Allocating Tasks

Before continuing any further with the planning of our trailer, the first thing we need to do is allocate tasks to each member of our group. This will allow onlookers and ourselves to know clearly what needs to be done and who is doing it and it will also show how each member of our team is contributing towards the planning. However, alongside this a large majority of the planning will be done as a group, so that it will give us a chance to work together and use all of our ideas for one final outcome.
Below is a list of our task list and who will be completing each section:

• Setting: completed as a group but photos will be taken by Beth
• Synopsis: completed as a group
• Shot list: Two drafts made completed as a group and we will then decide together on our final shot list.
• Cast: Photos of each potential cast member taken by Beth
• Cast: Final cast members
• Film posters: Each member of the group will draw up 2 possible drafts of the film poster, we will each draw a final film poster and chose from the three possibilities for our final poster
• Film magazine front cover: Each member of the group will draw up 2 possible drafts of the magazine front cover, we will each draw a final magazine cover and chose from the three possibilities for our final cover
• Production label: Charlotte will create a selection of possible logos, then as a group we will decide on the final one
• Story Board: This will be drawn up by myself.
• Pictures: All pictures will be taken by Beth

Textual Analysis continued...

• This particular issue of the "EMPIRE" features the thriller movie "The Shining", the magazine layout is very simple and not particularly complicated, however in a way this works because it means the the front cover isnt to clustered and it is easy to read.
• The title of the page continues with the conventions of this particular film magazine as the font and colour are the typical ones used throughout each issue of this magazine. At the top of the magazine there is a teaser line saying "The 500 greatest movies of all time" the type of font gives the illusion of a 3D effect making it stand out from the rest of the page and therefore contrast with the other texts.
• The main image is taken from the film itself and is centred in the middle of the magazine cover, this ultimately means that is very eye catching as it takes up the majority of the page. The picture is of the main character from "The Shining", the male character has an extremely angry emotion on his face and he is looking towards the side, as if looking at someone he is after.
• The main colours on this magazine front cover consist mainly off red and black acting as a connotation of danger, death and evil. This ultimately adds towards the genre of the film being featured on the front cover which in this case is a thriller film.
• Above the title of the movie there is a short quote from the movie itself saying "Im not gonna hurt ya. Im just gonna bash your brains in". Having this quote on the front cover acts as a small teaser line to the buyer and makes them feel compelled to find out what this neccessarily means.
• This magazine cover also includes several conventions of a magazine such as a barcode, issue number and a price tag which are all placed together in the bottom left hand corner, which is a common place for these things on a magazine.

Textual Analysis continued

• Throughout this magazine front cover a colour theme has been maintained throughout. The use of dark greys and vibrant reds highlight the mystery behind the film. Using the red colour for the title of the movie, forces it to stand out from the rest of the page and is immediatley eye catching


• There is a medium close up of a man standing on the front cover, dressed in a suit and holding a gun. The colour of the man has been faded and he appears slightly grey, this maintains the colour theme and also emphasises that there may be a dark side behind this character.


• The magazine cover contains typical conventions of a magazine front cover such as; a masthead, special features, a bar code and a main feature.


• The text on either side of the main characters have a special effect and give the illusion that they are slightly 3D. This adds a variety to the magazine front cover and also relates to the storyline of the film.

Textual Analysis

The magazine I am analysing is called Empire. Empire is a British film magazine published monthly and it is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, consistently outselling its nearest market rivals. As well as being published in Britain, it is also published in Australia, Turkey and Russia. The main purpose of a "film magazine" is to inform the target audience of the latest film releases in the cinema as well as on DVD. It will also entertain its audience by providing interesting information on the production of films as well as interviews from the stars.

• The masthead is shown in large black capital letters at the top of the magazine front cover, which stand out from the rest of the cover. The masthead has been placed behind the superimposed picture of The Joker, who is shown in a full body shot covering approximately 70% of the front cover. Having the masthead behind gives the illusion that the picture is almost jumping out from the page and makes the picture look more realistic to the reader.
• The feature article photograph is an action shot taken from the film "The Dark Knight". The Joker is shown slightly henched over staring straight at the camera. The whole background is taken up by a dark image of the city behind The Joker, where chaos has clearly taken place. There are sparks of fire and debris chaotically flying around behind The Joker giving the impression that a bomb has taken off in the city which we immediately assume is the work of the The Joker, this makes the reader feel as if they are actually part of The Dark Knight movie.
• The Joker is dressed in a long purple coat on top of a matching suit, his hair is scattered across his face which has been painted in the way of clown/joker. His eyes have been painted black, making them appear evil and deceptive and he has a smudge of red paint across his mouth, given the illusion of a distorted smile. In his right hand he is holding a gun, which is an immediate signifier that suggests he is a villain who has been killing people. His left hand is clenched in a tight fist position which is an obvious enigma code which suggest he is ready to fight.

