Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Script For Teaser Trailer
First Draft
The trailer opens with titles flickering in like there is interference, along with a fuzzing sound as each one appears. Between each title a short clip appears of Joan and Jason, Cathy filming.
Title 1: Approximatley 275,000 people go missing in the UK every year
Cut to Cathy filming Jason and Joan. They all run together around a corner to inside a building to a flight of stairs. They are out of breath and extremely panicked.
Jason: Up here!
Title 2: One person goes missing every two minutes
Cut to them back inside the building. Jason and Joan run up the stairs, Cathy follows them with the camera.
Joan: Run! Go faster!
Title 3: Over 35,400 of these people are found dead
They all stop at the top of the stairs, unsure where to turn next. They all stand out of breath. Cathy speaks still holding the camera on Joan and Jason.
Cathy (desperatley): Where now?!
Jason: Wait, wait. Be Quiet
Title 4: At least 16,000 dissapear forever
"forever" continues to flicker in and out and then suddenly dissapears making it stand out from the rest of the title.
Cut to Cathy still filming Jason and Joan standing very close to her against a wall. Joan stands there covering her mouth with both hands, as if she is attempting to be completly silent and hold in a scream. Jason stands there very still also looking straight ahead, terrified. Cathy moves the camera around so it faces down the hall way. At the end there is a silhouette that moves in a strange way. She zooms in and the camera goes out of focus, then in focus again. The audience still can not see what the silhouette is, but they can tell it is not human.
Suddenly the shot cuts to black and the audience hear a girl's piercing scream. She continues to scream when a male and another female start screaming and crying. The audience know it is the three characters they have just seen. While the screams continue, the name of the film flickers in followed by the release date and institutional references.
Title 5: RUN
Title 6: October 2011
Cut to black.
Second Draft (changes highlighted)
The titles appear and flicker in and out like there is interference, along with a fuzzing sound as each one appears. Between each title a short clip appears of Joan and Jason, Cathy filming. First title appears.
Title 1: Approximatley 275,000 people go missing in the UK every year
Cut to Cathy filming Jason and Joan. They all run together around and up a flight of stairs. They are out of breath and extremely panicked. The shot is in night vision.
Jason: Up here!
Shot cuts to next title.
Title 2: One person goes missing every two minutes
Cut to them back inside the building. Jason and Joan run up the stairs, Cathy follows them with the camera.
Joan: Run!
Cut to next title.
Title 3: Over 35,400 of these people are found dead
Cut back to filming. They all stop at the top of the stairs out of breath, unsure where to turn next. Cathy speaks still holding the camera on Joan and Jason.
Cathy (desperatley): Where now?!
Jason: Through here!
Cut to next title.
Title 4: At least 16,000 dissapear forever
"forever" continues to flicker in and out and then suddenly dissapears making it stand out from the rest of the title.
Cut to Cathy still filming Joan standing very close to her against a wall. Joan stands there covering her mouth with both hands, as if she is attempting to be completly silent and hold in a scream. Cathy moves the camera around so it faces down the hall way. At the end there is a silhouette that moves in a strange way. She zooms in and the camera goes out of focus, then in focus again. The audience still can not see what the silhouette is, but they can tell it is not human.
Suddenly the shot cuts to black and the audience hear a girl's piercing scream. She continues to scream when a male and another female start screaming and crying. The audience know it is the three characters they have just seen. While the screams continue, the name of the film flickers in followed by the release date and institutional references.
Title 5: RUN
Title 6: October 2011
Cut to black.
The trailer opens with titles flickering in like there is interference, along with a fuzzing sound as each one appears. Between each title a short clip appears of Joan and Jason, Cathy filming.
Title 1: Approximatley 275,000 people go missing in the UK every year
Cut to Cathy filming Jason and Joan. They all run together around a corner to inside a building to a flight of stairs. They are out of breath and extremely panicked.
Jason: Up here!
Title 2: One person goes missing every two minutes
Cut to them back inside the building. Jason and Joan run up the stairs, Cathy follows them with the camera.
Joan: Run! Go faster!
Title 3: Over 35,400 of these people are found dead
They all stop at the top of the stairs, unsure where to turn next. They all stand out of breath. Cathy speaks still holding the camera on Joan and Jason.
Cathy (desperatley): Where now?!
Jason: Wait, wait. Be Quiet
Title 4: At least 16,000 dissapear forever
"forever" continues to flicker in and out and then suddenly dissapears making it stand out from the rest of the title.
Cut to Cathy still filming Jason and Joan standing very close to her against a wall. Joan stands there covering her mouth with both hands, as if she is attempting to be completly silent and hold in a scream. Jason stands there very still also looking straight ahead, terrified. Cathy moves the camera around so it faces down the hall way. At the end there is a silhouette that moves in a strange way. She zooms in and the camera goes out of focus, then in focus again. The audience still can not see what the silhouette is, but they can tell it is not human.
Suddenly the shot cuts to black and the audience hear a girl's piercing scream. She continues to scream when a male and another female start screaming and crying. The audience know it is the three characters they have just seen. While the screams continue, the name of the film flickers in followed by the release date and institutional references.
Title 5: RUN
Title 6: October 2011
Cut to black.
Second Draft (changes highlighted)
The titles appear and flicker in and out like there is interference, along with a fuzzing sound as each one appears. Between each title a short clip appears of Joan and Jason, Cathy filming. First title appears.
Title 1: Approximatley 275,000 people go missing in the UK every year
Cut to Cathy filming Jason and Joan. They all run together around and up a flight of stairs. They are out of breath and extremely panicked. The shot is in night vision.
Jason: Up here!
Shot cuts to next title.
Title 2: One person goes missing every two minutes
Cut to them back inside the building. Jason and Joan run up the stairs, Cathy follows them with the camera.
Joan: Run!
Cut to next title.
Title 3: Over 35,400 of these people are found dead
Cut back to filming. They all stop at the top of the stairs out of breath, unsure where to turn next. Cathy speaks still holding the camera on Joan and Jason.
Cathy (desperatley): Where now?!
Jason: Through here!
Cut to next title.
Title 4: At least 16,000 dissapear forever
"forever" continues to flicker in and out and then suddenly dissapears making it stand out from the rest of the title.
Cut to Cathy still filming Joan standing very close to her against a wall. Joan stands there covering her mouth with both hands, as if she is attempting to be completly silent and hold in a scream. Cathy moves the camera around so it faces down the hall way. At the end there is a silhouette that moves in a strange way. She zooms in and the camera goes out of focus, then in focus again. The audience still can not see what the silhouette is, but they can tell it is not human.
Suddenly the shot cuts to black and the audience hear a girl's piercing scream. She continues to scream when a male and another female start screaming and crying. The audience know it is the three characters they have just seen. While the screams continue, the name of the film flickers in followed by the release date and institutional references.
Title 5: RUN
Title 6: October 2011
Cut to black.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Film Treatment
A group of friends decide to travel to the abandoned town of Greenwich in search of adventure and a trip that's "something different". The ghost town has not been inhabited nor visited for over ten years and rumours have spread that it was used for medical research, which went seriously wrong.
The friends arrive in Greenwich to find nothing but smashed windows and empty buildings. As they walk around the town in exploration, they record every part. However, they soon find some disturbing images, which convinces one of the girls, Cathy, that staying here is not a good idea. She storms back to the car as her friends beg her to stay, and to make a point she attempts to start the engine, but nothing happens. They find that inside the bonnet leads have been cut, meaning they are unable to travel back home. Panicked now, they attempt to make phone calls, but find none of them have any signal. All they are left with is their short supply of food, camping equipment and their camera with no way of getting home. They are forced to stay.
Within the first night they start hearing strange noises and some of them are sure someone is lurking outisde. Tom assures them it's nothing, but goes outside with just a torch to check even though Cathy and the others tell him it is not a good idea. Joan films from inside the tent as Tom peers around with the torch outside. He walks off in to the darkness and is gone for a few moments, his friends beg him to come back and stop messing around. To their suprise Tom suddenly jumps in front of the tent to scare them. He laughs and tells them there was nothing there and that it was just an animal. As he starts to climb back in, he is suddenly grabbed and pulled out of the tent. We hear his screams fade in to the distance rapidly. The friends run outside with the camera and shout his name out in to the darkness, but no one is to be seen. They now realise they are not alone.
The friends continue through the night attempting to find Tommy and a pay phone to call the police, but they have no sucess. All they find is more disturbing evidence that medical experiments did occur. They move together through various buildings, shadows and silhoutettes moving quickly past doors and at the ends of corridors. They also here things crawling through the air ducts. The audience don't see what is causing these noises, just the silhouettes that stand in the distance, waiting. The things appear to have a sort of human shape, but they way they stand and move is something different. The friends eventually come to the conclusion that the rumours of medical research had actually been conducted on the people of the remote town. Disgusted by the inhumanity, they also wonder if these people are still here.
The friends eventually find themselves at a large, run-down building which seems to be the medical research centre. They walk around the building quietley and become deeply disturbed by the sights of blood stained hospital beds and walls covered in hand prints. Soon they come across an office where they find video tapes of the experiments and an explanation of the progress from a professor. They find that medical cures were being tested on the people in the remote town and that some had started to have extremely aggressive behavior and strange mutations. Shocked by what they have seen they become panicked as they realise what has been following them.
When they start to hear the strange noises they run in an attempt to escape the building, but the creatures seem to be everywhere. Realising there is no escape, they wait in silence hoping they will not be found. But suddenly a silhouette appears in the at the end of the hallway. It walks slowly looking around, but doesn't seem to see them. They wait in anticipation, but when the creature steps closer, they see that it resembles their lost friend Tom. The other boy, Jason, realises this and says to the others "Is that Tom?" Thinking he must be disorientated from the way he is walking, they call for him quietly to join them. Tom looks up suddenly and the audience can now see he has become one of the creatures. This is the first time the audience sees what they look like, leaving their imagination open to the appearance of the rest. He screeches and runs towards them. The other three fumble with the camera and scream to run. The camera is dropped to the floor so the audience can only see the wall as the screams continue until there is finally a silence. We then here footsteps and a something dragging along the floor. The noises get louder until we see Tom's bare feet move past the camera, dragging an almost dead Cathy by her foot. They move off screen and the footsteps and dragging fade in to silence. Suddenly Tom's monster face appears in front of the camera and makes the same screeching sound, the camera cuts to black and the film ends.
The friends arrive in Greenwich to find nothing but smashed windows and empty buildings. As they walk around the town in exploration, they record every part. However, they soon find some disturbing images, which convinces one of the girls, Cathy, that staying here is not a good idea. She storms back to the car as her friends beg her to stay, and to make a point she attempts to start the engine, but nothing happens. They find that inside the bonnet leads have been cut, meaning they are unable to travel back home. Panicked now, they attempt to make phone calls, but find none of them have any signal. All they are left with is their short supply of food, camping equipment and their camera with no way of getting home. They are forced to stay.
Within the first night they start hearing strange noises and some of them are sure someone is lurking outisde. Tom assures them it's nothing, but goes outside with just a torch to check even though Cathy and the others tell him it is not a good idea. Joan films from inside the tent as Tom peers around with the torch outside. He walks off in to the darkness and is gone for a few moments, his friends beg him to come back and stop messing around. To their suprise Tom suddenly jumps in front of the tent to scare them. He laughs and tells them there was nothing there and that it was just an animal. As he starts to climb back in, he is suddenly grabbed and pulled out of the tent. We hear his screams fade in to the distance rapidly. The friends run outside with the camera and shout his name out in to the darkness, but no one is to be seen. They now realise they are not alone.
The friends continue through the night attempting to find Tommy and a pay phone to call the police, but they have no sucess. All they find is more disturbing evidence that medical experiments did occur. They move together through various buildings, shadows and silhoutettes moving quickly past doors and at the ends of corridors. They also here things crawling through the air ducts. The audience don't see what is causing these noises, just the silhouettes that stand in the distance, waiting. The things appear to have a sort of human shape, but they way they stand and move is something different. The friends eventually come to the conclusion that the rumours of medical research had actually been conducted on the people of the remote town. Disgusted by the inhumanity, they also wonder if these people are still here.
