Characters: Mise-en-scene & Clothing

In order for our actors/actresses to play their suited character roles, as a group we had to decide what clothing would be ideal for each character. It was important to decide what colours the main characters like Flora would mainly wear and we decided black and white at different points. I believe mise-en-scene and clothing are both vital aspects as they hold connotations that represent individual characters. This connotations also support the horror element for example Flora wearing black simply connotes danger and power which alerts the audience that her behaviour has significantly changed from being innocent to turning cold hearted.

Character/Cast List

Me and my group members have decided on the final actors/actresses that would play the characters in our trailer. It is important that these actors represent the characters perfectly and we successfully found all the actors/actresses needed. We also think that they would be able to conform or subvert representations portrayed in the current horror industry. By picking our characters carefully, our trailer is likely to be more effective as our story can be portrayed and seen more clearer by characters that have the ability to make it look more realistic. We've also ensured that most of the characters are available when we need them for recording scenes that they are in. 

List of final characters for production

More PowerPoint presentations from afreen

Storyboards

In order for me and my group to create and plan our horror trailer, a detailed storyboard was vital to guide us. We decided to include important detail in our storyboards for instance camera techniques, mise-en-scene and sound. This would make it easier whilst we are creating and editing our trailer as we would have something to refer back to instantly for support. 

We also thought that our original flat plans lacked detail so we decided to add more frames in between which is why some frames are labelled as "2.2." This represents extra camera angles we would take whilst recording our footage. 

Theories included in our narrative

In order for us to develop and plan our ideas more further, we decided to use a variety of theorists in our narrative for it to stand out more. Here is a presentation that goes through which theorists we involve in our narrative. By researching into different theorists, it has helped me form our narrative as it gave me the opportunity to discover new ideas such as the creepy doll representing Flora's state of mind.

 

Concept of 'Male Gaze' in our trailer

By looking into most horror films, I have learnt from my research that they involve the concept of male gaze in most films. We decided to follow this important convention that is portrayed in most films like “Carrie.” In the opening scene of “Carrie”, we see that the camera is purposely panning across the naked school girls. This shows that women are emphasised by showing a sense of voyeurism with camera work.

Me and my group decided to feature the sense of voyeurism and follow Laura Mulvey’s theory in our trailer. We are planning to feature close up shots of Flora’s sister Megan. We decided to pan the camera down from her legs. We thought this concept will speak out better to our potential target audience and this will overall make our trailer more effective. Moreover, our trailer will also look more realistic due to following typical conventions that most horror films hold and this will also make our narrative seem more interesting.

Also, I found a video on YouTube that explains Laura Mulvey’s theory in detail. There also examples of the male gaze in use in specific films overall. In the video, it shows examples of camera work for example there are pan shots from head to toe of a woman. This also emphasises the fact that woman are portrayed as sex objects in horror films.

"Insanity" - Chosen Film Name

The image above explains the reasons why me and my group decided to pick the film name "Insanity" to represent our narrative. The word has several meanings and we thought this was ideal as it linked directly to our main character, Flora. 

Our Narrative

‘You have the wrong person; please let me go... let me go, you will regret it if you don’t....’

Battling with the dysfunction of her normal family, Flora, Megan and Jean have lost more than they have gained.  Distorted by a chain of events that have completely destroyed the unity of their family. This story explores how one family copes with sentimental issues which, depriving the love and affection of a young vulnerable eight year old, struggling to take control over traumatic events.

The past is never forgiven. In an isolated household based in a suburban town, abuse and violence is a common feature. In contemporary times where love and affection is taken advantage of in a mainstream society. Every family has hidden secrets where one dares not to explore. Flora comes home from a long tiring day at school only to witness her father battering her mother. Black and blue, Jean no longer tries to mask her bruises with thick slabs of foundation. Excuses are almost as transparent as her false love for her husband, James. Mortified by this, Megan who is left shaken distraughtly attempts to call the police only to face the fist of his bloodstained knuckles. Heroically, Flora to her own surprise, grips the butcher knife and jags it into her father’s cold heart, causing his surroundings to slowly fade and disintegrate beneath him. Innocently charged with murder, Jean faces a hard time in a mental intuition due to her denial, only to have the grey wall to communicate with which is enough to drive anyone into insanity. Unanswered questions, Jean protests her innocence over the allegation of her deceased husband, blaming such toll of events on Flora.

