Final product

Evaluation Question 4

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
The editing programme I used the most for my independent ancillary texts was Adobe Photoshop. I used the techniques I gained from my Graphic's lessons, I was able to use layers in my work. This meant I was able to keep everything I wanted on my poster or magazine cover separate, so I could move things around and change the size of things, without disrupting anything else on that page. I was also able to edit the layers into each other, making my poster and magazine cover looking smooth and professional. I could 'dissolve' the edges of the mask into the background making it look like it is actually attached to that texture. There is a small side bar of editing tools, opacity percentage and layer arrangements that I could use on my poster and magazine cover. For my magazine cover I copied and pasted the 'Empire' title so I had two, I moved the layer containing one of the titles on it below the mask layer, making it look like the title was behind the mask. I then placed the copied layer on top of the other title layer making it look like there was only one, I then moved that layer above the mask layer so it was laying on top of the mask, and lowered the opacity to 25% so it was still visible but faint enough not to distract or ruin the image of the mask.
 

There was also a bench in the image I used for my film poster, which I did not want in my poster. For this I rubbed out the bench leaving it invisible, then copied sections of the wall and placed them over the invisible patch. Once it was fully covered it looked better, but noticeable that I had done this. I then decided to used the 'spot healing brush tool' which allowed me to select an area that made it obvious that I have placed piece of the wall in that section. And smooth it over, and hiding the edge of the wall that was obvious, this made the patch of wall blend in with the rest of the wall hiding the fact there was ever a bench there. I then turned the image black and white using the Image Adjustments.

For the film editing as a group we used Adobe Premier Pro. This programme allowed us to add clips we had shot on our video camera, and trim them, speed them up and structure them in an order explain the plot. We trimmed down nearly every clip we used, to shorten the time of the trailer and only use the few seconds that we needed. We sped up a couple of clips, where I shook my head violently. The idea was to make Victim #2 - me, look like I was going insane. We recorded about 10 seconds worth of me shacking my head and sped it up so it only lasted 1 or 2 second, personally I think this clip was a success, I liked how it turned out and thought it was very effective and obvious.

For my research I used YouTube and Google mostly. I used Wikipedia for information about certain films and the characters in them, for example the plot of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Freddy Krueger information. I used Goggle for images and information about films/trailers/characters that I couldn't find anywhere else. YouTube was only used during my research and my three trailer analysis, apart from that I only used YouTube to show examples for a point I was trying to explain, supporting a theory.

To present my work I used this website, Blogger. Blogger is a blogging website that lets me add images, videos and text posts to present my work and the research I had done. My blog page is for the work, and research I have done to learn about the background of horror, techniques professionals use in films and trailers, and of course the process of my horror trailer.

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Once we thought we had finally finished the editing process and were all personally happy with the positioning of clips and the music we had to present the trailers to our class. From our class presentation of the horror trailers, we had gained negative and positive feedback that would help us improve and correct what wasn't liked, and to bolden what was liked by the audience.

 

Here is the list of positive feedback we gain from our classmates:Good setting x3
Good shot with mask x2
Good head shake x4
Effective shot when the enemy was lurking in the trees
Good sound, the intensity draws the audience in x6
Flows well
Clear horror feeling to the trailer, creepy x2
Good night shots
Good final shot x4
Nice use of shadows and lighting
Good voiceover

We were pleased with the positive comments and feedback. The most positive feedback we gained was for having good sound, the intensity draws the audience in. I also agree with this feedback, we chose the soundtrack because it was a slow build up using instruments of an orchestra.

One shot that was very popular is the head shake that we filmed at Isaac's house. We filmed a 10 second shot of me Victim #2 shaking my head, and then sped it up in Adobe Premier Pro, until it lasted one or two seconds long. This clip was then given a red tint to make it look more sinister and scary.

Here is the list of the negative feedback we gained:
Could be longer x3
Text too hard to read x5-"Wobbling too much"
Needs more scary scenes x2
Camera work out of focus x2
No storyline x4
More locations x2
No final shot x5
Little pace at ending
Killer in the back x3

Some of the negative feedback we gained were points that were misunderstood, there was a storyline, but from preventing the trailer from turning into a short film, we mixed and matched clips which our classmates must of not understood. No final shot was another feedback that we as a group didn't understand, there was a final shot consisting of Victim #1 - Kieran was standing in the church archway and the killer appears behind him, joined with a intense outburst of music this clip is obviously a final shot.

One mistake we did make whilst filming the driving shot at the beginning of the trailer was, Isaac the Killer in our trailer was sitting behind me Victim #2 in the car. His shoulder is poking out behind my seat, also the shadow of his face is on the back seat.  We filmed this clip not thinking we were going to use it, which is why we lacked in noticing the killer in the background. If we were to film this again we would leave the killer out of the car. 

