Film Poster

Film Poster screen shots

Film Mag

Film Mag screen shots

draft 8 film poster

This is another poster I created using Photoshop. With this specific poster I experimented with the model as I edited it in a way where only half of the face of the killer is shown, and the other side not shown; as this will link in with the fact that not a lot is given out in terms of representing the killers identity. I also added a red colour to the killers eye so that it seems like the killer has a red eye which links in with the horror genre as reds connotes blood and final girl

Film distributors research

Film poster draft 5

This poster draft was used creating Photoshop. As you can see with this poster I experimented in terms of the the use of colour, as you wouldn't really see a film poster with the background that consists of plain white, as horror movies often revolve around dark colours. The tagline is positioned below the film title to give the audience a little insight on what may occur during the course of the film. The credits are in black as most credits you see displayed in the credits are white; however with the background being white the colour preferred was the colour black. The colour of the title is red; signifying and connoting blood, as red is a colour that is often seen in horror movie when action occurs with the killer

film poster draft 6

This is my final film poster draft I used created Photoshop. I thought to really experiment with Photoshop with this final draft almost taking matters into my own hands. Initially, I was going to add everything a horror trailer must consists of however I didn't as I thought it would be better not to give everything away. I incorporated the credits for the audience to know who was included in the film production.

Film poster planning ideas

Film poster draft 7

This is another draft I created using Photoshop. This poster doesn't give away too much of the film, which is sometimes a benefit as it entices the audience on whether to see

Film poster draft 5

This is another draft I created using Photoshop. I inserted a close up of the killer as the audience would see a deeper view on what the killer may be thinking. As you can see there is a faded out hallway where there is a door, I used this effect to show a sense of location on where the action happens and where the killer likes locating his victims when he is done with them. I played around with the font t insure I get a replica of the credits font as it is very hard to find so playing around with Photoshop really helped to find the right one. I also added the logos of production and distribution companies

Film poster draft 6

This is another film poster draft I have created using Photoshop. I experimented a lot with this draft and also may be similar to my final poster; as it just has all the elements needed to make a good horror film poster as you don't want to giveaway too much. The colour just automatically draws your attention in as it's the colour red, the colour that much defines the genre horror. I also used to faded faces next to the main characters shoulders this was to show that the killer is everywhere you go, almost represented as a ghost; but I thought it would be good to add the two faces in the film poster.The background was a plain one however changed it to red. The only piece of text that doesn't contain red is the credits which are white so the audience can see who was involved with the whole making of the film.

Photo experiments

Screen grabs

Film mag draft 4

Film poster draft

Film mag 3 draft

This is a another magazine I created using Photoshop. First of all I experimented the masthead title by adding some degree of 3D into it to just test how how it may look like, and as you can see from the above magazine it suits perfectly with the main image; with the colour of the masthead being red to connote blood and also red is a colour mostly found in horror therefore being a horror convention. Finally, the main image used is a close up of the main character; having this in mind the character conforms to the horror genre conventions as he is wearing a mask which hides his identity and is a big thing in horror films, also on the mask their is blood, other scars and stitches; this is used to signify that the character has being through a lot in terms of violence.

Film mag draft 2

This is the second draft of my film magazine, again having created it using Photoshop. I decide to change the colour scheme; this time to red and white, with red connoting blood and white connoting purity for the victims especially the females and the final girl. I included a button which will grab the audiences attention as it's something that every reader will set eyes on when scanning through the front page cover. I have also included the issue date to show that my magazine is a re-occurring magazine this will inform the audience that my magazine has established itself in the market, also the date is on the magazine to inform the audience how recent the magazine is. The sell lines are on both sides of the magazine in this draft, as one of the sell lines consists of "Will SMITH stars in new HORROR" this would immediately attract the audiences attention as Will Smith is a household name in the film industry and him starring in a horror would entice the audience even more and would most likely make the audience buy the magazine.