Film poster analysis continued...

The final film poster i decided to analyse was the thriller film "The Shining"

• The main image on this film poster is an action shot from the film itself, half of the image is taken up by the close up shot of what the audience will supposedly label as the "villain" in the movie, he is clearly angry and also has a slight crazy look to him suggesting that he could be mental. His teeth also look as if he is snarling towards the person behind the door in a way which makes the audience believe he is after the woman. The other half of the image is taken up by a shot of what we assume is the "victim" in the film, the picture shows a women holding a knife with a terrified look on her face as she sees an axe coming through the door. The picture itself is the immediate signifier into the genre of the film.
• The colour scheme to this film poster is extremely simple and consist mainly of just black and white. The top of the poster has a black background with white text and at the bottom of the poster there is a white background with black text. This effect means that the two colours contrast and benefit each other by causing one another to stand out from the rest of the page.
• At the top of the page there is a short sentence saying "The tide of terror that swept America IS HERE" is key to the creation of tension in the poster as it emphasises to the audience the intensity of this thriller. The majority of the text is in small letters but the end words "IS HERE" is shown in capital letters, this is purposely done to emphasise these words and make them appear louder and more intense when read.
• At the bottom of the film poster there is information on the film itself, showing the director, producer and release date of the film.

Analysing posters continued

Paranormal Activity:

• The title of the movie is shown in a piercing red colour and contrasts well with the jet black background which causes the title to leap out from the poster, immediately catching attention. The red colour is also a typical colour used in thriller films and usually symbolizes blood or evil. The text is slightly distorted giving the effect of a broken video camera, which gives a small insight into the theme of the movie.


• The whole purpose of the picture on the movie poster is to give the illusion of a film reel from a video camera. This is clearly obvious to the reader because there is the time recorded shown at the corner of the picture, which is the same thing seen when recording.


• The main colours on the poster are dark and dreary, and the main photo, which shows a couple in a bed clearly frightened and pointing towards the door, is shown in "night vision". This is certain setting on a video camera which allows things to be recorded in the dark, which means once again the theme of a video camera is continued. The blueish colour also makes the poster seem cold and chilling to the onlooker.


• At the top of the poster there is an extremely positive review from a critic which says, "Paranormal Activity is one of the scariest movies of all time. You will be affected as it's hard to ignore the imprint it leaves on your psyche. Nightmares are guaranteed" . The purpose of this review at the top of the poster is to convince people that this film is worth seeing, and also make them want to see the film and find out for themselves if the film is as scary and worth seeing as the critic has made out.


• In the bottom right hand corner of the poster there is the small logo of the producer of the film, which in this case is Paramount. Showing this on the poster is also another way of attracting viewers as it is a successful distributor and has produced many successful movies.


• Aswell as the main title text there is also a couple of sentences above and below it which read "What happens when you sleep. Don't see it alone." This text is shown in a white colour to contrast with the red title and the black background. The purpose of this text is to draw the audience into the poster and make them question how scary the film can be.

Analysing film posters

Gothika:

• The colour theme on the poster consists of dark blues, greys, blacks and whites. These cold harsh colours keep the theme of a thriller running throughout and are a clear indicator to the genre of the film



• The majority of the film poster (around 80%) is taking up by a close up shot of the main character, Halle Berry. The close up shot allows the audience to see clearly the scared expression on her face, and once again acts as an indicator to the genre of the film.



• The font displaying the title of the film is small in comparison to the picture, however the electric, silvery white colour means it contrasts with the dark colours, making it stand out from the poster. This also means that the title is immediately eye catching to the public viewer,



• At the top of the poster, the main actresses name, Halle Berry is shown in clear, block capital letters. This is shown on the poster to persuade people to see the film as it has famous, well-known stars appearing in it. This would be considered the box office draw.



• At the bottom of the poster, there is also the name of two other actors that are appearing in the film. However the fact that they are presented in smaller text and at the bottom of the poster suggests that all though important, they are not as important as the main character, Halle Berry. But as they are still a well-known actor (Robert Downy Jr.) and actress (Penelope Cruz) they still act as a box office draw and will attract people.



• The short tagline "Because someone is dead, doesnt mean there gone" is purposely used to entice the audience and make them want to know what this means, therefore persuading more people to see the film and find out.



