Name: Eloise Robertson
Age: 22
Sister of Hollie Robertson
Eloise has blonde hair and blue eyes.
Eloise is a new character we have decided to incorporate into our film, to use instead of 'Hollies dad'. We have decided to do this to ease the filming process, as the character who was going to play "Hollies dad' wasn't going to be available on the allocated filming days. We feel as though this character will still fulfil the role we're wanting to have in our film, and in turn will make sure our film has enough background and realism.
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Genre Research - Typical Characters
Typical Characters used in thriller films:
There are a number of characteristics typically used in thriller films to make the film enjoyable.
The detectives in thrillers are usually haunted by old cases that haven't been solved or gone wrong. Typically a missing child/women that was never found which plays on their mind still hindering the case they are solving in the thriller film. They more than likely still carry the victims picture in his wallet.
There are a number of characteristics typically used in thriller films to make the film enjoyable.
The typical 'bad guy' in a thriller film is a male character usually with underlying issues such as childhood abuse or have been through trauma at a young age who appears to be a nice guy until the film begins to unravel the story. They are almost always seen as kind and sweet to draw in their victim.
However as thriller films have gotten better throughout the years the conventions of thriller films have change and some thriller films have the antagonist as a woman, which makes for an interesting storyline as they appear sweet and innocent at first this is scene in recent films like The Roommate which drew inspiration from the 1992 thriller, Single White Female and Awake.
Awake goes against all the conventions of a thriller as the bad guy is a female and the victim is a man.
The female character is typically the victim which is one of two type of girls depending on what the story is about in the thriller film.
The first type of girl is one who is a loner girl with little friends. This is so its easier for the bad guy to get her as no one will be around her. This is seen in a number of films like
The other type of protagonist is a pretty (usually blonde) girl who is popular and is helped by other characters usually her friends, to be saved. The usual plot with this type of character is where the 'bad guy' has a particular reason to kidnap this kind of person e.g. like in the film The Call
The detectives in thrillers are usually haunted by old cases that haven't been solved or gone wrong. Typically a missing child/women that was never found which plays on their mind still hindering the case they are solving in the thriller film. They more than likely still carry the victims picture in his wallet.
The loved up couple who are usually all over each other when something bad is about to happen, they are typically away from the action, isolated themselves from the group or other characters so that when something has happened like a murder, they either don't know what is happening or are the first to be killed as they are typically preoccupied with each other they are oblivious to their surroundings. These typical characters has an impact on the audience as they are shouting in frustration of what dangers is to come. These characters are seen in Snakes on a Plane and Friday the 13th.
The loved up couple in snakes on a plane are oblivious to the fact that deadly venomous snakes are in the toilet room and the toilet itself as they are to enthralled with each other, that they die.
Possible Film Distributors
StudioCanal UK
StudioCanal is a UK film distributor releasing Independent films like The Bling Ring and thriller film End of Watch. Most of the films StudioCanal UK release are in the genre of comedy, horror, thriller and crime/action which means our film will fit in with the films they have previously released.
As our film is a short film the best distributor for our 5 minute film would be one that specialises in distributing short films, which is why Future Shorts would be an ideal distributor for us. Future Shorts is a short film label based in London and was founded in 2003 and opened a DVD distribution division in 2007 which means they are a relatively new company meaning there is a bigger opportunity for them to choose to distribute our film. Future Shorts also organise a monthly short film festival, Future Shorts ONE that screens short films which would be the perfect way for us to get our film recognised.
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Non-Diegetic sound to use on time lapse
On our time lapse we will use Non Diegetic sound over the top. To create the desired effect we will need something slow and moving this gives a good impression of a lonely, in her own world feeling we are wanting to create for Hollie for example...
Although this isn't Royalty Free it gives us a base idea to work from.
Here is another example of a non royalty free song example, once we have these basis to work on i think it will be easier to find a good, moving royalty free example
Here is another example of a non royalty free song example, once we have these basis to work on i think it will be easier to find a good, moving royalty free example
Tricky Shots - Time lapse
Throughout our short film we have 2 tricky shots one being a split screen and the other a time lapse. We are wanting to do our time lapse via video and not stills. We first found inspiration from the following video...
