Storyboard draft

Here is our initial idea for the film trailer:

Horror Conventions

Media Representation- Notes

·         Representation- constructed and mediated presentation of people, things, ideas, places ect. – the process by which the media present the ‘real world’

·         Stereotypes- widely circulated ideas or assumptions about particular groups- simplified- focus on certain characteristics of the group- it’s usually  a negative judgement but not always

·         Countertype- when the stereotype isn’t followed, for example ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ is a countertype to the typical blonde victim as she is a hero in the TV show

·         Genre- French word that means type or kind, it is a good was to classify media text- genres have particular values associated to them

·         Values- suggest the moral and cultural ideas behind the way people live

·         Ideology - set of beliefs and attitudes about how society is organised, and arise from the economic and political divisions in society

·         Media language is the way in which the story is interpreted

·         Media institutions-  an established media organisation which produces and distributes media products

·         Media Audiences- any group of people who receive a media text- all audiences are different and in media it is important to find out what the target audience is

·         Narrative- media term for story telling- the way the different elements are organised to make a meaningful story

Media Film Trailers- Notes

Why do film trailers exist?

• Advertisement
• To attract audiences

Who makes trailers?

• Director and producer collaborate with marketing and advertising teams
• Trailer directors use techniques from the film to give a taster

What goes in a trailer?

• Series of selected shots from the film
• Shots are usually drawn from the most interesting, funny or exciting moments, they are also usually the key moments
• They won't necessarily be in the same order in which they appear in the film
• Usually a beginning (lays out the story), middle (drives the story and usually ends in a dramatic climax) and an end (montage of key moments to grip the audience)

What should be included?

• At Least 10 Shots from the Film
• Production Company
• Director and Stars
• Endorsements
• Film Title
• Voiceovers
• Music
• Speed of Editing
• Establishing Shots
• USP
• Release Date

Codes

• System of signs, which create meaning
• Codes can either be technical or symbolic
• Technical- all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text e.g. camera
• Symbolic- What is beneath the surface of what we see e.g. character's actions
• Some codes fit both- e.g. technical and symbolic

Conventions

• Conventions are the generally accepted way of doing things
• All genres of film have typical conventions
• I will be doing a horror film so I'll be looking at the various horror film conventions

Pitching a film

The Price

Christopher Salmon wanted to create a CG animated film version of The Price by Neil Gaiman. After reading the short story, Salmon wrote to Gaiman, and he replied saying it was an ‘interesting idea’. Salmon wanted to prove that he was a credible storyteller and filmmaker; to do this he made an animatic. This involved using a story board mixed with sound and music to give a rough view on what the final film would look like, Salmon wanted to show what pace he was going to tell the story at and demonstrated camera movements using the animatic. Gaiman’s response was very positive, he said it was remarkable. Salmon set upon finishing the film, however he was unable to meet the financial restrictions. He decided to follow fan’s advice and keep the film as a selection of still images which were animated together; this would also save him lots of money. However, he would still need the help of the public. Over 2000 people donated money to Salmon’s kick-starter project, pledging a total of $161,774! The backers could look at the film’s progression through the production blog on the film’s website.

Films Research Information

X-MEN First Class

The 2011 American superhero film was the fifth instalment in the X-Men film series, it was directed by Matthew Vaughn and produced by Bryan Singer. The story revolves around the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and focuses primarily on the dynamic of the relationship between Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto and how their groups originated and grew. The film stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and others. The film was an adaption of the comic series X-men: First Class, it was made to appeal to the audience of superhero enthusiasts, which includes the young audience and the older generation who enjoyed the original comics. Marvel have had a great period of success in recent years, there has been a ‘superhero-boom’ with many films being released such as The Avengers, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man and Thor. The production of First Class began in August 2010, there were many companies involved to produce the extensive range of visual effects, the technology required was extremely modern, in some cases ‘digital doubles’ were needed to complete certain scenes. This high budget for technology made it a huge attraction for audiences.  The film was made to continue the success of the X-MEN franchise; it uses the same group of characters to maintain the fan base of the previous films. The    unique selling point of the film is the spectacle of superheroes interacting together and the excitement generated by the tension. Furthermore it builds on the foundations set by other films in the series, meaning fans can see their favourite characters in new scenarios.

