To confirm what date we would film the trailer on, I emailed/texted the actors to make sure that they were available for that day, and to clarify what hours they could do so that it corresponded with my call sheet. I think messaging the actors over the Internet/via text message is not only a good way to exploit digital technology and to make good use of media items as a source of planning, but it also makes it easier to remember precisely when and where the actors should be on the day and acts as evidence that I have clearly gone through with my actors when and where they should be at the time of filming. As evidence, I took a screenshot of a message I sent to one of my actors, which can be seen below.
The below outlines the shots that I will be using in the final media piece. I will aim to stick to this shooting schedule as best I can, so that the final trailer is consistent with the storyboards and the locations that I have looked at.
Call sheet
The call sheet below outlines where and when the actors/crew should be during filming. I have tried to make the call sheet as clear as possible through filling in as many of the boxes as I can, with information such as contact details and possible health and safety issues. Hopefully, upon reading, the actors will have a strong sense of what the filming will involve, and will be clear when and at what time of day shots will be completed.
I have entered health and safety details and contact information for safety reasons. I feel this is important as we are filming in some potentially dangerous filming locations ( such as location 4). For this reason, I think a detailed risk assessment and call sheet are helpful and will make the overall film making process more proficient and risk-free.
Costumes
As established in the props section, the costumes that the characters wear should portray their personalities and should immediately give the audience an idea of the kind of people they are. Both the victims in the trailer will not have much common sense, and will generally have no idea what is going on the whole time. I think that the clothing that I choose for them should represent this idea. As such I think quite silly clothing would be the best option, to immediately present the characters as being somewhat out of it. This will immediately give the audience a picture of what the characters are like. Under costumes I will also obviously have to consider what the mask is like for the villain. As stated in props, the mask should be comical but should still look professional and look as though it could belong in the horror genre.
Over the next few weeks I will be buying the costumes and specifically analysing them, stating why I chose them, why I think they are suitable for the trailer and how they stick to genre conventions.
Analysing specific costume choices
Villain costume - Pig mask with black clothing
I have gone into more detail on why I have chosen the pig mask as my villain mask in my props section. To summarise, I decided to use it as I think both horror and comedy aspects can be taken from simply seeing the mask. It looks frightening, however comedy values are also definitely there, as having a man dressed up as a pig and trying to kill people is ridiculous, as is having a villain dressed as a pig in general.
I think the black clothing that will go with the pig mask will add to the intimidation of the costume. The blackness will make the villain look even more frightening, as well as clearly identifying that the actor in the pig costume is in fact the villain, as some of the audience may still be unclear. This will be clear because the dark clothes will contrast strongly with the clothes that the victims are wearing.
(Final villain costume)
Victims costumes - Bright clothing The victims will wear quite bright clothing, such as blue coats and bright trainers. They may also wear colourful items such as sunglasses and bands on their wrists. This is done to contrast strongly with the villain, who will predominantly be wearing black clothing.
I think that this use of bright clothing will help to exploit the comedy aspect of the trailer. As the villain is wearing a dark, evil looking costume, the comedy aspects of the trailer need to be carefully placed in to the trailer within other areas, to compensate. A good area to exploit is the clothing of the victims.
As the victims are going to be quite foolish and low in intelligence, I think the clothing should try and help convey this. I think having bright clothing does make the characters look somewhat more foolish, as it presents them as more whacky and out of the ordinary. Even though the clothing will be bright, it will be quite plain as well, to help portray their lack of common sense and intelligence in general. As the trailer goes on and becomes progressively dark, the victims may lose some items of their clothing (perhaps signifying that they have been attacked), so they end up looking more serious and less comical by the end. This could act as a metaphor for the layers of comedy being stripped away as the horror theme progresses within the trailer.
Overall, I am aiming for the victims to look quite cheesy and foolish, and hopefully this will add to the overall comedic effect of the trailer.
What props will I need?
At this stage of the process I have a rough shot list and as such I can estimate the props I will need for the shooting day. As can be seen from the script there is little in the way of extravagant props (sticking to comedy-horror conventions), however some of the props that are used will be very important in order for the trailer to work. Some of the props that I will need include:
-Two realistic looking toy guns
-Two torches
-A villain mask (which looks comical but still professional)
-A stick (used when one of the victims tries to fight the villain)
-A mobile phone
Over the next few weeks I will take pictures of these props and upload them to my blog. I will analyse each prop in detail, stating why I chose that particular prop and why I think it is suitable for the final trailer.
Analysing specific props Prop 1: Stick
The first prop is the stick, that will be used when one of the characters attempts to knock down the villain. I thought having a stick as a prop would be quite comical, as it is not usually the sort of thing that one would associate with a defensive weapon. In horror movies, characters often try and fight back in really stupid ways such as hitting the villain with a small rock or hitting them with the butt of a gun instead of actually shooting them. For this reason I am going to try to parody this within the trailer, and I think a stick would be a comical prop to help portray this idea.
The stick will be long and narrow, with a pointy bit at the end that would possibly be used as a stabbing source for the victims.
