Sountrack research

Soundtrack research

Hoodie Allan - No Interruption

 This was one of the non - copy right music that we found. We found it on YouTube which was helpful as we were able to find a rang of songs easily and able to download them quickly without any trouble.  This was the first track that stood out to us as a group. We like how it is quite Hip-Hop/ pop as this conforms to the stereotypical music that teenagers listen to and makes their age group stand out to the audience. As this song will be playing for the first few seconds in the trailer when the group of friends are in the car driving to their destination, it will allow the audience to link it into their lives as they would most likely of experienced driving in the car with their friends with loud music playing. This will allow it to be more effective towards them when things begin to go wrong as they will see it as themselves. this is mainly because of the link into mundane realism. The music is sound bridged across the three different shots that we are using in our trailer of the car driving and pulling up into the destination of the car park that is in the camping site that they are staying in. 

Soundtrack 2

This is another non - copyright music that we found through YouTube. However, although we liked the music, we didn't think it flowed well in our trailer as it didn't link into the stereotypical conventions of music that teenagers would be listening to in horror films. This therefore meant that if we were to use it, it would mean that the audience wouldn't be able to link their own lives into it as they wouldn't have listened to it as much as the conventional music that we have also looked at. Therefore making it be less effective on the audience which would make the creepy things that happen in the film not be successful as the audience wouldn't feel it the way that the characters in the film would be showing it. However, we did the the fast paste beat that was in the music, the main reason for this is because it would go with the fast driving that would be shown in the trailer as it is teenagers driving with friends in the car. This is one thing that we made sure we looked for when we did further research into finding a soundtrack that suited our trailer and all the conventions that we want to show.

Soundtrack 3

This was the third soundtrack that we found, Although it could possibly link into our trailer, we decided to go against it. The main reason for this is because it had no lyrics in the music. This meant it would be harder for the audience to link and put them selves in the characters shoes as they will not be able to compare there own music into the music that they are listening to in the trailer. It also took away the scene that we are trying to create as it makes it seem as if the teenagers will be set in a club when in fact they are driving to a campsite which is completely different.

Overall

We decided to choose our first sound track that we found (Hoodie Allan - No Interruption) because we thought it went well with the setting of our trailer and linked well. It also created the right atmosphere that we wanted it to create within the audience which builds on the effect and tension that we want the trailer to further show.

Final Costume- Antagonist

 

These are our final costumes for our antagonists, of which there are three. Two of them consist of the grey hoodie and white mask, and the other consists of a black hoodie and a gas mask. These grey hoodie antagonists, act as the sidekick of the gas mask one, which creates an unnerving atmosphere as it makes them seem as they are a family- a murderous family. The use of the hoodies, creates a vibe that these antagonists could be anyone, which adds to the scare factor, ideal for a horror trailer. We used white masks, to firstly hide their identity so would create enigmas of who they are and why are they doing this. Secondly, we thought within darker shots where lighting is low, this mask would stand out and contrast so would be visible, but would create an image of darkness surrounding evil. On the white masks there is also blood smears and splatters, to illustrate that blood will be shred but from who...This is the leader of the antagonists, due to wearing a distinctive gas mask, contrasting from the other antagonists. We chose the gas mask due to seeing a gas mask used repeatedly in actual horror films, therefore we were following the conventions of a horror. During the editing stages we also would darken the eye holes so you could not see anything but darkness for their eyes. This would create a scary atmosphere of which would make the character effective, as these will be the last eyes you see. This mask also hides the identity of the character therefore suggesting it could be anyone behind it. The gas masked antagonist is also wearing a black hoodie, which connotes to death and murder. this connotation was to suggest that this antagonist is the ring leader and the most evil of them all.
So next time you're camping in the woods, you may not be camping on your own...

Font

Producing our final font

Titles are vital for trailers as help maintain the continity of the trailer, but also broadcasts the sdlogan and the title of the film. This means that it is essential for them to be readable and clear so that they contrast from the background and can be read from different distances; close to far. 

The first step into making our font was finding the font we wanted to edit. We did this by using 'Microsoft Word' to find our bold font we wanted to use for our trailer. The font we chose was to use was 'Yu Mincho Light', which provided us with a block bold typeface, which was ideal for what we wanted to do with it. 

The next step we did was to copy and paste the font into 'Paint' which would allow us to add small texture into the font. We did this by adding little cuts in the lettering, by using the 'line tool', which was white, so it would match the colour of the background. This would provide texture within the font, which would create a slight eerie and old effect, connoting that it horror events may occur, therefore following the conventions of a horror film. 