The video gives the exact effect we want to achieve although we believe this video was done via a green screen as the girls are moving whilst filming. This will be a tricky shot for us as the character Hollie 'Megan' will have to sit still for a while (approximately 10 minutes) which when speeded up will give us around 2 minutes of actual footage which we will cut down to about 10 seconds.
Here is another video which has given us inspiration and we believe they have video rather than stills to create this effect..
This also in places shows something still such as buildings and statues which in our film would be megan, they have sped everything up however looks as though the stills are not moving and as if everything around them are going so busy. In this particular video they have used a non diagetic soundtrack, which adds to the fast pace.
As this is a tricky shot we also need to research how to achieve this effect when we are using final cut express, here is a video to demonstrate how...
Although this video is on final cut pro it gives a rough idea how to create the 'rushed effect' which is desired. I don't think creating this will be too difficult as we have researched it well plus we have previous experience with final cut express.
Why did we chose to use a time lapse? We as a group decided to use a time lapse as we think it will give a really great effect when Hollie is waiting for Ethan. It will portray as if the world is going by her while she is invisible and lonely. Our short film takes Hollie on a journey where she at the beginning is lonely and quiet, Ethan then gets Hollie to break out of her shell and starts to become more confident, then when Ethan denies her the world comes crashing back down to earth when she realises she is lonely and that no one does want her, this we feel is a why a time lapse will be effective.
Here is another video which has given us inspiration and we believe they have video rather than stills to create this effect..
As this is a tricky shot we also need to research how to achieve this effect when we are using final cut express, here is a video to demonstrate how...
Why did we chose to use a time lapse? We as a group decided to use a time lapse as we think it will give a really great effect when Hollie is waiting for Ethan. It will portray as if the world is going by her while she is invisible and lonely. Our short film takes Hollie on a journey where she at the beginning is lonely and quiet, Ethan then gets Hollie to break out of her shell and starts to become more confident, then when Ethan denies her the world comes crashing back down to earth when she realises she is lonely and that no one does want her, this we feel is a why a time lapse will be effective.
Possible independent film producers
Warp Films is an independent film production company based in Sheffield & London, UK. Warp Films breakout success came with Shane Meadows’ This Is England, the story of Shaun, a boy who is adopted by a local skinhead gang after his father is killed in the Falklands war. Since its release in early 2007 it has gained many awards .
Warp produce films through a variety of genres, ranging from action to comedy. This is a list of films that they have produced:
Film poster research
The Call
The main colours of the poster is red which gives a sense of danger and fits in with the genre of film. The title is in a plain font suggesting the film has a simple plot which is easy to follow. The map covering her face suggests that the films is an adventure type film where the film takes twist and turns throughout. It also shows that the film isn't just based in a call centre, it shows they move around.
The film bases its poster on Halle Berry, a well known actress who will attract an audience. Halle is looking straight into the camera with a straight face, she looks scared or in shock like she doesn't know what to do this suggests in the film she is faced with decisions or situations that are hard to deal with.
The Conjuring
The conjuring poster tries to attract an audience by showing that the director is the same from Saw and Insidious showing that the films are similar and if they enjoyed the other two then they would enjoy this also. The dark, eerie room fits in with the horror genre and the image of a girl in the corner of the room suggests that at some point in the film there is isolation.
The image of a creepy doll looking into the camera gives an impression that the doll has some significance to the plot and that the film is based on something supernatural as the doll looks like the living thing in the poster as it looks animated and the girl sat in the chair seems motionless. The black marks on the wall could suggest that something supernatural is lurking in the room, it also looks like it is gathering towards the girl like it is trying to take something from her, like her mind or body.
Under the title there is a tagline which says 'based on the true case files of the warrens' this will either scare people into watching the film or interest people as it shows the film is based on some true evidence. It is known that a film becomes more scarier when the audience know the film is based on true events as it creates a sense of reality where the things that happen in the film can happen to anyone in real life which will make more people want to watch it.