Another mistake that was pointed out by our classmates, was that the wobbly font used for the title and release date. This is understandable, it is difficult to read due to it wobbling too fast, if it was slower it would be easier to read. We didn't notice that the text was hard to read because we know what it said because we wrote it. If we were to change this we would either slow the movement down or decrease the amount of which the text moves.

Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

As well as our final product, the horror trailer. My group independently made other ancillary texts, such as a film poster and a film magazine front cover for our final product trailer, Subliminal. More research was required for these developments, I analysed three professional horror posters and three film magazine covers.

My ancillary texts all feature images from a photo shoot we done as a group using props that are also used in the trailer, such as the mask. Together, the poster, film magazine cover and horror trailer are all obviously linked, they all feature one of the main props we used in the trailer. Even without promotion the audience would be able to tell that all three products were connected.

Whilst making our trailer and ancillary, we had previously researched three aspects of promotion. They were audience, advertising and publicity. For the audience research we sent out questionnaires to students in the age range we were aiming for ,15 to 25 year olds.
Statistically this is the most likely age group to go and view a horror film at the cinema. Doing so we took our feedback and discussed if our film idea was ideal and what advertising techniques we should use to promote our trailer. With our feedback taken into account we proceeded with the next step, advertising.

Next we started advertising our horror trailer, the first ancillary text I made was the film poster. For the poster I used an image I thought wouldn't give much away and looked simple. Whilst on the photo shoot we placed the mask on a hook in a changing room. I chose this image for my poster, it's simple because it's resting on a hook and it already had a plain background because the hook was on a wall. The hooks in the image and the hook that mask is on, didn't really have a meaning. But from first sight it could be seen as quite sinister. A scary looking mask hanging on a hook in the middle of the wall, the audience might have started overlooking the poster and trying to imagine why it was in that setting, which is exactly what we want to happen, the film is all about messing with peoples heads and making them think. One thing I didn't like about the original image is that it had benches below the hooks in the left corner, which took away the sinister feel to the poster. So, using Adobe Photoshop I rubbed out the benches and replaced the empty patch with more of the same wall. I then made the image black and white and added a red film title at the top so it stood out. I also added mine and my teams names because we all starred in the trailer.

The next ancillary text I made to promote our trailer was the film magazine cover. For this development I used a already existing film magazine cover beneath mine as a guide for the title and positioning. I decided to keep with the black and white theme, like the poster because it brings out more details on the mask and makes it look more professional and sinister. Also with the background and image being black and white, the red text really stands out. I add a slogan to my magazine cover because I thought it looked a bit too empty and boring. This slogan fills negative space and also makes the audience think, almost like a clue for what is going to happen in the film. Another thing I added to stop it from looking too plain and boring, is a textured background, I also had to turn this texture black and white, but I think it works well, it stops the cover from looking to plain and it's not taking any attention away from the mask. I filled the rest of the edges with information of what is featured in the magazine, I think I have evenly spaced them out with the right amount of text and size of text so it looks even and professional. I placed the film title over the mask, but kept it off of the mouth and eye holes so it didn't disrupt the image, this way the image still gains the attention but is obvious that the title is connected with the image.

Together, our main products and my ancillary texts work very well together, they all include the iconic mask and reveal nothing, which makes it mysterious. I think the poster and magazine cover would keep the audience wondering and curious which is very effective in terms of the plot of the film. The mysterious effect of the poster and magazine cover support the film and keeps the audience thinking.

Evaluation Question 1

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Whilst I was analysing horror trailers earlier on in my blog, I began to notice a connection between the trailers. They all share similar forms and conventions, just like I think our group trailer  has with professionally made trailers.

I believe our group horror trailer has the similar qualities to a professionally made trailer, we have pointed out the features and typical lay out of horror trailers and used them in our own trailer. One of the first things we noticed was that there is always a slow start at the beginning of a horror trailer. I think producers do this to set a calm atmosphere which will then make the build up much more powerful. The slow starts will usually consist of sunny scenes with lots of clear lighting, maybe a laughter shot of one of the characters and if not pop, happy music then no music. Around about thirty seconds into the trailer the mood of the music and setting will change. There will usually be a title come up, this is a clear sign that the build up is about to begin. Produces use the build up to show what the audience should be expecting in the film, the calm start was merely to explain the storyline. Once the trailer has started speeding up, scene shot will start becoming shorter and faster. Producers do this to raise the audiences reactions and have them feel the atmosphere becoming more tense and scary.

Our group trailer has done this, the calm atmosphere is set, we have a slow start with sunny well lit scenes. The scene begins with a couple of friends driving around the countryside having a chat listening to the radio. Once it starts getting darker we have cued for the music and action to start then. Just like a professionally made trailer we gradually start speeding up and shortening our clips.

