EVALUATION FIFTEEN: Post-production: Explain a range of editing choices and outcomes.

After filming out production, we had to actually do the whole thing together. This was rather intimidating at first as we had a lot of footage of the same thing, therefore we had to filter it down to the perfect shots. Before putting all of our footage onto the software (Adobe premiere elements 10) we sorted them out into chronological order on the computer, named them and deleted the shots we didn't need/our testing shots. We did this is that the software didn't become too overworked with footage when uploading it onto the system. if we had put all of the footage onto the software, it would have made it froze, due to the fact that there was too much resolution on the pictures making it slower to work with. We learnt this from when completing gout AS production, when the system is slow it can get very frustrating and often we cannot excel at our full potential. 

We used a software called Adobe Premier Elements 10. This was the same software that we used last year. This particular software has a range of technical skills that meant that we could manipulate our images regarding the transitions, colouring, brightness, and editing. A key editing technique that we used throughout our production was called a 'non additive dissolve'. This effect made the image, or in our case the clown, appear in two places on the same screen. It essentially faded two shots into one image. This was effective when creating a horror genre, as it gave a paranormal effect and adhered to the eerie atmosphere created by a horror antagonist. In the photographs above, you are able to see how the clown has faded between the two shots. We feel that this editing technique was a very strong part of our production, and displays a key convention to the horror genre. 


Another software that we used after filming was photoshop. This was a key software when creating our main title for our production 'Joke's on you'. Photoshop is a very high skilled software with lots of different effect techniques, some where confusing which meant that we had to use another software called 'Youtube' to research videos into some of the tools worked. Luckily, three out of four of us in the group take photography as a subject. This was extremely helpful when working with such a highly skilled software as some us already knew how it worked. We were able to play with the colouring of the titles on Photoshop which was difficult to do on Adobe Premier Elements as there was not a wide colour scheme to choose from. On Photoshop, we were able to create a 'gradient effect' where we could fade the colour red to a darker tone on the corners. This helped conform to the horror genre as faded effects can create an eerie atmosphere, as well as conforming to the shadowing effects in the trailer in the parks scenes. Photoshop also allowed us to add images into the title of our trailer. To link our clown into the title, we decided to replace the letter 'o' with a balloon on the title. We felt that this was appropriate as a balloon is the same shape as the letter 'o' as well as linking to our main protagonist. Photoshop also meant that we could adjust the font sizes of each letter. We wanted to make the fonts different sizes so that it looked like a child had drawn the title. Again, we felt that this was appropriate as a child is often linked to a clown, as clowns are historically seen as an object of entertainment for children. We feel that this was a fun twist to add to our title to make it seem engaging as most horror films feature blood and black backgrounds. 


Although Photoshop allowed us to edit our titles well, Adobe Premier Elements allowed us to edit our footage to a high level. There are over 30 different effects to choose from. With the record player seen, we decided to make it black and white. This separates this shot from the rest, suggesting that this scene is significant to the trailer. This effect also meant that it could add a metaphorical twist to our trailer. Black and white immediate sggests the idea of binary oppositions. Black connotes to evil and white connotes to good, suggesting the clear divide that is presented in horror films. This monochromatic theme is also further explored within the titles of our production. We felt that having a black background with a white font adds a sophisticated nature to our film. Adding too many colours would make our film appear tacky and unprofessional.  Adobe Premier Elements also had other filters and effect such as a 'fade to black' and 'fade to white'. These effects  ensured that all the clips flowed smoothly together. Most films in the industry use fades to literally 'dissolve' each shot together. We used this a lot between shots of the clown. This was because we didn't want to over-use the 'non additive dissolve as we feel that this would put the audience off, as well as erasing and ruining the true effect of the additive dissolve. This software also meant that we could adjust the speed at which each shot was faded into the other. There was a small yellow line running on the timeline of the clips. With the 'snipping' tool we were able to cut into the edges of the film of how harshly we wanted to fade each clip. For example, we could create a 'medium fade' or a 'harsh fade' We predominately stuck to the 'medium fade' with the majority of the clips. This was because the harsh fade was too much and would have made the shot of the girls for example seem overbearing and too much. We used a 'harsh fade' only on the close up photograph of the clown. This created a dramatic effect and a shock to the audience. Creating shock and fear was a key attribute that we wanted to include to get our audience enticed and gripped into our trailer. 

Prevalence was also a key feature when looking at the post production of our trailer. Although when actually filming we considered prevalence of who was going to be in the shot, we editing we also had to consider which parts where needed and the structure at which the character will be displayed. The clown is given the most amount of prevalence in the trailer, as we really wanted to show our audience the primary protagonist of our trailer. Unlike other trailers where the protagonist isn't usually shown,to create a climax and anticipation, we decided to show the clown to give the audience a wider insight into our trailer. However what made the clown still appear mysterious and frightening, was the fact that there was no music being displayed. The absence of the music meant that the clown was not releasing much emotion, creating a climax and anticipation. It can also be argued that on screen prevalence was centered towards the girls. The girls are given prevalence in different locations, such as the house, park, and the car which helps to make the audience sympathise with them.  

EVALUATION FOURTEEN: Use of camera- How did you plan and storyboard the dynamic moments in your trailer.

The camera work in a production is extremely significant as it helps to project different emotions off to the audience. For example, close up shots are an effective way to portray details and facial expressions, where as establishing shots help to set the scene of a location and are therefore commonly shown at the beginning. In our production, we had a wide range of shot types. When we were recording our production, we actually had a list of shot types to include. This way, we were able to tick each one off once we had included it. We feel that different shot types help to make our audience feel a part of the production and keep them engaged. 

