"Birthday Party"

• Within our teaser trailer we are doing a 'Birthday party' scene where by the actors will be sat around a big table covered in food, just like a traditional child's birthday party. 
• We are hoping to get lots of different foods like crisps, cake, biscuits etc... of all different sizes and colour so that all the brightness will juxtapose with the basement they are sitting in.
• In terms of mise en scene we are hoping to have lots of balloons, streamers and banners across the walls so that it look very bright, colourful and fun.
  
  'Party Games'
• The party scene will hopefully also include traditional party games as well. The games should hopefully include things like 'Twister', 'Pin the tail on the donkey' and 'Bobbin for apples' however the games will have a twist to them. As our teaser is a slasher the games will have an element of torture within them.

Interior location

• This picture shows our interior location for our 'child's party' it has very plain white walls which will allow us to put up any mise en scene if necessary.
• The plain walls and piping also make it look neglected and will enhance the effect of it being a desolate place. 

The ladder which goes up to a locked hatch door makes it look like a basement, yet no way out, as it is locked.




The people sitting down indicate where a table could
be placed and it shows enough room. Both walls can be clearly seen and so is the ladder which again enhances the idea that is a neglected and desolate basement.                                                                                  

interior location test1

• This video shows the first interior location test we did in our school dungeon. it shows all different light sources, including main lighting. There are three sets of illumination (long stripped) lights which can be very bright, yet obviously the less that are turned on the darker it will be. 
• We also experimented with smaller sources of light, that being a lamp. This made the light focus on one area and could be good for a more intense situation, however the more evenly spread lighting methods prove better for camera work as the light doesn't stand out more in one place, and less in another.

Sound.

• As Amy is talking it is very clear with no echoing, this is due to it being a small room with no windows to make any sound. This will make it easier to film as any diegetic dialogue will be clearly heard and no background noise will be picked up.

Exterior Location - Night-Time Lighting Test

We decided only to use night-time shots for when a character leaves the pub because the amount of lighting actually allowed us to see the action but it still keeps the creepy atmosphere.

Make up testing - Face paint

• As a development from my smile make up research I have been testing different potential make up looks and methods that we could use in our teaser trailer
• Here I have looked more at a comical smile which still however provokes an eerie/creepy effect on the audience
• The photographs show the process step by step that I took to create this smile make up look

The process:

• In order to create this look I used red, white, black face paint, white eyeliner and black eyeliner
• Firstly I outline the smile shape using the white eyeliner which allowed me to ensure the both sides were even and provided a guide line to paint over
• Once I had done this I used white cream face make up to fill in the smile shape all with white paint, this was my base  
• I allowed this to dry and then began outlining the smile with red face paint to form the exaggerated lips 
• I then roughly drew on teeth using the black eyeliner, I painted over the lines with black face paint to define the teeth
• I began to shape the teeth more and making it look more like a toothy grin as I outlined them with black face paint
• Then I outlined the lips with a black line using the black face paint to make the smile more dramatic and bold 
• After this to add more depth, tone and shadow to the lips I blended the solid black line with the red lips which I think make the look overall more dark and sinister looking 
• Photographs below are the final result of this smile make up look - I think that the make up creates a creepy, disturbing looking face and the exaggerated smile looks forced and dominants the face

Amy Freeman

Families in Horror Films

We have developed ideas from our initial concept of young women being brainwashed by the media. Our first idea was about the media influence of having the 'perfect' body image. However, we felt that this is a very broad issue and has already been exploited by many media products. Therefore, we have decided to focus on the way that families are portrayed in the media and have our main protagonist obsessed the love and security of having a family. For research I have looked at victimised families in horror films for casting purposes to see if there are any conventions, patterns or categories that we could use when casting actors for our film...