The atmosphere at this point in our trailer has started taking a turn. From a calm mood to now quick shots of the two boys wondering round the church and witnessing the killer. For this build up the music played a huge part, the audio we found started off slow and slowly sped up and got loud. This audio track ended up fitting in perfectly with out trailer, we were able to cut it down so the audio would build up with the clips. The audio in professional trailer is always in perfect timing with the clips and almost reflect what is happening in the clips at the time.



There will often be a finishing scene that the producer will add to make the audience jump, or leave them wanting to see more. This end clip is key because it's the last shot the audience will see and remember, if it makes the viewer jump or wanting more then the viewer is more likely to remember the trailer and want to go see the film.

The setting for our trailer worked really well with our storyline, finding some old ruins of a church would make an interesting place to investigate. Old abandoned ruins are always a typical place for a horror film, for example Chernobyl Diaries took place in the ruins of Chernobyl. The reason is because the cast think the place is empty, this is usually the calm part of the trailer and then once they see someone it's a shock to the audience and then the producer can build up the tension using chase scenes and clips of people being captured or killed.

The date and title of the film is always shown at the end of the film so there is more chance of the audience remembering the name and release date of the film. This is another thing we took inspiration from, we put our title and dates at the end of the trailer just before the finisher clip. Another reason we put the title and dates just before the finisher clip is so the audience think that trailer is over and then hear and see a loud quick clip of the horror character, scaring them more because it was unexpected.

Drafts for Poster, Magazine cover and Moodboard

The image above is my rough drawing of what I would like my film poster too look like. The image I will be using is of the mask we used as a prop, hanging on coat hooks in some changing rooms. My idea is simple and doesn't give any information away of what the trailer or film is about.

The image above is my rough designs for my film magazine cover. It uses the mask from the trailer and just like the poster doesn't reveal any information of the film, making it seem mysterious and the audience more curious about it. I feel that this will draw the audience in more, making them think and desperate to know more.

This is my mood board for our trailer. It's filled with images with a subliminal meaning. Subliminal messages that have been used in films and adverts before. This mood board explains the meaning of Subliminal messages, and gives examples.

General Audience Research

Horror films are not for me, but for many other people they are. People enjoy the tense build up scenes and the sight of a man being slaughtered alive. The intense adrenaline rush the audience gain from watching a horror film is what keeps people going to see them, which then keeps the genre of horror popular and in business.
Horror films are mostly viewed by males, from in the cinema or sitting at home. This is mostly because the bloody scenes do not appeal to females, it put's them off rather than draws them in. Females are typically more into romantic, love based films, often a shared experience with their boyfriend.
Statistically, Horror films are one of the most unpopular genres around to this day. This may be because of other genres growing to impress people, action or thriller films are very popular, because of the age availability and non scary/ bloody scenes that repulse the audience.

Independant Audience Research

For this independent research I made a questionnaire and handed it out around college, the results I gained were the results I was aiming for. The idea of this questionnaire was to gain knowledge of what the audience are interested in and wanted to see, also it helped to back up my idea and give me the confidence to continue with my trailer.
In total, I think this questionnaire was very helpful, it helped me understand what the audience from my teams age range wanted to see, in the trailers, posters and magazine covers.

Recce Report

In the trailer we decided as a group that we should see Victim #2 - Louis in his natural environment, we shot clips in the hall, as shown below and the computer room which is through the left white door. This is the house of Isaac, the killer, it's a typical family house in Great Yarmouth surrounded by the same house. This house is ideal because it's a common house on a common street that blends in with it's surroundings, making the audience think nothing of the unordinary.

The next and final place we filmed, was at the old ruins of the church. This is where most of the action and trailer take place, this is where the first victim, Kieran is taken and thought of to be killed. We also see the killer here and hiding in the trees just to the right of the church in one clip. This setting is great because of it's old beaten down walls making it spooky looking. Surrounded with graves giving it the ultimate horror look and feel. Also because it's so innocent looking, you wouldn't suspect a thing, when really, there's a lot more going on there than you would think.

Props and costume list

The iconic mask in the film, is possibly the most important prop. I has featured in the trailer and also my film poster and film magazine cover, as well as Kieran and Isaac's.
The mask it literally just a sand bag, but with the roughly cut eye holes and mouth holes, it becomes a scary frightening mask.  

Here is the t-shirt I wore during the filming of this trailer, it's a band merchandise t-shirt which is a typical teenage thing to wear on a casual day. We didn't notice until after filming, but my t-shirt actually has an antichrist symbol on the back print. This upside down cross represents Satan and his evil commandments.  

Me, Louis - Victim #2

This is Kieran my friend who gets captured in the trailer, and this is the t-shirt that he was wearing. This is another typical teenage piece of clothing, Adidas is a sport clothing line, showing that Kieran a typical teenager into his sports, such as football.