Establishing shots: 

 We used a lot of establishing shots in our trailer to help it appear more 'trailer like'. As a trailer is only giving a teaser of the entire film, we had to ensure that there was a range of shots included. The purpose of an establishing shot is to set the scene or location. They are commonly displayed at the beginning of a film, to give the audience an insight into the setting of where the film is taking place. To open our trailer, we followed a similar concept, of displaying our setting. The trailer opens with a slow zoom, establishing shot of an empty house/kitchen. The fact that it is empty is a significant thing to consider. If the house was full of people, it wouldn't suggest an eerie atmosphere, an empty house with the sound effect of a loud thud contributes to create a paranormal and creepy atmosphere.- The silence is almost disturbing. There is diegetic music of a radio playing in the background which also contributes to the idea of setting the scene of a location. It makes it seem relaxed and calm. There are everyday items shows in the establishing shot, such as cushions, T.V's books and wine racks. This makes the house seem ordinary and relatbale- a perfect place for a clown to ruin everything.Establishing shot are also explored later on in the trailer, when the audience are displayed with a relaxing shot of a lake, with birds swarming around. This connotes positive aspects and cements a calming and naturalistic atmosphere, completely juxtaposing the spine chilling clown that is hunting and killing young people just around the corner. Establishing shots are an effective way to show audiences the locations used in the trailer so that the audience get a wide round view of the film and where the film is taking place. Close up shot were also used in our trailer to give the audience an idea into the details and smaller parts of the film. We used close up shots of a record player being shown repeatedly. The fact that in editing we used the idea of 'repetition of shots' clearly suggests to the audience that the record player is a significant and important factor in the trailer. The audience is kept being brought back to the same object, playing the same music, in the same location, this gives the film the perfect opportunity to disrupt the equilibrium by something different happening to the record player, for example, changing the music, which happens right at the end, leaving the audience on a cliff hanger. 


Close up shots: 

We used a range of close up shots in our production to help display emotion, details and facial expressions. We used a lot of close up shots of the clown as we want the audience to be able to obtain all the emotions from the clown.  A lot of the emotion can be expressed by the colour scheme. The colour's used are bright and eccentric. The colour red connotes to blood and danger which are elements that are commonly featured in horror films/trailers. The colour white directly juxtaposes this connotation, but is still a bright colour. On the white parts of the mask there are greyish undertones which helps to add a darkened effect, contributing to the horror genre. The record player is a repetitive shot displayed in the trailer, which suggests to the audience that it is a significant part of the film. We used a monochromatic filter effect on the record player to separate this shot from the rest of the trailer, further emphasizing the difference and significance of the record player. The close up shot is effective, as it fills the frame of the screen, meaning that the audience cannot see any other things in the shot, cementing the idea of mystery-another connotation of a horror trailer. Towards the end of our trailer, we used a close up shot of a candle being blown out in the air. The sheer difference between the lightness and then darkness creates tension towards the audience. It leaves an element of fear to the audience, as darkness suggests that the audience cannot see anything, which is a perfect opportunity for a film maker to add a shocking and scary twist at the end. 

Long shots:


We also incorporated long shots into our production. A lot of our long shots featured the presence of a new location. Similarly, to an establishing shot, we used long shots to set the new location. A long shot of the girls walking down a path near a lake is displayed. Their are cars the background driving past, which suggests that the scene is relatable to the audience as this is a stereotypical thing that horror films include, or is also known as 'setting the equilibrium'. We wanted to initially make our trailer seem like 'everyday' so that our target audience can feel related to it. The composition of the shot features overbearing trees which almost makes the shot seem more dominant and powerful. The trees do not have any leaves on them, suggesting that the season is winter, and therefore gets darker quickly. When a scene is dark it suggests that something negative is about to happen. Therefore conforming to a horror genre. We incorporated lots of different shots of a clown in long shots. This was effective as the audience are able to obtain the body language of the clown. For example, in this long shot, we are able to see that the clown is standing underneath a lamp post. This was effective, as it was the only light source in the photograph that is strongly focused on the clown. In addition to this, the clown is in centre composition suggesting that it has a dominating and powerful nature towards the clown. Regarding the editing of this shot, we featured a 'glitch' effect, to make the clown seem paranormal. The glitch effect made it seem like the clown had just appeared out of no where, conforming to the horror genre as well as adding a mysterious effect. 


Match on Action 

Match on action is an interesting way to make our trailer seem different and exciting. This features the idea of moving the camera to different points for the same shot. For example, in this shot, we had the camera at an angle in the first picture that was longer, and then as the clown moves further towards the mirror, we had the camera at a different angle. The fact that this is displayed when the clown is present on the screen helps to demonstrate the idea of a creepy and paranormal atmosphere, as it gives the appearance that the clown has moved the shot around creating a disruption and uneasy atmosphere to the audience. The match on action can be further explored later on in the trailer where the girls are shown walking under a tunnel The fact that there was a tunnel their meant that we could play around with the leveling of the camera. As the tunnel was enclosed, it created a lot of perspective in the shot which made the girls appear enclosed and shaped by the tunnel. which again, created an uneasy atmosphere. 

Zoom

At the beginning of the trailer, we also had a 'zoom' effect to make the location seem settled and quiet. The zoom was focused on a long shot of the house, which made the house seem smaller as the camera zoomed in. This also helped to set the equilibrium of the trailer. It demonstrated the beginning of what is about to come. The fact that we used a camera zoom on a house is effective. This is because, houses are commonly used in horror films to display a 'haunted house', or a 'possessed house' films such as Insidous, The woman in black, Sinister and The conjuring all feature houses. which helped to make our trailer seem more 'horror' like. 

EVALUATION THIRTEEN: How is the concept of representation shown in your trailer?

Representation is concerned with the way that people, ideas and events are presented to an audience. What appears on screens, in print etc, does not appear by accident, but through a process of decision making from within the media industries. A media text then needs to be viewed in this light-as a series of representations, a vehicle for beliefs, values and attitudes which can be reinforced or challenged by the audience.

