Trailer Titles

For our trailer, we thought that it would be ideal to analyse our inspirational films title. We thought that this particular title was effective, and conforms to the generic horror trailer conventions, regarding titles. The film regards a clown, which is ironic, as the narrative of our trailer regards a clown. The titling here is effective, in sizing, colour and the layout. Firstly. the directors name is displayed at the top half of the image. Stephen King is a very successful director, who has directed "The Shinning", "The Mist" and " Carrie". Having a successful director displayed in the title of the film is an effective way to reach the target audience. Audiences would recognise the director of the film, having known that that the director has produced successful films already, it is a clear indication that the new, upcoming film is likely to be good as well. The font is in capital letters, which helps the text to stand out to the audience on a stronger level. The font is in the colour black, which connotes evil, mystery and power, which are all connotations expected to be in a horror film. In addition to this, the black colour helps to create a strong contrast with the red in the title "IT" below. Below the titling of the director, there is a red line that almost looks like a claw mark. In the trailer for IT, the clown has long, sharp nails, so the mark helps to separate the the director and the title, but also helps to bring in the concept of the clown, as well as creating suspense towards the audience. The title itself for "IT" is effective. Firstly, the sizing of the font is a large scale, which helps to make it bolder for the audience to see. As the word "It" is short to write and pronounce, the bold titling helps to make it seem snappy and abrupt which helps to engage the audience, as there is a limited amount of information provided, helping to persuade the audience to go and see the film. The font style is slightly ridged, with cuts and curves around the perimeter of the letters. This helps to add a supernatural twist to the font, helping to add a horror feel to the font. The colour red is used to connote blood and danger, which are aspects/connotations that the audience are expecting to get out of a horror film. feel that this title is very effective, in grabbing the audiences attention. Furthermore, the positioning of the lettering regarding the line can also be seen as effective. The directors name is placed on the top half of the line, suggesting that the director is seen as more significant and dominating compared to the actual movie title "IT." The bold use of colour, and sizing of the font are attributes that if feel are the most effective, thus, i will take this on board when producing our title for our trailer-( "Jokes on you"). 

The next title that i decided to look at is the "Poltergeist." A poltergeist is a ghost or supernatural being, responsible for physical disturbances including loud noises and moving object thought that this particular title is effective, as it includes the release date of the film- 22nd May. This is an aspect that is expected to be included in a trailer film title, as audience are wanting to know when they can see the film. It is a short and effective way get audiences excited for a new, upcoming film. The background of the title is effective. At first glance, it almost looks like a a random object in a close up shot, but as you look closer towards the image, its actually the top part of a clown mask. The red is created by the hair of the clown, and there is a white bit of face paint on the right hand side, followed by an upwards black line, presumably to be the eyebrow. The fact that only part of the clown is revealed to the audience helps to generate the feel of mystery within the title, which firstly helps to persuade audiences to go and see the film, but is also an emotion that audiences are expected to feel when going to watch a film. The title itself, is also effective. The colour white is used to help it to stand out towards the audience. The font also has a slight glowing effect to it which can be seen on the corners of the letters. This further helps the font to stand out to the audience. Again, the title is in capital letters which makes the font seem dominating towards the audiences, generating the emotions of thrill, shock and suspense.  The main aspect that i have learnt from this particular movie title, is the idea of introducing a release date below the title. From researching magazine covers and titles, it is clear that this is a common convention used in promotions, to give audiences an idea of when the film is being released to help create suspense. 

