Initial StoryBoard

This is the rough story board I have individauly created. Our plan is to create a rough story board each with our own ideas and combine the two to produce a final Storyboard. I have produced rough sketches of each shot with discriptions of Camera angles. Narrative, Mise-en-scene, Sound, Dialogue and the editing i will do.

Plot- The initial plot for our trailer is a couple arriving home from an unknown location but have been away a while. A relative has checked on the house and the couple believe she has been and gone. The lights are not working and the man goes to the cupboard to check the fuse box and the relative is found there to be dead!. (Propp's theory- 31 functions moving the story along) The editing from this point becomes very fast. Here with the use of the Proairetic Code tension is built with short sharp shots indicating something else is going to happen but we are unaware as to what and this makes audiences interested and wanting to see what happens.From now on we see shots of the killer and victims in various moments with all the elements of a horror film trailer.

This plot also follows Todorov's theory of disruptive equilibrium. The trailer begins in a state of equilibrium(things are as they should be) when a distruption takes place, this is now disequilibrium. His theory follows the pattern of Equilibrium-Disequilibrium-Equilibrium. However, our trailer follows his theory but does not end in a state of equilibrium as it is a teaser trailer and if the distruption was resolved it would tell a story rather than tease the audience and pursuading them to see the film.

1.
Narrative- Establishing shot sets the main location of the film. A couple ariving home after a long trip away.They arrive home and walk up the drive expecting the house to be empty.A family member has been round to check on the house previously.
Camera angles-Long shot of a empty looking house all in darkness.
Mise-en-scene - At this time it is just getting dark.Preferably it would be raining heavily to add effect.
Sound - There will be diagetic sound at this point, eerie music starting of at a slow tempo. Sound of rain if possible.
Dialogue- At this point there is no dialogue.
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

2. Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "IMAGINE COMING HOME......."
Fade into couple opening the door and walking in.

3.
Narrative- Couple unlocking the door and going into the house.
Camera angles-Medium close up of door and couple opening the front door and walking in.
Mise-en-scene - Rain if possible. It has just got dark outside, however is even darker inside the house.
Sound -Sound of rain if possible.Diagetic sound faded whilst there is dialogue.
Dialogue - Woman "....(name of family member that checked the house)could have left a light on"
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

4. Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption-"TO WHAT YOU THINK......"
Fade into high angle shot with man and woman coming through the door.

5.
Narrative-Couple walking in through the door, different angle from previous shot as is coming from inside the house rather than outside.
Camera angles-High angle shot, long shot from top of staris as the couple walk through the door.
Mise-en-scene - Walking in through door little light as house is in complete darkness.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded as there is dialogue.
Dialogue- Man- "It's so good to be home, lets get some lights on"
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

6.Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "IS AN EMPTY HOUSE......."
Fade into close up of man flicking the light switch.

7.
Narrative- Man tries to switch on a light realises there not working. Flicks the switch 3 or 4 times.
Camera angles-Close up on light switch and mans hand flicking the switch.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the switch
Sound -Diagetic sound faded
Dialogue - There is no dialogue at this point.
Editing - Jump Cut to medium close up of man and woman.Man still flicking switch.

8.
Narrative- Man tries the switch 3 or 4 times.
Camera angles - Medium Close up of man and woman.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue - Man-"That's strange, its probably just the fuse, i'll go check the cupboard"
Editing - Fade into dark screen with caption

9.Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "BUT SOMETHING PURE EVIL......"
Fade into man walking down the hallway towards door.

10.
Narrative- Man walking down hallway towards cupboard to check the fuse.
Camera angles - Medium long shot of man walking toward the camera(Cupboard)
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue- No dialogue
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

11. Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "IS LURKING IN THE DARKNESS."
Jump cut to family member in the cupboard

12.
Narrative- Man opens cupboard. Family member that checked on the house is in the cupboard and is dead.
Camera angles - High angle, point of view shot looking into the cupboard.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue- Screaming
Editing - Cut into dark screen with caption

13. Dark screen with caption.
Caption-"AND YOU REALISE......."
Still hear screaming. Cut into shot of mysterious man behind the him.

