Research and Planning - Treatments

Treatment one:

A summers day in a village named ' '. A family are moving into a brand new house having moved from abroad. The family consists of a mother, father, daughter and a family pet (a dog). The neighbourhood is currently going through a terrifying ordeal, an ex-murder sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment for brutally murdering three people has been released. Since then two people have been murdered and the police are sending out serious warnings not to go out alone. Suspicions are high that the ex-murderer has slipped back into his murdering past and is to blame for this. And ofcouse he cannot be tracked down. The 'Willis' family are oblivious to this and think they are moving into a perfect family orientated neighbourhood.
As the family move into their perfect new house the daughter of the family (Katie) is asked by her mum to walk to dog and have a look around the new town. Katie decides to go to a near by forest to let the dog (Monty) run around. She walks through the forest underestimating the size of it, it gets darker and darker and katie trys to find where way out  with no luck. She starts to panic and hears a sound in the trees as if someone is watching her. She hears a twig snap and her dog runs of in the direction. Katie trys to run after him but it was too fast, it dawns on her that she is alone. She walks around looking for Monty. As shes walking she sees a dark figure lurking in the trees. As the figure mumbles words Katie runs for her life. She now knows that the dark figure is following her. After running and running she gets caught by the mysterious man and is held hostage, the man is telling katie she wont be going anywhere and he will torture her. All this time Katie is screaming for help. Eventually police arrive as her family become alarmed at her dissapearence. The police and the man have a stand off for two hours, the man does not give up, threatening to kill Katie, finally he is shot dead. Katie is saved and out of harm.

Research and Planning - Organisation of costumes

Research and Planning - Organisation of props

The props I intend to use when creating my teaser trailer is:

- Dog lead
- Knife
- Boxes
- Suitcases
- Fake blood

I will use these props in order to create a realistic feeling to the shots I am taking. Some of them are going to be used to contribute to the horror genre feeling so it is portrayed to the audience.

For example, part of the teaser trailer is a family moving into a new house. For this reason I will use the props of boxes and suitcases to create a realistic feeling that they are actually moving into a new house. On the boxes I am going to write text on it such as 'DVDs' 'Kitchin' 'Plates' and 'Glasses', this is again to make the scene look real.

I intend to use the prop of a knife to empathise the fact that the teaser trailer is a horror genre. A knife connotates injury and something to be feared in the wrong person's hands. I want this feeling to come across to the audience to show it is a horror genre. When I carried out audience research I found that the audience want to see a knife in the teaser trailer, it had a response of six people the second highest choice. For this reason I think I should use a knife.

A small prop of a dog lead is going to be used in the teaser trailer for the dog that the girl will walk. This is a necessary prop needed for a shot and will not be used to connotate any meaning.

I am planning on using fake blood within the teaser trailer. This is because it is a typical convention of a horror genre teaser trailer. I think it signifies a horror genre and is essential to use. From the audience research I carried out I found that the target audience want to see blood, it had a response of six, the same as 'knife', for this reason I think it is a good prop to use in the teaser trailer.

Research and Planning - Organisation of Actors/Actress



Katie Robb

Main Character:
For my teaser trailer I am going to use one main character. I emailed Katie Robb asking if she would like to be this character. She said she would be the actress in my teaser trailer so I arranged a screen test to see if she was suitable for the part. From looking at the screen test and talking to Katie I decided she was suitable for the part. The reason I think Katie is suitable to play the main character in my teaser trailer is because she is the same age as my target audience. This means the audience can relate to the characters. When I conducted the audience questionnaire about the teaser trailer they said that they want teenage character for this reason Katie fits the part perfectly. Another reason I think that Katie is suitable for the part is the fact she has been at drama school, this lead her to performing on stage to a lot of people. I think this makes Katie suitable because she knows what acting involves, I also think it means that she will be able to adapt to the role I give her.
To develop the character I asked if Katie could watch a number of horror/thriller movies and teaser trailers so she could see how the main characters acted. This meant Katie would be able to adjust her acting to suit the genre.

Extras:

For my teaser trailer I am going to use a mother character. For this reason I chose to use my mum. She has the characteristics of a mum so therefore will be ideal for the character. I plan to only use her for a few seconds, for this reason I did not run a screen test. As she is acting as a mum I do not need to 'develop' the character.