The friends eventually find themselves at a large, run-down building which seems to be the medical research centre. They walk around the building quietley and become deeply disturbed by the sights of blood stained hospital beds and walls covered in hand prints. Soon they come across an office where they find video tapes of the experiments and an explanation of the progress from a professor. They find that medical cures were being tested on the people in the remote town and that some had started to have extremely aggressive behavior and strange mutations. Shocked by what they have seen they become panicked as they realise what has been following them.
When they start to hear the strange noises they run in an attempt to escape the building, but the creatures seem to be everywhere. Realising there is no escape, they wait in silence hoping they will not be found. But suddenly a silhouette appears in the at the end of the hallway. It walks slowly looking around, but doesn't seem to see them. They wait in anticipation, but when the creature steps closer, they see that it resembles their lost friend Tom. The other boy, Jason, realises this and says to the others "Is that Tom?" Thinking he must be disorientated from the way he is walking, they call for him quietly to join them. Tom looks up suddenly and the audience can now see he has become one of the creatures. This is the first time the audience sees what they look like, leaving their imagination open to the appearance of the rest. He screeches and runs towards them. The other three fumble with the camera and scream to run. The camera is dropped to the floor so the audience can only see the wall as the screams continue until there is finally a silence. We then here footsteps and a something dragging along the floor. The noises get louder until we see Tom's bare feet move past the camera, dragging an almost dead Cathy by her foot. They move off screen and the footsteps and dragging fade in to silence. Suddenly Tom's monster face appears in front of the camera and makes the same screeching sound, the camera cuts to black and the film ends.
Character Development
In order to establish what characters I am going to have in my trailer, I have done some research in to this as well as existing films of the same genre.
http://www.themovieblog.com/2007/11/12-characters-sure-to-die-in-a-horror-movie
I found a blog post that has stated a list of characters roles that are likely to die in a horror film:
The "Shover"
Slasher movies always point out to the audience how to separate the strong from the weak as soon as the horror begins. It’s very easy to determine who the cowards are, and they usually make themselves known right away. Cowards usually pad the numbers early on for the killers, but sometimes the coward will redeem themselves by eventually fighting back. However, there is one type of coward that never makes it to the end of the movie, one that will never be able to redeem himself. This character is the "shover". The shover is the person in the group who will literally shove another character into the killer’s direction simply to create a distraction and to buy some time to run away and hide. This person will always get their well-deserved comeuppances, and usually in a horrific way that makes the audience cheer.
The Non-Listener
These are the characters that act as if they are completely deaf and ignore whatever the main character says they should be doing, which is always the right thing. This is because they think the easier and faster route is the best chance to get out of harm’s way. They are selfish, stubborn, and usually suggest things such as the group splits up.
Forgettable/Generic/No-name Characters
If the horror film has a group of people, and in that group there is a character where their name isn't memorable or even known, they talk a lot but the information isnt relevant and you refer to them as a stereotype or number such as blond #2, they are most likely to die out of the rest of the characters.
The Prude
A prude is different from a virgin, another charcter type often used in horror films. A prude in a horror movie is someone who doesn’t drink, smoke, do drugs, or have sex and they judge everybody around them that has a vice. They are usually snobbish and arrogant, but also usually the first ones to go.
The “Vice-Abuser”
In earlier days of horror it used to be if the character took drugs, drank alcohol or had sex they would definitley be a character that was going to die. However in modern horror films you can be this character and still conquer, but when the character has more than one "vice" they are most likely to die before the end of the film.
The “Turning Point” Person
In almost every horror movie, there’s always a point of no return. There comes a time where a crucial decision has to be made, and it’s always the wrong one made by one person. Be it taking a short cut, getting into a preventable car accident, staying at a creepy motel, or going back to help someone in need, this character is responsible for the horror that is to come. Even lead protagonists are not safe if they make this mistake.
The Best Friend
Best friends to the hero/heroine are almost always going to die. They provide the moral support for the lead, and in a horror movie, that needs to be taken away as soon as possible. If they don’t die, they are most likely to be the killer or involved with the horror that is occuring.
The “Too Interesting/Funny” Character
When a supporting character stands out amongst a group of more boring characters, is stealing every scene they’re in, the audience is should be ready for disapointment. Because the audiecne grows to like the characters, it has more of an effect on them when the character dies. This character also needs to get dispatched due to the fact they are stealing the film’s main focus.
The “Gimp"
This is the character that usually gets severely injured be it getting shot, stabbed, or merely just twisting their ankle very badly, which means they will not make it. This character is a "dead weight" to the rest of the group, meaning they will need to be killed off, or that fact they are injured will mean they have less of a chance of getting away.
The “I can’t!”
This character is usually whiny, helpless female that are most likely to be found frustrating to the audience. However, in modern horror films, the helpless can emerge into the vengeful heroine at the end. But if a female in a horror film stops running, starts to cry, and screams out repeatedly the words, “I can’t!” they will not survive the movie.
The “Famous Person without Top Billing” Character
This character will be played by a high profile actor/actress but they will not have a lead role against the rest of less well-known actors/actresses. Most cases, these characters don’t even interact with any of the other characters in the movie. They are usually offed in the prologue, simply to start the film with a bang. However in some cases, celebrities are killed halfway through the movie to provide shock value. (Take Samuel L. Jackson’s demise in ‘Deep Blue Sea’ for example)
The Horror Aficionado
When ‘Scream’ came out, horror fans finally got to see a character onscreen that they could all relate to-the horror geek named Randy Meeks. This was a huge leap in the evolution of horror movies because before that, characters in slashers seemed to live in an alternate universe where horror movies didn’t exist. Since then, Aficionados have become an important part in horror films, unfortunatley they're not usually big parts.
I feel that it is important to include atleast two of these characters that are likely to die as it seems to create structure to horror films and make them more interesting to the audience.
http://www.slideshare.net/guestfa571e/horror-2977621
I also found this slide show that states on one slide the types of characters that usually occur in horror films, as well as the visual aspects of the killer, monster, ghost etc.
Antagonists
Ghouls, zombies, monsters, murderers, psychiatric patients, mentally disturbed, convicts, animals and even the enviroment or as demonstarted in "Final Destination", fate.
Protagonists
Dumb character who falls straight in to the trap or gets captured at the very beggining to provide entertainment for the audience.
Clever character who that figures out clues or how to escape the clutches of the killer.
Always a main character or a main set of characters that are hunted down.
The rescuer who helps out .
The girl who gets to the end and either defeats the killer or gets killed after making it throughout the entire film
Typical clothing/props
Clothes are often torn or dirty. If there is a killer in the horror then they are sometimes wearing things to disguise themselves such as masks. For example, Michael Myres in Halloween wears a boiler suit and a white mask. Weapons are often used such as bloody knives, guns, clubs and general house hold objects.
After reading all this information and from my previous research, I have come up with some characters that I will incorporate in to my story idea. Their role will be explained in my Film Treatment.
Protagonists For My Film
Group of friends:
Cathy - More of the main character.The smart girl and one who films throughout that realises first there is something wrong. She makes it to the end of the film and is the last person we see at the end of the film.
Joan - The "best friend" and "I can't" girl. She is the weaker character throughout the film, but still manages to make it to the end with the other remaining characters.
Jason - The heroine. Not the main character but the one who leads the two girls one the character Tommy (see below) goes missing.
Tommy - The "Non-Listener". Cathy and the others try to tell Tommy to stay in the tent, but he still goes out meaning he is taken by the antagonist creatures. He is also the more confident character that is arrogant.
Antagonists
The muted, monsters left in the town which used to be the people living there before the medical experiments (will be expalined in my film treatment). We never see these characters in the film, just hear them and see silhouettes, which I feel creates more fear.
http://www.themovieblog.com/2007/11/12-characters-sure-to-die-in-a-horror-movie
I found a blog post that has stated a list of characters roles that are likely to die in a horror film:
The "Shover"
Slasher movies always point out to the audience how to separate the strong from the weak as soon as the horror begins. It’s very easy to determine who the cowards are, and they usually make themselves known right away. Cowards usually pad the numbers early on for the killers, but sometimes the coward will redeem themselves by eventually fighting back. However, there is one type of coward that never makes it to the end of the movie, one that will never be able to redeem himself. This character is the "shover". The shover is the person in the group who will literally shove another character into the killer’s direction simply to create a distraction and to buy some time to run away and hide. This person will always get their well-deserved comeuppances, and usually in a horrific way that makes the audience cheer.
The Non-Listener
These are the characters that act as if they are completely deaf and ignore whatever the main character says they should be doing, which is always the right thing. This is because they think the easier and faster route is the best chance to get out of harm’s way. They are selfish, stubborn, and usually suggest things such as the group splits up.
Forgettable/Generic/No-name Characters
If the horror film has a group of people, and in that group there is a character where their name isn't memorable or even known, they talk a lot but the information isnt relevant and you refer to them as a stereotype or number such as blond #2, they are most likely to die out of the rest of the characters.
The Prude
A prude is different from a virgin, another charcter type often used in horror films. A prude in a horror movie is someone who doesn’t drink, smoke, do drugs, or have sex and they judge everybody around them that has a vice. They are usually snobbish and arrogant, but also usually the first ones to go.
The “Vice-Abuser”
In earlier days of horror it used to be if the character took drugs, drank alcohol or had sex they would definitley be a character that was going to die. However in modern horror films you can be this character and still conquer, but when the character has more than one "vice" they are most likely to die before the end of the film.
The “Turning Point” Person
In almost every horror movie, there’s always a point of no return. There comes a time where a crucial decision has to be made, and it’s always the wrong one made by one person. Be it taking a short cut, getting into a preventable car accident, staying at a creepy motel, or going back to help someone in need, this character is responsible for the horror that is to come. Even lead protagonists are not safe if they make this mistake.
The Best Friend
Best friends to the hero/heroine are almost always going to die. They provide the moral support for the lead, and in a horror movie, that needs to be taken away as soon as possible. If they don’t die, they are most likely to be the killer or involved with the horror that is occuring.
The “Too Interesting/Funny” Character
When a supporting character stands out amongst a group of more boring characters, is stealing every scene they’re in, the audience is should be ready for disapointment. Because the audiecne grows to like the characters, it has more of an effect on them when the character dies. This character also needs to get dispatched due to the fact they are stealing the film’s main focus.
The “Gimp"
This is the character that usually gets severely injured be it getting shot, stabbed, or merely just twisting their ankle very badly, which means they will not make it. This character is a "dead weight" to the rest of the group, meaning they will need to be killed off, or that fact they are injured will mean they have less of a chance of getting away.
The “I can’t!”
This character is usually whiny, helpless female that are most likely to be found frustrating to the audience. However, in modern horror films, the helpless can emerge into the vengeful heroine at the end. But if a female in a horror film stops running, starts to cry, and screams out repeatedly the words, “I can’t!” they will not survive the movie.
The “Famous Person without Top Billing” Character
This character will be played by a high profile actor/actress but they will not have a lead role against the rest of less well-known actors/actresses. Most cases, these characters don’t even interact with any of the other characters in the movie. They are usually offed in the prologue, simply to start the film with a bang. However in some cases, celebrities are killed halfway through the movie to provide shock value. (Take Samuel L. Jackson’s demise in ‘Deep Blue Sea’ for example)
The Horror Aficionado
When ‘Scream’ came out, horror fans finally got to see a character onscreen that they could all relate to-the horror geek named Randy Meeks. This was a huge leap in the evolution of horror movies because before that, characters in slashers seemed to live in an alternate universe where horror movies didn’t exist. Since then, Aficionados have become an important part in horror films, unfortunatley they're not usually big parts.