‘Joke’s on you’ is a clown horror film, so we initially expect the clown to be presented in a terrifying and creepy way.  We followed these conventions in our trailer through the camera work. The camera work meant that the audience were able to obtain the mise en scene of the clown’s appearance. For example, close up shots were used to show details and facial expressions that the clowns makes, such as grinning and moving its head to the side. This creates a paranormal presence, as if the clown had been possessed. The clown is presented in dark clothes, symbolically suggesting evil, darkness and power-all concepts that are associated with horror films. The mask that the clown is wearing is conventional, it has a bright red nose, large eyes and a overextended smile. The contextual and historical links behind a clown, is that they were used as an object of entertainment for young children and circus and events. To a more modern day approach, huge films such as Stephen King’s ‘IT’ and Tobe Hooper’s ‘The Poltergeist’ have made clowns to have a stigma attached to them, so that they are represented as sinister, threatening and disturbing. George Gerbener stated that television become responsible for cultivating or shaping viewers conceptions of social reality. In this case, clowns used to be seen in a positive way as a laughable and funny figure, nowadays due to the media and social platforms, clowns are depicted in a negative light.

Stuart Hall’s reception theory can also be applied to our trailer. There are three main components to this theory: Dominant, Negotiated and Oppositional.  This reading is affected by many contextual and personal factors such as, age, social class, gender and personal experiences.  In our production, the audience would initially see the clown through a preferred reading, of the clown being represented in a positive way. The contextual background behind a clown is that they are seen to be an object of entertainment for young children and funfairs and circus’s.  At the beginning of our trailer, the clown is only shown in long shots, so the audience are left confused to what the antagonist actually is.  The negotiated reading can also be applied. As the film progresses, the use of the eerie and chimey soundtrack helps to emphasize the antagonist in a negative light.  When the clown is presented on the screen, ‘thud’ sound effects are used to emphasize the fact that the clown is depicted negatively. Due to the encoded meanings of a clown being happy, jolly and telling jokes, the use of the technical elements of sound and camera, make the audience partly share the text code, but also be able to resist and reflect their own opinion on the clown. 

The representation of the girls can be recognised and adhered to regarding the conventional expectations of them in horror films.  The construction of girls in the world is that they are stereotypically seen to be the weaker sex, and we wanted to play on this idea when creating a horror film. We showed a long shot of three teenage girls walking home from school. The long shot was effective in representing the girls as normal teenagers, as the audience are able to obtain what they are wearing (jeans, t-shirts and trainers) which are conventional items of clothing that teenage girls wear.  We the used match on action, to display the girls laughing, which helps to display them as innocent and ordinary. After this, the camera cuts to a close up picture of the clown, which directly juxtaposes with the vulnerable girls laughing on the way home from school. Levi Strauss’s theory of Binary Oppositions can be applied here through the concept of ‘good and evil’ the girls are presented as innocent and relatable, and the clown to be ominous and creepy.

The sound used in the trailer is also represented and adhered to. We used high pitched violin sounds with the presence of the clown on the screen along with the sound of heart beating when the girls are shown to be running away. The heart beating connotes to the idea that the girls are scared and fearful. The heart beat is rapid and fast suggesting that they are alarmed by something. The sound helps to represent what is on the screen, so we used a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound to create a creepy atmosphere.  When the clown is presented on the screen, we used an eerie violin sound that was very high pitched that it made the screen hard and uncomfortable to listen to. This suggests to the audience that the clown is a negative aspect in the trailer. It indicates a particular atmosphere to the audience that is not depicted as a positive one. This is also a conventional sound effect that is used in horror films to create a tense and uneasy atmosphere. We combined this sound effect with a non additive dissolve sound effect, which made the clown appear twice on the same screen, emphasizing the paranormal atmosphere created by the clown. The sound in our trailer can be adhered to the first part of Todorov’s theory. The beginning of our trailer starts with a loud thud sound to immediately make the audience think that something bad is about to happen. This links to the idea of an equilibrium where the trailer is beginning to set the scene and adhere to the conventional expectations.

The representation of the location is also an important factor to consider. We some of our trailer in a park, which in some ways subverts to the representation of a horror film. Parks connote aspects such as children having fun and enjoying themselves, so why film a horror film there? Questions are raised instantly in the audiences minds In relation to Dyer’s typography- where is this? And why is it in this place? As clowns were connected to children, and children play at a park we decided to put the clown in a location where it can pray and find young children, and a park seemed like the perfect location. We used melodramatic ideas of pathetic fallacy to create mystery with it stereotypically being filmed at night time. When it’s dark little can be seen, which creates fear as something can essentially come out of nowhere.

EVALUATION TWELVE: Youtube Annotations

EVALUATION ELEVEN: Voice over

EVALUATION TEN: Create a questionnaire that asks your audience what they thought about the narrative/characters.

1) How is the antagonist/clown represented to you?
        
   Entertaining        Scary        Eerie        Mysterious   

2) Are our binary oppositions appropriate for the horror genre? (Good&Evil)

   Yes        No

3)Do you feel our princesses (victim's) are represented as vulnerable and innocent?

   Yes        No        Mostly

4) How could we change the costume of the clown to conform to the horror genre even more?



5) Our trailer is in a non-linear order, do you feel this is successful for the horror genre? Why?


6)Do we include enough enigma codes? Do you feel the unanswered questions keep you engaged throughout?


7)What would you change about the mise en scene to connote fright and conform to our chosen  genre?


8)Do you feel a state of equilibrium from the outset?


9)We haven't included any dialogue in our production, we used non diegetic sound including  soundtracks and sound effects. Would you prefer dialogue? Why? Do you feel you would get to  know the characters more personally?


10)We supported Tessa Perkins theory of representations changing and evolving. How do you feel interpretations and stereotypes of clowns are changing?

EVALUATION NINE: How have you established genre across these products?

