Soundtrack

Using Soundtrack Pro brought from the Apple Store, I was able to look through a variety of different soundtracks from the cinematic section. These are all copyright free as they are provided within the app from Apple.

I found a track I particuarly liked called 'Blackout' and I felt it went well with my trailer. The strings and eery tones fit the mystery and thriller aspect of the film, whilst the piano part of the song make it seem like a drama film, which also fits in with the film's theme.

Cutting the song into parts and looping particular moments of the song, I knew I wanted to use the drum and heavy beats at important parts of the trailer, for example once the girl's face changes to the mask.

I wanted to have a faster sound during the montage/last half of my film trailer and I looked at different songs I could use. Everything I chose seemed to really stand out as it was played after Blackout and it didn't fit right, so I thought I would play around with Blackout's tempo, speed and so on.

I changed the tempo of 'Blackout' and made the pitch slightly higher, which speeds up the music and therefore adds tension. I used this in the last part of the film trailer and faded it out towards the end.

For sound effects, I found a sound called 'Dark Side' which I used at the point where the soundtrack changes tempo. This is to show that there is an obvious point where everything in the trailer speeds up, which is the time that the face of the girl is revealed to be a mask.

Throughout my interim feedback, a few people kept telling me that the little girl and older girl's scream did not fit in with the trailer, as the scream was too short and appeared out of nowhere. So I played around with the editing features of the song to see how it would be worked.

At first I copied a chunk from the middle of the scream and reentered it into the middle, this is so the scream is now longer in duration. I then used the echo effect from Final Cut Pro to extend the scream and make it echo/ The echoing scream reflects the narrative of the film, as the little girl is haunting the older girl. The scream I use is one I recorded of the little girl, and it goes over both visuals of the little girl and older girl screaming, so it shows that the two girls are connected.

Another sound I used within my trailer is another sound effect from the little girl. As the song the girl sings at the beginning is Ring A Ring o'Roses, I wanted to connect the beginning of the trailer with the end of the trailer like a loop. At the beginning the little girl sings one part of the song:

Ring-a-ring o' roses,
A pocket full of posies,
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down.

The song is an urban legend song, which has been around for hundreds of years since 1800s. However, some people say that the song comes from the Black Plague of 1665-1666, where thousands of people died. The song therefore has quite a sinister meaning.

During the last part of my film trailer, I wanted the little girl's singing to echo throughout the montage and end in the final scene. So I recorded here singing another part of the song.

Fishes in the water
Fishes in the sea
We all jump up
With a one, two, three.

I made sure that I positioned the last part of the song to have the countdown to three appear just when the character opens her eyes in the last shot. I also used another effect so that her voice appears like an echo, a voice in a head which is a code of psychological thrillers.

Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_a_Ring_o'_Roses

Re-shooting/and re-editing

Risk assessment

Home 1 - Hall way for mirror

Home 2 - Hall way for little girl painting

Bedroom 1 - Bed used for dream scene and opening of door

Kitchen 1 - Used for knife scene

Grassland 1 - Used for running scene

Street 1 - Montage scenes of girl walking and car being drove


Home 1-
All breakable items were placed away from the scene so that they were not at risk of being broken and damaged because this was not my house. Secondly, if the items were broken they could have caused injury to cast and or crew members. There was a natural risk of people tripping, knocking themselves of things and so on, however we avoided these accidents by setting up the tripod, camera and making sure each scene was filmed with no rush.

Home 2-

All items were removed as the little girl was going to be in the hallway. There was a natural risk of people tripping, knocking themselves of things and so on, however we avoided these accidents by setting up the tripod, camera and making sure each scene was filmed with no rush. I had to get permission from the girls' parent to make sure she was ok to be filmed for my media project.

Bedroom 1-

As this was not my bedroom, we had to respect the owner's privacy and therefore we removed objects that would be in shot which were photographs or something similar. This also meant we had to make sure we left the room after filming how we found it. Possible risks were simple hazards such as hurting self on objects, but none of the risks were dangerous.

Kitchen 1-

Kitchen's are very dangerous because of the different utensils that are around, therefore I was sure that no other people were in the room as I was only filming a knife. Because knives are dangerous, I made sure to slowly and carefully apply the fake blood to the knife and that I was wearing safety gloves.

Grassland 1 -

There were many risks on the grassland area, such as litter, holes in ground, trees and wildlife. We made sure not to harm any wildlife during filming and that we did not affect the nature where we filmed. We also checked that no litter or other dangerous materials surrounding the area where we were filming, so that my actor and the crew were safe. Dog mess is another issue we had to check for, to make sure it wasn't in the way of filming.

Street 1 -

Similarly to grassland, the street could have had dog mess, litter or other natural hazards to harm actors or crew.  We had to watch out for cars too, but luckily we only used an alley way and a dead end road, so there were fewer cars.

First poster attempt

When creating my poster (link here to how I created my poster), I had a few different ideas when making it. Here are some drafts of my poster:


My first idea was a image of the main character but hidden behind the mask. In the character's eye would be a reflection of the little girl from the film trailer.