A dog is going to be used in the teaser trailer who will belong to the main character. The character will only be used briefly therefore I am going to use my dog.

I will also need a male actor to be the evil character in the teaser trailer. I do not plan to show the whole figure of the person as I want to leave mystery. I asked my cousin Matt Green if he would like to be the actor, I explained that I would only need a few shots such as his hands and feet, he agreed. As he will only be used briefly I do not need to do a screen shot. For developing the character I will speak to him and say how I want him to walk and speck etc.

Research and Planning - Organisation of location

From the research I conducted I found that my target audience prefer a horror movie which is set in a forest. For this reason I will base my teaser trailer within a forest. I looked at two possible forest locations to see which one would be more appropriate:


- The first location I looked at was 'Sedgemoore' forest in Flackwell Heath. It is a small forest with about three fields next to it. I found this would be a good location because it gives me two settings - field and forest. The forest it's self was quite small and I thought that it may be difficult if I want running shots. I also found the forest did not look that creepy it is quite an open area and did not seem like the appropriate location to film my teaser trailer. I felt that the area was quite small which would restrict the type of filming I could do.


- The second location I looked at was a forest in Bourne End. This forest was much bigger then the one in Flackwell and also has a lot of fields. I  felt that this location had more potential and would allow me to shot running shots. The forest has lots of small narrow paths and allyways which are ideal for creating scary scenes. There is a lot of trees and gives off a creepy feel when it starts getting dark, for this reason I think it is ideal for the location to film the teaser trailer.


Overall I think the forest in Bourne End is the location I am going to use for filming my teaser trailer. This is because I feel the look of it will contribute to the genre of the teaser trailer. It looks quite eary with lots of trees, small paths and slight darkness as the trees stop the sun. For this reason I think that this location is appropriate for the filming as it provides a horror like scene.




I also found from the questionnaires that the target audience's second faviourate choice was a house. For this reason I looked at two houses just incase I wanted to use a house in the teaser trailer:

- The first house I looked at was my own.This location is a good one because it looks like an average house which the audeince can identify with. The front of the house is quite tidy and as it is on the corner therefore gives me a large area to shoot. If I was to shoot the front of the house I would be able to shoot from various angles which would make it look more interesting.

- The second house I looked was a bungalow. This location is good because again it looks like an average house. I want my target audience to be able to relate to the characters so the look of the house is very important. However I would be resticted in the I shoot in this location. As you can see in the image, a large hedge is infront of the house and a lot of foliage is around. I would not be able to do a long shot of people walking in the door or doing anything in the garden as the hedge would disrupt the view.

Overall I think my house is the better location out of the houses to film for the teaser trailer. I think the location of it is better because there is not obstruction to the house like the the second one with the hedge. This location will allow me to shoot shots such as LS and movements such as tracking. This house is a average house and is something the teenage audience can identify with as most of them live in an average house.




Overall the two locations I am going to use in my teaser trailer is the forest in Bourne End and my house. As stated above the forest is ideal as it looks creepy and a typical location for horror movies. For the house  it is something the audience can identify with and is a genreal good location.

Research and Planning - Target Audience Moive Questionnaire Analysis

In order to find out what my target audience like to see in a horror/thriller teaser trailer/movie I composed a questionnaire. It involved questions such as what do they like to see in a horror genre (conventions) and what they like the plot to be about. I gave the questionnaire to 15 people within my target audience criteria in order to get a good, reliable feedback. This means I will be able to incorpriate the information into my own teaser trailer to make it appeal to them.

One of the questions I asked was 'What type of conventions do you like to see in a horror movie?' I got high responses from 'darkness', 'Shadows', 'Blood' and 'Knifes'. This tells me what my audience want to see in a horror movie, theregfore I will try and incorprate these aspects into the teaser trailer.
I asked what characters they would like to see in the teaser trailer and the highest reponses were 'teenagers' and 'mysterious characters'. Therefore I will use these characters in my teaser trailer in order to attract the target audience.
I found the location that they like horror movies to be set in was a forest. Therefore I will set the teaser trailer mainly in a forest.
From the results I found that the target audience like a colour scheme of either 'Black and Red' or 'Black and White'. Therefore I will use one of these colour schemes on my teaser trailer.
I asked what text they would like to see in a teaser trailer and found that 'release date' and 'narrative statements' were the most popular. Because of this I will incorprate these aspects into the teaser trailer.
Finally I asked what plot they would prefer, the most popular was 'chase and hostage'. From the high responses I will definatly use this as a plot, this means the teaser trailer will appeal to the target audience.