14.
Narrative- Man is still in shock and looking in the cupboard. Mysterious man in costume is standind directly behind him.
Camera angles - Medium longshot from down the hallway, both people in shot.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.Musterious man lit up more.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue- Screaming
Editing - Cut into dark screen with caption

15. Dark Screen with caption.
Caption-"YOU'RE NOT ALONE."
Cut to complete black shot with screaming still there.

The black screen will last for a few seconds whilst there is still screaming.
The music from this point becomes louder and faster. Editing will also become faster, with quick and snappy shots.This builds up tension, suspense towards the climax of the trailer.

Film Poster Analysis

Analysis of Film Posters
Whilst looking at film posters i came across the website below. It was a great source of research and whilst look at the posters and their ratings i have used the plot summary and then continued with my own analysis.
http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_posters

The Fourth Kind
The 4th Kind is a fact-based thriller involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover up.

The colours in the background are very dark and give the sense of mystery. The light shining through the window highlights the person who is levitating. This immediately catches the audiences attention and they want to know more about what is happening to this person.

The four lines of text stand out against the bright light background. This draws attention to it, and the audience will read it rather than just passing over another piece of text. The title is also lit up to make it clear what the title of the film is and to remind audiences they should go and see it. Underneath is the statement 'Based on the actual case studies' this attracts audiences as they want to see a believable film. Finally the overall look of the poster is clearly horror and audiences who see the poster, who are interested in this genre, will immediately see that it is frightening and will be attracted to seeing the film.



Session 9
A hazardous-materials-cleanup company has been hired to eliminate asbestos tiles and other toxic material from a gigantic mental hospital that had been shut down in the 1980s. But as one member of the team starts to nose into old files in the office, he uncovers a series of tape recordings of psychiatric sessions--nine of them--related to a notorious sexual abuse case. Soon, toxic materials and dark spirits start to merge.

This is a poster that immediately caught my eye. Having seen the film, I feel the poster has worked well as it attracts audiences to see it, which is what happened to me, even thought the film is not as good as it is made out to be by the poster. The sky in the background creates a chilling atmosphere in the poster, along with the building that i know to be an old asylum home. Audiences would not know this but can see it is a mysterious and frightening looking building and the size of it also adds to this. Shadows seem to be on the building again creating an eerie atmosphere. In the foreground there is a chair, that audiences can see, that is used by mental patients. Being lit up , it shows it is a critical element of the film (mental people) and is a good image representation of what the film is about. The man to the right of this also adds and element of horror as he appears to be the villain ( Propp's theory) acting mysteriously. The title is lit up against the dark background making it clear to audiences the name of the film. "Fear is a place" is the caption at the bottom of the poster attracting audiences interested in the horror genre to want to know more about what is happening

The Amityville Horror
On November 14, 1974, police received a frantic phone call that led them to a grisly crime scene at the Defeo residence in Amityville, Long Island an entire family had been slaughtered in their beds. In the days that followed, Ronald Defeo confessed to methodically shooting his parents and four siblings while they slept. He claimed "voices" in the house drove him to commit the murders. One year later, George and Kathy Lutz and their children moved into the house thinking it would be their dream home. But shortly after settling in, bizarre and unexplainable events began to occur “ nightmarish visions and haunting voices from an evil presence still lurking within the house. 28 days after moving in, the Lutzes abandoned the home, lucky to escape with their lives. Now, 30 years after the shocking real-life events that inspired one of the most popular horror stories of all time, return to the house that started it all: "The Amityville Horror".

Here are two posters based on the same film and story. The first is from and the second is from 1979. I am going to analyse both and compare to see how posters have changed over time.

Mood Board

Here i have constructed a mood board to represent the genre of my film trailer. As part of my research this has allowed me to learn what represents the horror genre. It gave me an in site into what the characters of the genre look like including masks and costumes.

After analysing, horror film trailers, I have listed a variety of things that appear to be in all horror film trailers and that are essential to have in our own trailer, in order for it to be successful.
These are the main conventions that make up a horror trailer:

Dark atmosphere (Mise-en-scene) The right setting is essential to the horror genre. This includes lighting and also the locations. The setting is a important feauture of a horror trailer as they usually give an indication as to the genre and type of horror it is(e.g ghostly, sci-fi, realistic killings). These locations usually include: forests, mental homes, graveyards, haunted buildings or places where something previously has happened.

Editing is usually sharp with short shots usually no more than a few seconds. This builds up tension and suspense luring the audience in to watch the trailer and want to see the film.
The editing usually increases in speed along with the music, building up to the climax, title and release date of the film trailer.
The music and sounds often begin at a slow tempo until a major event takes place. Now in a state of disequilibrium (Todorov) it now becomes more aggressive and upbeat.