Film Mag Draft

This is the first draft of my film magazine I created using Photoshop. The masthead consists of the colour red which connotes blood especially when relating it to the horror genre conventions. However, the colour scheme is red black and grey, which have a very interesting mixture with black and red going well together as the red connotes blood, black connotes darkness which is always needed in a horror film for any action to happen; this is also a horror film convention. The main image consists of the model looking directly at the camera which is needed as it's a basic magazine convention and must be done, the prop the model is holding is a baseball bat, this could connote what his role is in the film and also give the audience an insight on what weapon he uses to torture his victims. However, this being a draft a knife may be more appealing in terms of the horror genre as sharp objects are used, maybe even a chainsaw. There are sell lines displayed on the side of the main image, and it informs the audience on what type of things to expect in the magazine, which the sell lines consisting of other horror films they may be interested to watch. The headline is the biggest font in the magazine as it's the name of the film being advertised which is "ENIGMA" to inform the audience that this magazine issue reforms around this specific film to promote it. Other important magazine convention that must be included are things such as the bar code which is displayed at the bottom left hand side of the magazine, this is incorporated to make the magazine able to scan but also at the top of the bar code there is always the price displayed, this is done to inform the audience how much the magazine is worth. Furthermore, the use of sub images at the bottom of the magazine gives the audience an insight on what to expect in the magazine.

Poster draft

IT Layout

Film Mag Sketches

Masthead experiments

Horror Mag planning ideas

Masthead title

The masthead will be bold and clear, as it will be positioned at the top of the magazine, it will link perfectly with the horror genre, so that the audience can interpret valuable information and also find out more information on what's going on in the world of horror and also about reviews on films etc. The colour on the masthead will be red, as it connotes a plethora of things which link in with the horror genre such as blood, love, danger etc. the masthead could even include edited writing for example, blood dripping or having blood splattered on the magazine to really emphasize the genre and make it recognizable to any audience, My current masthead title ideas are "Film Zone" and "Film Zilla"

Main image and sub images

The main image will be a close up of the killer in the centre of the magazine, facing the camera which is an important magazine convention which shouldn't really be broken. Also having the killer facing the camera it will make the audience want to know more about the character as his characterization would be somewhat angry of some sort. The killer will be wearing a mask, and in within the mask their would be two different sides to it to show to the audience his being through a lot and also to hide his identity as that is a common horror genre film convention; the killer having a hidden identity. Also another thing is the killer would be wearing a hood which is common as it makes the audience want to know more about the character, as the image will give away as little as possible to hide the killers identity. The sub images will consist of directors cut, images of other films which may be coming out or popular films which have already been released. These sub images will give the audience an insight on what other films are being produced in the horror genre

Headline and sell lines

The headline will be linked with the film with the tagline of the film being displayed below it, this will done to grab the audiences attention. The headline will be clearly displayed and also in terms of colour may be in black to connote darkness, as it's always when it's dark in horror films that the horrific scenes take place.

The sell lines will be positioned at the side of the magazine so they are clear and easy to read. The sell lines will include behind the scenes with directors, latest films, top 50 films of the year etc. These sell lines will be present to entice the audience and persuade them to purchase the magazine

Layout design- colour, fonts, banners etc

The layout design will match the genre as the main image will be the main focus in terms of attracting the audience. The colours included will be red,black,white as in my opinion these are colours that will represent the genre properly and will really link with it. The font will be very horror like so that the magazine stands out and also in terms of size it will be bold and clear so that it's easy for the audience to read. A banner will be included with different images of films, directors, etc. in other words what will feature in the magazine to entice the audience more and persuade them to buy and read the magazine.

Pre-production Audience Research

Screenshots

Questionnaire (Audience research)

Audience research methods

Film Mag Analysis 3

Film Mag Analysis 2

Film Mag Analysis 1

Halloween (1978) whole film case study

Halloween (1978) Trailer Case Study

Director's Case Study Research (Rob Zombie)

Poster Analysis of The Same Poster

Poster Analysis

Mood Board / Film Conventions

Mood Board

This is my slasher/horror mood board, it represents the common images you'd expect to see in horror films and also represents some of the most famous horror films. This mood board portrays the fact that it's most likely that men would be the killer's and women are most likely to be the victims as in terms of crimes women are aren't psychically strong enough compared to men. As you can see from the images displayed on the mood board most of the killers if not all have a hidden identity, this is a common film conventions used when looking at horror films. Also in this mood board there are more conventional iconography displayed such as blood, machetti and an axe, these are all common iconograhy seen in horror films.

Conventions of film trailer
- Release date
- Name of film
- Sound effect
- Credits
- Age rating
- Tag lines
- Quick cuts (transitions)
- Logos (production/studio company)
- Conversations are often one-liners
- Dramatic camera angles
- Voice overs (depending on film)
- Trailer often builds to a climax
- Music (create atmosphere)
- Narrative isn't in order
- Narrative exposition= establishment. Introduced to genre, era, main characters

Genre conventions

-Victims
- Blood
- Weapons e.g (guns,knife, axe, hammer)
- Dark music
- Hidden identity
- Vulnerable people
- Dominant character
- Motivation behind the serial killer
- Police investigation
- Angry killer
- More than one killing
- Innocent women
- Close -up (Cinematography)
- Outdoor (setting)
- Stock-types
- Key dialogue
- Final girl
- Freudian idea of knife "phallic" symbol
- Violins (Music, discordant)
- Instrument being played of school

Historical genre research

the pitch

The Pitch

Chosen Genre – Stalker/Slasher

Title –

Outline of ideas

Tagline – Can Sins Be Forgiven?