The last title i thought was interesting to look at, is "Mothers Day." I chose this particular title mainly due to the letter "o" being shaped as a different object, in this case, a heart. In our title, we want to include a balloon in replace of the letter "o". We feel that this will add a supernatural twist onto the style of the title, and also help to incorporate the clown, so the audience have an idea of what the basic plot line of our trailer is going to be revolved around. The shape in this title is a heart, followed by a dagger/sword poking through the heart. There is then blood dripping from the heart, which helps it to appear more realistic. The title of the film regards mothers, and mothers are usually associated with having a strong love and bond for their children and partners. Mother's day is also seen to be a loving and cheerful day, and the fact that a dagger is placed through a heart, makes the audience feel like the day might not be as loving as they would have hoped... The colour scheme is basic and conventional, following the simplistic black background against red writing. This adds a slightly old fashioned and almost cliche approach to a horror film. Having dripping blood from letters we feel is slightly cliche and therefore we will not be using this in our trailer title. The  colour black connotes aspects such as, evil, power and mystery which are all aspects that are expected to be seen in a horror film. The red writing helps to symbolise blood and danger which are too aspects from a horror.  The font style is slightly rough looking, and has jagged marks throughout it. This almost seems like someone has written the font with their finger, linking to the idea of writing in blood. This adds a scary and supernatural twist to the title. 

Lighting Research

 I decided to do some research into lighting. Lighting is a key part of MES to consider when filming. Lighting can change the entire perspective on an image, therefore, i wanted to do some research into it, to help us in our production process.

3 Point lightingThree point lighting consists of three lights which are positioned in the direction of the subject. Each one of these light creates a different lighting, therefore creating a different atmosphere of the shot.

Key Light= Main light on the subject. This light is not always the brightest, as brightness of this light varies, on the directors choice. This is the initial light used when filming.

Fill Light= Softens the hard edges of the key and balances the light.


Back Light= Light behind the subject, creating separation from the background.

More Lighting

Hard light= Light that creates heavy shadows that strongly contrast with the brighter light. This is usually from a direct source.

Soft Light= This light is used where there is no hard shadows, therefore producing only soft ones. This is usually used to create early morning or late summer afternoon light.

Eyelight= This is the light which is seen in characters eyes. This is the little spark in a character's eye which make them look alive, have a cheeky side to them and gives them character and personality.

Kicker= A light behind a subject but enough to the side so it skims along their face. Creates shadow to the subject's face. Mysterious effect created.  

Three Kinds of Studio Lights: 

Fluorescent= Studios do not use the conventional tri-phosphor fluorescent light. Studio fluorescent, like KinoFlo, are high frequency, colour balanced and take less electricity to run.

HMI= This stands for Hydro Mercuric Iodide lamps. These reproduce daylight, meaning they create light which look as if it was daylight.

Quartz= These lights are also known as Tungsten. This kind oflight uses a Tungsten filament in a quartz container. This light is explosive when touched by bare hands. This light produces large amounts of light (depending on the size), also brightness can be altered.

Props in our production

In our trailer, we need to use props. Props help to add a more realistic approach to the trailer, and help to make the actors fit to their characters well. 


 BALLOON: The first prop that w want to use in our trailer is the balloon.  Clowns usually hold lots of balloons, and were then made to give out to small children. We have all decided that we want our clown to be holding one balloon, as this will help to single the clown out as an individual. We want the balloon to be red. Red connotes danger,blood and injury so it fits the conventions of our chosen genre. In addition, the red will help to balance the composition of the red wig and red buttons down the middle of the costume. Balloons usually have happy and joyful meanings, however, as its used in our horror trailer it gives a spooky and mysterious effect. As the balloon is so significant to the clown, this means that we are able to do shots with just the balloon in the picture. This will create suspense towards our audience, as it tells the audience that they are aware that the clown is there, but not being able to locate it, creating a climax in the trailer. 

IPHONE:

We may also want to incorporate a mobile phone in our production.  Phones a modern day way to make communication between two people in different places. We used a phone in our last production and we feel that this was really successful. It meant that the audience could see that two characters were communicating, without them needing to be in the same place at the same time. 

We will also be using the prop of a mirror in our production. We want to have a scene where one of the protagonists is looking into the mirror, and the clown figure pulls up behind the mirror. This is a classic and conventional scene that is used in horror films, so we feel that this is a good aspect to use to make our trailer seem relatable and successful. In addition to this, it also means that we can experiment with camera angles and shots, as we can move the camera around to fit the girl and the clown all in one shot. This will help to show diversity in our trailer. 

Target Audience Profiling

Who would be the target audience for our media product?