Creating a sense of panic in their neighbourhood, Flora and Megan flee to Hillburrow to escape the haunting memories of their father. Psychologically and emotionally affected, Morgan and Flora both struggle to fit in visibly as demonstrated by their physical appearance. Stricken by her emotions, Flora begins to act up in school, cursing and portraying mature behaviour leading her peers and authority figures to question where she learnt such things from such a young age. Things only begin to turn sinister when she purposely injures her only companion leaving her in tears. However Flora is unaffected as she will always have her father’s doll by her side. In an attempt to restore the religious values the mum had brought them up with, Morgan strongly suggests her to attend church only to be bitten by Flora (distorted religious organs).

Knowing that her sister is showing abnormal behaviours, she forcefully seeks professionally help for Flora and discovers she has schizophrenia. Refusing to take medication, Flora denies taking her pills resulting in her behaviour to deteriate. In an incident she sneakily watches her sister get undressed, pulling the final straw of her patience of how much she can take. Things only get worse when Morgan finds her smothered in her own mother’s makeup attempting to steal her mother’s identity (Flora signing lullaby) whilst scratching out the family portrait. When faced with questions, Flora is quick to insist it is her father’s demand that she does so. The sound of the doorbell informs her that her mother has returned, only to see her daughter dressed in the same clothes that she wore on the day of her husband’s death. Jealous of her sisters new found happiness with her relationship, she kills her sister on the cold dim lit kitchen. Faced with no other decision, Jean calls the police only to find Flora has escaped (police sirens), with only her torn batted doll left behind. Is this the last we see of her?.... Flora. Pig tails. Blonde hair. Sinister.  

Preparing Our Narrative

Below is a presentation that I created on slideshare that goes through how me and my group planned our final narrative throughout the week. Our planning consisted us to communicate outside of school using forms of Web 2.0 for instance through e-mail and "Whatsapp". In this way, we were kept updated on our narrative and any changes that were made. This also saved time in class because we were prepared beforehand about our narratives concept which gave us more time to finalise our plans. Whilst planning our narrative, we had to consider the characters, props that could be used, setting, sound and the lighting which were all equally important to mention.  

Fears In Society

I decided to create a Prezi which revolves around the common fears in society. I thought it was important to go through what exactly scares people the most in our society before creating our narrative with our groups. With this in mind, it would make it easier when creating our narrative because I could feature some of the known fears in order to make the final trailer effective as it would relate directly to my audience.

Prelim: Remake Of "Halloween" (1978)

Below is our remake of "Halloween" (1978) in which we attempted to portray scenes from the opening scene. In the editing process, we decided to use Premier because we felt like we were more familiar with it as we were short on time. I think the biggest success was actually getting the clip complete in two days and this was mainly because of the planning we did beforehand. 

Strengths:

We decided to change some bits in the opening scene for example by adding in text at the start. I think that it is effective as it says "Be careful who you let in.." in the colour red. This alerts the audience that something bad may occur in the clip due to red connoting danger or even death. This is then seen later on in the scene where Michael (who is masked) goes up the stairs with a knife to attempt to kill his sister.

Moreover, I also thought that our narrative was pretty clear and evident due to the scenes that featured the couple talking in the house. The sense of voyeurism also comes across due to the point of view shot  where Michael is supposedly looking through the window at the couple talking. This is effective as it may make the audience feel more uncomfortable as the couple are unaware of Michael's presence. 

I also thought we did a good job with the sound itself for example we had the 'Halloween' soundtrack along with heavy breathing which yet again symbolises that the murderer is about to strike. This may also make the audience feel uncomfortable as they know what the murderer is about to do and the sister is clueless about his presence in the house.

By featuring a mask in the clip, this made scene seem more scarier as it would make the audience feel tense as the murderer could be anyone as the identity is hidden. Additionally, this also follows conventions of horror as masks act like symbols and are known to be in famous horror movies like 'Scream.' 

Weaknesses:

However whilst filming the scenes, there were some weaknesses for example the shot where it focuses on the location (the house) is shaky and not angled as right. In the progress of creating our real trailer, we would ensure that we have enough footage that would work in our trailer. We would also ask for different opinions from people to make sure that shots are smooth and perfect.

During the editing process, we also thought that our shots that focused on the couple talking were too long and this wasn't as effective in a horror clip. When making our real trailer, we would make sure that    the scenes are short which would allow the audience to be more interested and intrigued by trailer.

I also thought that the mise-en-scene in the house was not as effective for example when the masked killer picks up the knife from the draw, it can hardly be seen due to other objects in the draw. This was because of time shortage and in the future we would ensure that everything can be seen properly by planning and preparing ahead.  

In the future, I would have to think about improving my skills for example I would have to get more used to editing on Premier in order to make an effective trailer. Moreover by creating this prelim, I have been able to see my weaknesses and how I need to improve. For filming as a group, we would have to take turns in practicing using the tripod to get rid of shakiness and we would have to continuously film a scene several times to make sure that the clip turns out right. 