There is usually a villain(Propp's theory) present in the trailer sometimes wearing costume, which is also a significant element of a horror film and can become an image that represents that film which audiences will remember. Other charcters normally wear everyday clothes to show their normality againt the villian. These other charcters include the victims, and any one else featured.

In my group, these things will be taken into consideration whilst creating our film trailer and use them to the best ability possible. In my group there is one other person. I believe this will work more efficiently than a larger group as we can divide the work equally and be entirely sure as to what we are doing.

AMUSEMENT

Target Audience- The target audience of this film trailer is audiences who are into the horror genre. AImed at both genders but more so men as it contains a large amount of gore which men usually prefer to women. AImed at ages all ages but 18 + as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative Style- Tabitha. Shelby. Lisa. Theyre longtime friends on separate life paths. But they share a horrific destination when a seemingly innocent incident from their school days comes back to terrify them. Something someone wants payback: warped vengeance…mind-games vengeance…taunting, shredding, slashing vengeance. Inside a stonewalled chamber of prison cells and mechanisms of doom, the three women and other victims face a fierce fight to survive. Tabitha is the last one and the monster believes he is taking her away in a van however lisa fight her way back and kills him. She then drives of telling audiences how here life will never be the same because of one mans Amusement.

Setting- There are many prison like rooms featured in the film representing the idea of being trapped, which is what the three girls are.Other settings include a normal American street and also it shows the girls in a club. This follows Tzvetan Todorov theory. The normal everyday setting shows a state of equilibrium an event takes place ( the first thing we see is a car crash where the car is on fire) This is now at the stage of Disequilibrium. In Todorov's theory it usually returns to a state of equilibrium however this doesn't tend to happen in a horror film trailer as it would tell a story which is not what a trailer does, the audience must be intrigues and left on suspense wanting to see the film. The state of disequilibrium continues with settings of horrific looking houses (along with rain)rooms closing in on you and a huge mansion surrounded by horrific scenery.

Costume- The costume in this that i find the most horrific is the clown costumes. In a spooky house there is a room full of clowns, which many people find disturbing and could be linked to the conventions of a horror genre. There is a life size clown which is what the killer is wearing and I find this scary and so will audiences, this is a good thing as this is what people who like this genre want.

Lyrics(Captions)-'Your life'
'Your fear'
'Your nightmare'
'Your Panic'
'Your Terror'
'His Amusement'
These are gripping captions that keep the audience interested and on the edge of their sits. They want to know more about what is going to happen therefore will go and see the film.I like the amount of captions there are in this trailer as it is giving an insight to the story but not too much intriguing the audience to go

Special Effects-The most common used special effect in this trailer along with the black screen is flashing. The shot flashes on and off the screen very quickly. This again is building up tension and suspense.

Camera Angles- The most frequent camera shot is the close up. This shot is vital in horror films as it is supposed to be scary, audiences need to see reaction shots in order to scare them also as this all adds to the effect of horror. The other common shot is a high angle shot showing victims are powerless.

Editing- This is the element that I think adds the most effect in the trailer. In between each shot is a black screen. This is an element of the horror genre and adds a mysterious and tension building effect. It also acts a s a jump from shot to shot as they are in no particular order and acts as a glue of the trailer. 

Sound- I have added a sound section to this analysis as it is a specific element of this trailer.The killer's laugh can constantly be heard throughout the trailer and has been referred to as 'A creepy cackle' and adds a real horrific element to the trailer.

ORPHAN

Target Audience-The target audience for this film is similar to all horror films.It is aimed at audiences who enjoy this genre. Aimed at both genders and ages 15 and over, as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative Style-The trailer also follows the theory of Jacques Derrida as it clearly belongs to the horror genre. This trailer follows a family where a devistated Kate and John tragicly loose their unborn child. Struggling to regain normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there’s something wrong with Esther—this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But no body would listen to her and Ester turned out to be a 33 year old woman who is out to seduce fathers in many families and if she fails the whole family dies. Although John rejects her and she kills him kate manages to protect her children and kill the former mental patient.

Setting- The stting of this film is in a typical american home, however there is many occations where hospitals, forests and childrens homes are featured and these could be seen as typical conventions of the horror genre.