Basic Plot Synopsis

Name of Killer – Jonathan

He is a boy with no father (Passed away)

The killers mum has left her son and husband, she left when Jonathan was a young boy . His mother went off with another man who was financially stable and had his own business, his mother became a very successful business women.

After the departure of his mum Jonathans father could not handle looking after Jonathans as a single man so he became very depressed and emotional so he committed suicide. Jonathan was then sent to an orphanage home where he stayed there for a while . Jonathan had been a very troubled boy since his dad passed away , at the orphanage home he had committed a crime which  got him in so much trouble that he was sent to a tough borstal ( youth detention centre ). Being released from the borstal Jonathan was on his own and had to start a fresh new life, he was offered a job as a cleaner in a posh professional business firm which reminded him of the women his mother who left him had become and ever since she left him he had despised her. Jonathan’s manager where he was working as a cleaner was very bossy and bullied him constantly he thought that he was not kind to  him or fair at all , she treated him different  to the other workers. He became very triggered by his mangers behaviour towards him as he felt humiliated and intimidated so it caused him to kill her , after this very day Jonathan became obsessed with torturing and killing females who were associated with professional business .

What type of characterisation will you have?

We have one stalker, and 4  female victims from professional businesses/ High respected Jobs including the Manager at Jonathans work.

(Sectary, school finance department and one who works in an airport). These females are bubbly happy independent females who work hard for there money and are single.

 The killer is aggressive impatient and is triggered instantly by anything he feels is not right. He is sexually frustrated and hasn’t come in contact with a female in a while.

Describe the Mise-en scene to be used or any visual motifs.

We have a stalker with a hoodie or mask, and then different locations will be London city airport /train station, school, alleyway, common room and a basement. There will be a collage of various different pictures of females, with string to locate different locations or different victims. There will be headphones and party wear. There will be low lighting, chiaroscuro; also there will be street lighting at night, and natural ambient lighting during daytime.

What are your ideas about cinematography/photography?

There will be a tracking shot of a plane taking off, and then there will be an establishing shot of the airport. Then there will be a two shot of the  female who works at the airport /train station  walking into an airport and a male walking out in slow motion. At the station, there will be a close-up of the stalker with his hood up( representing his  identity ), and there will be quick cuts at different parts of the collage after which we will see a long shot of victim number 2 (The school finance worker) then a close-up of the females hand tapping the St Angela’s barrier to start her day off at work , then a close-up of the door opening behind her (A point of view shot, the stalker following her). Then in an alleyway we see the female Sectary walking home from a party. We will see a midshot of a stalker and then a shot of his shadow against the wall and then an extreme close-up of his eyes opening. Then in the basement there is a close-up of blood dripping from the victims face ( sectary character) , and the stalker crossing out pictures of the victim with blood. Then there will a two shot of the other two victims ( Airport worker / School finance worker) trying to escape, and you’ll see them crying (close-up).

Conventions of trailers/posters/film mags you plan to reinforce or reinvent?

The film company’s names (adverts) such as paramount picture will be fading in and out like many trailers in the film industry. We have loud eerie music when different victims are being stalked/killed. Then we will have a fast paced trailer, conforming to conventions. Then there will be quick cuts of different parts of the film without revealing the ending. The darkness and ambiguity of the stalker conforms to conventions as many film trailers and posters do not show the full identity of the stalker. The alleyway scene conforms to conventions because we see a lot of stalking happening in lonely dark places such as this. Also, having the victim’s female and the stalker male is typically seen in stalker slasher films.

What resources will you need?

      Actors

·        One male actor

·        3-4 female victims

·        An array of images that the stalker is targeting

·        A collage board with images and string for visual effect

·        A hoodie for the stalker

Props

·        Fake blood

·        Makeup

·        Rope/duck tape

·        Dresses ( party clothes)

·        Mobile phone

·        Casual office  clothes

·        knife

Settings

·        Airport (exterior)

·        dlr station  - London city airport (exterior)

·        Alleyway (exterior)

·        Staircase (aerial shot)

·        School corridor – common room (interior)

·        Classroom (interior)

·        Basement – Cellar (interior)

Justification of ideas in relation to genre and recognisable film influences also what is your unique selling point.

