Title

The title for my movie trailer will be 'Vanish'. At the moment I am exploring different fonts and styles to use that will best apply to my movie trailer. I have been using the following website to help me cooltext.com So far I have looked at the following:

After doing some peer assessment I have decided that the middle version of the title is the most suitable. However I am going to try and get rid of the dripping blood, and space out the letters so that they can gradually come back together and then the blood can begin to drip afterwards for more impact.

Storyboard

 The very first thing that I wanted to do, before anything else, was to create my storyboard. I felt this way because I wanted to know exactly what I am dealing with with regards to:

-setting
-time of day
-actors required
-props required
-lighting
-camera angles
-equipment needed (such as a tripod)
-also so I could establish all of the things that I already have to produce the trailer and all of the thing  that I need to source.

 In addition I feel that since I have produced my storyboard very early on in the process this will give more time to develop and adapt the trailer in order to make it as successful as possible.

The following images are of my original storyboard:

Target Audience (secondary Evidence)

Horror movies are particularly popular amongst males and under 25's. Over a third of a typical horror movie audience will be aged 18-24. Horror movies are a highly effective means of reaching an audience not afraid to go out at night.




Horror Movie Age Profile:

Base: National Metro

Source: Roy Morgan

Horror Movie Gender Profile:

Base: National Metro

Source: Roy Morgan

Practice Short Film

In preparation for creating our movie trailers or short films we, in lesson time, have practised using the cameras and editing footage by filming a practice short film. In the sequence we attempted to use a range of camera shots and angles such as the extreme close up of Katie as shown below.

 

 

Extreme close up. The extreme close up can be a very effective shot within horror movies in particular as it can demonstrate to the audience the fear in a character's eyes. The shot can also be used to create tension between two or more characters in a scene.

 

The medium close up is useful to show a character's facial expressions in context to their body language.

                                                                                                               

 

      

  The low angle shot is often used to show a character as an authority figure as they are above the audience or whoever is looking up at them 

 

Close up. These are used to focus upon the character and clearly show facial expressions. They are also commonly used for reaction shots.

                                            

 

High angle shot. These are used to make a character appear to be in a position of inferiority, suggesting that they are weak or vulnerable.

 

           

 

Extreme long shot. These are usually used at the start of a film or scene as an establishing shot-to give the viewer and idea of the setting i.e. location, time of day etc. 

               

             

Character Type and Function

Vladimir Propp suggested in 1928 that in any story there are only ever a limited number of character types, each of which had their own purpose in the narrative.

(Propp)

Propp's main character types

 Hero

The central protagonist of the narrative who drives it forward and has some kind of quest or mission to undertake in return for a reward. Traditionally male e.g. superman, but can be female in modern narratives e.g. Mulan

Heroine or princess

 Acts as a reward for the hero for succeeding in the quest e.g. Sleeping Beauty

Villain

 Seeks riches, glory and/or power, and also seeks to stop the hero from succeeding in the quest or mission, while presenting a genuine threat. They sometimes want the heroine for themselves. They can be male or female.

Donor or Mentor

 Gives the hero important information or equipment to help him (or her) in the quest. They are often represented as wise or having special powers, but are not able to do the quest without the hero e.g. the gargoyles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

 However you have to be flexible when you classify characters into these types. Some characters fulfil two, or even more, functions. For example, the heroine could also be the helper. other character types have also been described that are not included in Propp's list.

Short Films

Todorov's Narrative Theory

 Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages called equilibrium, dis equilibrium and restored equilibrium.

There are five stages the narrative can pass through:

1. A state of equilibrium
2. A disruption of that order by an event
3. A recognition that the order has occurred 
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
5. A return or restoration of new equilibrium

 Direct Address

Definition:

 Communication that is explicitly indicated as being targeted at a current listener, reader or viewer as an individual.

Examples: 

Looking at or speaking directly to the camera/audience

Using on-screen text to address the audience

Using a voice over to address the audience

Research of Short Films

 From researching short films, particularly animated ones, I have discovered that they rely heavily upon sound effects and music as oppose to continuous dialogue. This perhaps is due to the fact that it will save time and money on using voice actors. In addition a lot of on-screen text is used to introduce the short film and help with the plot, again to avoid using voice actors. Furthermore as the film has a very limited time-frame the audience is 'thrown in' to the story in the sense that no background information is given or explanation about the plot. 

 Short films appear very difficult to create as the writer needs to compact a story into a short amount of time, while ensuring that during this process the film still connects with and engages the audience as well as creating enigma.

The following Prezi consists of in-depth research, conducted by myself, into the sound used within horror movies. The codes and conventions displayed within this Prezi will later help me with the production of my own horror movie trailer.