After many attempts, I realised to pull off this I would need a very creative images to work together. I tried many times but thought of other ideas I could do with the photos I took in my character poster photo shoot.

Here are some other small edits I tried with my images:

I took one image and expanded on it with some editing. I created a poster and asked around in my media class what people thought.

Even before asking, I was not impressed with this poster and therefore I decided I needed to make it look darker, more intimidating and like a psychological thriller.

Here are some edits I created on photoshop. Straight away I thought I was on to something good as I liked the change in the image.

 In the second edit of it, I made sure the face was more vibrant and therefore stood out more. I like the idea of a full black background as the film will be quite dark and daunting.

I added the extra information credits and my tagline, which I was both happy with.

Then I tried different coloured text.
One White with a Red outline.

 A second just plain Red.

 And a third, red with a black outline.

I genrerated a survery where I printed out a copy of each and gave to twenty members of my target audience to see which colour they preferred.

White with Red outline  4
Plain Red                       1
Red with a Black outline 15
When I asked these people what genre they thought the film was, they all said horror and some said 'horror/thriller'. When I asked why, they all said that the text reminded them of blood and therefore horror.

Even though my film features blood, it is not specifically a horror but a psychological thriller. Therefore, I am going to change the type of font so that is it more basic for a film poster (like the ones below) but stick to the colour of the one with the most votes. Red with a Black outline.

Ancillary task feedback

At the beginning of my project, I created a questionnaire that 20 people answered for me, to help plan my project. (HERE)


Here are the results that were subjected around my ancillary tasks (film magazine front cover and film poster).


11. Most people are interested in buying a magazine just for the story on the front, so I will have to make sure my magazine front cover is engaging for audiences.

12. Even more people would actually buy a magazine if it starred a character or actor from a film they are interested in. This will help me when planning what to feature on my magazine front cover.

13. From this question I found that posters are still as important when promoting a film, so I will have to ensure that the poster aims to sell the film just like the trailer.

14. Half of my audience said that a character or icon from the film needs to be featured on a poster to make them want to see it or take an interest in the film. While a quarter say that a still image from a scene takes their interest. The actual film title or actors wasn’t such a big factor, according to my questionnaire results, so I will need to take more consideration when creating my poster to use a scene or icons.

Extra scenes to film and new story

Montage scene

Realising I need a few more clips for my montage, I decided to list small scenes that would work for a psychological thriller.

Looking at the montage scenes in Black Swan, Donnie Darko and The Machinst, I was able to notice what type of creepy, psychological shots I would need.


-Protagonist screaming (CU or zoom from a medium shot into a CU)
-Protaginist running (Camera close behind, following)
-Close up of a weapon (either knife, gun, etc...)


Other ideas I have:

-A car drives past with the driver wearing one of the demon masks (Zoom into mask face)
-Protagonist looks through a book fast (as if searching for answers. Camera would look at book)
-Protagonist walking somewhere with a close up following the back of the head (making audience feel uncomfortable)
-(Different shot) Protagonist turning around quick as if camera is person behind.

Edit Decision List

After filming the majority of my trailer and looking at my shot list, I created an edit decision list to follow my shot list.

This will help me when editing my trailer together on Final Cut Pro.

Shot number	Shot description (other notes)	Type of edit
1	Medium shot with a movement from eye level to high angle, handheld of little girl painting. Camera is behind girl.	Cut. Black and white.
2	Medium shot, eye level, capturing face of little girl. Handheld	Cut. Black and white.
3	Very high, medium shot of little girl, capturing image of painting. Camera moves down to focus on the painting still at a very high angle.	Cut. Black and white.
4	Medium shot, eye level, of bed as woman wakes up. Still	Fade out. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
5	Extreme close up of eye and then lips. Eye Level. Still	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
6	Close up, eye level of woman’s face. Still	Fade out. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
7	Over the shoulder, eye level medium close up of woman. Woman is on left hand of shot as mirror reflection is captured on the right of the shot. Still	Fade in. Cut out. Blur effect in on right hand side but keep left hand side still. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
8	Long, high angle, shot of newspaper. Zoom into headline of newspaper.	Cut. Slow speed. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
9	Medium, eye level shot of woman opening door. Still	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
10	Long, eye level, shot of masked man in bushes. Still	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
11	Medium, high angle shot of woman looking through book. Still	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
12	Close up; pan out, of knife on floor.	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
13	Long shot, pan down from eye level, of masked man in car.	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
14	Medium, eye level shot of little girl screaming. Still	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
15	Close up, eye level of woman screaming. Still	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
16	Long, eye level shot of woman running through trees.	Cut. Slow speed. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
17	Medium shot, eye level, handheld shot of woman walking. (Camera is behind woman)	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
18	Close up, eye level, handheld shot of woman walking. (Camera is behind woman)	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
19	Extreme close up, eye level, handheld shot of woman walking and then turning. (Camera is behind woman)	Cut. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)
20	Close up, eye level shot of woman asleep. In background, masked man can be seen. Blurred shot at first but then zoom puts two characters in focus.	Cut. Zoom focus. Colour corrector- bleak, non-vibrant edit)

Titles in trailers

Psychological Thriller icons

Most psychological thrillers involve a particular icon that reappears throughout the film as part of a symbol or a reoccurrence to 'play' on the protagonist's mind, whether they appear in the protagonist's dream or real life, they have a big part to play in the psychological aspect.