Conventions of film posters
They background is typically black and dark for thriller films
For a thriller film there is a single dominant image, in the centre of the poster whereas if it was an action film they get most of the cast in like Avengers Assemble
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Film Poster Essentials
Making a great and memorable poster is key to the marketing campaign of a film if the film poster is dull and uninteresting then that will effect the success of the film and it's overall grossing. Film posters are one of the cheapest and most effective ways to gain interest for a film, as they can be put up on walls, advertisements and buses for all to see.
To make the best poster the key elements needed are:
The image - The foundation of the poster is an image that illustrates the central theme of the movie. The image should be memorable and the meaning of the image and film should be easy to grasp and understand. It should also be an image which has a flat plane or colour on some part to allow the title to stand out against the picture.
Title - The title is key to the selling of the film as if there was no title no-one would know what film they are looking at. The title should be bold, easy on the eye and the main text on the poster. Some films however like to opt to put casts name the same size as the title if there is a famous actor/actress in the film. The design of this is they put the actors name bigger than the title particularly if the film has little money to put towards the marketing campaign so the film uses the actors popularity to gain interest.
The expendables use the casts name to attract their audience.
Tagline - A poster generally has a tagline to draw people in and show what sort of film it is. The tagline is a short teaser of what is to come and is usually something memorable. It should be a smaller and different font from the title.
Additional Credits - Most posters include the people who were essential to making the film like the director, producer and composer as well as the film company and movie studio. This is normally used when for example the director is well known for making other films that gained a large amount of audiences so they write 'from the director of _____ and _____' which allows them to attract more people as it is more likely people who have seen and enjoyed the other two films will want to see this film as well.
Additional Details - Most posters include the time of release or 'coming soon' to generate interest. They also add the sound system used particularly if its something like IMAX as it is a relatively new. This is also the same with films in 3D. In a squashed font additional cast and crew are added, the URL for the movie's website, copyright notice and award information.
To make the best poster the key elements needed are:
The image - The foundation of the poster is an image that illustrates the central theme of the movie. The image should be memorable and the meaning of the image and film should be easy to grasp and understand. It should also be an image which has a flat plane or colour on some part to allow the title to stand out against the picture.
Title - The title is key to the selling of the film as if there was no title no-one would know what film they are looking at. The title should be bold, easy on the eye and the main text on the poster. Some films however like to opt to put casts name the same size as the title if there is a famous actor/actress in the film. The design of this is they put the actors name bigger than the title particularly if the film has little money to put towards the marketing campaign so the film uses the actors popularity to gain interest.
The expendables use the casts name to attract their audience.
Tagline - A poster generally has a tagline to draw people in and show what sort of film it is. The tagline is a short teaser of what is to come and is usually something memorable. It should be a smaller and different font from the title.
Additional Credits - Most posters include the people who were essential to making the film like the director, producer and composer as well as the film company and movie studio. This is normally used when for example the director is well known for making other films that gained a large amount of audiences so they write 'from the director of _____ and _____' which allows them to attract more people as it is more likely people who have seen and enjoyed the other two films will want to see this film as well.
Additional Details - Most posters include the time of release or 'coming soon' to generate interest. They also add the sound system used particularly if its something like IMAX as it is a relatively new. This is also the same with films in 3D. In a squashed font additional cast and crew are added, the URL for the movie's website, copyright notice and award information.
Tricky Shots - Split Screen
In our film we want to use a variety of tricky shots one of them being a split screen.
We would like to use it when Hollie is trying to get in touch with Ethan as on one side we want to see Hollie on the phone ringing Ethan and next to that we want to see Ethan decline the call. When deciding what shots to use for this specific scene as a group we had all seen and enjoyed Kill Bill and remembered that they had used a split screen in their film, and this is where we first found inspiration to use a split screen.
This clip shows exactly how we would like to do it in our film. Kill Bill is a thriller/action film and uses the split screen to show what is happening to two different characters. The use of a split screen helps to keep the pace of a thriller film fast as it shows you what the separate characters are doing but showing this at the time doesn't make the film longer. It prepares the audience that in some way the women in the bed is linked to the women getting ready with the needles, as the woman lays in bed the music is eerie and when the screen splits the music becomes more fast paced and louder indicating something is to happen.