The Orphan:

• The main physical differences that can be seen between Esther and the rest of the family are their blonde hair (children in particular) in contrast to her dark hair. 
• This could be because of the innocent connotations associated with blonde children or it could be to make a clear identification between Ester and the rest of the family to highlight that she is adopted.
• Also, her acquired vintage Russian dress style makes a clear differentiation between her and the family. Again, this could be to obviously highlight her cultural difference and disconnection with the rest or the family. Or, to create enigmas about the character and show she is 'different'. The less the audience know about her, the more creepy she becomes.

The Imposter:

• Because of the documentary style of the film and being based on a factual story, I was not expecting to find many connotations and conventions as some footage is real.
• The victim child who went missing was blonde haired and blue eyed, giving connotations of innocence.
• The protagonist and imposter looks very different, this could of been for the purpose of the film to highlight the physical differences between him and nick that were obvious to everyone, including his family.
• Although the film is based on the fact that the two people looked completely different, it may of been over exadgerated for the film. The imposter has olive skin, brown eyes and dark hair.
• He also has a european accent which again highlights the differences to show he is not the misising teenager and creates enigmas to make the audience more fearful of him because he is a forigen outsider.

• The family of nick that took in the imposter also have the same connotations of innocence and being older makes them seem more vulnerable and at risk to the actions of the imposter.

Paranormal Activity

• These films take a different approach as the protagonists are not the villain but are possessed/ followed/ haunted by a deamond and are therefore portrayed as the victims.
• However, the generally dark features connotations follow those of villains in horror films.
• By using young children and babies the characters seem more vulnerable and at risk as they may have difficulty communicating what they see or be ignored. 

Make up testing - 3D gel

• From my research into smile face make up I recreated the 'Chelsea grin' look which we are considering using in our trailer
• In order to create this look I used 3D gel (as shown in picture), fake blood, food colouring, concealer, powder, black eyeliner and eyeshadow
• I firstly built up the scar with the 3D gel which worked well having a base to work on top of
• After the gel had set slightly it still didn't blend with my skin as it was shiny so I used concealer to blend the gel with my skin, this achieved a more matt look
• The issue I was having with the gel is that it is quite sticky and so in order to prevent this I added powder, I also found this helped further with blending it with my skin
• I then filled in the gap I created with black eyeliner which gave a sense of depth to the cut
• I wanted the skin around the scar to look bruised so I used various shades of brown, purple, pink and red eyeshadows to give this impression
• Finally I used a paint brush to fill in the gap over the eyeliner with fake blood to give a congealed blood look and then dripped blood so it would look like the wound was bleeding
• The fake blood on its own was too bright and wasn't realistic enough so I mix a bit of red food colouring and brown paint with the fake blood to achieve a more realistic deeper blood red
• I am pleased with the outcome of the make up and the effect it has, I will continue my make up testing and research using different techniques and make up to decide which looks best and most effective

Amy Freeman

Hunger games teaser trailer deconstruction

Titles

• Lionsgate title – production company logo then fades to black
• Animated hunger games title – burning mocking jay
• Fast cuts from release date to website, facebook and music promotions at end of teaser
• End titles fade out to black

Sound

• Crickets – forest sounds
• Crunching of leaves under foot
• Bird in trees
• Male voiceover ‘listen to me you’re stronger than they are’
• Fire crackle
• Slow music which gradually builds throughout trailer
• Diegetic Trees falling
• ‘they just want a good show that’s all they want’
• ‘show them how good you are’
• Release of arrow – diegetic noise heightened
• Fire crackling
• Four note whistle at the end – recognisable of the hunger games, the film’s theme

Camera angles

• Establishing shot of forest
• hignh angled shot of tree canopy 
• Focus on her feet walking camera tilt upwards to show Katniss’s bow
• Long shot of her emerging from behind the rock – shows her isolation
• Extreme close up of eyes looking/searching
• Extreme close up of mocking jay throughout trailer
• Tracking shot of her running from the forest fire
• Close up of her aiming the arrow
• Over shoulder shot – following Katniss through the forest
• Mid shots – establishing main protagonist, clear shots of her face  
• Sharp tilt up to trees