Kieran - Victim #1

This is Isaac, on the day of the church filming, Isaac borrowed my plain black coat to cover the logo on his hoody. Also on that day he was wearing black jeans and shoes, meaning he was all in black. The reason we thought Isaac should wear all black is because he would be harder to see in the dark, which is what we wanted for the finishing clip at the end of the trailer when Isaac pops up out of nowhere.

Me and Kieran wanted to dress like typical teenagers, doing that shows that we young and weaker than a grown man, helpless and unable to escape. Teenagers are often the victims in horror films because they are easy victims to kill.

 

 

Whole film idea

When I was in the process of in the process of deciding which type of horror film we wanted to create, there was a strong feeling amongst all three of the group members that we wanted to create a trailer which was different to the current theme of horror- gore and blood. We decided instead that we wanted to make a psychological horror trailer which played with the readers mind, and influenced them in a much more indirect way, rather than the immediate horror effect which a slasher or gore horror film would.

The story begins with two friends in a car, driving through country roads, seemingly happy and they're just looking for something to do. There is a clear bond between the pair, shown by the way they are laughing and chatting in an informal way. The pair eventually end their journey when they pull up on the side of the road and see a mysterious figure running through the woods. Intrigued, the pair decide to investigate and follow the character, to be led into an abandoned church. Although the place is very quiet and somewhat peaceful, there is a definite sense of fear amongst the characters (Kieran Browne and Louis Caseley). As the light begins to fade over the abandoned ruins, the intensity increases and the atmosphere becomes very tense. While the boys are looking around the ruins, they become separated, unable to find each other, until Louis sees the figure standing in a gap in the ruin walls, as he escapes and runs from the scene, his friend Kieran screams his name while trying to search, but to no avail. Kieran is then "caught" by the un-identified figure, due to the burlap sack which covers his head, leading Louis to think his friend has been killed.

As the film continues, Louis starts to see Kieran's name everywhere he goes, thoughts of his death, and weather it was his fault plague him, eventually taking over his entire life. Negatively effecting his social life to the point which he could actually be considered mentally insane. The twist in the movie comes when Louis decides to visit the place where Kieran was supposedly killed by the demon, only to find out that he wasn't actually killed, but in an attempt to kill who he thinks is the killer. he actually kills Kieran, as Kieran wasn't actually dead in the first place, in-turn becoming the killer himself. This part of the film is not shown in the trailer, to allow for the audience to be surprised when they actually go and see the film in the cinema.

The film mainly follows Todorov's theory about structure. With a clear equilibrium at the beginning, with the two friends in the car, followed by the problem, the recognition, the fixing the problem stages, however the twist in our film means there is simply no second equilibrium. Due to Louis being killed at the end of the film, the film ends in sadness, which is reasonably uncommon in film, but more common in horror film. This is done to play on the audiences mind, for example if the film ended and everything was okay, the element of fear would disappear from the film. However as there is no calm, or death of the evil character, the audience would leave the cinema thinking "what if that happened to me?" Which is exactly what horror producers want because it keeps viewers talking about their films and it keeps them coming back for more.

The key characters in the trailer are the two boys, and the masked demon. They are very different but all important in their own ways. The two boys are very normal, wearing everyday clothing, being at one end of the scale, where as our classic horror villain was at the other end, being very abnormal and an actual psychopath. The trailer gives an insight into the characters they are likely to see in the film and there is instantly a feeling that they should side with the two boys when they watch the actual film.

There are also definite examples of Binary Opposition in our horror trailer also. With the main example being the characters in the trailer. The two boys being very normal, with no outrageous or noticeable unique qualities differentiating them from others of their age group. Opposing this however is the obvious evil character in the trailer. He is in fact very abnormal and clearly not an average human like the boys. We thought it was important to show the opposition of characters as there is then a clear divide between good and evil. The other example of Binary Opposition is a less obvious one, in the weather and the times used when filming. When we were filming the equilibrium stage of the trailer, we wanted to show calm and normality, so filmed in sunny, bright conditions. However opposing this, we filmed in darkened, dusky condition when we wanted to add an air of horror and creepiness to the trailer. Opposing the initial bright conditions. This was important to the trailer as we needed to show that the film would become scary and the perfect way to do this was by the dark conditions and use of fabricated lighting. Covering both ends of the binary scale.

Storyboard

Here is our original storyboard, we started off going by the storyboard, but then as we were filming, started trying new angels and filming techniques that we thought might be better. There are about 50 shots on this storyboard but because we wanted to experiment ended up using around 100 in our horror trailer.

Filming schedule

For our filming we had to make sure the time of day was correct and identical to the previous time we filmed. We filmed the horror scenes in an old church, at night time, a stereotypical time in horror films for things to turn bad. Then we filmed in the safety of a home during the day when things remained calm, the same with driving around looking for things to discover, this happened during the day whilst it was still sunny and a calm atmosphere.
We filmed at 11-3 during the day, for the calm scenes but we had to be precise when we were filming as we started filming of February 14th, so the light would fade very quickly, meaning we could no longer film.