I feel that it is important to include atleast two of these characters that are likely to die as it seems to create structure to horror films and make them more interesting to the audience.
http://www.slideshare.net/guestfa571e/horror-2977621
I also found this slide show that states on one slide the types of characters that usually occur in horror films, as well as the visual aspects of the killer, monster, ghost etc.
Antagonists
Ghouls, zombies, monsters, murderers, psychiatric patients, mentally disturbed, convicts, animals and even the enviroment or as demonstarted in "Final Destination", fate.
Protagonists
Dumb character who falls straight in to the trap or gets captured at the very beggining to provide entertainment for the audience.
Clever character who that figures out clues or how to escape the clutches of the killer.
Always a main character or a main set of characters that are hunted down.
The rescuer who helps out .
The girl who gets to the end and either defeats the killer or gets killed after making it throughout the entire film
Typical clothing/props
Clothes are often torn or dirty. If there is a killer in the horror then they are sometimes wearing things to disguise themselves such as masks. For example, Michael Myres in Halloween wears a boiler suit and a white mask. Weapons are often used such as bloody knives, guns, clubs and general house hold objects.
After reading all this information and from my previous research, I have come up with some characters that I will incorporate in to my story idea. Their role will be explained in my Film Treatment.
Protagonists For My Film
Group of friends:
Cathy - More of the main character.The smart girl and one who films throughout that realises first there is something wrong. She makes it to the end of the film and is the last person we see at the end of the film.
Joan - The "best friend" and "I can't" girl. She is the weaker character throughout the film, but still manages to make it to the end with the other remaining characters.
Jason - The heroine. Not the main character but the one who leads the two girls one the character Tommy (see below) goes missing.
Tommy - The "Non-Listener". Cathy and the others try to tell Tommy to stay in the tent, but he still goes out meaning he is taken by the antagonist creatures. He is also the more confident character that is arrogant.
Antagonists
The muted, monsters left in the town which used to be the people living there before the medical experiments (will be expalined in my film treatment). We never see these characters in the film, just hear them and see silhouettes, which I feel creates more fear.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Film Classifications
The Biritsh Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010.source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Board_of_Film_Classification
The British Board of Film Classification uses ratings in order to control who views films, dvds etc. These ratings consist of:
- suitable for all. A ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.
- General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.
- Suitable for 12 years and over. Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them. The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult.
- Suitable only for 15 years and over. No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.
- Suitable only for adults No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.
- To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years. The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ video works may not be supplied by mail order. These ratings should also be displayed on film advertising, including posters, on print media and on television, and on packaging for video works.
On film posters, the Consumer Advice should be found in a box near the film’s title, alongside the classification, for example:
On DVDs or video gamesclassified by the BBFC, Consumer Advice should be found on the back of the packaging, alongside the classification symbol, for example:
Motion Picture Association of America film rating system
The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U.S. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The MPAA system applies only to motion pictures that are submitted for rating. Other media (such as television programs and video games) may be rated by other entities. A voluntary system not enforced by law, it is one of various motion picture rating systems used to help parents decide what movies are appropriate for their children.
- G- General Audiences. All ages admitted (1968–present).
- Parental Guidance SuggestedSome material may not be suitable for some children (1978–present; between 1972 and 1977, the word "children" instead read "pre-teenagers.")
- Parents Strongly CautionedSome material may be inappropriate for children under 13(1984–present)
- Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian (1970–present; during 1968 and 1969, the designated age was 16)
- No one 17 and under permitted (1996–present; between 1990 and 1996, the wording was "No Children Under 17 Admitted")Tuesday, 14 June 2011
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos.The company is based in San Bruno, California, and uses Adobe Flash Video and HTML5 technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, although media corporations including CBS, BBC, VEVO, Hulu, and other organizations offer some of their material via the site, as part of the YouTube partnership program.
Unregistered users may watch videos, and registered users may upload an unlimited number of videos. Videos that are considered to contain potentially offensive content are available only to registered users 18 years old and older. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for US$1.65 billion, and now operates as a subsidiary of Google.
Before the launch of YouTube in 2005, there were few easy methods available for ordinary computer users who wanted to post videos online. With its simple interface, YouTube made it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to post a video that a worldwide audience could watch within a few minutes. The wide range of topics covered by YouTube has turned video sharing into one of the most important parts of Internet culture.An early example of the social impact of YouTube was the success of The Bus Uncle video in 2006. It shows a heated conversation between a youth and an older man on a bus in Hong Kong, and was discussed widely in the mainstream media. Another YouTube video to receive extensive coverage is guitar, which features a performance of Pachelbel's Canon on an electric guitar. The name of the performer is not given in the video. After it received millions of views The New York Times revealed the identity of the guitarist as Lim Jeong-hyun, a 23-year-old from South Korea who had recorded the track in his bedroom. This video has since been removed from YouTube.
Charlie Bit My Finger, which was uploaded on May 22, 2007, is a viral video that has received the most views of any user generated YouTube video, with over 300 million views. The clip features two English brothers, with one-year-old Charlie biting the finger of his brother Harry, aged three. In Time's list of YouTube's 50 greatest viral videos of all time, "Charlie Bit My Finger" was ranked at number one.
Entertainment Weekly placed YouTube on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, describing it as: "Providing a safe home for piano-playing cats, celeb goof-ups, and overzealous lip-synchers since 2005."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Inspirational Practitioners
Wes Craven
Rising out of the mid-western suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold visions since the release of his first feature film, The Last House of the Left, which he wrote, directed, and edited in 1972. Craven reinvented the youth horror genre again in 1984 with the classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, a film he wrote and directed. And though he did not direct any of its five sequels, he deconstructed the genre a decade later, writing and directing the audacious Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which was nominated as Best Feature at the 1995 Independent Spirit Awards, and introduced the concept of self-reflexive genre films to the world. In 1996 Craven reached a new level of success with the release of Scream. The film, which sparked the phenomenal trilogy, was the winner of MTV's 1996 Best Movie Award and grossed more than $100 million domestically, as did Scream 2. Between Scream 2 and Scream 3, Craven, offered the opportunity to direct a non-genre film for Miramax, helmed Music of the Heart (1999), a film that earned Meryl Streep an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. That same year, in the midst of directing, Craven completed his first novel, "The Fountain Society," published by Simon & Shuster. Recent works include the 2005 psychological thriller, Red Eye, and a short rom-com segment for the ensemble product, Paris Je T'aime. Over the last few years, Craven has also produced remakes of two of his earlier films for his genre fans, The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and The Last House on the Left (2009). Craven has always had an eye for discovering fresh talent, something that contributes to the success of his films. While casting A Nightmare on Elm Street, Craven discovered the then unknown Johnny Depp. Craven later cast Sharon Stone in her first starring role for his film Deadly Blessing. He even gave Bruce Willis his first featured role in an episode of TV's mid-80's edition of The Twilight Zone. In 2010's My Soul To Take, Craven once again brought together a cast of up-and-coming young teens, including Max Thieriot, in whom he saw the spark of stardom. The film marked Craven's first collaboration with wife and producer Iya Labunka, who also produced with him the highly anticipated production of Scream 4. Craven's most recent film, Scream 4 (2011) reunites the director with Dimension Films and Kevin Williamson, as well as with stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, to re-boot the beloved franchise. Craven again exhibits his knack for spotting important talent, with a cast of young actors bringing us a totally new breed of Woodsboro high schoolers, including Emma Robert and Hayden Pannetierre.
Wes Craven is inspriartional to me as he has created some of the most credited horror films of all time and also appeals to the same target audience I am aiming my film at. He uses extreme and clever story lines that I feel make some of the most scariest horror films so I feel it is important to take inspiration from Craven for my teaser trailer and film idea. I especially like the idea of "The Hills Have Eyes", the story of a group of people trapped in the middle of nowhere that then get tormented and tortured my deformed cannibals. A gruesome story, but entertaining. I feel that his writing and directing of this film will be good to take inspiration from and incorporate in to my own work.
Daniel Myrick and Edward Sanchez
Eduardo Sanchez was born in Cuba in 1968. It was at a young age he gained an interest in film making. At Wheaton High School Ed made school movie projects such as Shrimp Fried Vice and Pride (in the name of Love) all of which starred his friends and family, as well as Ed himself.After High School Ed studied at Montgomery College where he continued to make movies like Star Trek Demented. He later got accepted to the University of Central Florida where he made Gabriel's Dream, a film which he thought was going to be his big break, but that didn't come for almost another decade. In 1997 he and a close friend Daniel Myrick got together and started production on the most successful movie (budget to gross) ever, the The Blair Witch Project (1999). It was a world-wide hit and has become one of the most spoofed films of all time.
Daniel Myrick (born November 30, 1962) is an American director most famous for co-directing and writing the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project with Eduardo Sánchez, for which they won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.
Myrick was born in Sarasota, Florida. He graduated from University of Central Florida School of Film in 1994. Along with collaborating with future Blair Witch cohorts Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale on a trilogy of short films, Myrick supported himself by working as an editor and cinematographer on a number of Florida-based music videos and commercials. After he wrote and directed the promo for the Florida Film Festival in 1997, Myrick's work caught the eye of independent film guru John Pierson, helping to set the stage for the eventual 1999 debut of Myrick and Sanchez's first feature as co-writers and directors.
In 2006, he co-founded Raw Feed, a direct to DVD division of Warner Home Video that specializes in horror films, with The X-Files executive producer John Shiban and 24 executive producer Tony Krantz.
From this research you can see how Sanchez and Myrick are inspirational to my chosen genre. The Blair Witch Project was extremely successful and set the trend for hand filmed films, which is what I plan to do for my film. I take a lot of inspiration from their writing and directing of the Blair Witch and will incorporate their ideas for my film ideas as theirs was such a success.
Rising out of the mid-western suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold visions since the release of his first feature film, The Last House of the Left, which he wrote, directed, and edited in 1972. Craven reinvented the youth horror genre again in 1984 with the classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, a film he wrote and directed. And though he did not direct any of its five sequels, he deconstructed the genre a decade later, writing and directing the audacious Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which was nominated as Best Feature at the 1995 Independent Spirit Awards, and introduced the concept of self-reflexive genre films to the world. In 1996 Craven reached a new level of success with the release of Scream. The film, which sparked the phenomenal trilogy, was the winner of MTV's 1996 Best Movie Award and grossed more than $100 million domestically, as did Scream 2. Between Scream 2 and Scream 3, Craven, offered the opportunity to direct a non-genre film for Miramax, helmed Music of the Heart (1999), a film that earned Meryl Streep an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. That same year, in the midst of directing, Craven completed his first novel, "The Fountain Society," published by Simon & Shuster. Recent works include the 2005 psychological thriller, Red Eye, and a short rom-com segment for the ensemble product, Paris Je T'aime. Over the last few years, Craven has also produced remakes of two of his earlier films for his genre fans, The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and The Last House on the Left (2009). Craven has always had an eye for discovering fresh talent, something that contributes to the success of his films. While casting A Nightmare on Elm Street, Craven discovered the then unknown Johnny Depp. Craven later cast Sharon Stone in her first starring role for his film Deadly Blessing. He even gave Bruce Willis his first featured role in an episode of TV's mid-80's edition of The Twilight Zone. In 2010's My Soul To Take, Craven once again brought together a cast of up-and-coming young teens, including Max Thieriot, in whom he saw the spark of stardom. The film marked Craven's first collaboration with wife and producer Iya Labunka, who also produced with him the highly anticipated production of Scream 4. Craven's most recent film, Scream 4 (2011) reunites the director with Dimension Films and Kevin Williamson, as well as with stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, to re-boot the beloved franchise. Craven again exhibits his knack for spotting important talent, with a cast of young actors bringing us a totally new breed of Woodsboro high schoolers, including Emma Robert and Hayden Pannetierre.