Genre is a French term referring to the ‘type’ or ‘classes of a production. Genre is often used by audiences to make viewing choices and discrimination's. Issues of taste, preference, identity and pleasure are associated with particular kinds of films by individuals. As a result, genre is also a concern of producers, who take into account these issues in order to make their product appealing to an audience.

Regarding film genre, the most popular genres between 1995-2017 is adventure (44.65), Comedy (42.76) and Action (36.29). However, specific genres are very compatible with the target audience that the film is aimed at. For example, a ten year old girl wouldn’t prefer to watch a horror film over a comedy or rom com. This suggests that the audience can play a significant role in the making of a film. Audiences read genres in a number of ways: They may create and recreate genres, thus, through audience responses new genres are created. Our genre for our production is a horror, and therefore we aimed our target audience between the age ratings of 15-25. Through audience member research, we were able to identify what individuals of this age are into, such as hobbies, clothing, and most popular TV shows. This research helped to give us an indication as to what our film should be aimed at. Deborah Knight (1995) noted that satisfaction is guaranteed with genre, the deferral of the inevitable provides the additional pleasure and prolonged anticipation. This adheres to our genre and audience. As our audience are stereo typically seen to enjoy horror films, the horror genre allows them to expect the film to have specific conventions that are associated with a horror film. An example of this would be the editing used in our production. We used an ‘additive dissolve’ to make the clown fade from one shot to another, leaving part of the previous shot still in the frame. The effect of this made the trailer have an eerie and paranormal effect which helps to conform to the stereotypical expectations of a horror film.  Furthermore, the clown is tilting its head to the side in the first clip and not in the second, this depicts the idea of a glitch or a malfunction, giving the film a surreal and sinister atmosphere.

In our trailer, we have also encoded other specific aspects that help to convey our genre. This can be interpreted through the antagonist used in the trailer. We used a clown in our film as we feel that this can add a modern, creepy effect to our trailer. Successful clown films include, Stephen King’s ‘IT’ and Tobe Hooper’s ‘The Poltergeist’. Historically, clowns were seen to be a product of entertainment and amusement for young children at fun fairs and circus’s. To a contemporary day approach, clowns are seen to be creepy and disturbing and have an eerie presence in films.  Allister Fowler (1989) noted that readers learn genres gradually, usually through unconscious familiarisation.  For example, in a clown horror, audiences unconsciously expect to see jump cuts and harsh editing as this is a popular convention. Fowler also adds that genre makes possible the communication of content.In our production, we have also subverted some conventions which can be seen through the MES of one of the locations used. In our trailer, we shot some scenes in children’s park. Parks are a place of entertainment and playing for children, so why include this in a 15-25 year old clown horror film? Stereotypically, horror films are shot in creepy, old houses or in the woods. Park’s connote the idea of having fun, playing games and children enjoying themselves, we wanted to play on this idea, and make an amusing and pleasant location become completely juxtaposed to become deathly and sinister. René Wellek and Austin Warren commented that the totally familiarised and repetitive patterns is boring, the totally novel form will be unintelligible. This explains that expectations are acceptable to be subverted to, to allow a diverse approach, as well as a unique edge. We feel that incorporating a park in our trailer displays this well.

Concerning the semantic approach to our trailer (Rick Altman), there are aspects that conform to a horror film. This can be seen through the characters (protagonists) in our trailer. We used three teenage girls as the protagonists in the film. This is a popular convention, as three young girls communicate the idea of innocence and vulnerability, therefore making our audience feel on edge and as If they were in the girl’s shoes, thus, making them feel scared, but also fixated on the elements shown on the screen.  The syntactical structure of our trailer is conventional, whereby the girls get followed home by a clown from school, and then ultimately haunts the house that the girls are staying at. This can link to successful horror films such as: ‘Ouija’ (2016), ‘Cape Fear’ (1991) and ‘He knows you’re alone’ (1980) whereby a similar concept of the antagonist following the girls is used.

EVALUATION EIGHT: How have you established a brand identity?

Creating our own individual brand and being able to bring unique and original ideas was a hard task to tackle, lots of the ideas that we had, had already been done, we wanted our brand identity to be strong and successful, so we needed as much inspiration we could get in order to make our trailer and ancillary texts, fun,original and professional. Making a brand included lots of different aspects such as, our target audience, what would they want from a brand? Our titles, how do our titles present us as film makers? All of these factors we had to take into consideration to make our brand exciting but also unique

. 

A key area where our brand can be noticed is through the title of our trailer. 'Joke's on you'. We feel that this particular chosen title is effective as it almost plays on the idea of the clown. Clowns are associated with telling jokes, so by incorporating this into the title, it helps to give the audience a teaser into what the trailer might be about. By including the second person pronoun 'You' it demonstrates a form of direct address, where the audience are addressed directly in the title, this helps to lure and captivate the audience into the title, and therefore the trailer as well. 'Joke's on you' is also an expression, as a way of revenge or getting your own back on someone, as then the 'Joke' is literally on them. This is a story line that is portrayed in the trailer, as the clown is following the girls around and creeping up on them at different locations. The audience are not told why the clown wants revenge, which conforms to Roland Barthes 'enigma codes', that what the audience do not know helps to tease and tantalize the audience, making them want to go and see the film. We furthered our brand identity by adding a balloon into the title. We feel that the balloon added another ironic twist to the title, as not only do clowns tell jokes, but they are often associated with carrying balloons around with them, to give them out to young children to keep them entertained. We used software's such as, Photoshop to manipulate the balloon to fit into the text, we wanted the balloon to appear professional within the title,as opposed to just placed randomly. When our title was displayed at the end,we played a non diegetic soundtrack of circus music, this music conformed to the idea of the clown, and helped to 'restore the equilibrium' as this is shown at the end of the trailer, which brings the audience back around to the primary purpose of the trailer. 

