Call Sheet 1

We were advised to use call sheets to ensure we were organised and had everything we needed for each scene. At first I thought the call sheets would not be useful but in the end it allowed me to plan how long it would take to film- which proved to be beneficial as I now had a rough idea of when I would be finished filming.

First Call Schedule

Further ideas on my narrative

I presented my original idea of the couple in the forest with the dog and the step sister idea- here is some of the feedback I received:

"They both sound pretty good.. I like the second one a bit more as i think the story line seems a bit more clever- like the audience are going to have to try and work out the mystery or try and keep up with the story, so they get involved. Whereas the first one seems a bit more basic, good, but as a member of the audience you won't have to be kept on your toes (if you know what i mean).

Maybe in the second one, the mum or dad could think the step sisters are not trying to get her into trouble and it is her being bad because she is jealous that she doesn't see the mum or dad or something then she has  to try and convince him or her that is wasn't her who killed the step-sisters.." - Zoe

Target Audience member feedback - Zoe

I asked a member of the target audience- Zoe, to watch two trailers :Grave Encounters and The Uninvited - and highlight key parts that she thought were important.

The Uninvited

"Opening title part that is yellow - It flashed up quite quickly so I didn’t really take much notice of it. The high pitch ‘ting’ sounds throughout is quite eerie and even though it doesn’t seem to speed up like in most horror trailers, it still makes it feel tense. At first I thought the guy in the car was going to be the bad one, so I was a bit like ‘noo! Don’t get in the car’ but then he was nice to her, so I trusted his character and felt sorry for him because his parents were killed. There was like lightning, which made it scary because it was like a power cut and bad stuff can happen in the dark. The conversation with the mother adds a mystery to the trailer, why does that house allow them to live in theirs? The fast editing and reflection of woods don’t  really to trailer. Lamp being knocked over, made be jump, and wonder why the girl just walked straight into it. You can tell there’s something wrong with her. The round the table made the trailer seem a bit happier, but then you hear their conversation and it gets scary again. Newspaper fade into police security line, you see the girls name and then the police scene, you know she had something to do with it and it makes it seem scarier. The light going on was a bit scary, it made me wonder who was in the house. The fact she didn’t want the daughter alone in the house with him, made me a bit suspicious of him, could he actually be a bad guy? The daughter and guy on the sofa is breaking mothers rules, something bad always happens when you don’t listen to you mum! The carpet moving by itself was very tense, I wanted to warn the boy and girl that there was something in the room with them. Girl coming out of floor and couple continue, made it tense, again I wanted to warn the couple, starts to make my eyes squint because I think something is going to happen. Spiders running on old wall paper was creepy, especially because I hate spiders :L The phone made me scared that something had happened to her."

Gothika

"The opening ‘Darclight’ fits in well with the horror, the way the light moved was like a torch searching for something.
 Editing was smooth and as the trailer went on switching between scenes seemed to speed up, like heart rate did. Most of it did look realistic, but at the very end when the girls mouth turned black and opened wide didn’t look that realistic.
 I liked the way the trailer was jumpy, and the bit at the end, when you think it’s over but then another loud jumpy bit happens. And I like the fact they tried to make it seem like something that really happened, when it said the footage remained hidden from the public for over 6 years – makes it seem all official. 
Story line was pretty good, it didn’t seem like a copy of another horror film.
 I thought the actors were good, I actually believed they were scared too. But lady at the end screams to much (haha).
  The archive footage was effective, it was quite eerie. Sound was good, the music was quite tense at the beginning making it more scary.


The parts with writing were also good, they added essential information to the story line, and the font they are in suits the horror theme.
The costume/clothes they wore seem like something I would wear to visit an old hospital place, and the patients are also wearing suitable costumes for being mental patients. The location looked quite scary, like what I would imagine an abandoned mental hospital to look like. The girl screaming at first it is scary, but I think she screams for too long and the fear wears off."

Zoe's feedback proved helpful as I gained an insight into what a true horror movie fan likes to see in movies / trailers. I found that the key to a good trailer is having good actors so made this my priority to get the best actors who were available.

Movie magazine front covers analysis

I wanted to explore whether it a masthead could last a number of years without changing drastically and to see if I would be influenced by the outcome. 'Empire' has indeed successfully kept a similar font.  The consistency of the masthead over the years has helped to secure the brand identity of the magazine. It is quite common for mastheads to more or less stay the same in appearance over the years, while the rest of the front cover experience changes. 