Stalking on the phone (an idea from the movie scream) shows mysterious of not knowing who is there. A slasher film often includes blood and victims being trapped/followed via a tracking system, which is where the idea of a collage represents this convention, helping you to recognise the genre. The idea of ambiguity and identity is important therefore the stalkers face will be in chiaroscuro so you can only see him slightly and can be recognisable through his hoodie, which portrays his identity. The trailer will be aimed at young adults, which is our unique selling point and subverts to  common stalker films because they are normally targeted at an older audience in which the stalker is often more mature than a teenager. 

Trailer analysis

                                                        Halloween Trailer Analysis

Iconography- The lighting in Halloween starts off with a Black & White sort of flashback, then the trailer comes into colour however the scenery is set at night time. After this, the trailer goes into the scene of the production and distribution company, this is done to give the audience some time to know who the film was produced by. One of the characters are wearing a Halloween mask and seems to be the killer, just links in with the film title, of Halloween being a evil day. The setting is middle class  people, due to the house being big, as film producers always go for the wealthy middle class people especially in horror films, also quite neighborhood not too many passer byes so that there isn't enough evidence and not too many people will know about anything happening. Props used was a knife, this a common prop in horror movies and a killer almost always has to be equipped with it. Furthermore  about the knife, the killer always seems to have a knife and also always seem to be going for the final girl; the Freudian idea of a knife is known as the "phallic" symbol. Horror/slasher films include dark lighting as well as chiarsocuro to mask the facial expressions of different characters as well as being set in dark areas during the night to build tension.

Narrative- Young boy called Michael who is bullied, however kills his bully and starts going on a killing spree , killing his family members apart from his mother and little sister. He is found guilty first degree murder and is put under the care of child psychologist Dr. Samuel Loomis. Fifteen years later he speaks to no one and escapes Smiths' Grove and goes back to his old house recovers the kitchen knife and a Halloween mask he stored under the floorboards the night he killed his older sister. That was Michael's motivation behind him causing horrific scenes of evil. In most horror films the killer normally has some sort of psychological problem, hence the reason why Michael was transfered to the child psychologist Dr. Samuel Loomis.

Sound- The trailer consists of a voice over, which gives the audience an insight on what the audience can expect in the film. Police sirens are incorporated at the start of the trailer with the flashback, this signifies straight away that something bad has happened, especially the fact that the child was at the back of the police car by himself. Another common sound used in most horror films and also in the Halloween trailer is silence, this creates tension and a sense of foreboading as well as the silence being developed through dialogue which is often fast paced and has a worried feel.

Trailer analysis

The trailer has a narrative that must be included in order to portray a story however leaving the audience with a cliff hanger, to try and enhance their chances of persuading the audience to watch it. The genre of the film is action, however you can't fix it just on action as it has various other genre that fits into the category; this is known as hybrids as it's a collection of genres coming together and multiplying. The target audience of World War Z is broad at it appeals to both females and males. Towards the middle of the trailer, you can spot CGP (Computer Generated Pictures) this was used to create zombies which end up being the main characters as they're the ones who aim to destroy the world as they just keep reporducing and growing together. The trailer gives snippets of the zombies targetting different cities around the world as towards the middle of the trailer it shows the population decreasing due to the zombies practically destroying. The trailer starts off with a group shot of Brad Pitt with his family in his car telling jokes on a normal day, this is connoting to the audience that Brad Pitt is a family man and it's telling the audience that he isn't what he makes out to be in the movie, however being the courageous character he is he was willing to take this mission impossible tasks to his own hands by sacrificing seeing his family and go out to try and save the world, however before he got assigned to save the world he was doing it with his family before being hired by american forces to join their team without having any sort of experience however he fitted the specific requirements with doing what he did before the american forces called him up. There are certain conventions needed in the trailer which was incorporated in World War Z, for example, one main conventions used in trailers is that the producer never gives away the ending if not it won't appeal to the audience and no one will watch it, which was used in World War Z. Another convention used in the trailer was the use of fast paced editing, which shows various bits of action. There is a use of an aerial shot towards the middle of the trailer to establish what is going on, with the whole city running away from what seems like trouble.

Poster Analysis

World war z from uzzthekid

Media film mag analysis from uzzthekid

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