Practice Titles - (using Adobe Premiere Elements)

These are our practice titles which are currently quite basic; this was because it was only a practice to test the potential transitions that we may use and also the different fonts. As shown in the video, there are 4 different titles, three of which are potential institution names and another one which we are considering as our title; alongside other title ideas. To complete this practice, we used the Adobe Premiere Elements 10 software. This is the software we are currently using to edit our trailer and we also used it last year to complete our opening 2 minutes to a film. There are multiple transitions that we have the option to use for our trailer, all of which are effective and are somewhat conventional/fit in well with the horror genre that we are pursuing. 

Questionnaire

This is our questionnaire which we will use to gain feedback on our initial ideas. We will begin by giving this questionnaire to people of the particular age group - being 15+ as this is the age certificate for our trailer. Once the questionnaires have been completed we will make an overall decision as to what will most appeal to our target audience.



Question 1
Our first question is based around the main character. The two options are a 'Young grudge like girl' and an 'Old women'. We were initially influence by these two characters from seeing them in other films such as The Grudge which features a young girl and also The Visit who features an old women. Firstly, the idea of having a young child as the main character is likely to be more appealing to the audience and would have more success in scaring them.The typical expectations of a young child are them being quite innocent and vulnerable however in the case of a horror film, these stereotypes are totally subverted and therefore are unexpected by the audience. The second idea of using an old women as the antagonist is effective as again, typical expectations are that they are quite vulnerable and kind and generous people; in the case of a horror film, however, there personalities are flipped around and they actually become quite an eerie character to the audience. By asking this question, we will make the decision on which character to use as our antagonist and which one will have more success in scaring the audience.

Question 2
The second question is a kind of when and where question, and this is important to think about in film. The 4 ideas we had were; in the daytime, at night, in a house or in an abandoned/derelict area. All primal locations and times that we have seen and been influenced by in other horror films. As a result of actually asking this question, we may actually use all 4 location/times however we feel it is important to ask the question so we know where to base most of the trailer.

Question 3
The third question involves the conventions that we aim to include in our trailer. In many trailers, there is usually a combined genre; for example, the film 'Saw' which is a horror, thriller. This is an important thing to consider when thinking about conventions that we are going to use. For example, we may use a car as a prop (action convention) and somehow turn that into a prop used for murder (horror convention), which involves the horror aspect.

Question 4
This question, again, involves the genre of our trailer. There are many different genres of horror being: Action, Gothic, Psychological and Mainstream. For this question, we have given examples of films of the specific genre to ensure that the people answering have an idea of which each genre actually is. Once we have got an overall percentage for this question, we will be able to focus on the specific conventions of the horror genre.

Question 5
This next question is regarding the diegetic/non diegetic sounds which are a part of mis-en-scene; a key area to focus on in film. The three different options are, again, sounds that we have been influenced by through other films. The first sound we were considering is of young children children singing. The reason for this choice of sound is because, firstly we are considering having a child as our antagonist/main character and therefore felt like it would make sense and relate for this sound to be used. Another reason is that the sound is quite eerie and therefore may be likely to scare the audience; and for this reason we are asking the question. The second option is fast paced, heavy breathing/pulse which could be significant in creating a kind of panicking/tense atmosphere for the audience. The third is a high pitch scream, which is the typical sound you hear from someone who may have been hurt or are scared. All of these sounds that we are considering are most likely to be non-diegetic for the reason that you wont know who/where it is coming from and would therefore be more intense for the audience.

Question 6
The last question we are asking is based on the camera and the pace at which we film. In many trailers, the camera movement is fast-paced for the reason that it is a trailer, and trailers do consist of short clips which tend to be quite fast in switching between each one. However it can also be effective using slow-paced shots, as it is more intense and entices the audience much more as they aren't sure what to expect.

What software we are using to edit our trailer?

To edit our trailer, the main software we are going to be using will be Adobe Premier Elements. This software allows us to put all our clips together, to arrange them and edit them. Firstly we are able to cut any unwanted clips or anything that doesn't run through the way we want or expect. The software will allow us to use multiple effects such as fade, swipe, etc. We will be able to use them effects between each clip or alternatively to open or close the scene. We will be able to add sound effects in specific places for extra effect or possibly if any sounds were misheard or were too quiet, we would be able to add them as a new soundtrack. I think that this software will allow us to make our trailer stand out and be more effective.