Mise en scene

• Fire – symbol of danger
• Bow and arrow – weapon for hunting, shows she has become a hunter
• Mocking jay pin is symbolic of the film franchise
• Forest usually a place of solitude but is interrupted by the fire which changes the tone from peaceful to frantic and manic  
• Wearing survival clothing and back pack – practicality and subverts convention of typical girl’s image, no makeup is worn and her hair is tied back  

Editing

• Editing builds tension – starts slow then gradually builds up creating anticipation and excitement
• Titles fade to black
• Focus pull from leaves to her feet
• Blurry shot of trees – fast movement
• Blurred running shots again demonstrates her movement
• Jump cuts – simple transitions
• Cuts from extreme close up of mocking jay to Katniss in the forest – building up to final shot of the Mocking jay pin

Amy Freeman

Hunger games poster deconstruction

Image 

• Large image of character
• Focus on Katniss who is one of the protagonists in the film
• Half her face is cast in shadow whilst the other is lit
• Her eyes are looking forward and seem as though she is looking at the viewer
• Katniss is drawing back and arrow which puts across the fighting action of the film
• The colour scheme is red, orange, yellow and browns - reflective of fire that recurs as a constant theme in the film
• Title of film does not dominant the poster and over take the image
• Mocking jay is included as has become the recognisable symbol of the franchise
• There are no actors, directors or production names included 

Tagline

• 'The world will be watching' - hints towards themes in the film
• Ideas of obsession with watching, surveillance  

Genre

• Conveys genre of adventure and action with the bow and arrow and fire 

Typography

• Golden text 
• Block capitals - bold against background 
• Tagline justified to span across poster
• tagline is in white which helps it contrast and stand out against the background of the poster

Golden rule/ Positioning of elements

• Image is main central focus of the poster - eye is immediately drawn to image which is recognisable 
• Viewer's eyes are drawn to met the female character's stare
• Title doesn't dominant poster 

Amy Freeman 

He loves me He loves me not scene deconstruction #3

1:26:00 – 1:32:33

Sound

• Orchestral violin music
• Cuts when she comes up stairs - Loic's shock to see her, first encounter after discovering the truth 
• Abrupt with answers 
• ‘will you take me with you?’ - Angelique's deluded mind set 
• ‘no. I am taking you nowhere’ - harsh, emphasise on 'you nowhere'
• ‘I don’t get it’ - Angelique's genuine confusion
• ‘our trip to Florence? Our song?’ - believes the fiction of her imagination is real
• ‘we planned nothing… we’ve never been together, never will be’ - Loic is reinforcing that it has all been some great delusion of her mind 
• ‘you dreamt it all.. now it’s over’ - finalising that this is the end which reacts badly with Angelique who then acts out 
• Operatic female voice, tinkling music
• Reverberated  thud of object hitting head
• Falling down the stairs is muffled – from Angelique’s perspective – clouded mind
• People rush to his aid, faint voices – still in Angelique distant warped vision
• Police sirens
• Voiceover - sounds like a judge sentencing her for her actions 
• ‘Angelique L was diagnosed as sick unanswerable for her actions, the accused suffers from intense erotomania’
• ‘Angelique L should be confined to a psychiatric home’
• L-O-V-E has become theme of film ‘their song’ almost contradicts and contrasts the reality
• Heart monitor bleeps
• Screaming in distress ‘let me out of here’ contrasting with the romantic song
• L-O-V-E fades out slowly and gradually as it leads into Angelique speaking
• ‘there’s a world in my head, an unreal world in it Loic loves me and protects me in it he is always by my side now I know it doesn’t exist that was an illusion, the fruit of my imagination’ - establishing Angelique's thought process
• ‘we all dream of a great love affair, I just dreamt a bit harder’
•  ‘if you keep taking your medication, you’ll be fine’ - Doctor words almost pre-empts ending 
• Scene gets really quiet almost heightens shock and allows the audience to make their comments – intensifies situation

