Tuesday 27 August 2013
Monday 26 August 2013
Plot idea, Characters, Target audience, Distribution ideas;
This is the plot idea i have had up until this point;
The audience is going to be from 15-24.
Characters;
A teenage girl who is pretty and has hidden problems which is typical for a film of this genre.
A male who is unknown and mysterious.
Distribution ideas;
I think my distribution area will consist of posters, a trailer, a website designed for the film with exclusive images available and freebies.
A teen girl gets kicked out of her house by her mother which is the opening scene of her slamming out of the door. The next scene is of her sitting crying in a dark alley way or small street which is from another characters point of view as he is walking up to her, he asks if she wants to go for a drink and as she is vunerable and wants help and company so she accepts. They have a drink and chat then he offers for her to stay as his for the night, as she's homeless she accepts and on the way back she realises he is a psycho as he chases her through the woods trying to grab her.
He gets hold of her at one point but she fights her way out after a hard hit to the head from the ground making her feel faint, she is running with the camera being from her point of view which is the first time we see the male character as she looks back whilst running from him with tense music. From feeling faint she falls to the ground and and the camera blurs as we see the male character walk up to her slowly holding a knife, as he reaches her the camera will fade out to black signifying her death.
The audience is going to be from 15-24.
Characters;
A teenage girl who is pretty and has hidden problems which is typical for a film of this genre.
A male who is unknown and mysterious.
Distribution ideas;
I think my distribution area will consist of posters, a trailer, a website designed for the film with exclusive images available and freebies.
A teen girl gets kicked out of her house by her mother which is the opening scene of her slamming out of the door. The next scene is of her sitting crying in a dark alley way or small street which is from another characters point of view as he is walking up to her, he asks if she wants to go for a drink and as she is vunerable and wants help and company so she accepts. They have a drink and chat then he offers for her to stay as his for the night, as she's homeless she accepts and on the way back she realises he is a psycho as he chases her through the woods trying to grab her.
He gets hold of her at one point but she fights her way out after a hard hit to the head from the ground making her feel faint, she is running with the camera being from her point of view which is the first time we see the male character as she looks back whilst running from him with tense music. From feeling faint she falls to the ground and and the camera blurs as we see the male character walk up to her slowly holding a knife, as he reaches her the camera will fade out to black signifying her death.
Research into thriller/horrors;
I have researched and watched Paranormal Activity as i am planning to have handheld camera shots in my short film so the audience can see from that characters point of view and i have looked at how they have done this within the film.
The poster;
I think the quotes within this poster work well to create tension and a build up to the film, such as 'don't see it alone'.
A good review;
A bad review;
Throughout the entire movie I was hoping and praying that there was going to be something scarier that would happen. This is the entire movie summed up for you.
Something weird happening to the girl..the start recording themselves to see if they catch footage or weird things happening..they hear a noise..they go to sleep..the door opens...they go to sleep...something moves downstairs..they go to sleep..something bangs on the walls..they go to sleep..something breaths..they go to sleep..finally something a little bit scary happens..the movie ends...oh yes and at one point a demon with hooves leaves three footprints on the floor.
Wednesday 21 August 2013
Research on the horror/thriller genre;
With the plot outline I have thought of some of the scenes are slightly similar to the ones in the horror/psychological thriller 'House At The End Of The Street' which was released in 2012 and worldwide gained $39,426,138 box office hits.
This is the poster for the film which i think works well for the genre, it is a character poster but also shows the house in the film giving the audience a setting which lets their mind wonder what has happened in that house for it to be a main part of the film and feature in the poster. Having the main character being Jennifer Lawrence and showing her on the poster is a smart idea from the creators of it because it will attract people to see the film with a big star clearly appearing in it and also fans of the said star would go to see to film mainly because she is in it. Also as Jennifer Lawrence has starred in other hit films such as The Hunger Games the audience will know her face and usually people go see films in which they know of the actors who are appearing in it.