The two editions of the same magazine are similar despite being published within a few years of each other. The magazine focuses on all movies rather than just horror movies- as horror movie fans tend to be a smaller target audience rather than movie fans of all genres in general.

This cover follows conventions of magazine covers as it includes a masthead and sell line as well as a strap line and a banner. The older issue does not include a banner or strap line however and places most of its sell lines in the left hand third where the human eye is drawn to first. The newer issue has the main characters from the movies that the magazine is primarily focusing on this issue, in front of the masthead- as the magazine is well enough established to be able to do so. Audiences will be able to identify the brand even if some of it is covered or blocked. Meanwhile the older issue has the character placed be hide the masthead which suggests that the magazine was not as established as it is now.

The font and size of the masthead have not changed much throughout the years, which is possibly why it is so well recognised today. The font is simple and easy to read from far away so is ideal for advertising.

The newer issue has a lot more colour on it- for example the fire in the background and the banner containing various movies as well. Compared to the older issue which has three main colours, black, red and white. Some prefer the older issue as it is more representative of the horror genre- and in this issue it focuses on horror movies referring to multiple movies in the sell lines 'Catering for cannibals' and 'Are you psycho?'.

The newer issue also has its characters standing tall and powerful and looking determined and reading to battle against evil, while the older issue is more creepy and frightening. It can be said that the close up of the main actor on the older issue is  more representative of the horror movie genre, rather than a range genres of movies which 'Empire' magazine focuses on.

After doing this research I have a better understanding of how a magazine can keep its masthead in a similar style but each copy of the magazine can be focused on different genres. This has provided me with the knowledge that if my magazine was as successful as 'Empire' magazine then I would be able to focus on certain genres such as horror- as 'Empire' and other movie magazines have done in the past.

Initial Make-Up and Costume ideas

The image below reminded me of a vampire, although vampires or 'creatures' will not be involved in my movie and therefore trailer. Using make-up like this may provoke the audience and make them wonder whether the character is a vampire or 'creature' or more of a disguise.

In the teenage movie 'Twilight' a close up of the main character's lips, which were chapped and dry. This allowed the audience to view the actress as less glamourous and more 'normal'. I am considering using a similar close up shot either of my actress's lips or eyes to immitate the similar 'Twilight' footage.

Instead of having the main character being natural through-out the entire trailer or movie, I am considering having a moment where the audience see the bad or evil side to her personality- almost like  the 'Jeckle and Hyde' story. Here are some costume ideas, that will make her look sophisticated as opposed to plain and ordinary girl.

Magazine front cover analysis 1 - Fangoria

This magazine is deadicated to horror movies. The masthead and type of font that is used, is the first thing that allows the audience to make this connection. The colours used are red, black and blue which is common among horror movie posters and magazine covers.

The masthead can be disected into, 'fan of gore', however 'Fangoria' makes the magazine sound more mysterious and reminds the audience of vampires- which are associated with horror movies. The name can also suggest that 'gorier' films feature in this film. The font is shaped to replicate the shape of vampires teeth, while being coloured red reinforces the idea of blood and death. The shape of the masthead, especially the 'F' and 'A' frames the image and seems to point towards the image drawing attention to it. Thus also making her red eyes and red lips stand out more. The main character - who the audience assume to be Natalie Portman-is wearing so much make-up and is heavily edited so seems more like a creature rather than a human being- which is what the movie is all about. Natalie Portman plays the role of a ballerina, who gets to dance the main role in swan lake. The director wants her to have more 'sex appeal' and Natalie Portman's character is not entirely comfortable with this. Her character starts to be more confident, shuts her mother out of her life and self-harms in the form of scratching herself. The marks left by the scratching turn into raised bumps and at the end of the movie the audience see that feathers were 'sprouting' out of her back. As the audience see the feathers surfacing they predict that she is a creature as no human has feathers. The character seems to have a mental illness of some sort and starts having illusions and hallucinations. She becomes obsessed with her dancing role and transforms mentally and physically into the dancer's part she is playing.

-Please see below for example

  

The strapline above the masthead reads ''Darren Aronofsky's dance of death''- this links to the whole storyline of 'Black Swan' which also focuses on the psychological being of the main character. The strapline also links to the topic of death to dance, which reminds the audience that 'Black Swan' is not a typical film about ballet, rather a deadly and dark thriller.