Wes Craven is inspriartional to me as he has created some of the most credited horror films of all time and also appeals to the same target audience I am aiming my film at. He uses extreme and clever story lines that I feel make some of the most scariest horror films so I feel it is important to take inspiration from Craven for my teaser trailer and film idea. I especially like the idea of "The Hills Have Eyes", the story of a group of people trapped in the middle of nowhere that then get tormented and tortured my deformed cannibals. A gruesome story, but entertaining. I feel that his writing and directing of this film will be good to take inspiration from and incorporate in to my own work.
Daniel Myrick and Edward Sanchez
Eduardo Sanchez was born in Cuba in 1968. It was at a young age he gained an interest in film making. At Wheaton High School Ed made school movie projects such as Shrimp Fried Vice and Pride (in the name of Love) all of which starred his friends and family, as well as Ed himself.After High School Ed studied at Montgomery College where he continued to make movies like Star Trek Demented. He later got accepted to the University of Central Florida where he made Gabriel's Dream, a film which he thought was going to be his big break, but that didn't come for almost another decade. In 1997 he and a close friend Daniel Myrick got together and started production on the most successful movie (budget to gross) ever, the The Blair Witch Project (1999). It was a world-wide hit and has become one of the most spoofed films of all time.
Daniel Myrick (born November 30, 1962) is an American director most famous for co-directing and writing the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project with Eduardo Sánchez, for which they won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.
Myrick was born in Sarasota, Florida. He graduated from University of Central Florida School of Film in 1994. Along with collaborating with future Blair Witch cohorts Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale on a trilogy of short films, Myrick supported himself by working as an editor and cinematographer on a number of Florida-based music videos and commercials. After he wrote and directed the promo for the Florida Film Festival in 1997, Myrick's work caught the eye of independent film guru John Pierson, helping to set the stage for the eventual 1999 debut of Myrick and Sanchez's first feature as co-writers and directors.
In 2006, he co-founded Raw Feed, a direct to DVD division of Warner Home Video that specializes in horror films, with The X-Files executive producer John Shiban and 24 executive producer Tony Krantz.
From this research you can see how Sanchez and Myrick are inspirational to my chosen genre. The Blair Witch Project was extremely successful and set the trend for hand filmed films, which is what I plan to do for my film. I take a lot of inspiration from their writing and directing of the Blair Witch and will incorporate their ideas for my film ideas as theirs was such a success.
Institutional Context Research into Film Companies
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lionsgate was founded in 1997 by Frank Giustra, a Canadian investment banker hoping to capitalize on the growing film industry in his home town. The company bought a number of small production facilities and distributors, including Montreal-based Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) also known as Cinéxus-Famous Players Distribution, Trimark Pictures, Mandate Pictures and, most notably, Artisan Entertainment (which itself had formerly been LIVE Entertainment, and before that, Vestron Pictures).
They had sold off their Canadian distribution rights to Maple Pictures, founded and co-owned by two former Lionsgate executives, Brad Pelman and Laurie May. Recently, Lionsgate sold their subsidiary Maple Pictures to film distributor Alliance Films, which is based in Montreal, Canada.
Its first major box office success was American Psycho in 2000, which began a trend of producing and distributing films too controversial for the major American studios. Other notable films included Affliction, Gods and Monsters, Dogma, Saw and the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which became the studio's highest grossing film.
Lionsgate had played a significant role in the co-financing and co-partnership with Relativity Media on its films until 2010 when the latter company split from its deal with Lionsgate to form its own self-distribution unit.
In 2006, Lionsgate acquired the American television production and syndication company Debmar-Mercury. This studio is recognized for its role in a number of daytime TV programs.
In 2007, Lionsgate bought a partial stake in independent film distribution company Roadside Attractions.
Lionsgate, along with MGM and Paramount Pictures/Viacom, is also a co-owner of Epix, a new pay TV movie channel which debuted on October 30, 2009 on Verizon FiOS IPTV systems, that will rival HBO and Showtime. Lionsgate also stated they would be starting work in music albums.
The distribution of selected recent non-in-house films for pay-per-view and on-demand are under the supervision of NBCUniversal Television Distribution under Universal Pictures (Universal formally held home video and television rights to many of the early Lionsgate films), while all others (particularly the in-house films) are distributed for both cable and broadcast television through Lionsgate's syndicated division.
Lionsgate's library of movies and TV shows can be seen on digital platform Hulu.
Aside from home video distribution of films sub-licensed from other studios, Lionsgate's library consists of films from the respective companies Lionsgate succeeded-in-interest, such as Producers Sales Organization, Vestron Pictures, and Artisan Entertainment, in addition to their in-house material. Their complete ownership depends on the worldwide regions of license.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment Inc. was a privately held independent American movie studio until it was purchased by a Canadian studio, Lionsgate, in 2003. At the time of its acquisition, Artisan had a library of thousands of films developed through acquisition, original production, and production and distribution agreements. Its headquarters and private screening room were located in Santa Monica, California. It also had an office in TriBeCa, Lower Manhattan, New York City.
The company owned the home video rights to the film libraries of Republic Pictures, and Carolco Pictures. They also owned Family Home Entertainment (FHE), and its motion picture subdivision, FHE Pictures for a first-feature film Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie.
Artisan's releases included Requiem for a Dream, Pi, Grizzly Falls, Killing Zoe, National Lampoon's Van Wilder, The Blair Witch Project, Novocaine, and Startup.com.
In May 2003, Artisan and Microsoft jointly announced the first release of a high definition DVD, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Extreme Edition). The release was a promotion for the Windows Media version 9 format; it could only be played on a personal computer with Windows XP. Artisan had released the movie in 2002 on D-VHS.
In the summer 2003, Marvel Enterprises place an offer for Artisan.
After Lionsgate agreed to acquire Artisan in 2003, video releases through Artisan have now been rereleased under the Lionsgate banner.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisan_Entertainment
source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Robot_Productions
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (commonly referred to as Lionsgate) is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. As of 2011, it is the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution company in North America.
Lionsgate was founded in 1997 by Frank Giustra, a Canadian investment banker hoping to capitalize on the growing film industry in his home town. The company bought a number of small production facilities and distributors, including Montreal-based Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) also known as Cinéxus-Famous Players Distribution, Trimark Pictures, Mandate Pictures and, most notably, Artisan Entertainment (which itself had formerly been LIVE Entertainment, and before that, Vestron Pictures).
They had sold off their Canadian distribution rights to Maple Pictures, founded and co-owned by two former Lionsgate executives, Brad Pelman and Laurie May. Recently, Lionsgate sold their subsidiary Maple Pictures to film distributor Alliance Films, which is based in Montreal, Canada.
Its first major box office success was American Psycho in 2000, which began a trend of producing and distributing films too controversial for the major American studios. Other notable films included Affliction, Gods and Monsters, Dogma, Saw and the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which became the studio's highest grossing film.
Lionsgate had played a significant role in the co-financing and co-partnership with Relativity Media on its films until 2010 when the latter company split from its deal with Lionsgate to form its own self-distribution unit.
In 2006, Lionsgate acquired the American television production and syndication company Debmar-Mercury. This studio is recognized for its role in a number of daytime TV programs.
In 2007, Lionsgate bought a partial stake in independent film distribution company Roadside Attractions.
Lionsgate, along with MGM and Paramount Pictures/Viacom, is also a co-owner of Epix, a new pay TV movie channel which debuted on October 30, 2009 on Verizon FiOS IPTV systems, that will rival HBO and Showtime. Lionsgate also stated they would be starting work in music albums.
The distribution of selected recent non-in-house films for pay-per-view and on-demand are under the supervision of NBCUniversal Television Distribution under Universal Pictures (Universal formally held home video and television rights to many of the early Lionsgate films), while all others (particularly the in-house films) are distributed for both cable and broadcast television through Lionsgate's syndicated division.
Lionsgate's library of movies and TV shows can be seen on digital platform Hulu.
Aside from home video distribution of films sub-licensed from other studios, Lionsgate's library consists of films from the respective companies Lionsgate succeeded-in-interest, such as Producers Sales Organization, Vestron Pictures, and Artisan Entertainment, in addition to their in-house material. Their complete ownership depends on the worldwide regions of license.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment Inc. was a privately held independent American movie studio until it was purchased by a Canadian studio, Lionsgate, in 2003. At the time of its acquisition, Artisan had a library of thousands of films developed through acquisition, original production, and production and distribution agreements. Its headquarters and private screening room were located in Santa Monica, California. It also had an office in TriBeCa, Lower Manhattan, New York City.The company owned the home video rights to the film libraries of Republic Pictures, and Carolco Pictures. They also owned Family Home Entertainment (FHE), and its motion picture subdivision, FHE Pictures for a first-feature film Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie.
Artisan's releases included Requiem for a Dream, Pi, Grizzly Falls, Killing Zoe, National Lampoon's Van Wilder, The Blair Witch Project, Novocaine, and Startup.com.
In May 2003, Artisan and Microsoft jointly announced the first release of a high definition DVD, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Extreme Edition). The release was a promotion for the Windows Media version 9 format; it could only be played on a personal computer with Windows XP. Artisan had released the movie in 2002 on D-VHS.
In the summer 2003, Marvel Enterprises place an offer for Artisan.
After Lionsgate agreed to acquire Artisan in 2003, video releases through Artisan have now been rereleased under the Lionsgate banner.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisan_Entertainment
Bad Robot
Bad Robot Productions (formerly known as only Bad Robot) is a production company owned by J. J. Abrams. It is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, What About Brian, Fringe, Six Degrees, Undercovers, Person of Interest (2011) and the feature length films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Super 8 (2011), Star Trek (2009) and Cloverfield (2008).Bad Robot was originally part of Touchstone Television, but has moved with J. J. Abrams to Paramount Pictures, and Universal Studios, after his contract with Touchstone had expired in 2006. Bad Robot produced Lost in association with ABC Studios, formerly Touchstone Television. The two companies jointly produced Six Degrees and What About Brian until their respective cancellations.
Abrams is Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, and Bryan Burk serves as Executive Vice President of the company.
The production logo has appeared since 2001, featuring a red rectangular headed robot running through a meadow silhouetted until it appears suddenly in front of the camera, followed by "BAD ROBOT!" in a voice-over by two of Abrams' children, Henry and Gracie Abrams.
Bad Robot Productions (formerly known as only Bad Robot) is a production company owned by J. J. Abrams. It is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, What About Brian, Fringe, Six Degrees, Undercovers, Person of Interest (2011) and the feature length films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Super 8 (2011), Star Trek (2009) and Cloverfield (2008).Bad Robot was originally part of Touchstone Television, but has moved with J. J. Abrams to Paramount Pictures, and Universal Studios, after his contract with Touchstone had expired in 2006. Bad Robot produced Lost in association with ABC Studios, formerly Touchstone Television. The two companies jointly produced Six Degrees and What About Brian until their respective cancellations.
Abrams is Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, and Bryan Burk serves as Executive Vice President of the company.
The production logo has appeared since 2001, featuring a red rectangular headed robot running through a meadow silhouetted until it appears suddenly in front of the camera, followed by "BAD ROBOT!" in a voice-over by two of Abrams' children, Henry and Gracie Abrams.
source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Robot_Productions
The Asylum
The Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio has produced titles that capitalize on productions by major studios; these titles have been dubbed "mockbusters" by the press.
The Asylum was founded by former Village Roadshow executives David Rimawi, Sherri Strain, and director David Michael Latt in 1997. The company focused on producing straight-to-video low-budget films, usually in the horror genre, but were unable to find a market due to competition from major studios, such as Lions Gate Entertainment. In 2005, the company produced a low-budget adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which was released in the same year as Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the same material. Blockbuster Inc. ordered 100,000 copies of The Asylum's adaptation, a significantly larger order than any of the company's previous releases, resulting in Latt and Rimawi reconsidering their business model.
The Asylum work schedule is typically four months from decision to create a title to finished product, with the script finished within four to six weeks. Pre-production is afforded only a few weeks, production is "a couple of weeks" (In the case of Mega Piranha, it took longer because it was shot in Belize). Filming takes an average of 12 to 15 pages of the script a day.