Overall the questionnaire I conducted gave me a good insight into the kind of things my target audience want to see in a horror/thriller genre movie. This means I am able to use this information and apply it to my teaser trailer. This will result in my teaser trailer appealing to my target audience.

Research and Planning - Target Audience Resarch Questionnaire Analysis

The target audience I am going to aim my teaser trailer at is males and females aged between 15 and 25. I chose this age group because most horror movies have a age cetificate of 15 - 18 years of age. Therefore by using this age group I will be able to aim the teaser trailer at a mass audience. I chose to aim the teaser trailer at both males and females so I do not limit my audience, horror movies are not normally aimed at one gender.

I carried out some research into my target audience by creating a questionnaire and asking people with the audience segment to fill it out. This included: Jade Weedon (22), Matt Green (16), Todd Ashton (17), Chloe Weedon (19) and Rebecca Edwards (17). These people reflect my target audience so I will take into consideration there responses so I can understand them more.

From the questionnaire I found out what people aged 15 - 25 like to do in their spare time. All of them said they like to spend time with their friends whether it is playing football, going out on bikes, going to the cinema or meeting to see everyone. I found that all of them are techincal as most of them said they use Facebook and their mobiles. I found that most of them go to the cinema meaning I will be able to get good feedback from them as they already watch movies.

I asked the question about their faviourate movies they have watched. This is so I get an idea of what kind of genre they liked. Nearly all of them said at least one horror/thriller genre. The answers range from comedy to action. By all of them saying at least one horror genre movie it meant I am in a good position to make my trailer horror. As horror is a popular genre it is good to continue.

I found out what kind of music the target audience listen to and the most popular answer was 'RnB'. The answers ranged from 'Hip-Hop', 'Dubstep' to 'Drum and Bass'.

Finally I found out what kind of brands the target audience are into. I found with the male participants most of them had 'Toy' or 'ICE' watches which are very popular at the moment. For the girls I had responses such as 'Links Of London', 'Thomas Sabo' and 'Tiffany'. For the clothes I had the answers ranging from 'River Island, Topshop, Hollister, Superdry, UGGS, Nike'. I found this information useful because it gives me a good insight into what my target audience like.

 I will use this information from the questionnaires in my teaser trailer in order to make it appeal to the target audience. For example I will make the actress in the teaser trailer someone who the audience can relate to. By this I mean the clothes she wears and how she looks, I will dress her in a certain way (brands) so she is like the target audiene.

Toy watch is a brand that males like to buy



Links of london is a brand that females like to buy



  







Fashion from River Island which most females shop at



Research and Planning - Audience Questionnaire

Research and Planning - Box Office Research

The genre of the movie teaser trailer I am going to create is a horror genre. I think this is a good genre to go for because it is very popular and profitable. From researching into box office information I was able to find what movies/genres were most popular which supports my decision to produce a horror teaser trailer.

I found information from a reliable source of 'IMDB' and found a section which tells you the amount of money UK films take. 'Insidious' is a horror genre movie, it was released 29th April and has a target audience of 15+. The budget was $1,500,000 and on the opening weekend took £208,313 and overall took £6,827,578. This shows that the horror movie was very popular as it is 7th in the UK charts and extremely profitable by nearly doubling in UK money. For this reason I think by creating a teaser trailer that is a horror genre would be a very good idea as they are popular and take alot of money.

Research and Planning - Results of trailer analysis

I decided that I wanted to do a 'horror/thriller' genre teaser trailer. This is because I think it appeals to my target audience. I want to make my teaser trailer as realistic as possible and fills the typical horror genre conventions. This is because it will make my teaser trailer look like a horror genre and not anything else like action. To do this I produced detailed analysis of three teaser trailers, this included: 'The Strangers', 'The Happening' and 'Alice In Wonderland'. Two of these were horror/thriller genres so were very important to pick out the conventions.