The make-up makes the character abnormally pale, and the audience can only tell that she is human by the faint small amount of hair we can see- which suggests that the character that the ballet dancer is playing has overtaken her personality. The eye make up resembles a swans wings however as they are dark it goes against the idea that white swans are pure and innocent- which implies that the actress was pure but has been englufed by the character she is playing and has become evil. Again the idea of good versus evil is brought into consideration, especially since the rest of her face is so pale contrasting with the dark eye make-up. The idea of her character now being evil is reinforced by her eyes being so red- which could be linked to the devil. Despite the darkness and evil suggested by the make-up, the character remains extremely beautiful. This of course, links to swans, as they are seen as exceptionally beautiful creatures. It could also be said to pay homage to horror tradition and the deadly female characters that used beauty to ensnare their victims.

The other 'sell-lines' or rather names of other films, are incredibly simple. This allows the audience to focus on the main image and for the main image and sell-line to dominate the cover of the magazine even more.

The movies name 'Black Swan' appears near the bottom half of the magazine and is in red, upper case font. Red is usually associated with love and passion or the devil, hell and evil- in this case the latter is what we associate all of the red imagery with. There is not a main sell line- althoug it can be argued that 'Black Swan' is in place of the main sell-line, and those that have seen the trailer or the movie, or even the poster will be enticed to buy the magazine. Smaller 'sell-lines' or stories are either side of the main image, and are coloured black, red and blue- which reflects the make-up used on the main characters face. Having sell-lines placed either side of the magazine cover is an unusual convention as many magazines focus their most important sell-lines on the left hand third. Sell-lines appearing on both sides of the main image will allow the target audience to spot that this is a film magazine easily without searching through the array of other magazines.

As this magazine focuses on horror movies in particular it seems unconventional to use a plain white background on the cover of the magazine. Most people associate the colour white with being pure and innocent- a large contrast to the articles and features contained in this magazine. However having a white background allows the image of Natalie Portman to stand out extremely well and make a large impact on the audience.

A banner is employed at the bottom of the magazine cover and contains four different stills from different horror movies. Each image is of a slightly different horror sub-genre, e.g. the image with blood on the persons face indicates that, that movie is of the slasher sub-genre. Using an image of a film reel allows the target audience to realise more easily that this is a movie magazine. Regular readers of the magazine, who may not be huge fans of 'Black Swan' will have knowledge that they have a range of sub-genres to read about- just by glancing at the film reel.

Magazine front cover analysis 2 - Empire

Empire magazine is a movie magazine which usually pays homage to one main movie or character from within a new movie. This cover in particular is more eye-catching than most movie and certainly lifestyle magazines on display alongside. 

The masthead is its usual red shade, which assists the regular audience in recognising the magazine from afar. This edition of the magazine is focusing on the movie 'HellBoy 2', and the masthead has been edited effectively to appear as if it is flaming or on fire. This of course can be linked to the main sell-line promoting the 'HellBoy 2' movie- as hell is heavily associated with fire and pain. However from an advertising perspective it could be said that the magazine is so 'hot' or popular that it is selling rapidly. Thus suggesting that the information or articles within are 'on fire' and possible audiences need to buy it.

The more unusual positioning of the date and price, is placed above the letter 'M' in the masthead. The words and digits mimic the triangular dip of the letter 'M' which makes the magazine appear more elegant and carefully planned in contrast to the flaming masthead that rests below it. As most magazines in modern societies, 'Empire' advertises their website address on the front cover of the magazine, so if an audience member cannot access the magazine, they can go online at any time and find out more.

As with most well established magazines, Empire has the main character in front of the masthead, showing that it is well enough recognised for the magazine to afford to advertise the movie even further. The flaming masthead behind the characters head reinforces the idea of hell and implies that the movie 'HellBoy 2' will possibly be set in hell. The image of the character is presumed to be 'the devil' or certainly evil takes up the majority of the cover of the magazine. The devil is thought to have two horns on his head and this character does indeed have two circular bumps on his head appear to be a type of horn that has been sawed off, reinforcing the idea that he is the devil or trying to hide that he is  the devil and evil. His skin is coloured red, linking back to the idea of hell or of this character being the devil. The expression the character is wearing is hard and threatening in a controlled manner. The fact that his teeth are showing presents the character as animalistic and ready to attack anyone, while the characters left hand over his large armoured hand is reminiscent of a evil business man contemplating wether to let the victim go free. The characters appears to be muscular and therefore strong, allowing the audience to know that he is an important character in the movie and will feature heavily in the movie and possibly the magazine. 