Mise en scene

• He has moved all his stuff out of his office
• Blunt, heavy sculpture she strikes his skull
• Heart graph artwork
• Things scattered down the stairs
• Handcuffed
• Police van
• Hospital room surrounded by machines  serious critical condition
• White clean, clinical hallway
• White coats – doctors, clinical
• Strapped to bed – liability, dangerous
• Wheelchair – serious damage
• Clean , white room – drab existence compared to colourful scenes previous
• Girl on swing – happy family life
• Loic has walking stick
• Children’s toys
• Hair has grown showing time has passed
• Empty room
• Collage of Loic made from pills she has not taken
• Carries away a small bag – collection of her things of her time there
• Long, clean corridor opposite end than when she was coming in

 Camera angles

• Tracking shot of Loic and Angelique’s conversation
• Close up of Angelique and Loic’s face 
• Extreme close up of her face
• Extreme close up of the striking of the head, buckling of his knees and his face passed out
• Low angle shot looking up at Angelique
• Camera emulates Loic’s action of falling down the stairs
• High angle of Loic at the bottom of the stairs – Angelique’s view
• Long shot of police van driving away
• Close up of medical heartbeat graphs
• Long shot of Angelique being walked down the corridor she then turns and runs at camera
• Extreme close up of Loic waking up from comatosed state
• Isolated shot of wheelchair – showing his medical condition
• Pan over from wheelchair to Loic being helped out of bed
• Pan continues to Angelique’s room – shows their separate recoveries simultaneously
• Close up of Loic and his wife’s feet and crutches – learning to walk again, Angelique caused physical damage as well as emotional
• Close up zoom of Angelique falling to sleep when being tested on
• Camera slightly titls up to follow girl on swing
• Long shot of Loic’s happy family
• Head and shoulders shot of Angelique against white background – sole focus is her
• Over the shoulder shot
• Long shot of her walking down the same corridor we saw earlier when she was being brought in
• Close up and extreme close ups of pills Angelique used to form another collage of Loic behind her storage cupboard

Editing

• When Angelique strikes Loic the editing has a hazy, blurry filter so reflects her mind set
• Slow motion when she strikes him creates dramatic effect
• Camera acts as Loic falling as it stays focussed on Angelique however it slowly spirals backwards down the stairs to give the impression of him tumbling down the staircase
•  Cuts between Loic and Angelique
• parallels and contrasts being made between Loic and Angelique  e.g. both confined to a hospital both scenes similar with white, bare, clinical feel however contrasted as when she is strapped down to a bed he is being helped out of one
• again similar images are being shown to drawn comparisons and differences between their circumstances – e.g. Loic’s feet are shown as he learns to walk again and this then cuts to a shot of Angelique’s feet as she is laying in a hospital bed
• Constant similar situations are used to merge the two divided scenarios the characters are in
• Jump cuts as transitions
• Fades to black and a final frame of words of a real life erotomanic confined for over 50

Amy Freeman

The Truman Show Trailer Deconstruction

                                The Truman Show Trailer

Trailer-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkZM2oWcleM

• The trailer starts with what looks like someone changing channel as the screen is fuzzy.  We then see the title ‘The Truman show’ as a non diegetic narrator says ‘the Truman show’ being the biggest set ever constructed.
• The camera zooms in on Truman as he says ‘good morning, good evening and good night,’ the camera then jump cuts to an interview with the creator of ‘The Truman show’ explaining how there are over 5000 cameras hidden. 
• The audience then see some of these cameras including; one in a necklace, in a bin, and in a pencil sharpener. The use of introductory credits saying ‘What if. . .’ allows the audience to see it isn’t an actual TV show and Truman doesn’t know he is being watched.

• There is then a montage of different clips from the film, including a mid shot of his wife showing a gadget which is ‘dishwasher safe’ as though advertising it. It also shows Truman being rained on in only one place, which shows that it is mechanically being programmed to rain. There is a short montage of different clips from when Truman was born; a newspaper clip goes across the screen saying ‘a star is born’
• The trailer then changes as a camera falls and there’s a point of view shot as Truman looks up and sees a crack in the sky close up. A non diegetic song then comes in the background as Truman tries t escape from his life and there is a close up shot of him saying ‘everyone is pretending.’
• It then jump cuts to Truman on a boat in a storm shouting ‘is that the best you can do’ and the creator shouting to increase the rain.
• The trailer then ends with all different clips from the film merging together to make up Truman’s face.