The Asylum's usual budget for a production is reportedly "well under a million dollars", and it typically breaks even after about three months. The Asylum has never lost money on a film. The studio's productions have been called B movies and "mockbusters". Latt prefers the term "tie-ins" to "mockbusters", stating that The Asylum's productions, even those that capitalize on major releases, contain original stories. Latt states that the studio plans its productions around the word of mouth of the financial prospects of upcoming films. The studio's films are usually released on video shortly before the theatrical release of a major studio film with similar themes or storylines.
The Asylum has also produced films with strong religious themes. For example, The Apocalypse was initially developed as a straightforward disaster film in the style of Deep Impact, but Latt states that certain buyers wanted the company to develop a religious film. As a result, the company consulted priests and rabbis in order to incorporate faith-based elements. The division Faith Films was created in order to distribute titles with such themes. Sunday School Musical was produced after The Asylum staff attended a seminar for marketing to a Christian audience, and the seminar's host suggested that the perfect film would be a Christian version of High School Musical.
The Asylum productions sometimes feature more overt sexuality or graphic violence than their major studio counterparts, because The Asylum's releases are not in competition with films rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America. Rolf Potts of The New York Times described Transmorphers as having "no recognizable actors, no merchandising tie-ins and a garbled sound mix. Also unlike Transformers, it has cheap special effects and a subplot involving lesbians."
The 2008 release Death Racers featured the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse and wrestler Scott "Raven" Levy in major roles. The 2011 release Mega Python vs. Gatoroid starred Debbie Gibsonand Tiffany.In 2007, similarities between the distributor's titles and those of major studios were reported. For example, the film Transmorphers bears a number of similarities to the film Transformers, which was released theatrically two days after the release of Transmorphers. According to Latt, "I'm not trying to dupe anybody. I'm just trying to get my films watched. Other people do tie-ins all the time; they’re just better at being subtle about it. Another studio might make a giant robot movie that ties into the Transformers release and call it Robot Wars. We’ll call ours Transmorphers." In 2008, 20th Century Fox threatened legal action against The Asylum over The Day the Earth Stopped, a film capitalizing on The Day the Earth Stood Still.
The Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio has produced titles that capitalize on productions by major studios; these titles have been dubbed "mockbusters" by the press.The Asylum was founded by former Village Roadshow executives David Rimawi, Sherri Strain, and director David Michael Latt in 1997. The company focused on producing straight-to-video low-budget films, usually in the horror genre, but were unable to find a market due to competition from major studios, such as Lions Gate Entertainment. In 2005, the company produced a low-budget adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which was released in the same year as Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the same material. Blockbuster Inc. ordered 100,000 copies of The Asylum's adaptation, a significantly larger order than any of the company's previous releases, resulting in Latt and Rimawi reconsidering their business model.
The Asylum work schedule is typically four months from decision to create a title to finished product, with the script finished within four to six weeks. Pre-production is afforded only a few weeks, production is "a couple of weeks" (In the case of Mega Piranha, it took longer because it was shot in Belize). Filming takes an average of 12 to 15 pages of the script a day.
The Asylum's usual budget for a production is reportedly "well under a million dollars", and it typically breaks even after about three months. The Asylum has never lost money on a film. The studio's productions have been called B movies and "mockbusters". Latt prefers the term "tie-ins" to "mockbusters", stating that The Asylum's productions, even those that capitalize on major releases, contain original stories. Latt states that the studio plans its productions around the word of mouth of the financial prospects of upcoming films. The studio's films are usually released on video shortly before the theatrical release of a major studio film with similar themes or storylines.
The Asylum has also produced films with strong religious themes. For example, The Apocalypse was initially developed as a straightforward disaster film in the style of Deep Impact, but Latt states that certain buyers wanted the company to develop a religious film. As a result, the company consulted priests and rabbis in order to incorporate faith-based elements. The division Faith Films was created in order to distribute titles with such themes. Sunday School Musical was produced after The Asylum staff attended a seminar for marketing to a Christian audience, and the seminar's host suggested that the perfect film would be a Christian version of High School Musical.
The Asylum productions sometimes feature more overt sexuality or graphic violence than their major studio counterparts, because The Asylum's releases are not in competition with films rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America. Rolf Potts of The New York Times described Transmorphers as having "no recognizable actors, no merchandising tie-ins and a garbled sound mix. Also unlike Transformers, it has cheap special effects and a subplot involving lesbians."
The 2008 release Death Racers featured the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse and wrestler Scott "Raven" Levy in major roles. The 2011 release Mega Python vs. Gatoroid starred Debbie Gibsonand Tiffany.In 2007, similarities between the distributor's titles and those of major studios were reported. For example, the film Transmorphers bears a number of similarities to the film Transformers, which was released theatrically two days after the release of Transmorphers. According to Latt, "I'm not trying to dupe anybody. I'm just trying to get my films watched. Other people do tie-ins all the time; they’re just better at being subtle about it. Another studio might make a giant robot movie that ties into the Transformers release and call it Robot Wars. We’ll call ours Transmorphers." In 2008, 20th Century Fox threatened legal action against The Asylum over The Day the Earth Stopped, a film capitalizing on The Day the Earth Stood Still.
My Chosen Institutions
I have chosen Lionsgate as the production company for my film. I felt that The Asylum would be an interesting option because for my film because of the low budget style. They seem to specialise in low budget films and had success which would be extremely useful for production of my film. However, I went against choosing them as a lot of their films aren't very well known and seem to be too similar to films from major institutions which seems to lead to legal issues. Asylum used to be unable to create horror films due to competion with larger distrubuters such as Lionsgate, so this showed to me that Lionsgate was more successful. I chose Lionsgate because they haven't created a found footage film, apart from the Blair Witch Project which was produced by Artisan before they bought the company. Because my film has the same themes as The Blair Witch Project, I think the audience will be intrigued by Lionsgate sort of re-releasing a success after they have bought Artisan. I think my audience would find it interesting to see Lionsgate do a found footage genre film as they have such highly credited horror films of other sub-genres such as SAW. I also want to incorporate Bad Robot as they have links to Lionsgate through Paramount. Bad Robot had success with Cloverfield, so I thought it would be a good idea to inocprorate their skills in found footage style films with Lionsgate's skills in horror. I feel that my audience will find these institutions interesting put together and if they were actually to produce my film, I think it would turn out well.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Reflection on Further Research
From my further research I feel I have really gained an insight in to the specific horror genre I have chosen for my teaser trailer. I have learned about the codes and conventions as well as gaining inspiration from the teaser trailers and posters I analysed.
Research in to Horror Genre/Handheld Camera Technique/Found Footage Genre
This really helped me to learn about the horror genre in detail, as well as the more specific area of the horror genre which I will be using for my teaser trailer. Looking in to horror films allowed me to see the codes and conventions which I found interesting. I learnt that the aim is to disturb and scare the audience and there is always a protagonist against a single or group of protagonists. It also allowed me to look in to what sort of protagonists there are in horror, such as ghosts, demons, monsters, serial killers and so on. My research in to the handheld camera technique allowed me to understand how this genre was created and what the codes and conventions were. I now understand what I have to do in order for people to identify my film as using a hand held camera technique. Research in to the found footage genre was particularly helpful. It allowed me to clearly understand the codes and conventions of this sub genre which I can now use or challenge in my teaser trailer. I also found a useful list of found footage style films, mostly horror but also some that weren't. By looking at this list I could look at these films and look at the plot lines in order to gain inspiration. I chose my favourites to analyse the teaser trailers and posters.
Research in to Found Footage Horror Films
This was really helpful towards my further development of my teaser trailer and poster. I thoroughly analysed each film including the director, writers, release date, plot, screen shots, poster and teaser trailer. It allowed me to understand even further the codes and conventions of this genre as well as gain inspiration, especially from the REC teaser trailer which gave me a variety of ideas. By doing this further research in to genre specific films, I could easily see things to could include and do to appeal to the genre, as well as challenge it. I liked all of the teaser trailers and poster, but I particularly liked The Blair Witch Project teaser trailer, The Tunnel teaser trailer and especially the REC teaser trailer and posters. The Paranormal Activity teaser trailer was very different to any other I have seen, but I think it was effective in the way they showed real people's reactions, making the film seem really terrifying. However, I want to create my teaser trailer more like the REC trailer because I thought it worked the best out of all the teaser trailers I research in to. I also think it has really effective posters by using screen shots from the film as the image, although I noticed that all the posters did this but I felt the REC and Quarantine posters were most effective.
Research in to Horror Soundtracks
This research really helped me to think about what sort of sounds I would use in my teaser trailer. I thought all of these soundtracks were very effective for the films they were used in, but I don't think any of this music would be suitable for my teaser trailer. Because it is found footage genre, I found from my further research in to these genre of teaser trailers that they didn't really use music. Therefore I don't think I need to have a particlar soundtrack as the whole aim is to create realism. However I find it useful to think about why these soundtracks made the film scary and the Insidious soundtrack was good to look at as the mess of random sounds could actually work for my teaser trailer.
Research in to Horror Genre/Handheld Camera Technique/Found Footage Genre
This really helped me to learn about the horror genre in detail, as well as the more specific area of the horror genre which I will be using for my teaser trailer. Looking in to horror films allowed me to see the codes and conventions which I found interesting. I learnt that the aim is to disturb and scare the audience and there is always a protagonist against a single or group of protagonists. It also allowed me to look in to what sort of protagonists there are in horror, such as ghosts, demons, monsters, serial killers and so on. My research in to the handheld camera technique allowed me to understand how this genre was created and what the codes and conventions were. I now understand what I have to do in order for people to identify my film as using a hand held camera technique. Research in to the found footage genre was particularly helpful. It allowed me to clearly understand the codes and conventions of this sub genre which I can now use or challenge in my teaser trailer. I also found a useful list of found footage style films, mostly horror but also some that weren't. By looking at this list I could look at these films and look at the plot lines in order to gain inspiration. I chose my favourites to analyse the teaser trailers and posters.
Research in to Found Footage Horror Films
This was really helpful towards my further development of my teaser trailer and poster. I thoroughly analysed each film including the director, writers, release date, plot, screen shots, poster and teaser trailer. It allowed me to understand even further the codes and conventions of this genre as well as gain inspiration, especially from the REC teaser trailer which gave me a variety of ideas. By doing this further research in to genre specific films, I could easily see things to could include and do to appeal to the genre, as well as challenge it. I liked all of the teaser trailers and poster, but I particularly liked The Blair Witch Project teaser trailer, The Tunnel teaser trailer and especially the REC teaser trailer and posters. The Paranormal Activity teaser trailer was very different to any other I have seen, but I think it was effective in the way they showed real people's reactions, making the film seem really terrifying. However, I want to create my teaser trailer more like the REC trailer because I thought it worked the best out of all the teaser trailers I research in to. I also think it has really effective posters by using screen shots from the film as the image, although I noticed that all the posters did this but I felt the REC and Quarantine posters were most effective.
Research in to Horror Soundtracks
This research really helped me to think about what sort of sounds I would use in my teaser trailer. I thought all of these soundtracks were very effective for the films they were used in, but I don't think any of this music would be suitable for my teaser trailer. Because it is found footage genre, I found from my further research in to these genre of teaser trailers that they didn't really use music. Therefore I don't think I need to have a particlar soundtrack as the whole aim is to create realism. However I find it useful to think about why these soundtracks made the film scary and the Insidious soundtrack was good to look at as the mess of random sounds could actually work for my teaser trailer.