The layout of the magazine follows the usual conventions of magazines, as the main sell-lines are on the left hand third of the magazine- where the eye is drawn to first. The layout is simple compared to some movie magazines, as the cover is not crowded or cluttered but the space is used effectively. The dark background contrasts well with the red flaming masthead and red character, as well as assists in making the sell-lines stand out and easier to read. The target audience for most movie magazines are male, the simple layout and large, colourful and eye-catching image support this as men tend to like simple, non-confusing things. All of the text on the cover is clean, bold and easy to read, which contrasts with the striking masthead- this however is a good technique as the simple text is more likely to drawn more audience members towards buying and reading the magazine. A puff is included on the right side of the magazine reading '40 movies that will get you sex!' this suggests that the target audience are predominantly male as they are drawn easily to topics such as this. The sell-line 'Natalie Portman Vs. Scarlett Johansson, well who would you choose?' also supports the idea that the magazine is aimed at males as they are likely to admire the actresses and the informal tone the magazine has is also a positive for male readers.

The use of iconography is contradictory as the devil character has rosary beads wrapped around his wrist. The two represent total opposites of religion, which people turn to in times of need and worry. Religion is also focused upon in a lot of horror movies, which implies further that 'HellBoy 2' is in fact a horror movie. The words 'First Look' are highlighted with a dull golden colour which matches the puff, this infers that the information in the puff will also be brand new. The phrase 'you and whose golden army', carries an informal and sarcastic tone and a challenge is almost presented to the male target audience who are likely to take it up. 

Magazine front cover analysis 3 - Entertainment

Entertainment magazine is not soley focused on horror or scary movies, but it can be argued that Harry Potter movies are frightening at some points. This is a special edition front cover as only Harry Potter is featured (apart from the strapline linked to Stephen King). It is quite common for a film magazine to do this occasionally when they want to pay tribute to the release of a significant film- the final instalment of Harry Potter fits this bill.

The main image of Harry Potter dominates the cover of the magazine. The image itself is not an overly posed position with careful lighting and make-up, but could be a still from the movie. The shot seems to be taken from a higher angle and the character is looking just above the camera, which makes the audience wonder what he is looking at. In the image Harry Potter's wand is poised and raised (notably in the left hand third where the audiences eye is drawn to first), suggesting that he is ready for action and can be victorious. Pose-wise, he leans forward, again as if ready for action. Determination is etched on to his face meanwhile. The idea of battle is reinforced by the main sell-line, which reads 'The end is near', which could relate to the final showdown between Voldermort and Harry.

The costume 'Harry' is wearing appears to be the costume worn in the movie, which makes it seem like he just stepped out of the movie and onto the magazine cover. The costume he's wearing consists of jeans, a t-shirt, a checkered shirt and a hoody- these are all clothes that the majority of people can wear and find easily. Therefore making the character more relatable and realistic as they are ordinary items of clothing. His make-up appears to be made up of subtle bruises and battle scars, with a few smudges of dirt- again making it seem as if 'Harry' himself is real and will fight against evil and just stepped out of a battle.

The background has interesting yet simple features, such as dark clouds- a convention I have seen present throughout all mediums of media promoting horror movies. Dark clouds can foreshadow an evil or bad event occurring- something that will without a doubt happen in a horror or frightening movie. The mist that enshrouds Harry could suggest that this is one of the darker films within the Potter franchise. This could indicate the fact that his life and his world are threatened by darkness. It should also be noted that the blue background does create a cold and errie mood. The background also adds a magical and powerful element, while showing that the character will not be affected or deterred by the harsh environment surrounding him.

Like most lifestyle, fashion and other magazines this cover includes a masthead, a puff and a large dominant sell line. The strap above the masthead reads 'Exclusive Stephen King Excerpt'. The word 'Exclusive'- in yellow font- is a buzz word that encourages the magazine to sell, as it suggests this information can not be gained elsewhere. The masthead and sell line text are coloured white- this could suggest that the magazines is factual and that they have not created false stories or accusations. There is a puff in the left hand third, where the human eye is drawn to first, and the words 'Harry Potter' are also yellow- making them stand out from the rest of the magazine. If a person glances momentarily at the cover they are likely to see the words 'Exclusive' and 'Harry Potter' and if they are fans of 'Harry Potter' or want to know or be the first to read something 'exclusive' they are likely to buy the magazine.