The Maze Runner

The 2014 American dystopian science fiction film was the first instalment of The Maze Runner film series, based on James Dashner’s novel. The story follows sixteen-year-old Thomas who wakes up in a large area surrounded by a giant maze, there are several other boys there and Thomas must try to find a way out of the maze and figure out why he was put there. The film was directed by Wes Ball and produced by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen and Lee Stollman. The story has already been enjoyed by many through book form, meaning the film already has many fans. The film is action packed and the plot is one-of-a-kind, it combines a dystopian theme with tension and action, it is presented in a realistic fashion to create an amazing sense of immersion. The Unique Selling point of The Maze Runner is the interesting dynamic created as a group of teenagers are trapped in a maze, the film shows how their society runs and the different roles each member possesses. The mysterious maze is also intriguing as the audience is given very limited information about it, as the film continues, more and more information is slowly given to the viewer.

The Blair Witch Project

The 1999 American found footage horror film shows the story of three student filmmakers who disappeared in the Black Hills near Burkittsville. The film shows the discovered video and sound from their equipment which was found a year after their disappearance. It was written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez and it was produced by Haxan Films. The film begins with text saying the three student filmmakers disappeared and their footage was found. The film then shows the student’s efforts to prove the existence of a witch; despite multiple warnings from locals, they enter the woods only for a series of events to happen leading to the climax, where the characters are seemingly attacked and the footage ends. The film was revolutionary as it allowed the audience to engage in the story in a new way, the footage is shot from a first person perspective. 

Film Promotional Campaign Case Studies

 

1.)    ‘X-MEN: First Class’ digital magazine- The 2011 Marvel superhero film used an innovative and interesting approach to generate interest. They decided to release an iPad app named “X-MEN Extra”, the app was an digital and fully interactive magazine, the magazine is full of audio clips, videos and animations. The app is highly immersive and uses figures such as JFK and Fidel Castro to engage the reader and focus on the 60s theme. The app was a free gift from Fox, it functions like a print magazine except you literally have to flick through the pages, and there are even subtle hints at the plot for the hard-core fans. The campaign was a piece of brilliance, it enabled fans to put themselves back in time and make them excited for the release of the film, it was even free making it fully accessible to all users. Also released were a series of trailers showcasing the new characters, such as Mystique to build interest. The DVD and Blu-ray release was on September 9, 2011, it sold around 575,000 disks in the first week! Here is the theatrical film poster:

 

 

2.)    ‘The Maze Runner’- The 2014 epic featured a group of young adults who were unknowingly involved in a government experiment. The viral campaign for the film focused on this surveillance aspect, people could go on wckdisgood.com and see the characters themselves as they do their daily activities, the design of the website made it seem as if the video was a live stream creating a real sense of immersion and interactivity. Recently the website has been updated to create attention for the second film ‘The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials’. Character cards were released in July 2013, there were eleven in total, and this was to build up the release of the trailer on April 16, 2014. Furthermore, the original book was re-released with a brand new cover to link it to the film's poster. Nissan released several new car models to help promote the new film; this included the Infiniti Q50, Nissan GT-R and the Juke Nismo RS. The bonus pack for The Maze Runner’s DVD and Blu-ray combo pack included two hours of bonus features, extras and an exclusive comic book. Here is the theatrical film poster:

3.) ‘The Blair Witch Project’- The 1999 indie horror film grossed over $248m worldwide. The film was one of the first to use the internet as a main source of marketing; an official website was released, it featured fake police reports and interviews, an interesting device which was used was the fact that it was never mentioned whether or not the film was fictional or a real documentary, sparking debates across the interest, creating hype. Fliers were handed out at the Sundance Film Festival, asking viewers if they had any information regarding ‘missing’ students (in reality they were just the film characters). On the website, immersion was created through the use of childhood photos of the actors, giving the film an extra dose of realism. A soundtrack was released: ‘Josh’s Blair Witch Mix’, the collection of tracks is supposedly hand-picked by student Joshua Leonard, one of the characters from the film. The tape was allegedly found in his car after his disappearance. Comic books, video games and books also followed the film’s release. The Blair Witch Project was released on DVD on October 26, 1999, it included exclusive special features such as newly discovered footage. In 2010, Lionsgate released a Blu-ray version, showing the film still has relevance today.  Here is the theatrical film poster: