Changes in characters

After receiving feedback from various people of our second draft, it became a common theme that people would criticise the scenes involving the detective which was played by me. This obviously hurt my feelings, however it was something that needed to be changed in order to keep with the theme of the thriller genre and to also conform to the typical conventions of thriller trailers. That is, the detective should seem wise and old.

So, as a group we had a quick brainstorm to edit this part of the trailer to make sure it is successful in portraying the plot of our film. In addition, we all thought a detective should be shown in the trailer, as he would have a large role in the actual film. It also adds to tension, in the trailer for Zodiac and Se7en there is a large emphasis on the detective work in tracking down the delinquent. Moreover, we had a quick brainstorm for solutions to this issue and we came up with the following:
￫Ask teachers or parents
￫Completely edit it out
￫Change outfit for my character to look more sophisticated
￫Ask anyone in the age range of 40-50

After this, somebody called Ben who has a relation to Henry Dalrymple decided to help us out and play the detective for the film. He is 48 years of age and he fits the role perfectly. We have already made arrangements to film a few shots with him, but seeming as he is busy with work, we will not have a lot of time with him. However, this will be enough to tease the audience as to who the character is. In the film the character will be known as detective which connotes to the audience that he is well respected in his field of work which gives the audience confidence in making sure Rosey is rescued.

This has also meant that the scenes with the characters of Rosey's mum and sister finding out will be cut out, however this could be a positive thing because this leaves this part of the plot for the film and not the trailer. One aspect of thriller trailers is that they do not tell a story, the trailer is usually not in chronological order which makes it seem slightly distorted.

Costumes

Planning- Equipment

In order to make a trailer, various equipment is required from the process of, filming, marketing and editing. These include necessary items to contribute to the purpose of our trailer.

The first piece of equipment that we need to get hold of is a camera that is supplied by the school, meaning there is no cost involved. We have booked in to use a camera that is offered by the photography department for the school, supplying a Canon DSLR. Before filming, we have managed to see the quality of the camera in  dark lighting by looking at the photography work of other students.

The tripod can also be supplied by the school, this piece of equipment is essential in making sure that the shots are steady and smooth. This is going to be needed in order to make sure the shots are not shaky as it looks lower quality. This piece of equipment will allow us to do shots such as tracking shots. The tripod has adjustable legs so we will be able to have shots like low and and high angle shots. Low angle shots can connote that an object or somebody is powerful which we can use in showing our antagonist. Whereas high angle shots can portray something as vulnerable. 

Another piece of equipment we plan to us is a mobile phone. Every member of the group has an iPhone, which means it will be easier to keep in contact through iMessage. Furthermore, there is an app available which allows you to make voice recordings. We will use this to make our voiceovers in the trailer, that can be done by sending the voice notes to an email which can then be transported into the editing timeline.

Magazine cover

Risk assessment

Planning- Props

Candle

In our trailer, we want to make sure we have a shot of a candle. This is because it acts as an indexical sign, because it signifies love. It is a common stereotype, that candles represent compassion and love. The flame of the candle can also connote the  heat of the moment and the pain the anagonist has gone through in his life.

Knife

A knife can signify danger, making the audience recognise the fact that it can be used as a weapon to hurt somebody. However, we think its a good idea to use a knife to create a dramatic effect, such as a slow-motion knife drop. As a group we thought it would be a good idea to have a knife drop when Rosey's mother finds out that her daughter has been kidnapped, from the detective as he comes into the house. To make it look like she wasn't just holding a knife, we will create a scene where the mother is shown cooking, to make the audience feel a sense of realism which they can relate to, but then she is hit with the news and drops the knife in aghast. This will intensify the scene and the audience will see her reaction to such awful information. 

Car

A car is not only going to help us get from scene to scene, but we also plan to use it as a prop to show Rosey being thrown into the boot by the antagonist in an attempt to kidnap her. The car can then be used showing him getting away in a rush, with the impact of a wheelsman. This connotes that he is trying to get away with his wrongdoing as quickly as possible. Furthermore, this will show the audience the final step to taking the girl, creating a feeling of anxiousness. I have a car that I currently use, however I believe it is too mainstream to use as the antagonists mode of transport, as it does not make the audience panic. But, we do not have the finance to fund a different car, so we will have to work around it in an attempt to keep a sustainable theme throughout the trailer. Looking back at my research, trailers such as Zodiac featured a vehicle which is used in a scene as a means of transportation. 

Chair

During the trailer, there is going to be a scene where Rosey is going to be tied up to a chair. The chair is going to be used as a prop to show the vulnerability Rosey has in the situation. Her sitting down with a high angle shot will ensure that she is seen weaker than the kidnapper, showing the effects of patriarchy. A group member has a shed filled with various tools, this also includes a creepy wooden chair. This is the chair we are going to use, meaning there is no hassle in getting a suitable chair. For example, a dining room chair would not conform to the conventions of a thriller genre, it needs to be disturbing in some way to make the audience feel fearful of what is going to happen. 