The shots show the opposite between the two women as the woman laying in bed is helpless and vulnerable and the other woman being able to move around shows she is superior.
It then pans up the woman's arm in bed at the same time as seeing a needle being prepared to indicate the needle is intended for the helpless woman.
The last split screen is of the woman in beds eye being closed, suggesting she is asleep/unconscious or knocked out, the other shot is of the woman with a eye patch on showing she is possibly blind in one eye which is the opposite to the women in bed.
In the clip above it starts off as a long shot which gets smaller as the other shot slides in, to split the screen in half, if we want to start off with Hollie ringing the phone we will need to leave space to the right of Hollie so that when Ethans shot slides in, it doesn't cover any of Hollie up.
To enable we can do this tricky shot we have to find out how to do it on final cut express. Although this video shows us how to split the screen into 3 shots instead of 2 it stills helps us to understand how to do the desired effect we want.
Here is a different version of how to do a split screen on Final Cut Express which is a shorter description and is more relevant to us as we only intend to use 2 shots.
Ethan & Hollie
Day 1
Ethan - Hi... How are you?
Hollie - Fine thanks, you?
Ethan - Ye i'm good :)
Day 2
Hollie - Never guess what ... I've got a new phone, text my new number 07743576634
Ethan - Guess who
Hollie - No idea ;)
Day 3
Hollie - Had a good day at work?
Ethan - Missed you, meet up soon?
Hollie - Yeee :) Where?
Ethan - I'll let you know
Day 4
Hollie - How about a meet up in town tomorrow?
Ethan - Mine instead?
Hollie - Maybe after
Ethan - Dunno. I'm going now. Bye.
Ethan - Hi... How are you?
Hollie - Fine thanks, you?
Ethan - Ye i'm good :)
Day 2
Hollie - Never guess what ... I've got a new phone, text my new number 07743576634
Ethan - Guess who
Hollie - No idea ;)
Day 3
Hollie - Had a good day at work?
Ethan - Missed you, meet up soon?
Hollie - Yeee :) Where?
Ethan - I'll let you know
Day 4
Hollie - How about a meet up in town tomorrow?
Ethan - Mine instead?
Hollie - Maybe after
Ethan - Dunno. I'm going now. Bye.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Possible mainstream distributor
The company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century Pictures, founded in 1933 by Darryl F. Zanuck and Joseph M. Schenck.
20th Century Fox has distributed various commercially successful film series, including Star Wars, Ice Age, X-Men, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, Fantastic Four, Alien and Predator. Its clear TCF have a wide variety of genres when it comes to distributing films, but quite a lot are linked with action films.
I think they'd be a perfect mainstream distributor for our film as they're a well know company, who distribute similar films.
Filming Schedule
These are the days we are available
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
These are the days our external actors are available
Tuesday (after 4:30pm)
Wednesday
This is our schedule
Tuesday the 19th November - Megan's house (indoor scenes) - 12pm onwards
Wednesday the 20th November - Darton and Town - 12pm onwards
We chose to film this early to ensure that if any issues occur we can re-film. Another issue which we came across was megan's hair... Megan is changing her hair colour on the 29th of November which would be a huge downfall in continuity.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
These are the days our external actors are available
Tuesday (after 4:30pm)
Wednesday
This is our schedule
Tuesday the 19th November - Megan's house (indoor scenes) - 12pm onwards
Wednesday the 20th November - Darton and Town - 12pm onwards
We chose to film this early to ensure that if any issues occur we can re-film. Another issue which we came across was megan's hair... Megan is changing her hair colour on the 29th of November which would be a huge downfall in continuity.
Progress Report
So far we have...
looked at similar film posters
researched viral adds
risk assessment
chosen a film name
What we will do in the next couple of weeks...
make a film schedule
complete shot list
start filming
looked at similar film posters
researched viral adds
risk assessment
chosen a film name
What we will do in the next couple of weeks...
make a film schedule
complete shot list
start filming
Character costumes
Ethan
On our outdoor scenes, Ethan will be wearing casual wear (such as jeans and a t-shirt and trainers) yet darker clothes than most people to look more mysterious and to add the the feeling of the scene to make him look scarier. He will also be wearing a big coat because of the weather.