Prelim: Planning

We were given a prelim task before we actually made our final trailer in our groups. This gave us the opportunity to work in our groups and experiment with editing footage. It also allowed us to get used to working together by sharing ideas about the the different camerawork that should be used in the clip. We only had two days to actually get the whole task completed and with little time, we decided to film the footage in sixth form.

Above is the brainstorm we came up with when we decided on what scene to remake. It was important to list out the different aspects of mise-en-scene, sound and characters before we actually recorded the footage. It was good to be prepared as when we actually had to record, we knew what we was doing instantly and there was likely to be less errors as we went through everything beforehand. As you can see, we went through camerawork for example we decided to have a point of view shot through the killers eyes. We thought this would be an effective shot as it would feel like the audience is in Michael's footsteps whilst he is attempting to murder his sister. We also decided that the sound would just be music which is from the 'Halloween' soundtrack and this would make the clip seem more realistic. As a group, we also knew that we had to record a scene several times in a variety of different ways to ensure that we get the right footage and it would also make editing much more easier. 

Conventions In A Trailer

Before we start planning our trailer in our group, I decided to go through the conventions that are known to be in horror trailers. These conventions are important as I would have to use them when I am making my trailer in order to reach out to my potential target audience.

• In a trailer, there should be highlights of the 'best bits' from the film to attract the audience in watching the actual film. 
• The trailer should not show the story in narrative order. This is effective as it keeps the audience guessing in what happens in the film as the trailer should not give a lot of the plot away. 
• The title of the film should not appear until the very end. This yet again keeps the audience guessing as they would be wondering what the name of the film is and this also keeps them more interested in the trailer. 
• Showcase the starts of the film. 
• Sometimes trailers often use voiceovers to tell the story and also to give credit information. 
• Images are also flashed so it gives the audience a limited amount of time to look at specific shots. This is also effective as it leaves the audience wondering about the film. 
• There should be music that fits into scenes as its purpose is to create atmosphere. 
• There should be a variety of different camera work for example unusual angles and shot distances. 
• At the end, a trailer is usually expected to build up to a climax. 

Audience Research - Focus Groups (Qualitative)

In order to find out what horror trailers and posters stand out to my potential target audience, me and my friend decided to create two focus group videos in which we recorded on the iMac. This allowed us to capture their emotions and responses by analysing and comparing two film posters and a horror trailer. 

The two posters we first showed were from 'Carrie (2013)' and 'Mama (2013)' which are below.  

The trailer we showed both our focus groups was from the film 'The Conjuring (2013)' which is a latest horror movie and it is known to be popular amongst the age range. 

Analysis of first focus group response:

• Firstly, I got Aaminah and Nagiba to analyse the film poster of 'Carrie (2013)'. They both said that the blood stood out to them as soon as they looked at the poster. This is an important element to feature in my poster or trailer as blood can connote death or danger which adds up mystery and tension. 
• Nagiba also says "The other thing that also stands out to me is the necklace, in horror movies they tend to have some religious element in it." This also shows that most teenagers think that religious references are seen to be effective in posters or trailers as they may make the film seem more realistic. 
• They also though that the main image directly linked to horror due to the teardrop on the characters face and this expresses emotion. This also highlights that in my poster, I should focus on the main image and how vital it is for it to link to the genre horror.
• Then we decided to analyse the 'Mama 2013' horror poster. They both thought that the main image stood out to them instantly also Aaminah says "The little girl looks like she's depressed and she's in pain". This also tells me that the main image is an important element and that it should stand out to the audience and make them question what the actually film is about. 
• Nagiba and Aaminah both preferred the 'Carrie 2013' poster as it made them 'wonder what the story behind it is about'. This shows that teenagers preferred posters with an image that had an angle of gaze and more colours that connote or link to the concept of horror.
• Then we decided to show them a trailer of a film called "The Conjuring (2013)'. The bit that scared them the most was the last bit as Aaminah says "the face plus the music which went faster". This is important to note when I am creating my trailer as music is an important feature to have when there is a scary scene coming up. 
• They thought the trailer was effective and they wanted to watch the whole film. Nagiba also says "I like the introducing scenes with the real life story as it makes you feel uncomfortable". Moreover, I could incorporate this feature into my own trailer as more people tend to find the film more realistic and this will lead them to watch it.