Rope

A rope is going to be used as a prop to show Rosey being tied up. This is because without a rope, it would appear to the audience that she has the opportunity to leave, which is not the case. The rope adds tension to the situation, because it shows someone being trapped without their consent. One of the group members has a rope, so there is not cost involved. 

Detective board

After thinking about what we could include for the investigative side of the trailer, we came up of the idea for creating this. It took a group effort to create the board, consisting of showing a map, pictures and links to our film. This gives the audience some little clues as to what could happen in the actual film. We thought it looked realistic, and will be used on behalf of the detective.

Timeline of trailer

00:00- Production company logo
00:05- Zoom in shot of a church.
00:08- Mid shot showing the antagonist (Henry) at in a church
00:12- Low angle shot showing Henry's character looking up with his arms out
00:16- Mid shot of detective
00:17- Close up shot of detective poster
00:19- Close up of missing poster
00:20- High angle shot of knife drop
00:21- Close up shot of knife hitting the floor, in slow motion
00:23- Point of view shot of driving
00:29- Point of view shot of driving
00:30- Close up of hammers
00:30- Mid shot of antagonist under a bridge
00:30- Mid shot of Rosey and Daniella walking towards the camera
00:31- Title of "Everybody wants to be loved"
00:34- Close up of antagonist's footsteps
00:37- Title "Love may be easy for some"
00:40- Close up of a candle being lit
00:42- Title "but not for all..."
00:45- Long shot of the girls walking in a park
00:50- Title "He will take matters into his own hands"
00:53- Handheld shot of antagonist closing in
00:54- Low angle shot of antagonist
00:55- Title "What lengths would you go to for love?"
00:58- Locked down shot of traffic passing by
00:59-Title "Can she be saved from it?"
01:01- Long shot of antagonist approaching the girls
01:02- Point of view shot of the antagonist, right behind the Rosey and Daniella
01:03- Mid shot of the antagonist capturing his target, whilst pushing the other friend out of the shot
01:04- Point of view shot of Daniella who watches Rosey being kidnapped, helplessly
01:05- Close up of Rosey in the boot of a car (boot then shuts on her)
01:05- Close up of the car driving away
01:06- Close up shot of Rosey looking around hopelessly
01:07- Close up shot of antagonist brushing Rosey's had to aside
01:08- Close up of antagonist stroking Rosey's face
01:09- Close up of Rosey's hand stroke the inside of a window, to connote her desire to escape
01:10- Extreme close up of Roesy's eyes
01:11- Locked down shot of Rosey crawling down a hallway to attempt to escape, only to be pulled by the antagonist.
01:13- Black screen "scream"
01:14- Title "Love me"
01:21- Credits
01:24- Canted angle shot of swing

Communication with actresses

Due to vast technological changes over recent years, it has become more and more easier to connect with other people whether this is from your phone, computer, or even watch in today's society. One important factor that we had to consider was how we were going to communicate with the actresses that volunteered to be involved and how we were going to acquire them in the first place. Firstly, one group member decided to tweet the following in an attempt to get people on board:

At first, we thought that nobody was going to respond to this tweet. However, two girls that we were friends with decided to help us and they sent a message saying they were more than happy to get involved. This was perfect for us because we needed two females in the trailer to portray as friends, and then one of them gets kidnapped, while the other is watching helplessly. They are called Isa Cusick-Knight and Shania Conway. They were ready from the start and the tight filming schedule was not an issue for them. The first obstacle was getting them to St Neots, as they live in Huntingdon. However, they got the train on the way here and as I can drive i gave them a lift home.

Initially, we used snapchat to communicate with Shania. She then sent on the message to Isa, so we thought it would be more efficient if we created another media chat in order to speak to both of them at once. This made it allot easier to decide on dates and times because everybody got a say in when they were available.

Poster for Love me

Planning- The second draft

After getting some more shots for our trailer, we spent the night editing what we thought was going to be our final product of the trailer. However, when we went into school the next day both teachers and students said they thought the trailer was very effective, however both teachers and students had suggestions on how to make it better. This was very beneficial to us as it gave us the opportunity to recognise more conventions that we could use in order to satisfy the audience. One suggestion was by a teacher, and he said that adding a couple of filters to some of the clips will give the trailer that creepy feel that we wanted to inflict on our demographic.









Here is the second draft that we came up with:



After watching it a few more times and hearing peoples opinions, the faults became more evident. For example, what we thought to be a good idea for me to play as the detective seemed ridiculous when we realised that not only did the glasses not fit my head, but I looked too young to play off as an established, wise investigator. Furthermore, we initially used this in order to use dialogue and to also add various shot types such as the over the shoulder shot. However, this did impact the trailer in a negative way, as it ruined the intensity of the trailer and did not conform to the convention of the thriller genre.

Overall, this feedback gave us a good understanding of what needed to be done. This helped us plan out what further changes needed to be made.