Hollie
Hollie is being filmed in multiple scenes at different times and so will need various different outfits. We will keep a running theme of casual wear through the filming to keep a sense of realism and so that viewers can relate to her. Outfits will mainly be jeans, tops and leggings. Again, in outside scenes Hollie will be wearing a coat because of the cold weather.
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Similar film - Catfish
Catfish
How is the film similar
The male in the film is Nev who is supposedly talking online to a young woman called Megan. They become friends and begin an online relationship just like Ethan and Hollie. In the film Nev tries to meet up with Megan who makes up various excuses to not meet up, just like Ethan.
How is it different
In Catfish, Megan turns out to be Angela her mother, when Nev finds out this he still keeps in contact with her and they become friends where as in our film the story isn't a happy ending as Ethan turns out to be a kidnapper.
How is the film similar
The male in the film is Nev who is supposedly talking online to a young woman called Megan. They become friends and begin an online relationship just like Ethan and Hollie. In the film Nev tries to meet up with Megan who makes up various excuses to not meet up, just like Ethan.
How is it different
In Catfish, Megan turns out to be Angela her mother, when Nev finds out this he still keeps in contact with her and they become friends where as in our film the story isn't a happy ending as Ethan turns out to be a kidnapper.
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Possible Hair/Makeup/Clothing Ideas
Hollie
Hair: Blonde, straight, fringe clipped with a bobby pin, very practical and neat, blonde to try and fit in with the crowd
Makeup: Minimal makeup throughout, however when she is ready to go on her date with Ethan we see Hollie 'dolled up'.
Clothing: Cute little tea, skater dress with tights and dolly shoes. Reserved and not daring to match Hollies Personality
Hollies Dad
Hair: N/A
Makeup: N/A
Clothing: Work clothes, showing he is supporting Hollie (his only family) by going to work and earning them a living.
Ethan
Hair: Dark, short styled hair.
Makeup: N/A
Clothing: Navy parka coat, skinny jeans, converse. (Not that we really see Ethan)
Hair: Blonde, straight, fringe clipped with a bobby pin, very practical and neat, blonde to try and fit in with the crowd
Makeup: Minimal makeup throughout, however when she is ready to go on her date with Ethan we see Hollie 'dolled up'.
Clothing: Cute little tea, skater dress with tights and dolly shoes. Reserved and not daring to match Hollies Personality
Hollies Dad
Hair: N/A
Makeup: N/A
Clothing: Work clothes, showing he is supporting Hollie (his only family) by going to work and earning them a living.
Ethan
Hair: Dark, short styled hair.
Makeup: N/A
Clothing: Navy parka coat, skinny jeans, converse. (Not that we really see Ethan)
Possible Title Names
Imposter
Like Strangers
Like a Curs...or
Final Request
Deleted
One Click Away
Low Profile
Possible Distributor For Our Film
Entertainment Film Distributors would be an ideal distributor for our film as they are UK Based an a leader in their field of work, which is independent films. Entertainment film's doesn't seem to have a particular genre of film as they have ranged from Lord Of The Rings to Hairspray therefore are quite flexible, not only are they that but also successful, which is something we would look for in a distributor.
Film Poster Research - Easier With Practice
Easier with practice also gives the audience a relatively good idea what the film is about from the poster. Only a phone and a with what seems to be a lonely, slightly worried male. The man looks just like any other average man, suggesting that he probably is down on his luck, not any richer than the average person and just lives a normal day to day life. The phone however must play a huge part in the film as it is the only other object in the poster. The male is laid on a bed next to the phone which is unusual as you would normally see another person in the place of the phone, this suggests that the male has some sort of relationship with the phone, or whoever is on the other end of the line. The text is simple and basic adding to the feel of the average male.