Research in to Soundtracks - Rosemary's Baby
Research in to Soundtracks - Insidious
Research in to Soundtracks - Candyman
Research in to Soundtracks - The Happening
The soundtrack starts with the quiet sound of violins and a harp. This introduces tension. A piano then starts to play getting gradually louder. After the piano plays individually for a few seconds a violin begins to play the same repetitive tune. It sound monotonous and frightening, especially the screeching violin. The music gradually builds up and changes tune until a very low droning sound starts. Other violins then also start at a quick pace, getting louder and louder building tension. The music builds and builds until it suddenly stops with the screeching of the violins, which really creates suspense as the music ends. I think this music really works in the way it gradually builds to create tension and then suddenly stops leaving us in suspense with the screeching violins. I don't think anything is bad with this music apart from the harp at the beginning which suggests to me a magical/fantasy theme which isn't suitable for horror.
Research in to Sountracks - Halloween
From my experience watching horror movies, music is always used to make the film more disturbing. The most common horror film music quite often is very low with strange echoing droning, piano or violin based or sounds like children's music. I have done some research in to film soundtracks and analysed what I think works and doesn't work for them.
I think this soundtrack works very well for building tensions and creating a scary atmosphere. It opens with the fast piano music which sound very strange and creates a sense of panic. A low droning then starts which starts to build even more tension. The sound it warning and ominous. The piano sound doesn't change speed but at about 45 seconds it suddenly gets lower which is building more and more tension. At about a minute the sound goes higher again and the piano music is on it's own. This sudden quietness is particularly scary. I can imagine someone running to this music, so it fits very well with the plot of the film. The only thing I don't like about this music is the ticking in the background, I think it would sound better without. However I don;t think this makes too much of a difference and does add percussion in a way. The soundtrack is also very repetitive which can get boring and take away from the effect, but if played in parts in the film it is very effective.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Further Research - The Tunnel
The Tunnel is a 2011 horror film directed by Carlo Ledesma, and co-written, co-produced and co-edited by Julian Harvey and Enzo Tedeschi. The film stars Bel Deliá, Andy Rodoreda, Steve Davis, Luke Arnold, Goran D. Kleut and James Caitlin, in a documentary-style horror story set in the underground network of abandoned railway tunnels in Sydney, Australia.
Layout
The layout of this poster is very simplistic. The image is the main focus as it takes up the entire poster, and there is only a small rectangle placed slightly above the bottom on the left hand side including the title of the film, the release date and the website as well as the promotion the fact this film was the first film to be distributed online for free legally by BitTorrent. The release of this film was a sort of revolution and focused more the on the film being viewed than making money. The image on the poster is made up of lots of words running horizontally, which I will go in to in depth under the heading "image".
Colours
The colours are particularly muted in this poster and all work together. The image looks as if it is sepia from a distance, but closer it is clear it's make up from words in different tones of the golden colour. I think this is a clever and interesting way to create an image. The colours of the image also suggest night vision because it has the same sort of grey, muted tones. The text on the black rectangle also fits in with these colours. The first tag line "witness the viral movie of the year!" is in the same colours as on the image but it stands out because it is against a black background. The film title "The Tunnel" is also in these sort of colours, but it looks more silvery and the use of shadows and shines makes it look metalic and indistrial, linking well to the themes and plot of the film. Below this is a series of one word sentences which are patterned in colour white, the golden sepia colour and then white again. The website address is then also in the sepia colour but it has a shine on the middle part again making it look metalic and standing out from the rest of the smaller tag lines.
Image
I think the image is very effective in this poster. From a distance it looks like a close up shot of a woman screaming which immediatley appeals to the horror genre. Because it is made up from text it looks fuzzy, like the camera has jolted or has lines across it, telling us it is a found footage style film. The colour of the image also suggests night vision, again telling us it is supposed to be "real footage". As we look closer we can see the image is made up of words, and then if we look even closer we can see they are names. This is very sinister as we wonder what the names mean and why the image has been made up from them. The idea of a long list of names with no identity we can see suggests a list of missing people, or people found dead. It may also however be credited people that contributed towards the film which is a clever way of including them in the poster.
Text
There isn't a lot of text on this poster and it is quite small. It's not the main focus, but it is made very obvious because of how it has been placed on a black rectangle that stands out from the image. I think this works well as it means we can read the text without it being to intrusive of the image. Above the film title is a tag line "witness the viral movie of the year!" This suggests to the audience it is a must-see film and the use of "viral" tells us it is spreading quickly across the internet and worldiwide. There is also a play on words here with the use of "witness" and "viral". The idea of "witness" is as you will be watching the film as a witness, showing you what happened to the people. The use of "viral" also suggests a disease, and when you watch the trailer you can see this idea coming across as we can tell the things attacking them are some sort of creatures. Under the film title is the promotion of the fact it is free, which will either appeal to people or not, as they can't see it in the cinemas. The use of one word sentences makes them memorable, easy to read and also gives them a high impact. The website adress has also been given which promotes the film even further and in this case is where you can view it. The image on the poster has also been made up of text in different tones to creates the image. In my opinion this is very effective, as I explained in my analysis of image.
There isn't a lot of text on this poster and it is quite small. It's not the main focus, but it is made very obvious because of how it has been placed on a black rectangle that stands out from the image. I think this works well as it means we can read the text without it being to intrusive of the image. Above the film title is a tag line "witness the viral movie of the year!" This suggests to the audience it is a must-see film and the use of "viral" tells us it is spreading quickly across the internet and worldiwide. There is also a play on words here with the use of "witness" and "viral". The idea of "witness" is as you will be watching the film as a witness, showing you what happened to the people. The use of "viral" also suggests a disease, and when you watch the trailer you can see this idea coming across as we can tell the things attacking them are some sort of creatures. Under the film title is the promotion of the fact it is free, which will either appeal to people or not, as they can't see it in the cinemas. The use of one word sentences makes them memorable, easy to read and also gives them a high impact. The website adress has also been given which promotes the film even further and in this case is where you can view it. The image on the poster has also been made up of text in different tones to creates the image. In my opinion this is very effective, as I explained in my analysis of image.
Institutional References
There are no institutional references on this poster most likely because it is an independant film. The film was distributed online by BitTorrent, but this isnt stated here. The website is, in a way, the promotion of the institution BitTorrent as they legally distributed this film online. There is also no rating as it's an indepandant film and was released on the internet.
Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene of this poster is quite sinister. The photo immediatley suggests fear and horror because she is screaming. The grundgy colours also appeal to the horror genre and suggest the themes are not happy and positive. The colours are also similar to night vision, suggesting darkness and realism. The way the image has been made up of names is also quite disturbing. We don't know who the names belong to or what they mean, which creates mystery. It suggests the idea that these are people that have gone missing in "the tunnel" or been found dead, which makes the poster intriguing and also makes us look closer to read the small words. The film title and website also have a sort of metalitic effect due to the shines and shadows as I mentioned before, which gives it a sort of industrial feel which links in well with the themes and location of the film.
Screen Shots:
Plot Summary:
An investigation into a government cover-up leads to a network of abandoned train tunnels deep beneath the heart of Sydney. As a journalist and her crew hunt for the story it quickly becomes clear the story is hunting them.
source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735485/
Teaser Trailer:
Camera angle, movement, position
The trailer opens with the first title. The screen is black and a light shines over the logo for "distracted media", revealing it in parts. This is meant to be a torch which I think is really effective because it fits in well with the plot and makes the titles feel like part of the clips shown, supporting the effect of realism. Things float around in the air where the torch light moves over, again linking in with the setting and plot, making the title seem like part of the clips we are shown. The torch then goes back the other way to reveal two more institutional logos "DLHS film" and "zapruder's other film". This then fades to a shot of the top of "the tunnel", torch lights shining on it. The shot looks professional because it is supposed to be a news crew taking these, however this changes as the trailer continues. The shot moves down to eye level to show a woman walking down the tunnel with a torch. This then cuts to a another professional close up shot of water dripping in to a puddle, as if these are shots intended to be used for the news story. There is a voice over of a man here, the way he speaks is like he is giving an interview "Plan from the start..." at this point the shot cuts to the woman walking with the torch, the light shining through some sort of metal structure. The camera tracks round following her slowly. The voice over continues "when we got to the tunnel was to find the light". As he says light, her torch shines directly at the camera which acts as a transition to the next shot. We now see an extreme long shot of the tunnel, the small light from the torch at the end. The voice over continues "cause that's where the story was". This shot then cuts to black and the torch shines over another title "witness the viral movie of the year" which is also on the poster I previously analysed. The torch shines of the title leaving us in blackness which then cuts to a medium close up of a man reading a map. We can see it is dark as a bright light from the camera shines on him and behind him is darkness. He speaks "okay through here" and the man from behind the camera replies "through there?" which is appealing to the found footage genre. The camera is more shaky now and looks different compared to the more professional shots we saw previously, perhaps suggesting the start of a break down as the shots get gradually more and more shaky and panicky. This shot then cuts to a medium close up of another men leaning against a wall with headphone on and holding equipment "it's a bit tight down there tubby you reckon you're gonna make it?". This then cuts to a high angle shot of the man we saw previously climbing down a ladder in a small passage. The way the camera is filming as if we would look at it, it's appealing to the found footage genre as it is really suggesting this is actual filming. It also places the audience directly within the trailer making everything more impracticable. There is then another professional looking shot of water dripping from a rusty pipe, etablishing the setting. We hear the voice over of a woman speaking like a reporter would "directly below one of Sydney's.." and we then see a medium close up of her talking with the tunnel behind her as she continues to speak. This style of voice over over shot and then shot of the reporter talking is typical of news stories so this really adds to the effect of realism. She talks to the camera "busiest train stations..." then cutting to a shot moving across a large pool of deep water, the light from the camera revealing as it tracks round, so we know it is very dark. This water looks frightening and also relates directley to the voice over "is the forgotten water resort causing all the controversy". This shot then cross fades to the next title, the torch revealing it like the other. However this time as well as the particles in the air, we now see the reflection of water underneath, linking directly to the location and plot. This title read "A TV news crew". The voice over continues slightly in to this title, but as soon as she stops speaking we hear her speaking again but far more serious and in a different manner "yeah nothing stood out to start with it was quite normal". Half way through this voice over we see a medium close up interview shot of her looking upset. She looks up in slow motion looking guilty and traumatised. We can tell this is after they went in to "the tunnel" because of the voice over and the fact the shot is now professional and in a different setting. This then cuts to a short shot of camera moving around and then cutting to black. We hear the people talking over each other, creating the effect of unplanned conversation and therefore realism "yep" "there's something wrong with the light, there's something stuck on it" at the point the screen is still black. We think that there is something wrong and begin to become tense. But suddenly a bright light shines on the man we saw before with headphones. He scrunches his eyes and turns away and we realise this was a joke, making us relax again but also expecting the real danger and problem to come along. He shouts at the man holding the camera "oh shit!" and the camera moves over to show male and female reporters which we saw previously. The man smiles and we hear the other man speak "how did I not see that coming?" and the man behind the camera laughs. This makes them all seem like they're relaxed and having fun, which soon changes. This shot fades to black and the next title is revealed by the torch again "looking from a story" which is continuing on from the previous title. This cuts to a similar interview shot we saw of the woman before but this time of the man. He looks down in slow motion, also looking guilty and upset. We hear the voice over of him speaking like in an inteview "I was starting to feel..." at this point the shot cuts to a low level shot as if the camera is on the floor of them setting up equipment. He continues to speak "that there was something not quite right". This then cuts to a high angle night vision shot filming the floor. The angle is tilted and strange so it makes us wonder what is filming if the camera has been placed on the floor. It suggests that something is watching them. There is also a very quiet growling sound which suggests to us that there is a creature or something not human. The cable on the floor moves suddenly, making up jump because of the tension being built up. The shot then cuts back to the low level shot of the people. The male news reporter sits on the floor covering his ears and the woman bangs the equipment to test something. Back to the shaky night vision shot and this time we see the male news reporter in the corner, so whatever is filming is directly above him. We hear the woman speak over this shot "did you, did you hear that?" which is building more and more tnesion. This shot then cuts back to the camera on the floor, they all wait in silence really building up tension. Suddenly there is a close up of the wire in the corner flying about as if it is being pulled by something. This shot cuts to black and the torch reveals the next title "but the story found them" which really builds fear as it relates to the previous shot. We wonder what "story" has found them. This title them flickers with an interference sound and cuts to black. The screen stays blank for a while, placing the audience in darkness. A shot then suddenly appears of them all running down a narrow passage and the male news reporter in front looks up as if he hears or sees something. This shot then suddenly cuts to black, then another shot appears rapidly creating the effect of panic and really contrasting with the long shots we saw at the beginning which were perfectly composed. The camera flings about which is disorientating and we hear the man shout someone's name as if they are missing. From this we can tell everything is breaking down. This then cuts sharply to a close up of a man we haven't yet seen reaching out his hand looking desperate and scared, half is body is not visible over a ledge so we can tell he is hanging or getting dragged down. Suddenly the camera flies back away from them as if the person behind it is getting dragged away too. This then cuts to another short shot of the male reporter with blood on his shirt reaching out his hand as if to say stop. He looks panicked and frightened. The next shot appears suddenly again, creating the panicky effect. The camera is low level again as if it is on the floor. The air is dusty so it is unclear what it is filming, but we do see a foot enter the shot and walk towards something in the cloud of dust. This shot cuts abruptly to black as we see this, giving nothing away therefore making us want to know who's foot that was and what was in the cloud of dust. We hear people whispering as the shot remains black for a few seconds and a shot of the male reporter fades in. He looks out at something looking panicked and scared, breathing heavily as if he has been running "we gotta go". This shot flickers to black, appealing to the found footage genre. The shot remains black and silent for a while, placing the audience once again in darkness. Suddenly there is a medium close up of the reporter as a creature jumps out of the darkness behind him and lands on him. We can't see what it is but we can tell it isn't human. The camera fuzzes so we can't see any more as if something has hit it. The torch light then reveals the next title which is the name of the film "THE TUNNEL" which fades in slowly. There is also another light shining from behind the title which looks like another torch, making the title stand out from the other and making it more interesting. This then fades to black and another title is revealed "the light runs out soon in Torrents" which is the tag line and the release place and date, basically saying "coming soon". I like the way they have included their tag lines in with this title. The website is also included here and the three institutional logos we saw at the begging, promoting the film and the distribution companies. This title then fades to black as the teaser trailer ends.