The reviews i have read completely vary, some say that it is not a horror/thriller as there is only 10 minutes of the film at the end which would class as the genre. Others say that the tension is built for an exciting plot twist at the end and the story line is good. With good or bad reviews the film grossed double the budget of $6,900,000 in the opening weekend.
A good review said;
'This movie was a pleasant surprise to me because I thought it was going to be more of a "horror" movie...I wouldn't call it that, I'd call it a terrific suspense thriller with good twists here and there. I liked the casting and the storyline. The actors did a good job, esp. the young college student male lead. This is a story that could have actually happened, imo. The music was a big part of the movie, too. Good soundtrack that, while I was aware of it, it did not take away from the scenes but built up my anxiety! It was like another character. Definitely worth seeing for all the right reasons. Very entertaining and kept my attention throughout. All this without "blood & guts" galore - made me think of the old Alfred Hitchcock-type thrillers that depended more on the viewer's anticipation and imagination. Lastly, I thought I had the plot figured out, but I was surprised at how wrong I was. Smiled on my way out of the theater.'
A bad review said;
'House At The End of the Street stars Jennifer Lawrence and is about a daughter and mother who move into a house where the next door neighbor's's daughter killed her parents and fled the scene. She only left one surviving family member which was her brother.
A terrible name, terrible plot. Everything about this film is so clichéd that you stood nearly 10 feet ahead of it. There was no suspense and scenes that made you want to scream at the characters. And, just mentioning the characters, they were VERY one-dimensional. I didn't care about them, what happened to them, or what they will do. They all felt too generic to even listen to sometimes.
I kind of got the impression they were attempting a modernized Psycho- twist for teens. But it didn't come off, at all. The first half or maybe quarter was all right. But it went down-hill way too fast for me to comprehend. I thought the film could have went one direction, but when it came to the intersection, it looked at the right direction, gave it the finger, and went in the wrong one. I really had hopes for this one but it didn't deliver.
All in all, a terrible film. The only good thing about it is the first 20-30 minutes, some well-directed sequences and Jennifer Lawrence. That's all. Best to avoid this one, if you know what's good for you.
A low 4/10.'
All in all, a terrible film. The only good thing about it is the first 20-30 minutes, some well-directed sequences and Jennifer Lawrence. That's all. Best to avoid this one, if you know what's good for you.
A low 4/10.'
Chosen genre;
The genre i have chosen to research further and use as the chosen genre for my short film is horror/thriller.
This is because i feel as though i can bring more to the film as a horror/thriller fan and for it to have a better outcome than a romance mainly due to not having good actors available to portray those type of characters. Also i think that a horror/thriller film would work better as a short film because it will build up the tension quicker and the story line would fit better as horror/thriller films are usually quite short in comparison to other genres so i can include the key elements of the genre in 5 minutes where as romances usually drag out and make the storyline as long as possible.
I can also think of more ideas for a horror/thriller film and how to make it look good and professional and i have found it harder to think of good romance story lines.
This is because i feel as though i can bring more to the film as a horror/thriller fan and for it to have a better outcome than a romance mainly due to not having good actors available to portray those type of characters. Also i think that a horror/thriller film would work better as a short film because it will build up the tension quicker and the story line would fit better as horror/thriller films are usually quite short in comparison to other genres so i can include the key elements of the genre in 5 minutes where as romances usually drag out and make the storyline as long as possible.
I can also think of more ideas for a horror/thriller film and how to make it look good and professional and i have found it harder to think of good romance story lines.
Tuesday 20 August 2013
Horror Trailers;
Both of these films are very known and popular in the horror genre and from that they have produced more and turned both of them in to film franchises that are known worldwide.