• At the bottom of the poster there is a small logo of the production team behind this film, which in this case is Warner Bro. which is a well-known and extremely successful distributor and has been responsible for many popular films. This will immediatly attract more viewers, as they know that the film will have a high standard due to its distributor.



• At the very bottom of the poster there is a small piece of text telling the reader when the movie will be released into the cinema which in this case is the 24th October. Having the date of the release date at the bottom of the poster will encourage more people to see the film.

Trailers

Deconstructing Trailers:
There are a few certain things that a trailer should include so before analysing thriller trailers it is crucial that I know exactly what to look out for and what makes a "good trailer". Below is a list of different aspects that a film trailer should include:

- Distributors/film studio
- Typography (title credits)
- Visual Codes
- Speed/style of editing
- Sound effects/music
- Voice over
- Penultimate frame
- Last frame
- Narrative codes
- Star appeal
- Audience appeal

Analysing Trailers:

Paranormal Activity
The first trailer I decided to look at was Paranormal Activity (2007) about a young couple who are haunted by a supernatural presence in their homes. I was particularly interested in looking at this trailer because this film is presented in the style of “found footage”, which is an idea we are considering for our own thriller trailer.

Immediately it was obvious that this trailer was unlike other conventional trailers, as it begins by showing footage of an audience viewing the movie for the first time in the cinema. As the trailer progresses we begin to watch clips of the movie as if we are part of the audience watching the film, we also see the audience reactions to the film. The trailer shows several clips of audience members screaming, jumping and looking extremely tense and anxious as they watch the movie.
This technique means that this movie will appeal to the audience more1, for example being able to watch genuine people watching the movie allows the viewers to see first hand how scary the film is and also shows them that this movie gives the effect to people that a good thriller should, shown through their reactions, which ultimately means it will appeal to a larger majority of people.

The colours throughout the trailer are dark, grey colours and a vast majority of it is shown through night vision mirroring the actual movie, which is filmed through the camera of one of the characters involved in the movie.
As well as this, unlike most trailers there is no music playing throughout, only the loud, vigorous bangs at crucial moments which indicate to the audience when a dramatic clip is shown which overall increases the tension of the viewer.

When the time reaches 1:18 the trailer resumes to normal form and continues by showing fast flashing shots which increasing become faster and more intense. As the trailer gradually progresses flashes of typography appear on the screen, each slide showing just one word, which causes the audience to read each slide in apprehension, creating suspense and building towards a final climax. Each shot is presented on a black background, as the text appears in a distorted manner, creating the effect of a broken video camera.

As the trailer comes to its final moments, the pace has increased dramatically, showing short flashes of different clips, whilst including quick flashes of audience reactions. This ultimately heightens the tension and also emphasises how frightening the movie is.
Throughout these clips there is constant voice dialogue from the characters, which gives the audience a basic idea of what is happening in the movie, alongside loud screams and shouts from the characters as the action takes place.

The trailer then comes to a sudden and abrupt silence, where for a few seconds the screen is completely black, this is then followed by the title of the film "paranormal activity", once again this text is shown in a distorted way, creating the effect of a broken video camera. The trailer then comes to its final conclusion, with its penultimate frame shows the films release dates and where it is being shown. However the theme of dark colours and distorted text is still followed through, which means the audience are left feeling frightened till the last moments of the trailer.

Gothika
The second trailer I decided to analyse was the thriller movie "Gothika", i decided to use this trailer because although the movie is a thriller like "Paranormal Activity" there is still a vast majority of different trailer conventions in both.

The first shot of the trailer begins by displaying the distributor of the film, which in this case is one of the major film studios, Warner Bros. In 2009, Warner Bros. became the first studio in history to gross more than 2 billion domestically in a single year and is responsible for movies such as Harry Potter, The Dark Knight, The Exorcist and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Just from looking at a small handful of movies that Warner Bros. has distributed it is evidently clear that any film by Warner Bros. is almost guaranteed to be successful and the similar themes of genres means that the audience are able to immediately prepare for the theme of the movie simply from the logo shown at the beginning of the trailer.

The next few shots of the trailer uses a typical technique which is often used when it comes to trailers called the narrative establisher. This means that from the short clips, dialogue and typography shown at the beginning of the trailer, we are able to gather a basic outline on the main characters life and essential information that is given out through the trailer, without ruining the storyline. For example, from the first few shots, I was able to gather that the story is focused around the main character Dr.Miranda Grey who works as a psychiatrist.

