Jurassic park, ET, Despicable me and King Kong.
But some of their horror films include; The wolf man, Frankenstein and The black cat. All of these are monster films, in the science fiction category of the horror genre. However, none of them are very well known or successful. This could mean that Universal doesn't have a large horror fanbase.
But it could also mean that Universal might be willing to produce my low budget film, which would appeal to a niche audience. They are a huge company and should therefore be comfortable with taking risks. With their budget and mass of distribution channels, they could potentially turn my micro project into a successful piece of entertainment.

How will this research affect my ideas?
To make my film look professional, I could add a film company logo to the opening of the trailer. Being represented by a known company (especially a mainstream one) would put my film in the league of other successful horror movies and would imply that my film is high quality and just as scary. This shows the fans that it's worth watching due to its entertainment value and quality of production.
Fans may think that if my film is produced by the same people who produced another film; it will be similar in content. This is useful for giving my film an identity, appealing to an existing fanbase and letting the audience know what to expect.