We copied this image into a document in the software called 'Photoshop'. This is basically a much more advanced editing software than 'Paint', as it allows you to edit it with fine detail and definition, altering images drastically by the range of advance editing tools. What we did was we used the 'select tool' on which allowed us to individually select letters . This therefore allowed us to stretch the letters to make them thinner and longer, which we thought would make the font look more ideal for a horror. We also smoothed the white gaps we made in 'Paint' as we wanted the font to look professional. As you can see from this picture, the background was white, in which would mean if we placed it onto a shot, there would be a white block background; this would not look professional and would disrupt the continuity of the film trailer. This meant we used the 'Magic Wand Tool', that you can see in image above. This allowed us to remove the background colour, therefore making the background transparent. This meant when we edited the titles onto our trailer you could see the shot behind them, therefore not disrupting the atmosphere of the film trailer.

This is our final font, on which we are using throughout the trailer and on the poster/magazine (due to making the title recognisable). It is black and bold which is ideal for our horror trailer. Having it in capitals furthermore makes it stand out but also emphasises the negativeness of the word 'BETRAYAL'. 

Questionaire analysis

These questionnaire's gave us an insight and guidance on how to distribute and produce our theatrical trailer. The first graph shows us what age certificate our film should be and what age we should aim our film trailer at. From these results we found that we should aim our trailer at 15 to 24 year old partly due to these results but also to the regulations from the BBFC.

The second graph shows that the horror genre is mainly aimed at males rather than females, however they are similar results. This tells us that we should have an equal amounts that appeal to both gender. This would make our trailer more effective and increase popularity of our film as it creates a wider audience as there would be elements which appeal to both genders. For example, we could have strong masculine characters which appeal to the female audience whereas for the females we could use blood, gore, action (through fast pace editing). These first two questions are very important as it is essential to portray the film to the correct age group successfully.

 The third question is quite a broad question as to what people prefer to see in a horror. 'Jumpy' was the most popular as shown through the results. This tells us that we should have frequent jump and scary parts within the film/ trailer as it would appeal to the audience. This question is fairly weak and not that effective as there are many other options a horror film could be, such as horror thriller, psychological horror etc. However we would be editing scary shots within the film.

The location question provide us with the insight on where we should set our film trailer. The results tells us that we should have the location within the countryside or city. This is due to countrysides being a very hostile secluded area, suggesting there is no escape or help from the horrifying events which could happen to the protagonists. The city location could also be used so that the trailer would show there are different locations within the film. Also people can relate to the city locations as some of the audience would be residence within cities. Also having set a horror film within these location would make the trailer ore scary as the audience would think these events could happen to them. From this research we will be using location similar tot he results as it would make our trailer scary therefore following conventions of a horror trailer but also appealing to our target audience.

The editing question provides us with the information vital for the post production stage. In our minds as media students and from previous research, having a mixture of editing paces makes a horror trailer more frightening and appealing to horror audiences and fans. From our questionnaire results, they support our finding and therefore gives us confidence into using different editing lengths; slow pace editing and fast pace editing.

From these questionnaires the general public had a mixed response on to what is the most important factor within a horror film. The options for this was; locations, actors, characters, music and plot. Plot resulted in the highest meaning that our audience prefers to having a decent story behind the film more than the other factors. This tells us that through our theatrical trailer, we should provide a sense of a good plot to our film. Actors and music came close second which therefore important information we should consider when making our film. Good actors would lead to good characters, which would make the trailer seem professional and more realistic. This reinforces why we interview different people, so we could get an understanding of who they were and if they would fit into our production. The music is another factor we need to consider the music would emphasis the scare factor which are captured within the shots. This means would have to do a lot of research into which music would be suitable for our trailer. Location was the feature which resulted in the lowest, which could be due to the other features being more important. From our horror trailer research we discovered using everyday locations would be ideal for a horror trailer as it would be easier for the target audience to relate too. From this questionnaire, we have decided to use different locations throughout our trailer so that it would be more realistic and suggest that there is plot/story-line to the film. Also during the planning process of making our trailer also agreed that the plot and music would be vital for a successful trailer as the music would create and aid tension to the shots but the plot would entice the audience into watching our production. This questionnaire therefore has aided us into the right direction of what our trailer should consist of and what the audience would like to see.

The general public stated that they would prefer a film to be more realistic than surreal. This could be due to the genre being a horror as, they need to be relatable to provide the scare factor which they set out to achieve. If the trailer was surreal it would mean that the audience wouldn't believe or feel as if it could happen to them, which is the opposite response of what a horror film wants to do. Making our trailer realistic would, firstly attract our target audience (15-24 year old) due to it being relatable, but secondly; due to what we found in our research into horror films as they are all very realistic and could happen to people. From these results we will be ensuring that our trailer is as realistic as possible.