He loves me He loves me not scene deconstruction #2

1:20:00 – 1.23:17

Sound

• ‘I have no one’ – relates to note she left ‘I have no one only you’
• Slow, instrumental, violin music
• Unlocking of door
• As door opens music fades out and all that can be heard is crickets
• As he is in the house slow rumbling music builds
• Footsteps – big house, alone, isolated in her environment
• As he opens door high pitched piano keys as he reveals the collage/homage to himself on the wall
• Creepy, high pitched violin and tinkling music
• Music is contrapuntal to action

Mise en scene

• Notes in rubbish – he has rejected them
• Lots of notes left by her as he rummages through them
• Key saying ‘Loic’
• House is a mess  - destroyed
• Mess surrounds the sofa where she waited for his call – empty plates, drink bottles shows she was almost living around the phone when she was waiting
• Family photos ripped from the walls – family’s happiness contrasts to her angst
• Wedding photograph centralised in the master bed – main focus, she focussed on the ideals of love
• Ripped/torn wedding dress hung up
• Collage of him is well lit in constrast to the rest of the house which is in darkness
• Collage is life sized
• Made up from materials she has gathered and memories she believes they have shared
• His scarf that she obsessed over thinking he left for her is included
• The rose he gave to her is treasured although wilted
• Collage has become main focus of the room – dominants the space
• Note she left is included
• Running up to house – urgency
• Slow turning of key – doesn’t want it to be true
• House in darkness and only certain parts are lit
• Fan has been left on making the chiffon curtain billow

Camera angles

• Over head angle – looking down on him in bed
• Close up of his face to see realisation in his face
• Camera follows his movement from the drawers to the rubbish bin
• Camera’s focus is on Loic’s movement
• Sharply follows his action then goes back to his face
• Long shot of him running up to house
• Close up of the key in the door
• Camera remains static as door opens
• Long shot then zoom on living room
• Tracking shot – follows him from behind
• Close up of his face to capture reaction
• Pan from one side of the room to the other so audience feel they see what Loic sees
• Camera follows his eye line – as he moved his eyeline up to the wedding dress so did the camera
• Eyeline match
• Over the shoulder shot
• Zoom to close up of his face for reaction to the collage of himself
• Mid shot of both Loic and the collage
• Camera swerves and scans done the collage
• Close up of his hand on the scarf and note
• Pan across to rose
• Close up on wilted rose

Editing

• Overlay of previous film footage over the close up shot of Loic lying awake in bed – acts like a replay of what has happened
• Jump cuts from one moment of action to the next
• Camera movement – tilts and pans
• Zooms in on living room setting
• Scenes go from light to dark – heightens fear
• Builds tension towards the reveal of the collage – contrast of light of the room from darkness of the corridor

Amy Freeman

Misery teaser trailer deconstruction

Teaser Trailer-

                

Camera Angles-

This clip has one long shot of a blizzard showing mountains in the background. It looks like a very secluded place away from anything or anyone else.

There is also an extreme close up of what looks like blood splatters which then forms letters.

Sound-

It starts off with diegetic sounds of a snowy blizzard alongside a non diegetic voiceover of a man narrating what the film is about.

There is then the non diegetic sound of a typewriter being used inferring that it will have a significant part within the film.

Mise en scene-

The snowy mountains in the background with the darkened sky could show the desolate place in which the film is set.

The use of red lettering of ‘MISERY’ allows the audience to infer the film has violence, bloodshed and death involved. The use of having misery written in the background but smaller with a blue tint contradicts the red as it represents calmness and tranquillity.

Editing-
The use of the non diegetic voiceover explains partly what the film is about without giving too much away as the on screen clues are minimal. The cutaways used of the typing show the audience what the title is as well.