Another area where our brand identity can be established is through our production titles. We used two production titles, as we feel that this made our trailer seem more professional and sophisticated.We named one of our titles  "Purple Lake" as we feel that this is a professional and yet simplistic name that makes our film look as if it would have been distributed by a successful company. We decided to incorporate a colour in our production title, in which we went with the colour purple. The colour purple connotes aspect such as: Mystery, poison, toxic, and power in which the majority of these are seen to be negative, which helps to link to the genre of our trailer. From research, lots of production companies use simplistic locations such as mountains or animals. Thus, we decided to use a lake for our production company. It was easy to find a photograph of a lake off the internet in which we then edited on Photoshop. Photoshop is a complex platform, which allowed us to manipulate many different parts of the photograph. The first thing that we did, was edit the brightness and contrast of the photograph. We made the brightness +11, and the contrast -46. These particular scales ensure that the photograph had darker edges, and a brighter centre. This gave the illusion that it had a  'Vignette'  effect to it. this particular filter, creates a eerie daunting atmosphere due to the black shadows created in the background. This makes the institution effective, especially for a film with the genre of horror.We also decided to use the Hue and Saturation tool to edit the colouring of the photograph. As our company features the colour purple in the title, we decided to include this into our photograph as well. We made the hue +3. This particular scale made the image have a purple tone/shade to it, which not only created strong tonal contrasts, but it also helped to balance out the photograph with the title of the trailer. 


Establishing our own brand meant that we had to take into account the target audience that our brand is going to be aimed at. We made our production aimed at an audience ranging between ages 15-25. Horror films are predominantly aimed at younger audiences as they seek an adrenaline rush which a horror film can provide for them. From target audience research, we were able to distinguish what types of things these audience like and enjoy. For example, teenage girls of this age like to shop in high end brands such as Topshop, River Island and Mac. Therefore, this had an impact on the MES that we dressed the three antagonists in. We dressed them in jeans and t.shirts with camel coats and bomber jackets. This type of clothing is related to people of this age, and therefore the target audience. If the characters are wearing relatable clothing, then it will make the audience feel connected ad a part of the community in the trailer. The structure of our trailer and our ancillary texts meant that we had to consider the presentation of how everything is layed out. Young people want a rush, excitement therefore we wanted everything to be as bold as possible. When editing, we used 'chrome' effects over the top of the clown, so that the primary colours on the clowns mask (red) were bold and exuberant. In addition, we used the software of photoshop to manipulate and edit the title of our trailer. To extend this bold appearance for our audience with our brand, we used a icon called 'levels' This particular icon allowed us to play with the tones and shadings of the title. It allowed us to darken it in some areas to create a eerie atmosphere and then lighten it in others to create the idea of binary oppositions. Younger audiences want a rush, which is why we incorporated the 'chase' scene in the trailer. Surprisingly, in this scene there is no soundtrack, but just a sound effect of a heart beating rapidly. This however still generated adrenaline to the audience as it made then feel suspense and anticipation as to what is going to happen next



We also established a brand through our ancillary texts. When creating a magazine, it was imperative that we made our magazine appear processional,as if it was actually going to be sold in a shop on the counter. Therefore, the graphology of the magazine was an important factor to get right. An example of this would be the bar code that we placed on the magazine. This was a conventional aspect to include, it helped the magazine seem legitimate and real. Another factor that we considered was the stickers on the front. 'Free pull our poster inside' helps to suggest that the magazine is filled with exciting and thrilling reveals about the film. Consumers want to get what they are paying for, so by adding in extra free poster's and giveaways helps to make the audience feel a part of the film and not just any old audience member. 

EVALUATION SEVEN: How do you establish the narrative in your trailer? How do they work together to sell your product?

The narrative of a story or production refers to the way the different elements in a story are organised to make a meaningful story. A story refers to what happens or what is depicted, this refers to actions,events and characters. Some trailers and productions have a narration, which describes the way the story is told, how the information is presented to viewers, for example visual style and the point of view of how the story is told. Horror film narratives usually follow this structure: The film first focuses on central characters, beginning a venture into a strange and ultimately threatening setting. Stumbling into a forbidden setting unleashes a wave of violence and leaves many of the protagonists dead. Those who survive the initial onslaught begin to fight back, fear and fatigue provoke dissenton within the group, putting them at a greater risk. The climax of a horror film is the most imperative part, generating fear and adrenaline is what makes a horror film successful. We feel that we adhered to these narrative conventions in our trailer. 

Throughout our trailer, it is clear that the basic structure of our trailer follows a non linear structure, due to the fact that it is not in a chronological order. Identifiably, a trailer would not be in chronological order, as the trailer has to express viewpoints and ideas from the whole film, so the trailer is essentially jumbled up. The effect of having a non linear structure to our trailer helps to make it more engaging and enticing for our audience. The is primarily due to the fact that the trailer and production is unpredictable, therefore the audience don't know what to expect, in a horror film creating suspense is imperative, as scaring and jumping the audience is a way of generating fear- the basic accomplishment of a horror film. In our trailer, we used dramatic irony, whereby we see events from multiple viewpoints. This can add suspense as we are privy to information that other characters are not, this can also be called ' Omniscient narration'.  An example of where events are seen from different viewpoints can be seen in the first establishing shot of the two girls in the kitchen. The long angled shot is taken from outside, which gives the idea that someone is watching or looking at the girls. In comparison, a different viewpoint can be witnessed when the clown is shown through medium shots of it swinging on the swing. This gives the impression that the clown is taking over and almost hoarding the camera, so the viewpoint is now switched to the clown as opposed to the three, innocent girls. Todorov's theory of equilibrium can be applied to our trailer, whereby we have adhered to the five key stages of a film. The first, a state of equilibrium on the outset ( Three young girls walking home from school to their home, creates the idea of a calm setting that the audience can relate to). Second, a disruption of the equilibrium ( which can be seen through the long shot of the clown walking across the train tracks. The shot clearly suggests that something is about to disrupt the calm and initial equilibrium, due to the soundtrack and the camera work shown here.) Thirdly, a recognition that there has been a disruption ( which can be applied when the protagonist looks into the interior mirror of the car, suggesting that she is now aware and has recognised that something isn't correct.