Costume- There are no particular costumes unlike in other films the evil is known for their costume. Howver Ester wheres strange clothes that are old fashioned and this could be a hidden clue to her true identity.The rest of the family wear everyday clothes to show there normality against Ester.

Lyrics(Captions)- 'Theres Something Wrong With Esther'
'You'll Never Guess Her Secret'
These are the only two captions in the trailer and i think they are very successful. Along with audio the captions intreague the audience persudaing them to see the film as they will want to no what is wrong with her and what she is hiding.

Special Effects- This movie contains minimal special effects as it is a realistic film. However the one that caught my eye was when Esther was in the school corridor and she goes crazy screaming, the camera moving franticly from side to side keeps Esther in focuse but everything else is blurred.

Camera Angles- Similar to the last house on the left and Deridas theory of fitting into a genre, a horror film contains many reaction shots meaning many close ups are used. There is an aerial shot showing the family car driving to the house.there is an over the shoulder shot showing Ester meeting the children. There is close ups of the swings moving and spinning on their own adding a ghoslty element.There is also a panning and high angle shot of one of Esther's victims showing she is in trouble and has less power.

Editing- Similar to all other horro trailers becuase it is a convention of horror film trialers the editing begins of quite quickly but gets faster and builds up tension towards the end and climax of the trailer. The shots are short and cut quickly from one shot to another. Towards the end there are also black screens with voice overs to add mystery. The music also gets fast to add tension and pase to the editing.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT

Target Audience-The target audience for this film is similar to all horror films.It is aimed at audiences who enjoy this genre. Aimed at both genders and ages 15 and over, as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative Style-The trailer follows the theory of Jacques Derrida as it clearly belongs to the horror genre. The trailer tells the brief story of young girl on vacation with her family at their lake house. Mari, the young girl borrows the family car to visit her friend and a boy, who works at the local store and hang out in a hotel room. They are then visited by prison escapees, who which one of is the boys father. Realising the other two girls are risks, they kidnap them and uses the car to leave town. After killing one of the girls and attacking Mari, a storm forces the escapees to seek refuge in the lake house belonging to her parents. Once their daughter, turns up barely alive, they realise who these people are and decide to get revenge on those responsible. This gripping trailer contains gore, rape and murder, following all the conventions of a typical horror trailer.

Setting- The main setting is at the lake house, where it is dark and raining heavily to add to the effect. We also see shots of the forest, where the murders take place. The woods are a typical setting for a trailer of this genre, as if something were to happen out there, nobody is around to help. I am considering using this as a location for my trailer.
Costume-Unlike some horror trailers there are no particular costumes. The characters are wearing everyday clothes to emphasise it is ordinary people do these things.

Lyrics(Captions)-There are no 'lyrics' in this as it is a film trailer. However in this trailer captions are used to add an element of suspense to the story.
"It was a brutal crime" "It was a place to hide" "It was the wrong house"
"If someone hurt, someone you love" "How far would you go" "To hurt them back"
These are gripping captions from the trailer, they interest the audience and help audience understand what is going on whilst convincing them to go see the film. Two of the captions are merged together on this and i find them difficult to read, however this makes audiences concentrate more on the trailer. These are typical conventions of a horror film trailer and I plan to have them in my trailer to help build up to the climax of the trailer.

Special Effects- There are no specific special effects in this trailer however the captions use fade effects. In one there is two statments that dissolve into each other with the second using the same previous words. 'If Someone hurt' fades away, however the word someone then becomes 'Someone you love'. These captions keeps the audience intreaged and will think this is clever, as they will have to concentrate to read them.

Camera Angles- In this trailer there are interesting camera angles.The establishing shot follows the family in a car going to a holiday house.There is a range of different shots including:
over the shoulder shot
close up ( to show emotions as it is a horror film and reactions are a big part of this genre)
high angle shots- to show the charcters is vunrable or less powerfull
The shot i find most interesting is where the banaster is in view but behind it is a door where the camera is zooming towards the door, showing somene is about to come in. I would like to make our own interpretation of this shot for our trailer.

Editing- Editing is a large part of making a trailer as well as the music fitting with it. In this trailer there are short sharp cuts to the next scene creating suspense and build up to the climax of the trailer.The music also gets faster as it builds towards the end.

After analysing both a music video and a film trailer, I have chosen to create a horror film trailer with my group. I take a bigger interest in films and will enjoy doing this more and believe i could get a higher grade doing so.
I have always enjoyed watching horror films and have seen many. I feel that I have gained enough knowledge from watching these, to create a succesful trailer that will represent the horror genre well.