Analysis of second focus group response: 

• We decided to get a male's opinion from the same age range to comment on the same film posters and trailer. 
• The first poster was 'Carrie (2013)' and he says "it looks really scary because of the blood as it symbolises death and this makes it stand out." This yet again highlights the importance of the use of colours that link to horror. 
• The second poster was 'Mama (2013)' and he says the first thing that stands out is "the little girl in the corner because she looks really scared and worried, we don't know what has happened to her". The poster successfully raises questions as he was wondering what goes on in the story and this is an important feature to have on a poster as it doesn't give away the storyline. 
• He says he prefers "Carrie (2013)' because of the bloodstains on her face and this makes him more interested in the whole film. 
• Then we showed him the trailer of 'The Conjuring'. The scene that stood out to him was the women on top of the cupboard which made it look scary. He also says "It makes you want to know where she came from and what she's actually doing there."
• He says that he would like to watch the movie because "On the trailer it says its not a possession, so if its not a possession, you would want to know what it actually is." This may show that text on a trailer is powerful as my target audience may feel more aware and alerted. 
• Lastly, he also agrees with the 'true story' concept as it makes it more scarier for him. He also says that the sound effects were effective as it made him jump and the music built up tension. This yet again symbolises the importance of having music in a trailer as it adds up suspicion and it is an key ingredient to an horror trailer. 

Audience Research - (Quantitative)

Firstly me and my friend decided to create a survey online using a website called SurveyMonkey. This was a perfect way to get different opinions about the horror genre from the age groups we were targeting which were 15-17 year olds and 18+.

The first question I asked was "How old are you?"

From the results, we can see that most of the participants that took part in the survey were mainly around 15-17 year olds and 37% of them were adults. This highlights that my research is vital towards the success of my actual trailer as I would like to focus on having teenagers as my actual audience and this also makes me consider most of the answers towards these questions to make my actual trailer work and speak out to my potential audience. 

The next question I asked was "What gender are you?"

Above, we can see that there is a mixture of males and females that took part in this survey. This is important because when I actually make my trailer, I am aiming for both genders. This also symbolises that this research is vital to follow whilst making my trailer as the opinions are based from my potential audience.

The third question was "What is your favourite type of horror film?"

From the results, most of the teenagers/adults preferred the sub-genre 'Paranormal' and 'Thriller' as they were the most popular that were picked. The less preferred were films that focused on "Aliens/monsters" and "Gory." This may show that my target audience prefers the fear of the unknown and they enjoy a horror film that is filled with suspense which may entertain them. This also implies that  the sub-genres "Paranormal" and "Thriller" are most likely to be the most effective sub-genre to focus on in my actual trailer. 

The fourth question I asked was "What scares you the most in a horror movie?"

I asked this question to get a better insight on different opinions from the teenagers/adults. The most common response was "ghosts/evil spirits". This yet again implies that most of my potential target audience think that evil presences make a horror film scary simply because they are not explainable and can not be proven. I also focused on other responses like "jump scenes" which will make an effective trailer. Other qualities like "things popping out of nowhere" are also seen in every horror movie and these qualities are important to remember when I am creating my trailer as they will make it more successful in terms of reaching out to my potential audience. 

Another question I asked was "What is your favourite horror movie?" 

I decided to ask this question in order to find out what types of films were most loved by my potential target audience. As you can see, there was a variety of different films named but the sub-genre that they were based on were mainly "Paranormal" and "Thriller." Moreover, the films mentioned were also all modern based and none of them were typical classics so this also highlights that I should focus on following the conventions that most of these films use in their trailers to make their narrative stand out. 

Another question I decided to analyse was "What is one important key feature to have in a horror film?"

This was a vital question to ask as the key features that were commonly said, could be used when I am making my actual trailer. This will make my trailer look more effective as my target audience will find it more interesting to watch due to the key features that were used which were preferred from them. One of the main key feature that was mentioned in this survey was "a good storyline." This emphasises that I need to focus on having a good narrative in order for my trailer to stand out to my audience. Also, "actors" that were playing the characters are seen to be an important feature which also shows that I have to pick actors that make my trailer seem more realistic. 

Then I decided to ask "What emotions do you feel after watching a horror film?"

I wanted to explore different emotions that most teenagers/adults experienced after watching a horror film. Most of the responses were based on the idea of "paranoia" and not being able to sleep. This suggests that horror films have a quite an impact on teenagers/adults as it leads to them constantly thinking about the film. I should also make my trailer very memorable and I could do this by trying to make it the scariest I can possibly make it is unforgettable which makes it an effective trailer. Other responses included being "scared" and "frightened" and this suggests that most teenagers tend to find new horror films unexplainable and unexpected as they aren't predictable like old films. 

The last question I decided to analyse was "In reality, what scares you the most?"