From my analysis I found a variety of aspects that are simular in both 'The Happening' and 'The Strangers'. One major convention was the use of lighting, I found that most of the teaser trailers were dark and eary. This may have been to create a creepy and mysterious atmosphere which I think works effectivly. Another aspect was the speed of the teaser trailers shots, I found that in both trailers they had at some point a montage of fast images. This creates a big imapct on the audience. I also found that the music used in this type of genre was very mysterious and used screams. I found this was a convention that creates a large impact on the audience, I think the music is a big aspect in creating the atmosphere and both teaser trailers showed this. I also found that both trailers had shots of peoples reactions to the things happening around them. I think this was very effective because it passes the emotion onto the audience.


Overall, after the analysis I produced I have been able to pick out clear conventions that horror genres use. For example; Sound being mysterious, screams, darkness, reactions of peoples faces and montage of fast shots. These aspects contribute to what makes a horror genre a horror genre. For this reason I will definatly take these conventions into convention and try to use them in my own teaser trailer.

Analysis of the teaser trailer 'The Strangers'

'The Stangers' is a horror genre movie created in 2008. It is about a couple who moved into a new house and find themselves terrorized by masked men. The teaser trailer it's self lasts for 01:15. This teaser trailer is aimed at both genders aged 15+.

The opening scene is fairly simple yet effective. It starts with a black screen and a small square in the centre. The look of this is quite old fashioned as it looks like a projector  screen. A montage of seven images of houses appear in the square, non diegetic sound is used here when the images change, empathising the old fashioned feel. The page of this scene starts of slow but builds up speed towards the end creating a tense atmosphere. Non digetic sound is used in this part, at the start the sound is quite old fashioned, an upbeat sound with a man singing. However when the images speed up the sound changes from the man’s last note to what sounds like chimes and a deep pitch in the background. The combination of the fast pace of the music and the eary sound builds up anticipation and tension. While these images are flicking text has been used underneath to act as a narrator. To begin with the text portrays a happy feeling to go with the nice images of houses. The text then changes to a more dark feeling portraying to the audience something bad is going to happen. I think the text is very effective because the sound is quite and by reading the text builds up anticipation.

We are then shown an establishing shot which sets the scene for the trailer. It is night time therefore dark and is a MLS of a house. As it is a MLS the audience can see the forest surrounding the small house. This instantly creates a dark and eary feeling for the audience. This shot then fades into the next which is of a man alone in a kitchen lighting a candle. It is a MS so the audience can see he is alone in the poorly light room. Again this dark look portrays to the audience something is going to happen. The non diegetic sound at this point is an eary quite yet high pitched sound. This builds up anticipation which is what you expect from a horror genre.

The next scene is a very short clip to introduce the second character which is a women. The audience now know it is only them two in the house. Again the lighting is dim, the sound is eary creating an uneasy feel for the audience.

Next the couple have an intimate moment when they hug. From their body language and dialogue the audience know they are a couple. There is diegetic sound as they talk for a brief minute which breaks the high pitch sound. Suddenly there is a loud bang, this creates a juxtaposition from the intimate feeling to an uneasy one.

Then there are brief shots which are a mixture of MLS of the front door from the inside, a MS of the man’s facial expression and a MCU of the women putting her face against the door saying 'hello'. The transitions in this section are all fade, so it looks like they are all flowing and keeps the uneasy feeling.

Next is a very fast montage of shots which are mainly CU and MC. This is so the audience see the facial expressions of the characters. These shots are mainly of the characters face so the audience see their terrified expressions passing the feeling to them. CU shots of weapons are used to portray violence, this will make the audience feel a little scared. A lot of shots are low angle, this is because it portrays the feeling that the characters and venerable. All this time non diegetic sound is used such as a certain scream and clicking as the images pass. The links back to the start with the old fashion feel. The location is all within the house so the audience get the feeling that they are trapped. editing has been used by inserting transitions such as jump cut to make it look jumpy. Editing has been used to make some of the images look old and faded to make it look realistic and on edge.

One of the final shots is a MCU of three masked men standing. This creates an uneasy feeling for the audience as they cannot identify the men. As well as this non diegetic sound (screaming) has been added to creating a lasting impression on the audience. The screen then goes black and is silent as the audience take in what they have seen. It also creates a sense of the unknown. Next the style of the beginning comes back (the old fashioned look of a projection and the clicking noise). The title of the film is shown in large letters, this may be to create a lasting impression on the audience and so they remember it.