Vladimir Propps suggested that characters took on the role of narratives 'sphere of action' or 'functions', from a comprehensive study of folktales, Propp came up with seven different character types: The hero, villain, doner, helper, princess, dispatcher and the false hero. This can link to our production with the characters shown in our trailer. The villain can clearly be identified as the clown. Due to the mise en scene of the appearance of the clown, the sheer and frightening mask along with the dark clothing clearly identifies to the audience that the clown is the antagonist in the production. The victim can be clearly shown through the long shots of the girls running away from the camera- suggesting that they are running from a negative aspect. This can also  be seen within the editing of our trailer, where fast paced editing of the girls in the car is shown to create confusion and also to suggest that the girls are in hurry to escape something, projecting their personas to be vulnerable and innocent- common connotations of what a 'victim' would portray. We have only included two binary oppositions of 'good and evil' in our production, therefore our trailer can only relate to two of Propps character definitions. 

Roland Barthes enigma codes can be conveyed in our production. An enigma code refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. 'Mystery' is a significant element to a horror film, it's what keeps the audience gripped and enticed into the film, so the enigma codes that we portrayed were very important to get right so that our audience were as on edge as possible. One enigma code can be depicted through the unexpected appearances of the clown in the different locations. One scene the clown is shown at a train station, then a park and then a car, which creates mystery towards the audience of how the clown can be in many different places at once- generating the idea of dehumanisation and a paranormal atmosphere because no 'human' can be in two places. This idea can be further looked upon through the editing of the transitions that we used. We used a transition called the 'non additive-dissolve' this particular effect faded out the previous shot into the current one. With this effect you could select areas that you wanted to duplicate, so it meant that we could fade the clowns outline into different parts of the same scene. This again, reflects the idea of duplication and how the clown can be seen in different places at the same time, this conforms to an enigma code of a horror film. Another enigma code can be demonstrated through the use of the record player. We used the concept of repetition with the record player, so the trailer kept refering back to the record player, playing the same song in the same location. This creates mystery and an enigma code as the audience are getting confused as to why the record player is being referred back to again and again, it suggests that the record player is a significant concept in the trailer, creating confusion, thus making the audience want to see the film to uncover the true meaning behind the record player.

EVALUATION SIX- How have you made your trailer seem like a trailer?

The term 'trailer' in the media refers to "a series of extracts from a film or broadcast, used for advance publicity."- Google Definitions. Essentially, we had to conform to this idea, we needed to followed stereotypical conventions to make our trailer seem as 'trailer-like' as possible. Different genres have different trailers, therefore we also had to cater to the needs of our genre as well as an actual trailer.For example, conventions of horror  trailers can include: Sudden signs of a ghost/spirit,a disruption of normality, dark scary atmosphere, commonly used dialogue such as 'who is that?' and 'where are they?' and many others. IN our trailer we followed these conventions to ensure that our trailer conformed as much as possible. 

 CAMERA WORK: 
The camera work is an essential part to a trailer that actually makes it seem like a trailer. We used a range of camera shots such as: establishing, close up, extreme close up and medium shots. Each shot serves a purpose, and when filming a horror film,it was imperative to use camera shots that conformed to our genre. For example, close up shots are commonly used in horror films to exemplify details and/or facial expressions/movement. We used a lot of establishing shots in our trailer to help it appear more 'trailer like'. As a trailer is only giving a teaser of the entire film, we had to ensure that there was a range of shots included. The purpose of an establishing shot is to set the scene or location. They are commonly displayed at the beginning of a film, to give the audience an insight into the setting of where the film is taking place. To open our trailer, we followed a similar concept, of displaying our setting. The trailer opens with a slow zoom, establishing shot of an empty house/kitchen. The fact that it is empty is a significant thing to consider. If the house was full of people, it wouldn't suggest an eerie atmosphere, an empty house with the sound effect of a loud thud contributes to create a paranormal and creepy atmosphere.- The silence is almost disturbing. There is diegetic music of a radio playing in the background which also contributes to the idea of setting the scene of a location. It makes it seem relaxed and calm. There are everyday items shows in the establishing shot, such as cushions, T.V's books and wine racks. This makes the house seem ordinary and relatbale- a perfect place for a clown to ruin everything...  Establishing shot are also explored later on in the trailer, when the audience are displayed with a relaxing shot of a lake, with birds swarming around. This connotes positive aspects and cements a calming and naturalistic atmosphere, completely juxtaposing the spine chilling clown that is hunting and killing young people just around the corner. Establishing shots are an effective way to show audiences the locations used in the trailer so that the audience get a wide round view of the film and where the film is taking place. Close up shot were also used in our trailer to give the audience an idea into the details and smaller parts of the film. We used close up shots of a record player being shown repeatedly. The fact that in editing we used the idea of 'repetition of shots' clearly suggests to the audience that the record player is a significant and important factor in the trailer. The audience is kept being brought back to the same object, playing the same music, in the same location, this gives the film the perfect opportunity to disrupt the equilibrium by something different happening to the record player, for example, changing the music, which happens right at the end, leaving the audience on a cliff hanger. 