                                            

The sell line informs the audience the name of the movie 'The Deathly Hallows' - so if audience members have seen the trailer or are fans of the movies then they will be drawn to the magazine. The biggest font on the cover is part of the sell line which reads "The end is near" - this will help draw in the audience, as the end of the Harry Potter movies and the final battle between Harry and Voldermort, are iconic. The end of an era is approaching!

The magazine cover overall shows an image of the main character in a strong stance, looking slightly worried but determined to defeat evil. If the audience member is a fan of Harry Potter then they will definitely be drawn to the magazine cover and probably by the magazine.

Magazine front cover analysis 4 - Showreel

While searching for horror movie magazines I came across 'Showreel', at first I was not familiar with a variety of movie or horror movie magazines so could not decide if a student had made this cover or if it was a real movie magazine. Upon further inspection and after being exposed to various horror movie magazine covers, I decided that a student must have made this cover as some of the conventions are challenged dramatically.

 

The masthead appears to be professional, however there is a special effect which makes it seem as if there is a light shinning onto the masthead. This could suggest that the magazine is full of exciting information and readers will be enlightened after reading this magazine. The date line is conventionally placed alongside the masthead which advises that the magazine can be sold easily. The use of the colour red is predominant throughout the magazine cover, this is a reminder that horror movies will feature heavily if not souly in the magazine. Even the characters costume is red which allows her bloody and bruised face to be highlighted. Once the eye is drawn to the characters face, the audience will notice that her eyes appear to be blacked out or have been removed. The lack of the characters eyes showing brings forward the idea that she is not human as peoples eyes theoretically show their emotions and thoughts. As the audience cannot see her eyes and therefore empathise with her, they tend to see her as more of a spirit or an evil being than a human being.

 

 

 

 

This magazine cover challenges the conventions of most magazine covers as it has sell-lines on the right hand side and left hand side. Characteristically the sell-lines are placed on the left hand third of the magazine- where the eye is drawn to first. However this may be an intelligent ploy to get the magazine to stand out. If magazine place there most important sell-lines on the left side, having a magazine with the majority of sell-lines on the right side will indeed make it stand out. Two puffs are employed on the cover of this magazine, one reading 'sneak peek' and the other '100 of the goriest films 2011'. The first one will tempt audiences to have a look and feel that they are part of an exclusive group who will get to find out about the movie 'Host' before anyone else, a great selling technique. The second is also advertising the fact that the magazine or its editors enjoy gore, so this issue of the magazine is a true horror movie special, and audiences will not be let down. The magazine has an informal tone as the sell-line on the right spells brains 'brainnss... brainnss...' this will appeal to a younger or less serious target audience- or an audience that appreciates horror movies and gore. Above that sell-line are two sell-lines which focus on older horror movies, these articles may provide an insight into the behind the scenes or making of the movie- which people who are passionate about film will be drawn to. The background appears to be a bedroom as presumably a duvet covers pattern can be seen just below the curtains- this is what allowed me to decide that this is not a professional magazine, that a student has created this. The curtains seem to be textured with velvet- or this may be a special effect used on photo shop, this is very effective as it allows different tones of the colour red to be present. Therefore suggesting that there may be different layers to the character e.g. that she is a good person on the inside but her tough exterior and life have led people to believe that she is a bad person or not even a person but an evil being.

 

 

The usage of a teddy bear to most would seem unusual and senseless, however this is a clever technique used in horror movies, which turns childish objects into evil objects that need to be feared. A good example of this can be found in the 'Woman in black' movie, where dolls come to life and haunt the main character. The teddy used in this magazine cover is relatively normal suggesting any teddy bear could become evil. After having a closer look I saw that one eye is missing and a paw and an ear have a bite marks on them. This is simple yet effective as it allows an innocent childhood object to become more sinister and scary.

 

Having a magazine which focuses only on horror movies is a challenge as there is a limited target audience available and willing to buy a magazine weekly or monthly. I recognised immediately that the magazine was focusing on horror because of the sell-lines and main image, I therefore pressumed that this would be a regular horror movie magazine, and wondered if competition in the horror movie magazine was weakening. The stamp like effect on the text 'horror special' is coloured light grey so does not stand out immediately which is not ideal. However the use of a yellow/golden star either side allows the eye to be drawn to the magazine and for audiences who are not obessed with horror movies to know that there is a new movie magazine.

 

If my sub-genre was slasher then I would definately like to incorporate some of the elements found on this cover, namely the characters make-up, the use of colour and the teddy bears injurys  being highlighted/ exaggerated.