Finally the name of the director and 'based on true events' are shown on a black screen. One of the last things the audience see is the women crawling along the floor terrified and reaching out to the camera so it looks like she is asking for help. This may have been done to create a lasting impression and so the audience remember the film. Reference is made to media institutions such as 'Rouge' at the start.

Analysis of the teaser trailer 'The Happening'

The teaser trailer for the movie 'The Happening' is a short clip lasting 01:26. It is a horror/thriller genre and is aimed at both genders aged about 15 - 25.


The location of this trailer is mainly situated in a City somewhere in America, perhaps New York. There are also brief clips of locations such as the country side and inside houses.

The opening scene is a shot of a city from an 'Ariel' camera shot. It scans across the city so the audience can establish where they are. It fades to a low angle shot of a man jogging with his dog in what looks like a busy park. At this point non-diegetic music seeps in, the music is quite mysterious and keeps the audience on edge. It then quickly cuts to a black screen with editing of 'On an ordinary day' making the atmosphere tense as the music because a little dramatic. The non diegetic sound then dies down and the audience are shown two quick shots of the park and two men, all the time the music building up a tense atmosphere. The 'two shot' of the men is a CU so the audience see their weary expressions empathising the mysterious feel. Editing is then used as it cuts to a black screen with copy 'Without any warning' the music again builds up for a brief moment making it feel dramatic. It then fades to a MS of two women sat on a bench. The music then builds up and has a strange high pitch making it feel like something is going to happen. Next it fades to a CU of one of the women pulling what looks like a knitting needle from her hair, the audience see her dormant expressions as she brings it to her through. The shot the cuts to a CU of the women next to her and we see her reaction as the girl stabs herself. The Diegetic sound of her scream is piercing and breaks the music making it sound dramatic. The part shows juxtaposition as it was calm in the park and then the girl breaks this into a dramatic scene when she stabs herself.

There is then a montage of four quick shots as the audience hear the non diegetic music speed up creating a dramatic feel. One is a low angle shot of a police officer and zooms into him as he hears the scream. (the low angle creates a powerful feel to him. The remaining shots are of people randomly dying. People drop to the floor and as they do the non diegetic sound produces a loud high pitch to emphasise what is going on.

The next scene is of a builder. First there is a CU of three builders faces so the audience see their facial expressions as people randomly die. This creates an impact on the audience as it builds up tension. The camera then Pans on an over the shoulder shot turning into a low angle shot to see what the builder sees, this makes the audience feel like they are there. Diegetic sound is used here as the other builders fall from buildings to their death this a 'thud' this creates a dramatic impact on the audience. Low and high angles are used here to make the builder look venerable and confused as we see the people jumping off buildings. Editing has been used here such as continuity editing as it all flows. The transitions are mainly fade to make it flow and seem dramatic.

Next there is a very quick flow of shots, this creates a dramatic feel to the clip, drawing the audience in. Non diegetic sound is used here because the sound from the radio the people are listening too is used throughout the clips. This makes it sound real and empathises the events. The shots used range from CU, MCU and MLS. The shots are mainly reactions from the characters as to what is happening, they look terrified and passes an uneasy feel to the audience. As people die non diegetic sound such as screaming empathises the scenes more. All the transitions are straight cuts to create a fast impact and makes it seem scary.


The lighting used throughout the teaser trailer is all natural. This may be because they want to make it to portray what they said at the begining - 'On an ordinary day'. They may want to make it look realistic so used natural lighting.

Editing this then used in the form of a black screen with copy on it. It includes the directors name. Previous films done by the director. These have been shown to entice the audience and if they like the directors films they will want to see his new one. The title of the movie this then shown in a dramatic way with the non diegetic sound getting louder to create an impact so the audience remember the name. The last 5 - 6 shots are all CU of people’s faces looking terrified which leaves a lasting impression on the audience. This may have been done so the audience remember it and want to see the movie.

Reference to institutions have been made in this teaser trailer. At the start '20th Century Fox' has been used. This may have been shown to portray to the audience that it is going to be a good movie. Credits are shown at the end of the teaser trailer to tell the audience how did the sound etc. Small company logos are used on the last shot to make reference to them.