ANTAGONIST & PROTAGONIST PREVALENCE: 
 Giving the two key opposing characters prevalence in a trailer helps the audience to distinguish who the 'great battle' is between, giving them a basic narrative and story line between either end of the spectrum. We had to include a lot of footage from the clown, so that the audience can understand what the clowns purpose is, and why it is there, but also let the audience know the antagonists well, getting to know the girls, their personas, their traits, this is what makes a film interesting. More importantly, it let's the audience into the film, without giving too much away, which helps to make our trailer successful.  We used a long shot of the three girls running away. This particular scene is effective, it suggests that the girls are afraid of something, therefore running away from it. Including a 'chase' scene in a horror film is thrilling and exciting for an audience, as well as it being a very popular convention used in many films, mostly thrillers, which suggests that our film could have hints of it being a 'hybrid genre'. Towards the end of the film, there is a car scene. There is match on action used with the keys being dropped on the floor, suggesting to the audience that the girls won't make it away in time, creating suspense and then the girls attempting to drive as a clown is sitting in the back seat. The last shot is a close up which displays the antagonists eyes looking into the interior mirror with a cut to a black screen. This quick and fast pace editing is a popular convention of a horror film, it creates confusion which makes the audience question what is happening, especially in a situation whereby the antagonist is vulnerable, as it links to Dyer's theory of asking questions, 'what is happening?'  The clown is also displayed a lot in the trailer, with the clown being shown in different locations between each shot, as well as being displayed at different angles. We used a lot of long shots and close up's of the clown. The close up photographs allow the audience to observe the clowns details and facial expressions ( although it's a mask, the mask was still able to move around). The clown for example, tended to bend it's head to the side, which looked nerving and chilling, conforming to a horror protagonist. The long shots allowed the audience to observe the body language and posture of the clown, such as when it moved it's arms, or jumped out to the camera, creating a ominous and shocking effect.

 TITLES:
Identifiably, the titles were a key attribute that made the trailer seem like a trailer, as titles are not used in the real film.  they almost act as a visual narrator, they give the audience a basis to what the film is about, and what kind of genre the film is. In horror films, stereotypical titles include things like ' The scariest film of 2017' or 'don't forget to lock your house up tonight'. They give the audience little teasers an hints to keep them informed about the film, and create tension. In our trailer, we included a lot, this was because we didn't have as much footage as we had hoped, so we had to make the timings up by using titles. The style, transitions, fonts and sizing all mattered so we had to plan a lot of these out before actually creating them.  We structured the titles evenly across the course of the trailer, so that the audience were informed but not too informed that it gave the entire film away. We used conventional tag lines, such as ' Others wish they hadn't met him'- suggesting that people wouldn't want to. The title were arguably the most important and ensured that the trailer made sense, especially because we didn't include any dialogue in our trailer. 

EDITING:

Editing is very important when creating a trailer and constructing a film. On the software that we were using, we were able to use many different effects and transitions as there were many to choose from and then manipulate these. The main effects that we used was 'fade to black' the fade to black ensured that all the clips flowed smoothly together. The colour black connotes mystery, evil and darkness which also creates a negative atmosphere between the shots. The fade also occurs slowly, in comparison to the 'smear' effect used on the titles. The slow transition also creates suspense as it makes the audience not know what is going to appear on the screen next. It almost contrasts and subverts a horror film, as horror films conventionally use quick and fast pace editing, so we feel that this added anticipation and individualism on our work. From the picture, you are able to see how the fade to black creates a shocking feeling to the audience. In picture one ( far left) the audience can see a long shot of the clown, after the fade to black, the clown has moved even close to the screen, which suggests that the fade has made the clown move without the audience knowing, further suggesting that the fade to black creates suspense and a creepy atmosphere. Another editing technique that we used was called the 'non additive dissolve'. We used this numerous times in the trailer, to add a creepy and paranormal atmosphere. This can be displayed in the scene with the clown on the swing. As the swing is swinging back and forth, we faded in a non additive dissolve to merge two clips over the top of one and other.  This conformed to a horror film as the effect made the clown appear like it could be in two places at once, something that is not considered 'normal' in the human world, suggesting a paranormal and scary vibe being created. 

EVALUATION FIVE: Audience feedback and Presentation

FEEDBACK & PRESENTATION

EVALUATION FOUR: How did you use titles and how did they advertise your film in your trailer?

Titles are an essential element that help to shape and structure any trailer. It's what makes a trailer a trailer, they almost act as a visual narrator, they give the audience a basis to what the film is about, and what kind of genre the film is. In horror films, stereotypical titles include things like ' The scariest film of 2017' or 'don't forget to lock your house up tonight'. They give the audience little teasers an hints to keep them informed about the film, and create tension. In our trailer, we included a lot, this was because we didn't have as much footage as we had hoped, so we had to make the timings up by using titles. The style, transitions, fonts and sizing all mattered so we had to plan a lot of these out before actually creating them. 


The first thing we began to do, was create our production titles. These are presented in every film, they give the audience and understanding of who the film was made by. Production companies can range from huge, global international ones such as, Universal, and smaller ones such as Lionsgate. We created our own production titles. Admittedly, this did take a while, as we wanted them to appear as professional as possible, so we experimented with lots of different transitions and colour schemes, as well as choosing the correct picture for our production. We went with two companies, as one would feature as the main film distributor, and the other as the sound distributor.  We decided to call it "Purple Lake" as we feel that this is a professional and yet simplistic name that makes our film look as if it would have been distributed by a successful company. We decided to incorporate a colour in our production title, in which we went with the colour purple. The colour purple connotes aspect such as: Mystery, poison, toxic, and power in which the majority of these are seen to be negative, which helps to link to the genre of our trailer. From research, lots of production companies use simplistic locations such as mountains or animals. Thus, we decided to use a lake for our production company. It was easy to find a photograph of a lake off the internet in which we then edited on Photoshop. Photoshop is a complex platform, which allowed us to manipulate many different parts of the photograph. The first thing that we did, was edit the brightness and contrast of the photograph. We made the brightness +11, and the contrast -46. These particular scales ensure that the photograph had darker edges, and a brighter centre. This gave the illusion that it had a  'Vignette'  effect to it. this particular filter, creates a eerie daunting atmosphere due to the black shadows created in the background. This makes the institution effective, especially for a film with the genre of horror.We also decided to use the 'Hue and Saturation' tool to edit the colouring of the photograph. As our company features the colour purple in the title, we decided to include this into our photograph as well. We made the hue +3. This particular scale made the image have a purple tone/shade to it, which not only created strong tonal contrasts, but it also helped to balance out the photograph with the title of the trailer. For our second institutional company, we decided to call it 'On track productions' The idea of being 'on track' can also be seen as an expression to be doing something correctly, or heading in the right direction, which will make the audience think that the company is head strong and professional. We made this company a lot shorter on the screen, as it wasn't the main company that we wanted the audience to see, it was mainly used to fill up the space, but also to adhere to the conventions of trailers, as there are usually two featured on trailers. We felt that using a train was a good idea, as it links in with the trailer as there is a scene where a train goes past, as the clown is walking down some steps. This was a clever way to help link everything in together. 