I believe that we will be able to produce a more realistic and successful trailer by using Adobe Premier Elements rather than a software like Movie Maker. This software has a wider range of tools to use and as it says in its name, it has premier elements which are a lot more successful to use than other software elements. To edit any images that we have we will possibly use photo-shop as it has multiple tools to use which are able to make the image look more realistic and also to cover up any thing that shouldn't be in it.

We have previously used Adobe Premier Elements to create our opening two minutes to a film which allowed us to learn how to do specific things which we intend to use in our trailer. Also, we first began using it when filming our preliminary tasks. We filmed about 5 different clips around different areas of the school, and using the software we put them all together and firstly added some extra sound effects such as footsteps when walking down the corridor. We then used the software again to edit our continuity task which we found ourselves more able to make better edits. We produced a short clip which involved the 3 types of continuity shots. Overall I think that we will be able to achieve and produce a successful trailer.

Research and Planning Targets

Sophie - there is limited planning of your production here at this stage - I know it's been taking place. Evidence your time-management and the route to final production thoroughly!

Day 1 - Filming

 This was our first day filming, where we aimed to get a collection of short clips to be able to begin creating the trailer. Unlike last year, we are able to film over a longer period of time; the main issue last year was we were creating an opening two minutes so everything had to follow on in the same location, same time of day and also our main character Robyn had to look the same. This was the reason for all filming in a short space of time as Robyn had her makeup done specifically for it and it would be difficult to replicate the look and the costume.

The majority of this day's filming was in the same two places, the first being a bedroom where we captured clips of our young female character, and also the bathroom where we had planned to film specific clips. The first image here is off Jasmine, who assisted us with the filming. In the picture, she was just practicing and adjusting the tripod to have it in the position which we wanted for the first shot. As evident in the next picture also, we had adjusted the tripod to ensure that it was the correct height. The majority of the lighting here was from a small lamp in the bedroom as we were filming in the evening which meant there was no potential use of natural lighting. During this process of filming, we done multiple takings of each clip to ensure that we had more than just one to choose from, if there was to be any mistakes or slight errors during the clip.

To film, we used a Nikon camera; this was the same camera that we ended up using last year of filming. We were able to securely fit the camera onto the tripod allowing us to take steady shots, also it is simple to use. The quality of the camera has 16 megapixels which meant it was very good quality and picked up the colour and adapted to the lighting very well,


With filming at this time of year, it gets dark extremely early which would initially be a struggle for us to be able to get enough filmed in natural lighting. However this is not going to be such an issue as we are filming a horror, which is not typically filmed in daylight. During our filming, we used a lot of low-key lighting, so for example small lamps which gave us enough light to film at a good quality; but enough to create the more shadowy effect. This lighting is primarily effective and conventional in horror films. With some of our shots in the bedroom, there is use of back lighting, which gain did involve using the small side-lamp, however it was behind the character creating a partial glowing effect on the character in front.

The image here is of our antagonist who is an elderly women. The shot here was used during our filming in the bathroom, as shown in the image, the idea was to have her behind our protagonist. The lighting in this shot was very dim and in this image, it was only the flash on the camera that lit up the area. The colours of her clothing are significant, firstly coordinating with the colours around; and secondly, the colour white itself has many connotations such as innocence and purity... and in contrast the colour black has many negative connotations such as evil, death and fear. These connotations giving a clear representation of her character.

Filming Schedule - 1

WHERE?

Our first filming day will be at a house in Ashtead. This is where the majority of our filming will take place as it is an idea that we thing will be effective and is conventional of a horror. The house setting creates quite a comforting yet eerie atmosphere following the kind of situation we are creating. We will be filming in a bedroom; a typical place for a young girl to be in the evening, and also the bathroom.


TIMINGS?

We aim to start setting up the tripod and camera at around 6:30pm; along with getting the characters ready with what they're wearing, etc. Once we've got everything prepared and the characters are ready, we plan to begin the initial filming at 7:00pm. The intention is to get at least 2 recordings of each clip to ensure that we have a choice between the 2 (or more) if there was to be an error. Roughly after an hour of doing our first filming, we intend to spend around 30 minutes to go through the clips, checking the lighting, sound and the acting, specifically to ensure that everything is reasonable. Once having completed this, if there are any specific clips that need re-filming, we will spend another hour making sure that the clips are ready to edit.

The actual reason for beginning at this time is due to the fact that we do not require any natural lighting; and the situation we are filming in is of a young girl in bed asleep, clearly meaning it would need to be dark outside and we would be using low-key lighting.

Storyboard (draft)