Empire magazine analysis

This is the magazine I liked best, I am going to use a similar layout to this magazine cover. I like the simplicity of the image and it's background. The main image is in back and white which makes the image look more detailed, the audience is not distracted by the colour in the image and will look at the shadows and shading in the image.
Another reason I like the idea of a black and white image is because it makes the colour of the title really stand out and obvious. The title lays beneath the main image, making it obvious that the main image is what's important and makes the film look more dominant.
The only sub title on this cover is the title of the film that is featuring in this months magazine. The rest of the writing is the release date, price and month of the issue.
The barcode is in usual place and also blends in with the black and white theme of the magazine cover.
The plain white background makes Bond's black suit really stand out against the white. But I do feel like it's a bit boring, maybe if it had some sort of shattered glass effect or worn paper effect.

Total Film magazine analysis

The title of this magazine is in the biggest font on the cover, making it obvious that it's the title. The other thing I noticed is that the 'film' in the title has been experimented with and played with to fit in with the main image and the background. Even though the text blends in it's still noticeable and stands out from the rest of the background.
The next biggest font is a sub title of what's featured in the magazine, Inception. Total Film has labelled it at the top 'The mind blowing issue', this is also relevant to the sub title Inception. Inception is a film based in people minds, a team enters an individuals mind with a task to gain information. The sub title Inception lays on top of the main image but not covering the face or any key part of the image.
There is also a circle shape that has an effect as a sticker, this also grabbed my attention, separating itself from the rest of the cover. It's another sub title explaining that there is information of a new film coming out in the magazine.
The barcode is in a typical place, barcodes always seem to be in either bottom corner of the magazine, keeping out the way of the main image, sub titles and any other information on the cover.

Horror magazine analysis

The title of the magazine stands out from the rest of the text on that page because of the purple background and the red outline on the black text that states 'Fangoria', making it eye catching and obvious that it is the title of the magazine.
There are also lots of sub titles on the front cover, introducing what is going to be inside the issue of the magazine. The most important sub title is the text above and below the title of the magazine. "Fangoria - presents, Best and Bloodiest Horror Video" this text is also as important as the title of the magazine because it explains that this magazine is a limited edition magazine about the top rated Horror Video. The texts front range in style but the magazine title is on a separate background making it obvious it's the title.
This magazine also uses three little pictures besides the main image in the middle of the magazine. These images are example of what other films are up for the title of "Best and Bloodiest Horror Video". The main image grabbed my attention, straight away I knew this magazine was a Horror based magazine. The main image is Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, the image captures his burns and his aggressive expression seeking for revenge.

Representation of Women in Horror films

For this task I will be looking at how women are represented in horror films, women are usually seen as a weak character in horror films, unable to fight or escape from the killer. But there are two theories that support and oppose this. The 'male gaze' theory and the 'final girl' theory.

The final girl theory was created in 1992 by Carol Clover. The theory consists of a female character that survives the massacre in horror films particularly slaughter films. The character is usually the last person out of the cast that is alive and would confront the killer and lives to tell the tale. Usually a female character in Horror films would often be seen a the weaker character who can't defend or look after herself and is usually the first to die. But in the final girl theory the female is stronger willed and tends to dress quite masculine.
Wendy Christensen portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead from Final Destination is a great example of the final girl, she is innocent and sensible, does not wear cloths that show any flesh off and does not participate in any sexual acts during the film. Wendy figures out what is happening and why her and all her friends are dying. Wendy had vision at the beginning of the film, seeing her and her friends going on a roller coaster ride and the coaster coming lose, and they all die. She causes a scene and her and her friends are taken off the roller coaster, cheating death. Wendy is the last one to survive out of the group making her the final girl. She figures out what's going on and then tries to prevent it from happening. Without realise her and the next friends to die (Julie and Kevin) are all on the same train, she figures out that they are about to die and tries to stop the train, but it's too late. The train crashes leaving the friends to die tragically. She is the only one alive. Until, she finds herself stuck on a train track with a trapped leg, she cannot move and sees the next train coming. She dies in the end but she still follows the role of the final girl.

Here is the last scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sxvSqv7LEQ

Unlike two other girls in this film, Crystal Lowe portraying Ashlyn Halperin and Chelan Simmons portraying Ashley Freund who are in the 'male gaze' theory. These two girls dress to impress the males and grab the male audience attention in their tanning scene. As you can see from the pictures above and below there is a major difference in the style of clothing the girls are wearing, both girls below are wearing pink and yellow, typical girly colours and also they are both wearing short skirts to give the males something to look at. In the picture above Wendy is wearing blue and red, more masculine colours, they also seem to be covering her whole body, not revealing any flesh. She also seems to be holding a camera consciously making her seem innocent and shy. The scene where Ashley and Ashlyn die support the male gaze theory, they are both in the tanning bed wearing nothing but bikini bottoms. A shelf from above one of the tanning beds comes loose and fall, trapping the girls in the tanning beds. Previously one of the girls brought a drink in the room, placing it above the control box that controls the heat of the tanning beds, dripping on to the control box the tanning beds start to increase the heat, until they burn alive.