Film Poster Research - Catfish
The film poster for Catfish gives enough insight as to what the film is about however doesn't reveal all. The image only reveals half of the faces suggesting one or both of them are hiding something and not completely being them selves. The title of the movie is in a well recognized social media font, with the blue back ground and white text, giving the viewer an even more in depth insight into what the film may be about. To confirm that the film has something to do with Facebook, online, computers etc there is a mouse cursor on the what is made to be 'screen'. Adding to the effect of a 'screen' like cover the image is slightly pixelated as it would be on a computer screen.
Possible locations
One of our locations is set in Darton, near the railway station. We chose this location, because from some angles the street looks like any other harmless street where nothing could go wrong, giving the viewer and character a sense of security, then at other angles it shows a dark, dingy tunnel which could be seen as scary. This tunnel is where the kidnapping will take place.
Our main filming is going to take place 2 Mayfield, Monk Bretton in Barnsley. This will be shown as 'Hollies' house. Inside shots of the house and a photo storyboard will be shot later on.
A scene in our film will take place in a busy town centre. We're going to create a time lapse over a space of 10 minutes with the main subject standing in the same place, where the world is carrying on moving around of her. Complications we could see with this shot will be members of the public who may not want to be on our film and will refuse to be filmed.
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Similar Film - The Call
The Call
How is the film similar
The male character that kidnaps the man is unknown throughout the film, you never see his full face until the very end.
The victim is a teenage girl, who is kidnapped from a quiet area and is bundled into the boot of the car.
The male character is seen to have committed kidnapping and killing before as at the beginning of The Call we see the same man kidnap and kill another young girl which is the same as our film as we see Ethan delete Hollie as a friend and add someone else suggesting he is about to commit the crime again.
How is it different
The call differs from our film as the main characters are the call centre worker (Halle Berry) and the young girl kidnapped, whereas we just focus on one character, with minor characters. The call also allows us to realise why the man wants to kidnap young girls as he has a childhood issue that led him to do what he has done, however in our film we don't know why Ethan chooses to kidnap girls.
How is the film similar
The male character that kidnaps the man is unknown throughout the film, you never see his full face until the very end.
The victim is a teenage girl, who is kidnapped from a quiet area and is bundled into the boot of the car.
The male character is seen to have committed kidnapping and killing before as at the beginning of The Call we see the same man kidnap and kill another young girl which is the same as our film as we see Ethan delete Hollie as a friend and add someone else suggesting he is about to commit the crime again.
How is it different
The call differs from our film as the main characters are the call centre worker (Halle Berry) and the young girl kidnapped, whereas we just focus on one character, with minor characters. The call also allows us to realise why the man wants to kidnap young girls as he has a childhood issue that led him to do what he has done, however in our film we don't know why Ethan chooses to kidnap girls.
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Research into film poster design
The film poster for Shutter Island fits the original conventions of it's genre, as it has a sense of mystery. This is achieved by only lighting half of the main character face, giving the impression that he has two sides to his personality, which then fits in with the story like, a man who leads a double personality as he tries to block out his horrific past by living his life through another personality he has created. The island itself is portrayed to be very dark and dingy, making it look scary at first glance. On a closer look, its noticeable that the island is actually made up of photographs, taking out all sense of realism and making it seem as though it should actually exist in that spot.
The posters main text simply states the name of the film, whereas directly above is the name of the biggest star in the film. This endorses the film as it makes people aware of who is actually in the film, and the more popular/famous the characters are, the more likely the film is going to do good as the actors/actresses will have a bigger fan base than unknown actors, so it would be useless naming them.
The most common reoccurring factor of any film poster are the credits at the bottom. These are printed in small, indistinguishable lettering so they don't draw the eye, and aren't the main focus on the poster. They usually just credit the director and other actors in the film, so they get mentioned in the poster.
The posters main text simply states the name of the film, whereas directly above is the name of the biggest star in the film. This endorses the film as it makes people aware of who is actually in the film, and the more popular/famous the characters are, the more likely the film is going to do good as the actors/actresses will have a bigger fan base than unknown actors, so it would be useless naming them.
