Research and Planning: Auditions Poster

Here is the auditions poster created by my partner which was be used to advertise auditions.

Research and Planning: Trailer Codes and Conventions

A trailer is usually between 1 and 2 minutes long. A teaser trailer would be shorter and show less of the storyline, whereas a full length trailer will give more clues as to what the content of the film will be. They also show scenes from within the film.
Conventions of Trailers are:

• Film Name
• Montages
• Voice-overs
• Production Company
• Age Certificate
• Narrative Peaks
• Release Date
• Titles

Research and Planning: Costume And Props list for magazine

White dress

This would usually be rather expensive but the actress to be featured already has a white dress so this will cost nothing.

Alternatively, if a male were to be used then a black shirt would be needed, as well as possibly a black a black jacket

 

The contrast in colour from the male and female is essential, as is the male looking a lot more well dressed and clean than the girl who needs to show she has been dead a long time.

Research and Planning: Test Shots for magazine

Here is a male model who would be well suited to the role of the tall male lead, who is focused on his task of discovering what's happening. He would be able to tower over the female lead and looking physically more powerful than her.

 Becky may be suitable for the female lead because she is so tiny and innocent seeming, however it would be very difficult to make her look as though she were dead, as her hair and expression appear to be very full of life. 

Sam is not really suitable to play the part of the male within the trailer as he is quite thin and not very powerful looking. He is also not very tall, so his height in relation to the actress used may then have become an issue.

Research and Planning: Magazine Drafts

Here are two drafts I have drawn which may become the basis for the front covers of my film magazine.
Each have all the stereotypical features of a film magazine, with a masthead, tagline, main title, cover titles, price and date.

Research and Planning: Sound Research

I have chosen to view this film's trailer and look at sound because it was made with a similar technique to the one we plan to use. It looks professional enough, though it keeps a strong sense of realism enough to scare the audience and excite them.

• Rustling and loud sudden crashes, create a scary eerie effect with the loudness adding to the thrill
• Ticking noise gets pulse racing, excitement built because audience are ready to be scared suddenly
• Juxtapose cheerful sounding family with eerie ticking, shows thing's aren't right and adds to atmosphere
• creaking noises heightened diegetic, more atmosphere
• Faster and louder sounds build tension 
• Dialogue yelling is sudden, makes audience jump
• screams, typical of horror
• Panicked dialogue
• Piano crash scary to conclude and also unexpected twist since it's after the release date

 Some of these features I plan to emulate within my own work, particularly the loud and sudden noises to overwhelm an audience.

Research and Planning: Script

Phonebox scene

• Male lead on the phone saying "I don't understand...the dead girl...she died 100 years ago...why is the report so recent?"
• "She's been dead 100 years, I've got to find out why this report's here now."
• "This girl...she's been dead so long...what's this about? I've got to figure this out."
• "100 years, I don't get it. It's so long ago...I need to know, why now?"

One of these also used as a sound bridge.
I've come up with a list of suggestions for this scene as the quote needs to be strong enough to carry the whole trailer. My partner will view these suggestions then discuss them with me.

Female Lead
Will have no dialogue within the trailer as she is a quiet creepy dead girl.

Research and Planning: Meeting

Me and my partner have discussed the title to our film. As her research suggested, a film about being traxfixed with someone should have a name like 'transfixiation' though it isn't a real word and is already used as a title for another form of media, so the name 'Transfixed' has been decided on by the both of us.

Research and Planning: Publication Plan

Film Magazine Publication Plan on Prezi

Research and Planning: Plan for the week

This week I intend to:

• create a publication plan
• Draw 2 film magazine drafts
• Begin taking test shots
• Complete production documents
• Sound or editing test
• Begin actor auditions

Research and Planning: Second Magazine Analysis

This is clearly a Sight and Sound Magazine as can be seen from the masthead in the top-left corner of the page. The image relates to is a horror film, as the extreme close-up of the vulnerable, shaken up woman suggests. This suggests that the character here is either evil or possessed within the film.
Typical magazine traits used here are:

• The masthead
• The positioning statement
• Bar code, issue date and price
• Main cover-line
• Smaller cover-lines
• Three colour rule

A feature not used within this magazine cover was a banner.
 The magazine is probably aimed at an older audience than Empire, perhaps film fans aged between 25 and 35, and also a more feminine audience, as the content appears to be more detailed and mature, as well as the yellow, red and white colour scheme and the focus on female character makes the magazine appear to be more feminine.

Research and Planning: Magazine Analysis

Empire magazine is a well established film magazine, as is clear from the bold red masthead which is also partially covered by the image in the centre of the page. The cover is obviously a special edition as the banner suggests there is a specific focus on covers, as well as the fact there are no smaller cover-lines, only the main cover-line about the main article within the magazine.
It is clear this is a magazine cover through the use of the following conventions:

• Masthead
• Three Colour Rule
• Banner
• Main cover-line
• Dominating image in the centre of the page
• Issue Date and Price
• Website

There is however no positioning statement or bar code on the front cover.
The narrative genre of the magazine is obviously a film magazine as the focus is entirely around a film, the medium close-up image clearly relates to a character from a film and the strict three-colour rule is used to keep with the look other magazines have.
The representation of the film fetured clearly shows that this 'hobbit' is an evil character and has a creepy twisted look in his eyes, which also do not match, adding to the creepy effect created by a horror film.
The target audience of this film magazine is presumably film fans aged between 18 and 25 as it has a strong focus on a current film and looks to be of a more mature content than young teenagers would be interested in.

Research and Planning: Meeting Post

Me and my partner have discussed the production logo and as one name that is floating around for this is "shot dead productions" she has decided to make a few attempts at a logo, with a red, white and grey colour scheme. The logo will include bullet shots and a dark grey font on a black background with a blood red effect.

We have also discussed the animated storyboard and made a plan for the ordering and sketching of the scenes within this, which will be completed over the weekend.

Research and Planning: Audience Feedback

Here I have uploaded the feedback I received from friends on facebook about the ideas for names of the film trailer within this project.

 My friends came up with a variety of different suggestions for the name of this film, however none of them discussed the ideas I presented of "Investigation"
I have spoken to my partner about film names and her research came up with the name "Transfixiation" I like the idea, but think "Transfixed" would be better since it is a real word.

Research and Planning: Name ideas for film trailer-key words

Here are a list of words associated with my chosen plot, they may be related to the title or included within the title when me and my partner decide on a final definite title.

Research and Planning: Animated Storyboard

Here is a storyboard of how me and my partner's trailer is expected to run when completed.
http://www.beckymckenziea2.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/research-and-planning-animatic.html#comment-form 

Research and Planning: Animated Storyboard

Research and Planning: Trailer Research-Focus on Sound

Sinister

Silence as the age rating is presented and company logo shown
Noises as scenes cut and flicker, shows uneasyness
Diegetic sound bridges, talking over cut scenes, one voice is the focus
Heightened diegetic sounds
Sudden loud noises with graphic scenes, thrill and shock audience
Sound bridges giving clues to plot
Thrills heightened by stings which are extremely loud compared to rest of the trailer
Slowly built into graphic horror scene within trailer
Sound bridges building suspense and fear
Film name shown then tag line and resources with one final sting.