Film poster research

Here are mood boards of the thriller and comedy genre:
Thriller:

Comedy:

I chose two very different genres in order to identify the key variations that can be used in order to make a successful, eye catching poster that will show the audience everything they need to know about the film. The main difference between thriller film posters and comedy film posters, is that the lighting is much more low key and dark when portraying a thriller film, with the common use of black with red. This connotes that the film has a dark, mysterious plot that involves some level of violence, hence the red being used to portray blood. On the other hand, with films that are comedies, there are bright colours such as yellow and light blue that connote happiness and laughter. The images used are much more light hearted and comical, however as the thriller mood board shows, the images are much more serious which is done to give the audience feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. I will take this into consideration when making my thriller poster for the trailer I would have made.

One similarity of all film posters, is that they usually have one main, dominating image. This commonly shows the main character or characters. Furthermore, they also have the following; a large contrasting title and  a suitable background and colour scheme that applies to the genre of film that it is for. On a smaller scale, the posters include the release the main characters names, the production blurb , critic reviews and it may show a release date or many film posters have the coverline of 'coming soon' which causes the audience to research more into the film to identify the release date.

 This shows the poster for the film 'knock knock'.  This film is a horror thriller and is directed by Eli Roth. The film  is about how two noble, stranded women reveal a sinister agenda whilst they spend the night with a married architect. The poster for the film shows dark colours such as dark blue and a blood coloured red.  In addition, the red could connote blood and how there is violence that is portrayed in the film. This leaves the audiecne feeling at unease and gives a strong feeling of anticipation and anxiety because it makes you question what the girls' intentions are. The poster itself is almost split up into 5 different parts, showing different text and images. There are 3 pictures that show the characters involved in the film, with an extreme close up of on of the girls' eyes and the other showing a girl biting down on a material. In between this, shows a close up of a man. This shows a countertype as it portrays the man being stuck in between the two girls,  usually it is a male being the antagonist and women are the ones being shown as weak and vulnerable. However, in this case the females look almost sinister as the camera shot shows the extreme close up of them. The bite suggest that they may be violent or erotic in some way.  The masthead shows the film title in all capitals and in bold. This makes the text stand out to the audience  so it catches peoples eye. Furthermore, the title 'knock knock' fits well with the top image of a house. This suggests to the audience that one of the main setting for this film is a house, and in this case it is the married architect who is the character living in this house. There is also coverlines showing the names of the main actor and actresses involved.  This text is placed inside the house, suggesting that the main scenes are shot inside the house, and this is where the two girls turn sister on the man. This text is also in a red colour, which suggests that these are the characters who are involved in the violence.  At the bottom of the poster, it shows  a coverline of 'one night  can cost you everything'. This connotes to the audience that  there is one night that changes everything, which creates a feeling  of anticipation because it gets the audience thinking of the different outcomes of the film.  There is also of coverline showing 'coming soon' which suggests that the film is imminent and the audience do not have long to wait, during  this time they it gives them the opportunity to research when the film is due to release. Finally, the poster shows the production blurb which gives the audience any extra detail they may want to find out.

This poster shows the film 'red riding hood'. The main colour theme of this poster is red, blue and black. These colours connote danger and violence which suggests to the audience that these themes are involved. This is stereotype of thriller films as they usually consist of dark colours which give the audience a feeling of unease, fear, danger, anticipation and excitement.  The masthead of the poster shows the  title of the film in red. In addition, the there is what seems splashes of red around the masthead, which could portray as blood which connotes to the audience that there is scenes of cruelty and brutality.  The font is in all capitals in order to stand out to the audience. There is a main image of  what seems to be the main character running through the woods. Moreover,  the image is in a the centre of the poster, and her clothing suggests that the film is in a fantasy world so it may attract a more younger audience. Due to the creepiness of the forest and the dark colour scheme, it could attract both males and females who are looking for a thrilling film. The main image is focused on the girl, however there is multiple spikes on the trees surrounding her suggesting that danger is imminent. This may appeal to a younger audience who seek more exiting films, rather than intellectual films that may appeal to a more elderly demographic.The streamline at the top of the poster shows 'from the director of twilight', which may appeal to a more female demographic as twilight is a romantic series which appeals to more women than men. This could have a significant impact on whether people go and see this film, it is common for the audience to see something like this and automatically think that it is going to be a good film , in this case people who have seen and liked Twilight may be more inclined to watch this film. Below this strapline, shows various coverlines showing the people involved in the film and a catchy quote saying 'comes a breathtaking version of a 700 year old legend'. This is shown in white in order to stand out to the red text shown above it. This text suggests to the audience that this film has a USP because it has a twist, as it is a different version of the story. Just under the masthead shows text saying 'believe the legend. Beware the wolf'. This is in a sinister font showing distortion and imbalance. This also connotes to the audience that the character maybe being chased an that she must 'beware' which builds a relationship from the audience to the character. Finally, at the bottom of the poster shows the production blurb and the release date that is shown in red which stands out , allowing for the audience to identify when the film is available.