Black Swan

Throughout Black Swan there are many different icons that show that the main character, Nina (Natalie Portman), is losing her mind. The main theme for the film is ballet, and further into this theme the ballet show is Swan Lake, so there are many different icons just from here.

Nina's personality reflects that of a swan, so the theme of bird is throughout. There is a close focus on the body with bones and joints. As well as this, there are lots of close ups to show these icons.

One of the biggest icons that reflects the swan theme is the use of black feathers throughout the film and trailer. At the very end of the trailer, in the pivotal moment, Nina pulls what appears to be a black feather from a scratch on her back.

This scene is important for the trailer because it at the very end of the trailer, leaving audiences asking what they just saw, why it happens and what happens after. The music also emphasises the frightening effect this scene does. It's a very good example of Barthes Hermeneutic Code, because nothing in the scene makes sense so it makes audiences question what has happened.

This icon and theme is also used in other promotions for the film. An example is the poster below.

Donnie Darko

The character, Donnie, has an imaginary friend who is wearing a bunny costume. This is referenced to throughout the film often. Not only does the character and icon of a rabbit appear in the film and the trailer, other forms of promotion use the icon.

 

There are a lot of shots of the protagonist seen through various canted and obscure camera angles. This shows the character's mind.

  

Other themes and icons throughout the trailer are fire and storms.

Although there are still many close ups used in Donnie Darko, the psychological visual aspect comes from the repetition of icons such as the bunny rabbit, storms and fires. All of these are used in the film's poster as well as the trailer.

 

The Machinst

The Machinst is about a man who works on a machine, so the title of the film is pretty obvious. This is a big part of the story, so the theme of machine sounds are very apparent throughout the trailer and the film. Another big icon of the film is the game 'hangman', which appears on the character's fridge unfinished and the character comes back to this game throughout the film and the trailer.

This icon is also used on the film's poster, because of it's importance to the film's story.

The main purpose for icons in the film is similar to that of Barthes Hermeneutic Code. The code is unexplained so audiences do not know the full story and therefore, they are forced to keep guessing throughout the film. It's similar to the Action/Proairetic Code because the icons do not raise questions. Most of all, the Barthes media theory is mostly applicable to psychological thriller codes because of the Semantic Code, which is the voice of the person showing a deeper meaning of the symbols.

A very important symbolic icon in The Prestige (2006 dir. Christopher Nolan)

For my trailer, I'm going to have a few different icons. My most used icon will be a mask, because my film is a psychological thriller about a young female's mind, the mask acts as a form of anonymity and the identity of the people wearing the mask is unknown. The mask is symbolic of captivity, anonymity and being trapped. Masks, especially plain masks like the one I am using, take away a person's identity and personality, so the mask is very symbolic which could hint to what the film's plot is about. 

Shot list

Shot	Description of the Shot
Shot 1	Medium shot with a movement from eye level to high angle, handheld of little girl painting. Camera is behind girl.
Shot 2	Medium shot, eye level, capturing face of little girl. Handheld
Shot 3	Very high, medium shot of little girl, capturing image of painting. Camera moves down to focus on the painting still at a very high angle.
Shot 4	Medium shot, eye level, of bed as woman wakes up. Still
Shot 5	Extreme close up of eye and then lips. Eye Level. Still
Shot 6	Close up, eye level of woman’s face. Still
Shot 7	Over the shoulder, eye level medium close up of woman. Woman is on left hand of shot as mirror reflection is captured on the right of the shot. Still
Shot 8	Long, high angle, shot of newspaper. Zoom into headline of newspaper.
Shot 9	Medium, eye level shot of woman opening door. Still
Shot 10	Long, eye level, shot of masked man in bushes. Still
Shot 11	Medium, high angle shot of woman looking through book. Still
Shot 12	Close up; pan out, of knife on floor.
Shot 13	Long shot, pan down from eye level, of masked man in car.
Shot 14	Medium, eye level shot of little girl screaming. Still
Shot 15	Close up, eye level of woman screaming. Still
Shot 16	Long, eye level shot of woman running through trees.
Shot 17	Medium shot, eye level, handheld shot of woman walking. (Camera is behind woman)
Shot 18	Close up, eye level, handheld shot of woman walking. (Camera is behind woman)
Shot 19	Extreme close up, eye level, handheld shot of woman walking and then turning. (Camera is behind woman)
Shot 20	Close up, eye level shot of woman asleep. In background, masked man can be seen. Blurred shot at first but then zoom puts two characters in focus.