Here is the scene of Ashlyn and Ashley supporting the male gaze theory, and their deaths. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaz73KCiKaM

The 'male gaze' theory was brought up by Laura Mulvey in 1975. Mulvey noticed that in some cases women were used to grab male attention and sell the film or advert. The women would wear tightly fit revealing clothes, or in some situations hardly any clothing what so ever. The camera tends to focus on the woman's curves and figure in scenes of the male gaze women. In adverts made to sell products this theory also comes into action, women are used more an object or prop to help grab the male audiences attention and convince them to buy whatever is up for sale.

Other examples of the 'final girl' theory would be Shelley Duvall who is portraying Wendy Torrance in The Shining. She escapes and survives her husbands madness and slaughter also with her son Danny. Although she is the only female in the hotel at the time and for the majority of the time, she still follows the theory. She wears masculine based clothing that always cover her whole body, she is generally a quiet and shy character as we find out during the film. She protects herself and her son, using a bat and knife. In the scene I have posted below this picture Wendy has confronted the horror character and stand up for herself, she hits Jack around the head with a bat, and Jack falls from the top of the stairs to the bottom knocking him unconscious. Wendy and her son escape leaving Jack outside stuck in a maze, Jack freezes to death.

 

Here is the scene of Wendy supporting the Final girl theory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n47U-v3v1-Q

 

Horror character analysis - Freddy Krueger

The horror character I have chosen for this task is Frederick Charles also known as "Freddy" Krueger. Freddy is the horror character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series of films. There are 8 A Nightmare on Elm Street films including a 2010 remake of the original 1984 film, also Freddy shares a role in Freddy vs. Jason. Freddy plays in 9 horror films ranging from 1984 to 2010 making him a well known historic horror character.

The A Nightmare on Elm Street series are American slasher films that consist of Freddy stalking teenagers and then killing them in their dreams, but it was not just a nightmare, what would happen in their dreams would affect them in the real world.

The background of Freddy is very disturbing but explains why he does what he does. The reason behind Freddy stalking and killing teenagers is for revenge. He kills the teenagers of parents that once burned him alive. This storyline was expanded during the television series and each episode had a different individual plot. Novels were next written but didn't follow the series of films or television series. The original film and storyline was written and directed by Wes Craven.

To look at Freddy is very scary, I think the outside of Freddy is meant to be the flesh and muscle that lays beneath the skin, from when he was once burned alive. Seeing someone without any skin or hair is surreal and unnatural, which we find frightening. The horror character always has an iconic mark on them that makes them known as the bad guy from the start, this can range from a sinister looking scare on their face to having nails sticking out of their head/face, like Pinhead.

Freddy also has a metal glove with blades on the ends of the finger tips that he uses to kill his victims. Having blades attached to your fingers would make killing victims much easier, there's nothing to hold and there is nothing to drop. One sweep or claw with the hand would slice through the victims making the glove horrific and something to fear. Every scary horror character has an iconic prop they use to kill their victims for example, Ghostface from the series of Scream films uses a hunting knife, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre uses a chainsaw, Jack from The Shining uses a axe to kill his victims. All these weapons are just tools are sharp objects anybody could buy or find, Freddy's glove is very unique and rare, the idea of it is simply genius and they are impossible to find or buy, by the looks of it he had made it himself which means he is smart and is always thinking about killing. Freddy has invented a killing device which is on another level of evil, making him more sinister and making the audience fear him.

Freddy wears normal everyday clothing which may be a disguise to try hide his appearance whilst stalking the teenagers in the real world. The trilby hat and striped jumper have now become iconic clothing which is recognised almost worldwide, this basic iconic outfit has also become a typical Halloween costume.

Here is the original 1984 trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdb_HSvf2Zk

Here is the 2010 remake trailer for the same film. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuYoEtEI_go

The 2010 trailer shows you Krueger's death and reason behind why he's stalking and killing these teenagers. I couldn't find a 1984 trailer that did the same, I haven't watched the 1984 film either so I'm not sure if it shows and explains why Krueger is doing this. I think it is always crucial to show the reason behind why the killer is seeking revenge because it is more understanding to those who didn't look into the film plot.

It is obvious straight away the Freddy has changed, he is more animated now in the 2010 film, making his flesh and wounds seem more realistic and believable. The glove in the 2010 also looks different, it looks more modern and mechanical, also I noticed the blades on the end of the fingers are sharper and bigger.