Scream is a series of American slasher films created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven. The films star Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. The series has grossed over $600 million in worldwide box-office receipts and consists, to date, of four motion pictures. The first series entry, Scream, was released on December 20, 1996 and is currently the highest grossing slasher film in the United States.[1] The second entry Scream 2 was released on December 12, 1997 followed by a third installment, Scream 3, released February 4, 2000. Eleven years after the previous film, Scream 4 was released on April 15, 2011. The films follow the character of Sidney Prescott (Campbell) who becomes the target of a succession of murderers who adopt the guise of Ghostface to stalk and torment their victims. Sidney receives support in the films from town deputy Dewey Riley (Arquette), reporter Gale Weathers (Cox), and film-geek Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy).
Saw is a horror franchise distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and produced by Twisted Pictures that consists of seven feature films and additional merchandise. In 2003, Australian director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell created a short film to help pitch as a potential feature film. This was successfully done in 2004 with the release of the first installment at the Sundance Film Festival. It was released theatrically that October. The sequels were directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, David Hackl and Kevin Greutert, and were written by Wan, Whannell, Bousman, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and were released subsequently every October, on the Friday before Halloween, between 2004 and 2010.
Scream is a series of American slasher films created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven. The films star Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. The series has grossed over $600 million in worldwide box-office receipts and consists, to date, of four motion pictures. The first series entry, Scream, was released on December 20, 1996 and is currently the highest grossing slasher film in the United States.[1] The second entry Scream 2 was released on December 12, 1997 followed by a third installment, Scream 3, released February 4, 2000. Eleven years after the previous film, Scream 4 was released on April 15, 2011. The films follow the character of Sidney Prescott (Campbell) who becomes the target of a succession of murderers who adopt the guise of Ghostface to stalk and torment their victims. Sidney receives support in the films from town deputy Dewey Riley (Arquette), reporter Gale Weathers (Cox), and film-geek Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy).
Saw is a horror franchise distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and produced by Twisted Pictures that consists of seven feature films and additional merchandise. In 2003, Australian director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell created a short film to help pitch as a potential feature film. This was successfully done in 2004 with the release of the first installment at the Sundance Film Festival. It was released theatrically that October. The sequels were directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, David Hackl and Kevin Greutert, and were written by Wan, Whannell, Bousman, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and were released subsequently every October, on the Friday before Halloween, between 2004 and 2010.
Romance Trailers;
These two films are two of the most known romance films of all time, they are iconic to the genre and almost every person would have seen them.
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romantic disaster film directed, written, co-produced, co-edited and partly financed by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.
The Notebook is a 2004 American romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes. The screenplay, written by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi, is based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love during the early 1940s. Their story is narrated from the present day by an elderly man (portrayed by James Garner) telling the tale to a fellow nursing home resident (played by Gena Rowlands, who is Cassavetes' mother).
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romantic disaster film directed, written, co-produced, co-edited and partly financed by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.
The Notebook is a 2004 American romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes. The screenplay, written by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi, is based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love during the early 1940s. Their story is narrated from the present day by an elderly man (portrayed by James Garner) telling the tale to a fellow nursing home resident (played by Gena Rowlands, who is Cassavetes' mother).
Research in to two possible genres i may use;
Romance;
The genre conventions of a romance;
There is usually soft lighting or natural light to create a reality effect to the film and storyline. The music is commonly slow and soft and relating to the characters in the film to create an atmosphere.
Typical characters in the romance genre consist of two main characters who are male and females and are commonly big stars to help sell the film, usually there is a male or female character who disrupts their relationship and also parents and family who are either for or against their relationship.
Common props are gifts such as flowers and jewellery given to usually the main women character from a love interest.
The settings for romances are usually in big city's such as New York where the characters lives are fun and busy or the opposite, this could be because it links the film to reality and that it shows what the characters are like by where they are living and if they are wealthy or not.
Costumes can consist of smart clothing for example at a wedding or a party as well as pj's and cosy clothes as the couple laze around together. Camera angles are usually quite plain, there is usually close ups on couples as the kiss or tracking if they are arguing and the camera is always steady.
Key studios for the romance genre are Warner Brothers, New Line cinema, Spy Glass Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Studios along with many more.