 We decided that our trailer is going to be a horror, therefore, we are aiming to attract teenagers and young adults, from the age of 15 to around 25 years. From researching horror target audiences from films such as IT, Insidious and The Devil Inside, it is clear that horror attract younger audience as they want to seek an adrenaline rush and witness the brash excitement and thrill that a horror film can provide.  Having a minimum age of 15 years old allows a broad audience. As if we had certificate of 18, it would exclude a large proportion of the audience for our film, which would decrease the popularity of it. Thus,this will mean more profit for the film when our trailer is distributed. This particular age group stereo typically are obsessed with phones and electronic gadgets, therefore in media terminology they use hard wares with multi-platform devices. This means that the marketing campaign can target them easier as they can post trailers  and other types of advertisement of our film, on social networks and websites, such as 'Facebook', 'Twitter' and 'Instagram'. This would make our advertisement and distribution for our film through our trailer easily accessible for our target audience, therefore attracting them to watching the film.

The type of audience we will be attracting will be into a range of things. Stereo typically, they would be interested in shopping; shops such as, Topshop, Topman, River Island, Urban Outfitters, and 'Footlocker'. These are all popular shops within this age group that we are aiming for, this shows that they like to try and follow the general trends and the 'fashionable' clothes. This shows that the people that show here could be considered to conform to the majority influences which would mean that if, their friends see our horror trailer they would tell their other friends that they want to go, therefore spreading the popularity of the film. This is creates a 'Echo chamber effect'.
From research we have found out that our target audience has  range of favorite music; rock, pop, R&B. Stereo typically, the 'pop' genre of music is the more favorable within our target audience as this type of music is played non-stop on well known and famous radio stations, such as; 'Capital' and 'Kiss'. Although they do play a range of music, pop, house and occasionally rock music such as kings of Leon, pop is still the favored genre. As our target audience listens to a range of music genres it means we have a vast amount of soundtracks and music to choose from, to make our trailer easy to relate to and to attract a wide audience. 

The TV programmes that we would expect our target audience to be interested in would be series like; 'Breaking Bad', 'The Walking Dead', 'Friends'. This is because these programmes have amazing storylines, realistic make up, and unexpected cliffhangers and plot twists. Therefore it is a place for our target audience to escape from their everyday lives and to relax, as they allow them to relieve some stress, which they would have as they will be going through either GCSE's, A-levels or even University. Another programme they might watch is 'Ghost Hunters'. This is because it links and reflects into our genre 'horror' due to the supernatural elements as they are hunting down ghosts and visiting abandoned houses. This programme would therefore increase the audience's adrenaline, which hopefully our trailer will achieve as well.
The films our target audience would be interested in would be 'Insidious', 'Sinister', 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and some may be into the old classics like 'The Shining' and 'The Birds'. This is because, firstly the age rating for these are within our target age; but secondly our target audience would have a love or like the horror genre. Horror genre films are known for the creepy and frightening aspects, which they cause, which would make the audience feel scared and horrifying. Having these features within our trailer, therefore, would appeal to our target audience. Also they would like films such as romance and actions, which have characters which are very relatable to. This tells me that we should make our protagonists relatable as it would make the audience want to watch the film, after seeing our trailer. This would furthermore able them to link into the characters' situation.

Mood Board

I decided to create a mood board for our trailer, as it helps to give a visual representation of our ideas for our trailer. Writing everything can sometimes get a bit confusing, so it was ideal for us to get together and get images together relating to the narrative of our trailer. 

CLOWN IMAGE:

The clown image exemplifies the basic plot and nature to our trailer. It resembles the antagonist that we have chosen, and how the antagonist is going to be presented in the trailer. We all feel that this mask is appropriate for our trailer, as we all feel that it has a very scary and creepy feel to it, due to the sharp and over exaggerated teeth and eyebrows. From researching a clowns appearance on other posts, we feel that this particular clown ask conforms to the horror look of a clown.

MIRROR IMAGE:
In a horror film, it is a generic convention to have a girl looking in the mirror, and have something pop up behind her. We want to use this technique in our trailer, as we feel that it is clever way to incorporate the clown into the three girls, and we feel that our target audience can really feel part of all the action. In addition, this also means that we can manipulate with our camera shots, to help make the trailer more engaging. 