Overall, Freddy is a legendary horror character, attacking his victims in their lonely dreams where they are unable to get anyone's help or stop Freddy from what he is doing. His glove is iconic and a horrific genius invention, doing what Freddy has set out for, killing the teenagers of the parents that burned him alive. The storyline is terrifying and amazing as well as the film.

Role of the Production Company

The production company plays a huge role in the release of a new film. They are in charge of the complete production and control the organisation for scenes are hiring people for that scene and the script they read. It's fair to say that the production company are in main control over the film.

It all starts with an idea, the production company will read through a well written plot summing up the idea and storyline. The production company will discus if they think if it is good enough idea, if the genre and type of the film is good, will it be popular and if it fits in well with the current popular sub genre films.

Once deciding if they think it's a good investment the production company will then agree and stick with the film until finish.

Then will begin the production of the film, the Development is the first step to making a film, funding is started for the teams and experts needed to make this film up to professional standard, such as an editing crew, sound crew, lighting, marketing and many more.

Next will be the Pre-Production of the film, this basically is the start of the idea for some scenes and shots in the film. Also a key production team must of been assembled for this part, such as a manger and a head for each department.

Once teams are sorted and ideas have been made for certain shots or parts of the film the Film Making will then take place. This is the bulk of the process that could take the longest out of all stages, each shot needs to be perfect and approved by the production company or manager for it to be allow to go in the film.

The final step of this process will be the Post Production, this is where the clips are all edited together, music is added, titles are added and the film is completed. The production company advertises the film and then sends it to cinemas for viewing.

There are many ways production companies advertise there film, trailers would be made and played on television or on the internet, posters will be made and distributed to cinemas, as well as billboard posters. Sometimes audio adverts would of been made and aired on the radio, and the list goes on.

Here are a few examples of major production companies you may have seen before the beginning of a film.

Jaws poster analysis

The reason I chose to analysis this film poster is because of how basic and simple it is. This poster consists of the film title, and a drawn image of the moment before a shark attack. Straight away with combination of the title and image it's clear what this film is going to be about. The sea is huge, taking up the highest percentage of room on earth, the deeper the sea is the darker it is, and what we can't see in the dark scares us. This is why I think they have used this image in their poster, the shark looks like it's coming out of the deep dark sea and the shark is very well blended in, colour wise.

There is no slogan or any other information apart from the title of the film and the clue of the image they have used. The colour of the font is red, which is very common in horror posters because red implies danger and sometimes death. The colour red in this poster also stands out really well from the white sky and blue sea. The actual font looks quite cartoon based and not so sinister in my opinion. The image looks like it has been drawn which allows the artist to place the lighting and shading where it is most effective on the characters. Most of the lighting on the shark has been placed on the teeth as well as the outline of the shark and it's features that makes the audience notice it's a shark. The teeth look like they have been over exaggerated maybe to link with the film title or to make the shark look more frightening.

Friday 13th poster analysis

The thing I like most about this poster is that it has an empty feel to it. There is no slogan or any information given away. The only thing in this poster is a mask and the release date. These are the only two things in the poster which give no clue about the film, I like this because it seems mysterious.

Another form that encourages the empty feel in this poster, is the plain black background, there is no other colour or object of effect that makes it seem that there is anything there e.g. a doorway, shadow or light source. This not being about to see anything makes it more scary, there could be anything there behind the mask, someone could actually be wearing the mask but because of the lighting we are unable to see it. The darkness is the easiest but most scariest thing that you could use in a horror film, not being able to see what is there makes our minds wonder and imagine what could be there. Simple yet very effective.

The lighting on the mask is very well done, the lighting makes the mask look like it is fading away into the darkness, or coming out from the darkness. The lighting is hitting the mask at an angle which allows the scratches, dents and worn parts show. This old battered up and worn mask is typically a very scary prop, the scratches and marks hold stories of what the mask has been through, this gives off another mysterious effect that makes the audience fearful but curious.

Because of my film knowledge I know that 'February 13' is the release date not the name of the film, this poster is for Friday the 13th. It makes me wonder why they didn't add the title of the film but only the release date, but then I realised that February 13 would probably be on a Friday of that year. This subtle hint makes the audience think about the title and release date, making them remember it, and most probably look up about it or just go and watch it without looking into it. Another simple but very effective technique to draw the audiences attention.