The next question we asked was vital as we wanted to ensure we got the right music for the correct shots but also to keep continuity within the trailer.  From our results we found out that they would prefer mixed pace; slow and fast. This was also our initial thought as it would build adrenaline if we used both. as going from slow deep toned music to a sharp fast tune. This means during our music research we should concentrate on finding fast and slow music which both flow together but also emphasis the scare factor within the shots.

The final question we asked was what name our trailer could be called. From our results 'Silent Scream' and 'Betrayal' were the most popular. These both provide enigmas which would follow the conventions of a horror film which would be ideal. 'Pitch 31' was the least popular, which could be due to connoting a sci fi like genre film. Getting information and feedback from the general public gives us an indication of what they would like to see in a horror, therefore giving us the ability to provide it as best we can.

Evaluation of Questionnaire

The questionnaire was very helpful for us in deciding some critical decisions in the making of our film. For example, it was very useful having the audience views and opinions in what they think would be best for our film. We found out the main people who were answering our questions were between the age group of 15-24. This is good as this is our target audience for our film as we are doing a horror and studies have shown that this particular age group are the one who are most interested in horror film.

Some questions that we asked in the questionnaire was "What do you think the elements of horror should be set - daytime or night time?", the majority of the answers were in the night time.
This was initially very helpful as we were then able to make sure we timed when we went out to film correctly. This is because we were able to make sure we filmed when it was just getting dark, however not too dark that you couldn't see anything. We were also able to use torches to create the right lighting when it got slightly too dark, this meant the lighting that was created showed suspense and tension as you could only see the protagonist or antagonist depending on what the shot was.

Another very successful question that we asked was about the title of our film. We had seven different potential names that we showed them and got them to say which one they thought suited our film best. 'Betrayal' was the most successful title. I think that the reason for this is because the name itself comes across quite creepy and leaves an enigma to the audience before they have even watched it. For example,they do not know who is betraying who and will want to find out. Campsite 31 was another companion however was the least successful. I think this is because it is quite similar   - least amount of votes.

Quesrionaire

Questionnire

Questionnaire The point of this questionnaire is to aid us in making an ideal and a high effective trailer which would suit all of our large target audience. These results would aid in our decision of many things, such as; the name of our film we hope to promote by this trailer, certain aspects of the antogonists and protagonists and even gives us further knowledge of what our target audience are like. 

1.How old are you?

a)7-11

b)12-14

c)15-24

d)23-34

e)35-44

f)44 +

2.Are you Male or Female?

a)Male

b)Female

3.What is your proffered aspect of a horror film?

a) Gore

b) Supernatural

c) Jumpy

4.What is your preferred costume for antagonist?

a)Casual but scary

b)Casual

c)Supernatural

5.What is your preferred location?

a) City

b)Suburbs

c)Country

d)Supernatural

6.What do you think is more effective in a trailer?

a)Fast paced editing

b)Slow paced editing

c) Mix

7.Whatis the most important aspect of a film?

a)Character

b)Location

c)Plot

d)Music

e) Actors

8. What do you prefer?

a)Realism

b)Surrealism

9. What type of music draws you into Horror/Thriller trailers?

a)Past paced

b)Slow paced

c)Mix

10.When do you think Horror/thriller films are best set?

a)Day time

b)Night time

11.Which name for a horror/thriller do you prefer?

a) Hunted

b)Silent Scream

c)The campsite

d)Masked 

e)Campsite 31

f)Pitch 13

g)Portrayal

12. What is your favourite Horror/Thriller film?

Final Costume- Protagonists This is the final costumes we decided for our protagonists to wear within our theatrical trailer. As you can see, we chose everyday clothes which would make the protagonists relatable and realistic as this is what people would usually wear when going camping- especially when it's freezing cold!
The uses of the coat connotes to the weather being of a cold climate but also does not reveal what is underneath, which could be important within the film as they could be used to identify each character. The cold climate is also reinforced by the use of scarves and gloves. We also had them carrying props, such as the D of E bags and roll mat, as these are the items which are usually taken when camping.
Our protagonists consist of blondes and brown hair girls, which makes them come across innocent due to them both being females. Having the use of blonde hair automatically makes her seem innocent and needing protection, as this is a stereotypical view of a protagonist within horrors. The use of colours also connotes many things, the use of the white t-shirts connotes to purity and innocence which we want to continuously present as that is the stereotypical view which is portrayed in horror films. Also the use of blue connotes to sadness and despair, therefore suggesting sad events will feature within our film. Red colours would connote to death, love and blood, which could create enigmas due to two opposing connotations; blood and love. However it is the stereotypical colour of which is used within horrors, as well as the colour black, which is also used to connote murder.   Within our trailer there are other protagonist's which all have similar costumes, of everyday camping clothing.