The most common reoccurring factor of any film poster are the credits at the bottom. These are printed in small, indistinguishable lettering so they don't draw the eye, and aren't the main focus on the poster. They usually just credit the director and other actors in the film, so they get mentioned in the poster.
Viral movie advertisement research
Viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use social networking services and other ways to increase brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as making someone want to watch a film). It can be delivered by word of mouth or enhanced by the network effects of the internet. Viral marketing may take the form of video clips, interactive flash games, advert games, ebooks, brandable software, images, text messages, email messages, or web pages.
The ultimate goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to create a buzz about their media in an attempt to make people interested in their film etc. This will then increase revenue in their final product.
An example of this viral marketing is shown by the film Inception. The studios released an online game called Mind Crime. Once completed — which could be done by following QR codes linking to an online instruction manual — the film’s poster was revealed. The next level of the game shared a hidden trailer, and eventually more surreal marketing tactics were unleashed. You can still play the game over here, or you can watch the youtube video of it below.
The ultimate goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to create a buzz about their media in an attempt to make people interested in their film etc. This will then increase revenue in their final product.
An example of this viral marketing is shown by the film Inception. The studios released an online game called Mind Crime. Once completed — which could be done by following QR codes linking to an online instruction manual — the film’s poster was revealed. The next level of the game shared a hidden trailer, and eventually more surreal marketing tactics were unleashed. You can still play the game over here, or you can watch the youtube video of it below.
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Viral Advertising
Viral Advertising
What is viral advertising?It is a direct marketing technique where a company uses technology like social networks, mobiles, emails, Youtube, etc to generate word of mouth publicity in the hope of creating a fad or craze. The whole purpose of film company's using viral advertising is to help increase the interest for their films, helping increase the sales.
Different types of viral advertising:
The Dark Knight - launched In 2007, Warner Brothers used a viral advertising for the new batman film, The Dark Knight. They set up a fake newspaper called 'The Gotham Times' and a website whysoserious.com
Toy Story 3 - They launched a unique viral video campaign with fake, vintage '80s commercials for the toy Lots o' Huggin Bear, (a character in the film) Internet-only videos like one with Woody and Buzz on an IM chat and hilarious 70s-themed interviews with the Ken doll called 'Groovin' With Ken' as well as his advice series 'Ken's Dating Tips.' All of this excess creative content, as well as a Facebook applications that allowed fans to purchase advance tickets through the site and update their friends when doing so increased interest for the film.
The Blair Witch Project - Before YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, 'The Blair Witch Project' set the standard for guerilla marketing done virally. The film gave the impression this was real, actual "found footage." The filmmakers and Artisan Entertainment supported that by building a website that backed this claim; they also circulated the rumours via online message boards. The film terrified audiences all the more when, in the back of their heads, they thought it might just be real.
Carrie (2013) - The new Carrie film, generated interest using Youtube with a video titled 'Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise' with the hashtag #FlexlikeCarrie. It shows a Carrie based prank in a New York coffee shop where a female character uses her "telekinetic" powers, like Carrie White's in the Stephen King novel allowing her to throw a man up against the wall, knock over tables and throw books off a shelf.
The first day the prank was uploaded on 7th October, it had more than 2 million hits, boosting the Carrie movie. The films stars, Julianne Moore and Chloe Grace Moretz used their popularity and took to Twitter to share the viral prank to millions of their followers.
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Progress Report 2
In regards to our last progress report, we have now filmed our audience questionnaire, we've created rough story boards in line with our script, we have done research into the genre of our film and similar films. Other than our film, we have also created a 'journey' through filming, just to practice our editing skills and to get used to the programme again.
In the next couple of weeks we will look at tricky shots that we may use in our film, take location shots and may even consider starting our filming.