Analysis of the teaser trailer 'Alice In Wonderland'

The teaser trailer Alice In Wonderland is a short clip lasting 01:36. The target audience for this teaser trailer is for males and females and the age group of about 12 –  19 years of age. It is a remake of the original Alice In Wonderland

The location of the teaser trailer is a mixture between an animated location and a real location. The real  location is very brief and set in a forest. The animated location is in a variety of settings such as a forest, castle, palace and house.

The opening scene of the teaser trailer is a montage of five shots. This allows the audience to interpret themselves what is going on creating an enigma. The five shots are in slow motion as a young girl runs through a forest. The transitions of these shots are 'fade' and along with the slow motion adds a mysterious feel right at the beginning. The shots are a mixture of CU, MCU and LS all of which are a deep focus so you can see the background clearly. These shots gradually revel what the girl looks like starting from her feet to create a bold impression. The lighting is very dark as if she is running at night creating an enigma again. Non-diegetic sound starts from the beginning. It is elegant, high pitched and slow like the girl. Editing is used such as chronological order of the shots. Overall this opening scene creates suspense as the girl is running this is because we do not know what is happening.

The girl then falls down a hole by a tree. Here the atmosphere completely changes. There is an abrupt change in the music from elegant to dramatic. The non-diegetic sound is now loud, bold and up beat creating a huge contrast from the previous scene. As the girl falls down the hole the tempo of the non-diegetic sound increases creating a dramatic feel. As she falls 'whoosh' sounds have been edited in as objects pass her to create the sense of her falling fast again adding a dramatic feel. Editing is then used that cuts to a black shot with the directors name 'Tim Burton' introducing him. As it flicks back to the shots one of is the girl drinking the drink that will make her shrink. The music gets high pitched and faster building up anticipation and drama. The music then dies down to a more mysterious sound as she enters the new world. The lighting is dim creating an unknown feel. At this point all the characters are introduced as if the girl is exploring. I variety of camera shots are used such as CU, MS, LS, MLS all to introduce characters and create a particular impression. Continuity editing is used throughout to create a 'flow' making it easier to watch. However some jump cuts are used to create a bold impression. As we are introduced to characters a range of camera movements are used. For example, when introducing 'friends' of Alice it is a high angle shot to make them look small and vulnerable. When introducing the princess a panning movement is used to make it look elegant. When shown the Queen a low angle shot is used to make her look powerful. When introduced to the 'evil' character it is a CU and panning to make him look evil and so we get a good look at him creating a lasting impression. Throughout this time a new non-diegetic sound is used, it is a voice over from one of the characters. It makes it more personal as he is talking to you. The overall atmosphere of this scene is mysterious and dark. Non diegetic sound varies in tempo as action parts happen. The speed of this section is fast and the shots are short in order to create and exciting atmosphere.

Towards the end editing is used. The name 'Johnny Depp' is shown to tell the audience he is in the film. By seeing his name it may entice people into seeing the movie - the aim of a teaser trailer. Then the title of the movie is shown very dramatically with loud music. It is shown towards the end so the audience remember the name. Further editing is used to address the audience - 'you've got a...' making them want to see it. The credits are shown and then finally the release date. This is shown last so the audience remember it.

An institutional reference is made to 'Walt Disney' at the beginning. This may have been made because Walt Disney have a good reputation for creating good quality movies. This may entice people into wanting to see the movie.

What is the difference between a trailer and a teaser trailer?

A teaser trailer is a short trailer that teases an audience. It is created in order to entice an audience about a new movie. It also builds up hype and creates anticipation for the new movie. A teaser trailer is not intended to give the plot away of a movie but to show a short clip in order to draw the audience in and shows whats to come. Teaser trailers do not show actual footage of the movie they are a truncated version of the movie.


A trailer is different to a teaser trailer because it is much more detailed. Unlike teaser trailers a trailer revels the plot of the movie to again entice the audience and make them want to see it. Trailers are also known and 'previews of coming attractions' as it shows what a new movie is about. A trailer is different from a teaser trailer because it's length is 2 - 6 minutes while a teaser trailer is 30 - 90 seconds. Trailers unlike teaser trailers use actual footage from the movie so the audience get a true insight into the movie.