PHONE IMAGE:
I decided to add a phone into the mood board. Phones are a clever way to show communication between characters if they are not located in the same area. I feel that incorporating a mobile phone helps to add individuality to our trailer as well as a modern day twist. 

GIRLS IMAGE:
Adding a photograph of two girls walking home, helps to show the protagonist approach in our trailer. We want to film the girls walking home from school, as their characters are aged 17-18, so this would be a stereotypical thing that they would be doing. It also helps for our target audience to relate to it, as they too will be of a young age between 15-25. 

BEDROOM IMAGE:
In the trailer are all going back to one of their houses to do homework and chill out. This again helps for our audience to relate to the trailer, as this is also a stereotypical thing that females in particular would be doing. This also means that we can change up the locations in our trailer to help show the whole films locations in a short amount of time. In addition, we can also add the clown into the house, which links to the film of Insidious, as the antagonist is also inside of the house too. 

CLOWN AT THE WINDOW:
In our trailer, we have all agreed that we want a scene where the clown is at the window. As it will be slightly dark when filming the trailer, we feel that having a brightly coloured figure at the window will be a shocking and scary image to have as well as creating a strong contrast. 

CLOWN WITH A BALLOON:
Using the prop of the balloon is a stereotypical media representation of a clown. Clowns usually hold balloons to lure in children, so we wanted to stick to this representation so the audience remain alarmed by the figure. In this photograph, the clown is in an alleyway by some garages, which we also want to use in our trailer. It helps to show a variation of locations in our trailer. 

SWINGS IMAGE:
Clowns are associated with entertainment -( an old fashioned approach, as they are now seen to have a stigma of a creepy presence.) Parks hold entertainment for kids, so we wanted to relate these together. We want to have a close up shot of the swing, swinging by itself. We feel that this will add a creepy twist to our trailer, and make the audience question "Why is the swing swinging on its own?"

PARK IMAGE:
Lastly, we want to film part of the trailer in a park. Similarly to the swings, parks attract children, and clowns are seen to entertain children, which would help to give a reason as to why the clown is there in the first place. We want to show long shots of the park, as well as close ups, so the audience get an over all feel of the creepy and ominous location. Filming a park at the evening time will also help to give this approach. 

Soundtracks used in horror films

Although we needed to find sound effects for our trailer, we also needed a soundtrack that will be played throughout our trailer. As our trailer features the use of a clown, we want our soundtrack to have a child-like twist on the music. We obviously intend for our soundtrack to sound creepy and sinister, however we want our soundtrack to have a chimmey feel to it. Through researching particular horror trailers, i was able to find the soundtracks the director used. This will help us during our trailer, as it will direct all of our understanding into how the music should sound. 

IT:

It is a film based around a clown, directed by Stephen King. Te film is your classic clown film, and as played a huge influence on our production. Therefore, it seemed logical to research the soundtrack to it. The soundtrack reiterates what i stated before, we want our trailer to have a chimmey and child play kind of vibe to be playing, to connote the clown. . The soundtrack is obviously a circus like theme tune which is constantly played at circuses and fun fairs which is ideal for the antagonist of the film, a clown. Having such a jolly happy song for a murderous clown, automatically contradicts with each other which creates a fear factor, as it suggests that things aren't as they seem....We definitely want to create something similar to this when editing our trailer. 

A Nightmare On Elm Street:The next horror trailer i looked at was "A nightmare on elm street." This is again a classic horror film, and had a slight unique feel to the soundtrack which i found intriguing. The soundtrack starts off with an eerie violin sound being played, which is conventional as it is a stereotypical instrumental sound that is played in horror films to generate suspense. We then hear thud sounds, that could be linked to the idea of a gun shooting repeatedly. This connotes danger which is an attribute that the audience would feel when watching a horror film. The key thing to be noted in this particular soundtrack, is that they use a woman's voice in a high pitch tone. Using a woman's high toned voice singing, could imply the innocence of the protagonists which would appear in the film. However, in my opinion it create a more supernatural atmosphere, implying that it involves aliens, which would confuse the audience when hearing but also ruin the affect of the shot and continuity of the film.