Audiences generic pleasures consist of being happy for the couple when things finally work out for them after make it or break it situations which test their relationship and also people may leave hoping that they would meet someone like the characters or that their life will pan out like that in the future. The demands for romances are that they create a good storyline and an ending that is realistic enough for people to believe it could happen.
Distribution routes for a romance would be to create a trailer with the aspects of the film which will grab the audiences attention and attract them to the storyline, also i think that character trailers work best for romances because they give the audience a hint of what the characters like, where they are from and possibly their lifestyle and how that would link them in to the other love interest within the film. The best and common exhibition for romances would be to show the film in mainstream cinemas but also some romances appear to be shown in art house cinemas such as cinema city to depending on what the storyline entails.
The genre conventions of a romance;
There is usually soft lighting or natural light to create a reality effect to the film and storyline. The music is commonly slow and soft and relating to the characters in the film to create an atmosphere.
Typical characters in the romance genre consist of two main characters who are male and females and are commonly big stars to help sell the film, usually there is a male or female character who disrupts their relationship and also parents and family who are either for or against their relationship.
Common props are gifts such as flowers and jewellery given to usually the main women character from a love interest.
The settings for romances are usually in big city's such as New York where the characters lives are fun and busy or the opposite, this could be because it links the film to reality and that it shows what the characters are like by where they are living and if they are wealthy or not.
Costumes can consist of smart clothing for example at a wedding or a party as well as pj's and cosy clothes as the couple laze around together. Camera angles are usually quite plain, there is usually close ups on couples as the kiss or tracking if they are arguing and the camera is always steady.
Key studios for the romance genre are Warner Brothers, New Line cinema, Spy Glass Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Studios along with many more.
Audiences generic pleasures consist of being happy for the couple when things finally work out for them after make it or break it situations which test their relationship and also people may leave hoping that they would meet someone like the characters or that their life will pan out like that in the future. The demands for romances are that they create a good storyline and an ending that is realistic enough for people to believe it could happen.
Distribution routes for a romance would be to create a trailer with the aspects of the film which will grab the audiences attention and attract them to the storyline, also i think that character trailers work best for romances because they give the audience a hint of what the characters like, where they are from and possibly their lifestyle and how that would link them in to the other love interest within the film. The best and common exhibition for romances would be to show the film in mainstream cinemas but also some romances appear to be shown in art house cinemas such as cinema city to depending on what the storyline entails.
Monday 12 August 2013
Research in to two possible genres I may use;
Horror;
The genre conventions of horror films are the following;
The settings are usually small communities or isolated places with dark or dangerous history with aspects such as dark small alleyways or streets. Also some horror films use large run down city's or ghost towns and buildings such as old houses, hospitals, hotels and insane asylums.
Locations for horror films can range from city's, the countryside, roads, woodlands, cabins, houses, basements, attics, frozen landscapes, deserts, alien spaceships, pirate ships, graveyards and science labs.
Camera shots such as point of view shots and extreme close ups are important to horror films as they create tension and make the viewers feel scared for what is going to happen next, others technical codes commonly used are handheld cameras, depth of field to slightly hide a for example a monster, disturbing sounds such as footsteps and heartbeats both can be diegetic and non-diegetic also editing can create tension by speeding up scenes.
Iconography such as dark colours like red and black used to show darkness or evil presence, low key lighting to create shadows, iconic monsters and weapons and also masks and outfits.
Character types; the protagonist who is the hero/victim, the villain who can range from a monster to a serial killer, teenagers or adults who get killed, young infants who get possessed and supernatural creatures.
Common themes consist of; good vs evil, supernatural vs human, revenge, after death, nightmares, insanity, suicide and religion are some of the many themes.
Key studios which commonly create horror films are Momentum Studios, Universal, Paramount, Evolution Entertainment, Twisted Pictures and many more.