The skills I gained in my AS coursework will be of an advantage to me at A2. Last year our task was to create a magazine cover, which is one of the three things we have to create for our option. My magazine cover last year was a success and I believe creating one for a horror film will be just as successful. This is another reason as to why we have chosen this option.

'Horror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain." Wikipedia
I thought this quote from wikipedia describes horror films down to the tee and thought this is an outline of what a trailer consists of.

Theory -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In order to complete research effieciently i have started to look at media theories and will include this in my analysis.

"Theory is really nothing more than a way of thinking, that is more systematic and sophisticated than thinking in an everyday sense"

The areas of theory
Behaviourism- uses and gratifications of theory
Structuralism- semioties, signifiers and codes
Narrative and Genre- branches of structuralism
Feminism- gender bias and control
Post-Colonialism- the politics of race and the world order after western military or commercial empires have broken down
Consumerism-what influences people to buy media

Jacques Derrida

proposed that 'a text cannot belong to no genre, it cannot be without a genre. Every text participates in one or several genres , there is no genre-less text'


Levi Strauss

developed the concept of bricolage. Saw any texts as constructed out of socially recognisable 'debris' from other text. He saw the writers construct texts from other texts as a process of: Addition-The use of a rude word, something not typical of a genre.
Deletion- where you might take something typical out
Substitution- something in which is essential the same but something different
Transposition- taking the familiar concept and putting it in a different place,concept
Bricolage assumes that most of the film fits the structures of the genre. But the unique selling point is a slight difference either added, deleted, substituted or transposed.


Vladimir Propp

'The folk wondertale' using the genre form he studied hundreds of fairy tails.
He identified that there is in every fairytale:
8 character roles(or spheres of actions)
31 functions - which move the story along


Propps' 8 characters roles include:
The hero - Character motivated by an initial lack
The Donor- provides the object with some form of magic property
The villian- character portrayed as evil, usually is scheming
The helper- aids the hero
The princess- object of the villians' schemes and reward for hero
Her father- validates the hero
The dispatcher- sends the hero on his way
The false hero- character thought to be the hero


Propp's theory is a form of structurilism.
Structurilism is seen as that all media is inevitably in the form of certain fixed structures, that are often culturally derived and form expectations in the mind of an audience from within that same culture. An example of this would be the Prince and Princess always marrying, living 'happily ever after'.


Todorov

Developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium.
He identified that stories follow a typical pattern of:
Equilibrium -----> Disequilibrium-----> Equilibrium
This theory fits equally well with film texts. It again follows the same pattern.
Normal world- Things are as they should be in the story
->
Disrupted- a key event causes the disruption
->
Normal is restored- resorted at the end of story usually by actions of the hero


After more research and studies Todorov developed his theory even more into a 5 stage pattern.
1. a state of Equilibrium
2. a disruption of the equilibrium by an action
3. a recognition that there has been a disruption
4. an attempt to repair the disruption
5. a rein statement of the equilibrium


Roland Barthes

believes with in a text there are 5 action codes that enable an audience to make sense of a narrative
-Hermeneutic ( Narrative turning points )- we know where the troy will go next
-Proairetic (Basic narrative actions )-detectives interviews suspect or femme fatale seduces hero -Cultural ( Prior social knowledge )- our attitudes to gender or racial stereotypes
-Semic ( medium related codes )- intertextuality- what we have seen before
-Symbolic ( themes )- iconography or a theme such as image vs reality

Diegisis

This theory applies to narrative events, just as it did to sounds.
Diagetic- narrative events that take place before the audience, within the field of vision
Non-diagetic- takes place off screen either before the movie has started, between scenes or simultaneously but in another location.

Victor Shklovsky

Attempted to distinguish between the plot which he defined as the events we actually 'see' in the narrative; and the story which contains all the information or events affecting the characters both on and off screen.

He gave them difficult names:

Fabula- the story i.e the whole world of the story before during and after what we see or hear

Syuzhet- only the event we see or hear in the field of vision



Chiaroscuro

A word meaning 'light and shade' or dark refering to the modelling of volume by depicting light and shade by contrasting them boldly.











All of these theories have helped me gain a wider range of knowledge of media theory and I plan to include these in my research and planning.