In the next couple of weeks we will look at tricky shots that we may use in our film, take location shots and may even consider starting our filming.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Friday, 11 October 2013
Conventional Music
Music
Usually music in thriller films is used to create even more suspense and to draw the audience in right at a crucial point. A widely used tool used is silence, often forgotten about as 'sound' it is one of the most effective, it creates huge fear and suspense in the audience, during silence diagetic sound may also be heard. One of the most commonly used diagetic noises is heavy breathing, with a tremor. This adds massively to the effect, on the other hand at this point non diagetic noise may be heard for example a heart beat, portraying the characters fear or exhaustion. Orchestral music is often used, mainly string pieces in the beginning which add to the delicate atmosphere showing how things are so fragile, it gradually gets louder drawing the audience subconsciously further and further in without realizing it, it also can be used to empathize with a character, the sound will come to a climax when there is danger etc and often be accompanied by heavier bass sounds.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Conventional Editing
The Editing
The editing more than often used is quite fast paced. This is a strong tool the editors use to portray the characters thoughts, which in thrillers are often strange or delusional. They may also use layering, which will repeat certain scenes from the film which are significant. The illusion that things are going a lot faster than they actually are gives the all too well known feeling of 'on edge'. The idea of fast pace editing can be seen mainly in a chase scene, where there is little dialog and choppy cuts from shot to shot to give the rushed feeling. This creates uncertainty within the audience, the fluidity of previous scenes allow the audience to fall into a false sense of security, where they feel they know what will happen next, however using this type of editing changes that illusion, keeping them guessing.
The editing more than often used is quite fast paced. This is a strong tool the editors use to portray the characters thoughts, which in thrillers are often strange or delusional. They may also use layering, which will repeat certain scenes from the film which are significant. The illusion that things are going a lot faster than they actually are gives the all too well known feeling of 'on edge'. The idea of fast pace editing can be seen mainly in a chase scene, where there is little dialog and choppy cuts from shot to shot to give the rushed feeling. This creates uncertainty within the audience, the fluidity of previous scenes allow the audience to fall into a false sense of security, where they feel they know what will happen next, however using this type of editing changes that illusion, keeping them guessing.
Music conventions in Thriller films
A common convention of Thriller films would be the type of music they use. Although nearly all films have some type of non-diegetic music in them, Thriller films are notorious for using non-diegetic music to build on the suspense and tension. The build up of eerie music adds to the emotion thats trying to be portrayed from the main character, and more than often links/is similar to music used later on in the film. Using strong base lines to layer the music makes it seem scarier and deeper in a sense that it seems to travel through the air more.
An example of this would be 'Time' by Hans Zimmer on the Inception soundtrack.
An example of this would be 'Time' by Hans Zimmer on the Inception soundtrack.
Conventional Lighting
The Lighting
The lighting in a conventional thriller is often subtle. It doesn't necessarily scream 'the dark is scary' however it does this as said before in a subtle way. There is little light however just enough, often there is a slight grey tone to scene which adds to the 'grunge' feel about it, making the audience subconsciously identify something is wrong. The lighting obviously must differ from scene to scene however if you look closely there is hardly ever a 'normal' light, it will be in extremes...Bright and white can often be seen, this i feel gives it the effect of almost an asylum, exposes everything which is there however the audience still know something is wrong, which adds to the effect and suspense as they can't quite pinpoint what it is. The second type of lighting which is often used is spot light which commonly is used to illuminate half of a characters face portraying they may have a split personality or that they are hiding something. Note below a match is used to illuminate the scene, obviously not all the light is from the match however using a flame slightly adds to the danger and the striking of the match adds to the tension All of the above can be seen in the following video...
The lighting in a conventional thriller is often subtle. It doesn't necessarily scream 'the dark is scary' however it does this as said before in a subtle way. There is little light however just enough, often there is a slight grey tone to scene which adds to the 'grunge' feel about it, making the audience subconsciously identify something is wrong. The lighting obviously must differ from scene to scene however if you look closely there is hardly ever a 'normal' light, it will be in extremes...Bright and white can often be seen, this i feel gives it the effect of almost an asylum, exposes everything which is there however the audience still know something is wrong, which adds to the effect and suspense as they can't quite pinpoint what it is. The second type of lighting which is often used is spot light which commonly is used to illuminate half of a characters face portraying they may have a split personality or that they are hiding something. Note below a match is used to illuminate the scene, obviously not all the light is from the match however using a flame slightly adds to the danger and the striking of the match adds to the tension All of the above can be seen in the following video...
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
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