For the horror film genre the audience's generic pleasures are that they get a thrill from the tense and scary scenes which are expected in the genre, an audience would go to see the film expecting to come out of the screening scared and debating if the storyline is real or not or if it could really happen. The demands are the same that the audience would expect to be thrilled which puts pressure and a demand on the producer to make sure that this is what they spend their money on getting.
Distribution and Exhibition routes for horror films would be to distribute the film in as many ways as possible to create tension before the audience has even been able to view the film such as posters with scary images or freeze frames from the film or character posters for the audience to have an insight of the actors starring in the film and what type of character they are portraying. Also by creating a tense trailer to grab the audiences attention showing scenes from the film and glimpses at the storyline, another way to grab attention from a young audience is by creating a website with exclusive photos, freebies or clips from the film and merchandise available for big horror fans either before or after they have seen the film. The best way to exhibit a horror film is to have it available for screening in mainstream cinemas such as the Odeon and Vue cinema chains as they are the the most known and used ones, also for pay to view and streaming because with all the technology available now it is a fast and easy way for the audience to view the films and in the comfort of their own house.
The genre conventions of horror films are the following;
The settings are usually small communities or isolated places with dark or dangerous history with aspects such as dark small alleyways or streets. Also some horror films use large run down city's or ghost towns and buildings such as old houses, hospitals, hotels and insane asylums.
Locations for horror films can range from city's, the countryside, roads, woodlands, cabins, houses, basements, attics, frozen landscapes, deserts, alien spaceships, pirate ships, graveyards and science labs.
Camera shots such as point of view shots and extreme close ups are important to horror films as they create tension and make the viewers feel scared for what is going to happen next, others technical codes commonly used are handheld cameras, depth of field to slightly hide a for example a monster, disturbing sounds such as footsteps and heartbeats both can be diegetic and non-diegetic also editing can create tension by speeding up scenes.
Iconography such as dark colours like red and black used to show darkness or evil presence, low key lighting to create shadows, iconic monsters and weapons and also masks and outfits.
Character types; the protagonist who is the hero/victim, the villain who can range from a monster to a serial killer, teenagers or adults who get killed, young infants who get possessed and supernatural creatures.
Common themes consist of; good vs evil, supernatural vs human, revenge, after death, nightmares, insanity, suicide and religion are some of the many themes.
Key studios which commonly create horror films are Momentum Studios, Universal, Paramount, Evolution Entertainment, Twisted Pictures and many more.
For the horror film genre the audience's generic pleasures are that they get a thrill from the tense and scary scenes which are expected in the genre, an audience would go to see the film expecting to come out of the screening scared and debating if the storyline is real or not or if it could really happen. The demands are the same that the audience would expect to be thrilled which puts pressure and a demand on the producer to make sure that this is what they spend their money on getting.
Distribution and Exhibition routes for horror films would be to distribute the film in as many ways as possible to create tension before the audience has even been able to view the film such as posters with scary images or freeze frames from the film or character posters for the audience to have an insight of the actors starring in the film and what type of character they are portraying. Also by creating a tense trailer to grab the audiences attention showing scenes from the film and glimpses at the storyline, another way to grab attention from a young audience is by creating a website with exclusive photos, freebies or clips from the film and merchandise available for big horror fans either before or after they have seen the film. The best way to exhibit a horror film is to have it available for screening in mainstream cinemas such as the Odeon and Vue cinema chains as they are the the most known and used ones, also for pay to view and streaming because with all the technology available now it is a fast and easy way for the audience to view the films and in the comfort of their own house.
Brief;
A short film in its entirely, lasting approximately five minutes which may be live action or animated or a combination of both together with the following options; A Poster for the film and a film magazine review featuring the films.
The genres I will most likely fit my film within are the following;
Fantasy
Horror
Romance
Drama
The genres I will most likely fit my film within are the following;
Fantasy
Horror
Romance
Drama
Fast & Furious 6 sweded
Fast & Furious 6 Sweded from Lucy Easton on Vimeo.
Ends when screen turns black, didn't get a chance to cut it there.
Ends when screen turns black, didn't get a chance to cut it there.
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