The results to this question were mainly mixed but the most popular common answer was "spirits". This supports the fact that most teenagers tend to find "the unknown" really scary as it is unexplainable and it could occur to anyone. This is important as my audience research because I could feature the theme of spirits in my actual trailer to make it more effective and more teenagers/adults are likely to be interested in the actual concept. Another big fear was "death" and "strangers" which can be added to my trailer to make it stand out to my audience. I would need to consider all these key features in my trailer in order to make trailer scary and effective. 

Overall Conclusion:

By analysing these important questions which was answered by most of my potential target audience, it will make it easier for me to understand what needs to be done to create an effective trailer when I am actually in the progress of planning and creating it. Moreover, the results from the survey are also very beneficial as it has given me wider knowledge on what most teenagers prefer in a horror film and what their expectations are. I can then meet up to these expectations by featuring what is requested more by these results in order to speak out to my target audience. This will inevitably make my trailer more effective and scary as the responses will help guide me to choose what plot to feature in my trailer.

Classification (BBFC)

BBFC are an independent self financing and not for profit media content regulator. 

The BBFC basically examines and age rates films before they are officially released which protects children who are underaged from viewing unsuitable and harmful content in films. This is allows the audience to decide whether they want to watch the film or not due to its age rating. 

The Classifications: 

The 'U' symbol means Universal which should overall be suitable for an audience aged four and over. There is only a little mild bad language used like the words 'bugger' or 'damn.' Moreover, there is no focus on sexual behaviour or language but it is likely to have a reference to sexual behaviour. There are also scenes where characters are placed in danger but these moments of emotional stress are quickly solved and the outcome is reassuring.

The 'PG' symbol means Parental Guidance. This generally means it is not suitable for younger children and that parents should consider whether the content might upset children who are more sensitive. PG films are known to focus on tackling and challenging issues like racism and domestic violence. Smoking and drinking is not promoted or glamorised and if characters are seen smoking or drinking, there will be a message to highlight that it is bad. Also, there is no detail of violence as the injury is not expressed in strong detail but there may be blood.

'12A' simply means that someone over 12 years old can go in the cinema unaccompanied. Children under the age of 12, may watch the film but have to be with someone who is an adult. There is infrequent use of strong language and there may be violence but there is no emphasise on the blood. There may also be long fight scenes which may contain weapons. Dangerous behaviour like self-harming may be shown but will not dwell on detail. As a horror film, disturbing sequences should not be too frequent or sustained.

In a '15' film, no-one under the age is allowed to watch it. It may include strong language, violence, sexual activity, sexual nudity, drug taking and discriminatory behaviour or language. There is no limit in using strong language so it is unpredictable. Also, there may be racist or homophobic references along with sexual activity but no strong or graphic detail. Many horror films are rated 15 but the strongest gory images are unacceptable. 

Films are rated '18' for only adults and there is no theme prohibited as adults are free to pick their own entertainment within the law. It contains strong issues like very strong violence, frequent use of strong language, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, blood and gore and real sex (in some circumstances). Strong language could be aggressive, directed and frequent. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There is also very crude, strong and explicit sex references. 

Plan - Target Audience Research

Target audience research (Plan)

Exploring two different potential target audiences

For my research, I have decided to look into two different age groups and compare my research to help gain a better understanding about my potential target audience. In my research, I have decided to focus on two age groups which are teenagers (15-17 year olds) and adults (18+). I will be creating both quantitative and qualitative research in order to gain more knowledge about specific audience that I would like to focus on in the future. The resources I am going to use is an online website which creates questionnaires called SurveyMonkey and the age groups can easily take this questionnaire online. Moreover, I will also need a built in camera on a computer in order to film my focus groups reaction and opinions from watching the trailer and analysing the film posters.  

Quantitative Research:

• I am going to create a questionnaire, which is going to be taken by different age groups. The age groups include (15-17 year olds) and 18+ (adults)
• With the research gathered from the questionnaire, I am then going to create a bar chart, which shows the response from specific age groups in detail.

Qualitative Research:

• Recorded a teenage boy’s reaction to a latest horror trailer (The Conjuring). This is important to have as audience research as it lets us get a better insight on what most teenagers prefer in a horror trailer. We also recorded him analysing different horror posters with his opinions on which one he preferred. The posters we picked were from the remake of ‘Carrie (2013)’ and ‘Mama (2013)’. This is yet another important response to have as it will help us to when we actually create our horror poster and we will know what key features in a horror poster is most effective for a teenager.
•  We also decided to record two teenage girls reaction the same horror trailer. This is interesting to have as research because a female may have a different response to the actual trailer. Moreover, it is also an informal approach to my target audience as it allows me to explore their views on horror itself.