The narrative of this trailer follows the characters entering the tunnel and then things gradually getting worse as they all get attacked and some disappear. Some of the narrative of the film is given away through the divided title "a TV news crew...looking for a story...but the story found them" which doesn't give anything away but encourages the audience to watch the film to find out what "found them". The narrative of the film is based all around the tunnel and all the shots show this as well as the titles. It is suggesting that something inhuman is watching and hunting them. We can tell this from the quiet growling sound as well as the obvious final shot of something jumping and attacking the male news reporter. This is really exciting and frightening as we know it is a dangerous and scary creature, but we don't know what it is. This encourages the audience to go and watch the film to find out.
Character representations
The male news reporter is first represented as the man in control, a stereotypical character for a man. He is in control of the directions and the map and is instructing everyone where to go. However this authority and organisation breaks down as we see him running and looking truly terrified, and even get attacked. He seems slightly arrogant in his interview shot where he says he knew there was something wrong, when he probably didn't. The female news reporter is obviously portrayed as this character because of the way she speaks and is shown in a reporting shot. She is the only female against the rest of the males and the only one we hear scream, making her seem more vulnerable. When all the men are laughing about the joke, she is looking out in to the darkness, perhaps because she thinks there is something wrong or serious about their work and getting a story. The other representation of a character is the man in a yellow t-shirt with headphones and equipment. He seems like the tech-geek because he seems to be in control of all the equipment as well as the funny character that lightens the film before something tragic happens to them. He makes a funny remark about the male reporter climbing down the gap. The man behind the camera plays a joke on this man and they laugh about it together, showing their relationship and the sort of characters they both are. They are having fun and messing about which really contrasts with how we see them in later shots.
Titles
I think the titles are really effective in this trailer. I have already mentioned what they read and some about them. They are intended to fit in with the theme and location of the film, being revealed by the light from the "torch". As well as the words being revealed so it dust particles and reflection on the water, fitting in with the location and creating a seamless flow between the shots and titles. They could seem like another shot which works well with the effect of realism.
Institutional references and logos
There are three institutional references at the beginning of the trailer that are revealed by the torch. The first is Distracted Media and the logo is revealed. As the torch moves back over to the left tow more are revealed and that's DLSHS Film and Zapruder's Other Films. These institutional references fit in well with the other titles and shots. These logos are then shown again when the website is shown at the end, reminding the audience.
Number of shots
The mise-en-scene of this poster is quite sinister. The photo immediatley suggests fear and horror because she is screaming. The grundgy colours also appeal to the horror genre and suggest the themes are not happy and positive. The colours are also similar to night vision, suggesting darkness and realism. The way the image has been made up of names is also quite disturbing. We don't know who the names belong to or what they mean, which creates mystery. It suggests the idea that these are people that have gone missing in "the tunnel" or been found dead, which makes the poster intriguing and also makes us look closer to read the small words. The film title and website also have a sort of metalitic effect due to the shines and shadows as I mentioned before, which gives it a sort of industrial feel which links in well with the themes and location of the film.
Screen Shots:
Plot Summary:
An investigation into a government cover-up leads to a network of abandoned train tunnels deep beneath the heart of Sydney. As a journalist and her crew hunt for the story it quickly becomes clear the story is hunting them.
source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735485/
Teaser Trailer:
Camera angle, movement, position
The trailer opens with the first title. The screen is black and a light shines over the logo for "distracted media", revealing it in parts. This is meant to be a torch which I think is really effective because it fits in well with the plot and makes the titles feel like part of the clips shown, supporting the effect of realism. Things float around in the air where the torch light moves over, again linking in with the setting and plot, making the title seem like part of the clips we are shown. The torch then goes back the other way to reveal two more institutional logos "DLHS film" and "zapruder's other film". This then fades to a shot of the top of "the tunnel", torch lights shining on it. The shot looks professional because it is supposed to be a news crew taking these, however this changes as the trailer continues. The shot moves down to eye level to show a woman walking down the tunnel with a torch. This then cuts to a another professional close up shot of water dripping in to a puddle, as if these are shots intended to be used for the news story. There is a voice over of a man here, the way he speaks is like he is giving an interview "Plan from the start..." at this point the shot cuts to the woman walking with the torch, the light shining through some sort of metal structure. The camera tracks round following her slowly. The voice over continues "when we got to the tunnel was to find the light". As he says light, her torch shines directly at the camera which acts as a transition to the next shot. We now see an extreme long shot of the tunnel, the small light from the torch at the end. The voice over continues "cause that's where the story was". This shot then cuts to black and the torch shines over another title "witness the viral movie of the year" which is also on the poster I previously analysed. The torch shines of the title leaving us in blackness which then cuts to a medium close up of a man reading a map. We can see it is dark as a bright light from the camera shines on him and behind him is darkness. He speaks "okay through here" and the man from behind the camera replies "through there?" which is appealing to the found footage genre. The camera is more shaky now and looks different compared to the more professional shots we saw previously, perhaps suggesting the start of a break down as the shots get gradually more and more shaky and panicky. This shot then cuts to a medium close up of another men leaning against a wall with headphone on and holding equipment "it's a bit tight down there tubby you reckon you're gonna make it?". This then cuts to a high angle shot of the man we saw previously climbing down a ladder in a small passage. The way the camera is filming as if we would look at it, it's appealing to the found footage genre as it is really suggesting this is actual filming. It also places the audience directly within the trailer making everything more impracticable. There is then another professional looking shot of water dripping from a rusty pipe, etablishing the setting. We hear the voice over of a woman speaking like a reporter would "directly below one of Sydney's.." and we then see a medium close up of her talking with the tunnel behind her as she continues to speak. This style of voice over over shot and then shot of the reporter talking is typical of news stories so this really adds to the effect of realism. She talks to the camera "busiest train stations..." then cutting to a shot moving across a large pool of deep water, the light from the camera revealing as it tracks round, so we know it is very dark. This water looks frightening and also relates directley to the voice over "is the forgotten water resort causing all the controversy". This shot then cross fades to the next title, the torch revealing it like the other. However this time as well as the particles in the air, we now see the reflection of water underneath, linking directly to the location and plot. This title read "A TV news crew". The voice over continues slightly in to this title, but as soon as she stops speaking we hear her speaking again but far more serious and in a different manner "yeah nothing stood out to start with it was quite normal". Half way through this voice over we see a medium close up interview shot of her looking upset. She looks up in slow motion looking guilty and traumatised. We can tell this is after they went in to "the tunnel" because of the voice over and the fact the shot is now professional and in a different setting. This then cuts to a short shot of camera moving around and then cutting to black. We hear the people talking over each other, creating the effect of unplanned conversation and therefore realism "yep" "there's something wrong with the light, there's something stuck on it" at the point the screen is still black. We think that there is something wrong and begin to become tense. But suddenly a bright light shines on the man we saw before with headphones. He scrunches his eyes and turns away and we realise this was a joke, making us relax again but also expecting the real danger and problem to come along. He shouts at the man holding the camera "oh shit!" and the camera moves over to show male and female reporters which we saw previously. The man smiles and we hear the other man speak "how did I not see that coming?" and the man behind the camera laughs. This makes them all seem like they're relaxed and having fun, which soon changes. This shot fades to black and the next title is revealed by the torch again "looking from a story" which is continuing on from the previous title. This cuts to a similar interview shot we saw of the woman before but this time of the man. He looks down in slow motion, also looking guilty and upset. We hear the voice over of him speaking like in an inteview "I was starting to feel..." at this point the shot cuts to a low level shot as if the camera is on the floor of them setting up equipment. He continues to speak "that there was something not quite right". This then cuts to a high angle night vision shot filming the floor. The angle is tilted and strange so it makes us wonder what is filming if the camera has been placed on the floor. It suggests that something is watching them. There is also a very quiet growling sound which suggests to us that there is a creature or something not human. The cable on the floor moves suddenly, making up jump because of the tension being built up. The shot then cuts back to the low level shot of the people. The male news reporter sits on the floor covering his ears and the woman bangs the equipment to test something. Back to the shaky night vision shot and this time we see the male news reporter in the corner, so whatever is filming is directly above him. We hear the woman speak over this shot "did you, did you hear that?" which is building more and more tnesion. This shot then cuts back to the camera on the floor, they all wait in silence really building up tension. Suddenly there is a close up of the wire in the corner flying about as if it is being pulled by something. This shot cuts to black and the torch reveals the next title "but the story found them" which really builds fear as it relates to the previous shot. We wonder what "story" has found them. This title them flickers with an interference sound and cuts to black. The screen stays blank for a while, placing the audience in darkness. A shot then suddenly appears of them all running down a narrow passage and the male news reporter in front looks up as if he hears or sees something. This shot then suddenly cuts to black, then another shot appears rapidly creating the effect of panic and really contrasting with the long shots we saw at the beginning which were perfectly composed. The camera flings about which is disorientating and we hear the man shout someone's name as if they are missing. From this we can tell everything is breaking down. This then cuts sharply to a close up of a man we haven't yet seen reaching out his hand looking desperate and scared, half is body is not visible over a ledge so we can tell he is hanging or getting dragged down. Suddenly the camera flies back away from them as if the person behind it is getting dragged away too. This then cuts to another short shot of the male reporter with blood on his shirt reaching out his hand as if to say stop. He looks panicked and frightened. The next shot appears suddenly again, creating the panicky effect. The camera is low level again as if it is on the floor. The air is dusty so it is unclear what it is filming, but we do see a foot enter the shot and walk towards something in the cloud of dust. This shot cuts abruptly to black as we see this, giving nothing away therefore making us want to know who's foot that was and what was in the cloud of dust. We hear people whispering as the shot remains black for a few seconds and a shot of the male reporter fades in. He looks out at something looking panicked and scared, breathing heavily as if he has been running "we gotta go". This shot flickers to black, appealing to the found footage genre. The shot remains black and silent for a while, placing the audience once again in darkness. Suddenly there is a medium close up of the reporter as a creature jumps out of the darkness behind him and lands on him. We can't see what it is but we can tell it isn't human. The camera fuzzes so we can't see any more as if something has hit it. The torch light then reveals the next title which is the name of the film "THE TUNNEL" which fades in slowly. There is also another light shining from behind the title which looks like another torch, making the title stand out from the other and making it more interesting. This then fades to black and another title is revealed "the light runs out soon in Torrents" which is the tag line and the release place and date, basically saying "coming soon". I like the way they have included their tag lines in with this title. The website is also included here and the three institutional logos we saw at the begging, promoting the film and the distribution companies. This title then fades to black as the teaser trailer ends.