Throughout our trailer, we used numerous titles. Titles almost act as a visual narrator, they help tell the story through words, they help structure and piece together the film. We began by using the first title which states 'Some say that clowns'. This particular title creates mystery and confusion. This is because the sentence is not finished, suggesting that there is more to come, creating tension and wanting the audience to carry on watching, this is why we felt that it was effective to include this early on in the trailer so that the audience do not get bored. Having short, snappy titles that are unanswered is a common convention used to grip the audience into the film. The second title that is presented states 'Aren't to be afraid of'. This immediately cements the idea to the audience that the clown that is going to be featured in this film IS to be afraid of. The use of the word 'Some' in the first title, suggests that not everyone would agree that clowns aren't seen as a fearful symbol, but then others might. This has already set the idea to the audience that primary antagonist in the trailer is a clown, that should be seen as fearful. 'Some people haven't met HIM' was our next title, as was slightly different to the previous two that we had used. The key aspect to notice here, is the change in colour of the pronoun 'Him'. The fact that the word is singled out through the use of capital letters and colouring suggests that 'he' does not fit in with the world in which the film is set. We again used the word 'Some' to suggest a small amount of people that are not familiar with the background and context of this particular clown in our trailer. The colour red can connote danger and blood, it's an alarming colour which are conventional emotions expected to be seen in a horror film. In addition to this, the colour red is a colour that is predominately attached to clowns, through their red nose, which also helps to display a link. 'And others wish they hadn't met HIM' was the next title which was displayed. The timing in which this title was placed is effective, as it comes after the first full on shot of the clown is show, along with a high pitched violin sound effect. Again, we have used a term referring to other people 'Others', this is not specific, it doesn't define who the others are, which helps to create mystery in our trailer, which we wanted to include to help create fear and tension. We made the word 'him' to be in red and capitals again, to help link this title and the previous one together.  We then started to slowly divert away from the clown, as we didn't want to give too much away. We then started to base our titles around the general film, and start to use persuasive techniques to get our target audience to go and see our film. 'The scariest film of 2017- Diverse film'.  Using a quotation from a different source, helps give the audience another person's opinion and point of view. This will make them realise that the film is not biased and not 'really good' just based on our terms.. We used our own magazine company to feature this quotation, as we thought it would be ideal to feature it, so that the film would get positive recognition. As our film is a horror, we want it to be scary, so the fact that it has been quoted to be 'the scariest' shows that the film fits to its conventions well. The next title reads ' Winner audience choice award 2016'. This again is a persuasive technique used to help promote our film. We thought that by including a title that the film has won an award would clearly suggest to the audience that the film is good and successful. Next, we needed to include a release date so that the audience are aware of when the film is being released. 'This Spring' explains to the audience of the season in which the film is being released. Films do this so that the audience almost have a waiting game of when the film will be out, to create anticipation and excitement. 

The colouring and transitions of the titles was also a key element to consider. We decided to keep the colour scheme simplistic, and similar to the magazine and poster. We made the titles monochromatic whereby the background of the titles was black and the writing was white. This adds a professional feel to the titles, as if they were the colour pink with stars all over them it would completely subvert our genre and what the film is about. The colour black and white helps to create strong, tonal contrasts which help to make the titles bold and eccentric. The two colours completely juxtapose each other, which can also be seen in a metaphorical sense. The colour black connotes evil and darkness, whereby the colour white connotes goodness and purity. In a horror film, there is always the antagonist (The black) and the protagonist (The white) or in a literal sense 'good and evil' This can link to the idea of binary oppositions. The chosen font that we picked was called ' Matiz urla'. This font had a slightly old fashioned feel to it, due to the small edges on the side of the letters, that give the appearance of ink hand writing. We felt that by adding a slightly old fashioned and historic feel to the letters will help give the audience a creepy atmosphere. Horror films usually feature something from the past, whether it be a character that has come back, or a letter/symbol to help solve a clue, therefore we felt that by adding some historical features it would help to conform to a horror film. We ensured that all of our titles were in capital letters. This firstly added an intense effect, as capital letters are usually featured to add emphasis to a sentence, but secondly, it also follow the conventions of a trailer, as trailers usually have capital letters on their titles to make them clear and stand out to the audience, therefore we repeated this process. Regarding the transitions, we used the effect called 'Smear' to fade the title off of the screen. The smear effect almost dragged the letters of the page in a pulling motion, as if they were being dragged below the image. T

his is an effective way, and links strongly to a horror film, as it appears like something is pulling the letters off of the screen. We also had to make sure that the transitions faded into and out of the screen, to do this, we just simply clicked the 'fade in' and 'fade out' icons. The effect of this, ensured that all the transitions ran smoothly across the trailer. It would look too harsh and abrupt if the titles just busted onto and out of the screen, therefore we used the fade icons to help make our trailer appear smooth and professional. This was difficult to do at times, as the curser on the screen was hard to get between each clip to fade it in and out. Therefore, we had to maximize the timeline on our screen so that each clip could be separated, we then faded each clip in and out separately