Insidious 
The last soundtrack that i decided to research was Insidious. Compared to the other two horror trailers that i had looked at, Insidious brings a much more modern day approach. At the beginning of the soundtrack, there is a low tempo whirling typed noise. This connotes the idea of wind whirling around, which is a stereotypical convention used in horror films to create suspense.  Complimenting this is a quiet low tone violin tune, Due to these, it automatically creates an unwelcoming atmosphere, in which is ideal for a horror film. A s the soundtrack progresses, the music gradually becomes louder and more intense. The heightening of the violin sounds helps to emphasises that there is a dramatic climax happening in the film. Due to the frantic noise created it makes the audience feel tense and full of adrenaline. Combining this with a horror scene, it would create an effective and terrifying shot which would most indefinitely would scare the target audience. The violin is a stereotypical instrument used in horror films.  This is because the violin pierces the audience ears, ensuring constant concentration but overwhelming them too due to the sharpness of the sound.

Extra Brainstorming, Equipment, name suggestions etc

Technology:

For our trailer we will be using various film equipment and applications in order to achieve a successful and realistic film. We will be using Adobe Premiere, to edit our film. This is a software that allows you to be very creative with how you want your film to look. I feel this is better than using " Movie Maker" or " IMovie" as it has more complex sound systems, and better use of applications to use as well.  We will also be using photoshop. This will be used for our front cover of our film, as it has effective editing tools to help us edit our film effectively. To film our opening two minutes, we may use  a go-pro. We feel this is the best film camera to film with as the motion is really good on it. They are also easy to function, and have a long battery life which will be important if we are filming all day. Along with this, we will have a tri-pod. This will help us to film precisely, without any movement on still shots. Alternatively, we may just use an ordinary Nikon camera, as they are easy to function.

Film name suggestions:

"Jokes on you."- We feel that as our film features a clown, we can add a pun on the word "Jokes." Clowns are stereo typically known to tell jokes to children in order to make them laugh. The three girls in the trailer are also part of this, we were thinking that maybe one of the girls could betray one of their friends, so that the joke is literally on the other girls. 

" Clown"- We also had an idea of keeping a very simplistic name for our trailer. Having a short and snappy title can help to entice audiences as there is not much to go off just from the title of the film.  We decided not to call our trailer this, simply because it would give our film away too much. We want the clown in our trailer to be as mysterious as possible, by naming our film "Clown" it would simply tell the story without even watching the trailer. 

"Karma"-  Similar to the first name, we wanted to have the idea of getting revenge or your own back on someone else. Karma explains this as explicit as possible. Again, the monosyllabic word is short and snappy which helps to entice the audience. We didn't choose this title, as we felt that it was too ambiguous. We want our audience to have a true understanding of our trailer, and we thought the title "Karma" seems to vague. In addition to this, it didn't suit or fit the genre of our trailer. The title didn't sound enticing or intense to us, and therefore it is likley that this emotion wouldn't be generated with our audience either. 

" Three girls, one clown"- This was the last name idea that we had. We liked how the title almost seemed like a battle between the friends and a clown, which is a convention in horror films. The idea of 3 vs 1 seems an obvious winning, but we would manipulate this in our trailer. We didn't choose this name, as we felt that it was too tacky and almost laughable. Although clowns are an almost laughable figure, we want our audience to be gripped and on edge, not laughing at our trailer. 

Software

From the name of the software, the application is made by "Adobe" which was founded in February 1982. The operating income of "Adobe" is $ 412 million, suggesting that it is a well known and successful company. Adobe Premiere Elements 10 allows you to have a much bigger and clearer timeline, this means that you can see your clips/pictures much more clearly so that you can see what's happening in your footage without having to play the video each time. The software also has much more effects than Movie Maker, such as the stabilizer effect, which allows you to keep shots still if they are moving or shaking when they are not meant to be. This will benefit us when making our trailer as we want to make our trailer look as professional as possible... However, this makes the process a lot more complicated as there is more techniques used resulting in the software being slower and more difficult to use.