Sound
The first title appears with a thumping sound that sounds like a heartbeat and a quiet metallic screeching sound. This immediately starts to set a mood. The heart beat thumping continues throughout the next few shot, spaced out between each other. This builds tension and suggest that everything is calm at this point. As we see the woman walking down the tunnel, there is a louder screeching sound as The Tunnel is revealed as it makes this shot more shocking and immediately scary. As we see the shot of water dripping in to a puddle, we hear the diegtic sound of the dripping which echoes. This simplistic sound sounds ominous because of the way it echoes, appealing to the horror genre. As I mentioned before, there is the voice over of a man on these shots. He speaks as if he is being interviewed. We can tell this because of his tone of voice and the way his speech is disjointed. We hear the heartbeat sound again as the light shines through the metallic structure, giving a sort of rhythm to the shots. The metallic screeching sound is continuing throughout these shots. There is another heartbeat as the next title appears, again creating a rhythm and also building tension as the heart beats are more regular now. At points we also hear people speaking from behind the camera which is really appealing to the found footage genre. For example as the male reporter says "okay through here" the man from behind the camera replies "through there?" The voice over of the news reporter suggests a news story because of the way she speaks in a planned way. Her tone is what we would recognise as a news report and the way the close up shot of water dripping from the pipe is paired with the voice over and then the shot of her with the tunnel behind her suggests realism because this is what we would think of as editing for a news story. The shot filming the water also works really well with the voice over at this point. As the next title appears "a tv news crew" there is a louder interference/screeching sound which is building tension and gives more impact. As soon as the voice over of the reporter speaking finishes, we hear her speak again but we can tell this is at a different point because her tone sounds more serious and upset. She's speaking in past tense so we know this is after they went in to the tunnel. There is also the voice over of the man a few seconds after, which forebodes what is about to happen "that there was something not quite right". I thought the very quiet growling sound was effective because it really makes you think something is watching them and already suggests it is not human. As we see them waiting to see if something happens, the whining/screeching sound is getting gradually louder and high pitched which builds tension as they wait in silence. As the wire flies about there is also an added electrical sound, like you would hear if added to sparks which gives a real impact on a small detail. As the shot appears of them all running down the passage, there is a loud bang and scream making it shocking and also attempting to make the audience jump. As this frightening shot cuts to the next, there is an electrical flash sound effect which gives more of an impact and suggests there is lots of things goign wrong, everything is breaking down. The shot of the camera on the floor filming dust also appears with a bang and a scream, giving it high impact. Before we see the shot of the reporter saying "we gotta go" we hear whispering as the screen is black, which is disturbing as we can't hear what they are saying. This shot then flickers to black with an interference sound to add to the effect. The same sound is used when something jumps on the reporter and it fuzzes out. When the creature jumps on him a sound effect intended to be diegtic is added to make it seem more frightening and inhuman, appealing to the horror genre. There is also a wisp sound that gets louder and more high pitched as this happens. As we see the title THE TUNNEL we hear the faint echoing sound of the woman screaming and the quiet interference sound can be heard again along with the heart beat thumping. This leaves an impact from the previous shot on the audience. These sounds continue apart from the screaming as we seethe last titles fade to black.
The first title appears with a thumping sound that sounds like a heartbeat and a quiet metallic screeching sound. This immediately starts to set a mood. The heart beat thumping continues throughout the next few shot, spaced out between each other. This builds tension and suggest that everything is calm at this point. As we see the woman walking down the tunnel, there is a louder screeching sound as The Tunnel is revealed as it makes this shot more shocking and immediately scary. As we see the shot of water dripping in to a puddle, we hear the diegtic sound of the dripping which echoes. This simplistic sound sounds ominous because of the way it echoes, appealing to the horror genre. As I mentioned before, there is the voice over of a man on these shots. He speaks as if he is being interviewed. We can tell this because of his tone of voice and the way his speech is disjointed. We hear the heartbeat sound again as the light shines through the metallic structure, giving a sort of rhythm to the shots. The metallic screeching sound is continuing throughout these shots. There is another heartbeat as the next title appears, again creating a rhythm and also building tension as the heart beats are more regular now. At points we also hear people speaking from behind the camera which is really appealing to the found footage genre. For example as the male reporter says "okay through here" the man from behind the camera replies "through there?" The voice over of the news reporter suggests a news story because of the way she speaks in a planned way. Her tone is what we would recognise as a news report and the way the close up shot of water dripping from the pipe is paired with the voice over and then the shot of her with the tunnel behind her suggests realism because this is what we would think of as editing for a news story. The shot filming the water also works really well with the voice over at this point. As the next title appears "a tv news crew" there is a louder interference/screeching sound which is building tension and gives more impact. As soon as the voice over of the reporter speaking finishes, we hear her speak again but we can tell this is at a different point because her tone sounds more serious and upset. She's speaking in past tense so we know this is after they went in to the tunnel. There is also the voice over of the man a few seconds after, which forebodes what is about to happen "that there was something not quite right". I thought the very quiet growling sound was effective because it really makes you think something is watching them and already suggests it is not human. As we see them waiting to see if something happens, the whining/screeching sound is getting gradually louder and high pitched which builds tension as they wait in silence. As the wire flies about there is also an added electrical sound, like you would hear if added to sparks which gives a real impact on a small detail. As the shot appears of them all running down the passage, there is a loud bang and scream making it shocking and also attempting to make the audience jump. As this frightening shot cuts to the next, there is an electrical flash sound effect which gives more of an impact and suggests there is lots of things goign wrong, everything is breaking down. The shot of the camera on the floor filming dust also appears with a bang and a scream, giving it high impact. Before we see the shot of the reporter saying "we gotta go" we hear whispering as the screen is black, which is disturbing as we can't hear what they are saying. This shot then flickers to black with an interference sound to add to the effect. The same sound is used when something jumps on the reporter and it fuzzes out. When the creature jumps on him a sound effect intended to be diegtic is added to make it seem more frightening and inhuman, appealing to the horror genre. There is also a wisp sound that gets louder and more high pitched as this happens. As we see the title THE TUNNEL we hear the faint echoing sound of the woman screaming and the quiet interference sound can be heard again along with the heart beat thumping. This leaves an impact from the previous shot on the audience. These sounds continue apart from the screaming as we seethe last titles fade to black.
Mise en Scene
The mise en scene of this trailer is constantly suggesting the main theme of the location, even through the titles. The light shines on them to reveal them, also showing dust particles in the air and reflection of the water. This keeps a continuous theme and also makes it seems like the titles are just another clip of the tunnel, continuously keeping the effect of realism. The tunnel is made to look really frightening because it is so dark and empty. The water dripping and echoing sounds really creates the effect of isolation, appealing to the horror genre. We can tell the tunnel is dark because of the lights used such as the lights from the camera and the torches, which suggests it is really pitch black, appealing to the horror genre. When we see the man holding equipment the idea they are a news crew is supported because they do look professional. The shot of the female news reporter speaking also supports this because it is a typical report shot and the tone of her voice tells us her character immediately.
The mise en scene of this trailer is constantly suggesting the main theme of the location, even through the titles. The light shines on them to reveal them, also showing dust particles in the air and reflection of the water. This keeps a continuous theme and also makes it seems like the titles are just another clip of the tunnel, continuously keeping the effect of realism. The tunnel is made to look really frightening because it is so dark and empty. The water dripping and echoing sounds really creates the effect of isolation, appealing to the horror genre. We can tell the tunnel is dark because of the lights used such as the lights from the camera and the torches, which suggests it is really pitch black, appealing to the horror genre. When we see the man holding equipment the idea they are a news crew is supported because they do look professional. The shot of the female news reporter speaking also supports this because it is a typical report shot and the tone of her voice tells us her character immediately.
Editing
The editing of this trailer is fairly linear apart from the included interview shots and voice overs which are talking in past tense so we can tell this is after the footage we are seeing. The trailer starts with professional, calm shots, which gradually build up to the panicked short clips that cut sharply between each other. This gives us the impression of a break down and things getting worse and worse as the trailer reaches the optimum point. The voice overs used also suggests a news report throughout, even the ones referring back. This keeps a continuous theme throughout.
NarrativeThe editing of this trailer is fairly linear apart from the included interview shots and voice overs which are talking in past tense so we can tell this is after the footage we are seeing. The trailer starts with professional, calm shots, which gradually build up to the panicked short clips that cut sharply between each other. This gives us the impression of a break down and things getting worse and worse as the trailer reaches the optimum point. The voice overs used also suggests a news report throughout, even the ones referring back. This keeps a continuous theme throughout.
The narrative of this trailer follows the characters entering the tunnel and then things gradually getting worse as they all get attacked and some disappear. Some of the narrative of the film is given away through the divided title "a TV news crew...looking for a story...but the story found them" which doesn't give anything away but encourages the audience to watch the film to find out what "found them". The narrative of the film is based all around the tunnel and all the shots show this as well as the titles. It is suggesting that something inhuman is watching and hunting them. We can tell this from the quiet growling sound as well as the obvious final shot of something jumping and attacking the male news reporter. This is really exciting and frightening as we know it is a dangerous and scary creature, but we don't know what it is. This encourages the audience to go and watch the film to find out.
Character representations
The male news reporter is first represented as the man in control, a stereotypical character for a man. He is in control of the directions and the map and is instructing everyone where to go. However this authority and organisation breaks down as we see him running and looking truly terrified, and even get attacked. He seems slightly arrogant in his interview shot where he says he knew there was something wrong, when he probably didn't. The female news reporter is obviously portrayed as this character because of the way she speaks and is shown in a reporting shot. She is the only female against the rest of the males and the only one we hear scream, making her seem more vulnerable. When all the men are laughing about the joke, she is looking out in to the darkness, perhaps because she thinks there is something wrong or serious about their work and getting a story. The other representation of a character is the man in a yellow t-shirt with headphones and equipment. He seems like the tech-geek because he seems to be in control of all the equipment as well as the funny character that lightens the film before something tragic happens to them. He makes a funny remark about the male reporter climbing down the gap. The man behind the camera plays a joke on this man and they laugh about it together, showing their relationship and the sort of characters they both are. They are having fun and messing about which really contrasts with how we see them in later shots.
Titles
I think the titles are really effective in this trailer. I have already mentioned what they read and some about them. They are intended to fit in with the theme and location of the film, being revealed by the light from the "torch". As well as the words being revealed so it dust particles and reflection on the water, fitting in with the location and creating a seamless flow between the shots and titles. They could seem like another shot which works well with the effect of realism.
Institutional references and logos
There are three institutional references at the beginning of the trailer that are revealed by the torch. The first is Distracted Media and the logo is revealed. As the torch moves back over to the left tow more are revealed and that's DLSHS Film and Zapruder's Other Films. These institutional references fit in well with the other titles and shots. These logos are then shown again when the website is shown at the end, reminding the audience.
Number of shots
I counted approximately 34 shots including titles. There is a variety of shots shown throughout this trailer which all set a certain mood and successfully build tension.
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