Orphan poster analysis

The slogan is used to give an idea or reveal something about the film. “There’s something wrong with Esther.” This slogan implies that there will be trouble in the film, or that something bad will happen to Esther or something bad will happen because of Esther. The slogan leaves a cliff hanger, leaving the audience wanting more. This slogan runs along the top of the poster, and it's written in thick bold text to draw attention to it.
The background in this poster is really dull and basic. It looks like she’s just standing in front of a hospital/ medical related wall. It's dark which is common for slasher/horror films, hinting from first glance that it's going to be a dark film. The lighting has been fully focused on Esther’s face; the light has been made to give Esther evil looking shadows on her cheeks and eyes. The way Esther's face has been lightened shows that there is two different sides to her character in this film. The font used in this poster is naïve and childlike implying the film is based around or uses children. The font looks like it has been scratched out with a sharp object or weapon, which implies that it is a horror film. They have made the release date bigger than all the other text, but not as big as the title so it stands out. They add the release date onto the poster so they know when it comes out so they can go and see it, also adding it onto the poster makes the audience who liked the poster and read the poster, remember when it is released. Esther has  ribbons has black ribbons in her hair which is typically seen as something a young female would wear. Esther also seems to be wearing a ribbon around her neck with looks more sinister and evil. The clothing Esther is wearing is a blue dress which is more child typical and friendly, I think the light coloured dress and dark purple ribbon conflict each other, showing two sides of Esther.

Let the right one in film analysis

Let the right one in

Let the right one in is a Swedish romance horror film released in 2008. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, produced by Carl Molinder and John Nordling. This film is based on the 2004 vampire fiction novel Let the right one in by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

The film starts off by showing the background and lifestyle of the two main characters Oskar and Eli. Oskar is a young Swedish school boy, that's having a tough time at school because of the fact that he is getting bullied. Oskar also has separated parents and lives with his mother in a block of apartments. Eli is a young vampire girl, who looks roughly the same age as Oskar. Eli's father is helping Eli survive by draining the blood of humans into a container and feeding it to Eli. This prevents Eli from giving away her identity as a vampire to the public.

The first time Oskar and Eli meet is in the local park central of all the blocks of apartments. This happens at night time which is the only possible time of day Eli can come outside without burning to death. Oskar and Eli become close friends and end up helping each other out.

This follows Todorov's theory, Oskar meets Eli and becomes friends with her, this starts to make changes in his life, Oskar becomes more confident over the bullies and ends up hitting one of them round the face with a piece of wood. This jump from normal everyday life to the meeting of Eli and the changes it has on his life is a clear equilibrium. Oskar then finds himself in lots of danger, he discovers that Eli is a vampire and due to them becoming friends he tries to help her survive and keep any attention drawn to Eli away, this is recognition of the problem. Eli decides to move away which is her trying to fix the problem that she has created. This leaves Oskar in a vulnerable state and finds himself being dunked in a swimming pool. As Oskar thinks all hope is lost, the bully's body parts appear to be thrown into the pool, this turns out to be Eli who has returned to help Oskar. They are reunited and travel to a new destination, this is the final new equilibrium.

From the official trailer for this film, it's made obvious that it's a vampire film. Oskar asks Eli if she is a vampire and she reply's with "would you like me anyway?", Eli isn't denying she is a vampire and previous clips before this final clarification show Eli feeding on human's. The two main characters in this film are children, as they show in the trailer, this makes the film feel less frightening because children are younger and smaller than most of the audience who watched this film. Using a child as a horror character changes the stereotypical features of the horror character, usually the main horror character in a film will be a big, strong, aggressive male. Eli is disguised as a young girl but is actually an aggressive strong vampire when thirsty for blood. When the audience see that the horror character is a child they wont feel frightened, but when they see Eli in action feeding on humans they will know not to be fooled, horror characters can take any shape or form.

The reason this film falls into the horror genre is because of the blood thirsty vampire that hunts and kill humans. Vampires also posses superhuman strength and also the ability to fly and run extremely quickly. These abilities are frightening and in the use of evil; hunting and killing humans, makes theses films scary and threatening. Vampires are usually corpses been brought back to life or humans been bitten and transformed into a vampire, either way the victim - new vampire is no longer a living human. In this film Eli the vampire is a young girl, which means she was either bitten or a corpse been transformed into a vampire. This corpse that wonders the earth feasting on the living typically falls into the horror genre; the dead being brought back to life, killing.

The main characters and dominant characters in this films are obvious. The whole film is based round the life of the child Oskar, showing his normal everyday life, the encounter of him becoming friends with a vampire and the troubles it get's Oskar in and the solving at the end. I would say the main character is Oskar because the film revolves around him. But the dominant character would be Eli because she is the confident influential character. During the film Oskar takes control at one point when he stands up to his bully, this was majorly influenced by Eli.

In conclusion, this is a modern day vampire film, the genre and it's mythological creature was put into a realistic situation of todays time. This film follows Todorov's theory and the tradition of the vampire. This film is a typical horror film full with loads of lots of blood and jumpy scenes. The ending of the film takes a twist, when usually the vampire would die for it being the evil character, Eli survives and continues to live but just in a different location, which can lead the film on into a sequel if wanted to.

Here is the trailer for Let the right one in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJUgsZ56vQ