The trailer begins with a calmer music and as the trailer progresses further the music becomes faster, louder and more intense which ultimately increases anticipation and emphasises the dramatic action taking place.
As we move further with the trailer, there is a dramatic change in colours, as everything becomes dark grey colours and the weather changes to heavy rain and lightning. These small changes in the trailer act as a signifier to the audience letting them know that something is about to happen. This is shortly verified, when our main character runs into the unknown girl in the middle of the road, at this point there is a quick close up of the girls face, followed by a loud jump and screams from the two actresses. This is then followed by an abrupt silence and completely black screen, leaving the audience unsure of what has happened. The black shot which lasted for a few seconds acts well as a change from one scene to another, as the trailer resumes back to a new setting.

The rest of the trailer continues with fast, quick shots of different scenes giving the illusion of a exciting and thrilling movie. As the trailer comes to its climax, we see the name of the different actors/actresses starring in this film which included stars such as Halle Berry, Robert Downy Jr. and Penelope Cruz. Showing the name of these famous actors/actresses in the trailer is a sure way off attracting more people as star appeal reassures the audience that the film will have potential as the actors and actresses are well known.
The build to the penultimate frame is emphasised gravely by the piercing sound which carries on getting louder and higher pitched as the trailer reaches its end. The use of this non-diegetic sound lets the audience know that something is going to happen and works well with the fast quick shots.

On a whole, I think that there are many aspects to this trailer which make it a successful one, in particular is the fact that there are many enigma codes used throughout the trailer. For example, after watching the trailer I was left with many questions about the film, such as "why is she suddenly in a mental hospital?" and "who is the little girl". I personally think that it is crucial that a trailer leaves you feeling this way because it means that the viewer is eager to have the questions answered and wants to see the film. Which in conclusion means that the trailer has done its job.

The Shining
The third trailer i decided to analyse was the well known thriller movie "The Shining" which is a pyschological horror movie. One of the reasons why i chose to analyse this film trailer was because it was a movie released in the 1980's and i wanted to analyse a trailer older than the others ones so that i can see the similarities and differences between modern and old.

The first shot of the trailer begins with the image of the "Warner Brothers" logo appearing on the screen, immediately showing the audience the producers of the film, acting as a device to attract more people to see the film by showing them that it is a film produced by an extremely successful distributor company. The trailer then goes into an immediate voice over of a man telling a story about a supposedly haunted house and the tragedies that went on there. As the man tells the storys various establishing shots of the outside and inside of a house. Immediately the audience interlinks the house with the story the man is telling and knows instantly that this is the same house he is reffering too. Having the voice over talk about a certain house as scenes of a house are shown acts as an immediate plot device in order to allow the audience to relate the two together, whilst telling history of the house and setting the plot for the rest of the movie.

The trailer continues showing flashes of the house for the first 30 seconds of the trailer, each clip changing to fit with the story. As these shots are being shown, quiet, tense music which becomes heigher pitched, building up tension untill it comes to a sharp hault as a man hits a door with an axe. The screen then fades to a white screen for a few seconds before showing for the first time the man telling the story in an office two other men. One of the characters then says "You can rest assure Mr.Olmen thats not going to happen to me", the man is dressed in a smart suit, slouched back on the chair in a casual care free way, despite this as an audience it is obvious that the same thing will happen to this man.

The trailer then continues by introducing us to the other main characters of the film, the family of the man before as they prepare to move to the house. This part of the trailer is obviously the narrative establisher, and the purpose of it is to show the viewer the basic plot of the movie, to allow them to understand and follow. After this there is a sudden change in music and a quick flash of the little boy displaying a shocked face, this only last for a few seconds and is there to warn the audience of oncoming trouble.

The next half of the trailer is showing the transformation of the main character into the crazy villain. The tempo of the trailer has become faster, showing short, flashing clips and the music has become more intense and dramatic.
As the trailer continues with the fast action shots, dialogue is constantly heard over the top of them, consisting of screams and shouts from the characters, creating the tense atmosphere.
The continues on further but comes to a slight hault when the main character says the lines "Here's Jonny" this is one of the most recognisable quotes of all movies.

The last section of the trailer consists only of action shots and no dialogue from any of the characters. The only thing heard is the tense, high pitched music which gradually becomes faster, louder and more high pitched as it reached its final climax. The trailer comes to a dramatic hault and then presents a black screen for a few seconds before the title "The Shining" fades into shot, in red, blurry text before fading back out. The use of the colour of the text act as a signifier towards blood, evil and horror which relates to the thriller genre of the film.