Prop 2: Mobile phone
The second prop that I am analysing is the mobile phone. The mobile phone features near the start of the trailer, when one of the boys realises that they are out of "cell reception." The phone will be quite small and not very colourful, to ensure that the audience are not distracted by it and are instead focusing on the action.
I think the phone plays a crucial part to the trailer as even though it does not particularly add to the story, it is representing one of the key horror movie cliches which is characters not receiving a mobile network, essentially meaning they can not contact the outside world. In essence this makes the movie more tense and frightening, which I think is mainly why it is used so often in horror films. However it has been so over used now that it can almost be seen as comedic, which is why I am using it as one of my cliches within the trailer.
As can be seen in the picture below, the phone is small and does not particularly stand out. Another reason for this, besides not distracting the audience, is the phone only being in one scene near the start of the trailer, meaning the audience will probably not pay much attention to it.
Prop 3: Two realistic looking toy guns
The third prop that I am analysing is the pair of fake guns that will be used within the trailer. These feature towards the end of the trailer when the victims aim towards the camera and one of them shouts "Shoot his legs!" The villain will also have a gun, which may be visible in one or two shots. To save money and resources, I think I will give the villain one of the victim's guns as they both handle the weapons in different shots anyway. I think this may actually be effective, as it may suggest to the audience that the victims manage to steal the villains gun or vice versa.
As can be seen, the guns will be fairly small and will not stand out too much in terms of colour. They are also fairly realistic looking. This is something I found difficult last year, as whilst making my thriller piece "Unresolved," I made use of a red spud gun, which lost me marks on mise-en-scene and of course did not look realistic in the slightest. For this reason, I have invested in some more expensive fake guns to make the trailer more effective and realistic looking. Below, one of the guns can be seen.
Prop 4: Two torches
The fourth prop is the two torches, that the victims will have within the trailer. As can be seen from the picture these torches will be fairly small and will be silver in colour. Like the props that I have analysed previously, I do not want them to be really colourful or to stand out too much so the audience can instead concentrate on the story and the action that is taking place. I think the torches that I use will be effective however, as it makes the trailer seem somewhat more eerie and dramatic, as torches show that darkness is looming and that the victims will need to watch out for what is happening around them.
Prop 5: A villain mask
The fifth prop that will feature in the trailer is the villain mask. The mask that I have chosen clearly belongs to the horror genre and I think it looks quite frightening and intimidating, however I also think it does not look like a really serious mask and could be seen as belonging to the comedy genre as well as the horror genre. This is because it is a pig mask, and as such many should be able to see the comedy elements that this entails.
The villain mask is important within the trailer as the villain needs to be able to be clearly identified by the audience as well as the victims themselves, and I think simply giving the villain a mask helps with this clear identification. It will also be a crucial part to the slapstick ending of the trailer, in which one of the victims pulls off the villain's mask to reveal a rather half-baked looking person underneath who proceeds to comically punch them in the face.
I have brainstormed a number of different titles that I could use for the trailer. The name of the media I think needs to incorporate both horror and comedy elements into the title, to make the genre of the trailer immediately clear for the audience. Some of my ideas include:
-Troll of the Dead
-Sore
-The Silence of the Lads
-Psychopath
-Jaw
Most of these names rip off of other horror franchises such as "Jaws," "The Silence of the Lambs," and the "Saw," franchise. From doing my research into the comedy-horror genre I can see that other films do this as well, such as "Shaun of the Dead." I feel this is done to simply show the combining of the horror and comedy genre, and to make it instantly clear to the audience what the genre of the film is. The reason these film names are comical are because they are clearly making fun of the films from the horror genre by taking the film title and abruptly changing it to make it sound somewhat ridiculous. For example a film titled "Shaun of the Dead," is unlikely to be a serious horror flick, neither a film called "Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein." I have incorporated these ideas into my own possible titles, for example with "The Silence of the Lambs," and "The Silence of the Lads."
After deciding that I would name my trailer "The Silence of the Lads," I investigated some fonts to use on Premier Pro. Fonts that I have investigated for the title include the "Superclarendon," font, the "Nanum Brush Script," and the "Trattatello," font.
Rough shot list for comedy-horror trailer
(The name of the piece is currently unresolved.)
Shot 1 - Establishing shot of two boys walking towards the camera. A wind sound can be heard in the background, which slowly rises. Shot 2 - Opening titles Shot 3- Medium shot of two boys. One looks down at their mobile and exclaims "Damn it, we're out of reception!" Shot 4- Close shot. Other boy says "Why, you're not scared are you?" Shot 5- Over the shoulder shot. "Of course not." (Followed immediately by laughter.) Shot 6- (Laughter continues in background.) Text can be seen, which reads "In a world full of evil," (Which is also accompanied by a cheesy voice-over.) (Not used in final piece) Shot 7 - Medium shots of boys walking again. "What is a psychopath? Is it an animal?" Shot 8- Text appears again. It reads "Only those with their wits about them." (Not used in final piece) Shot 9- Long shot. "It's dark we should go home." (Not used in final piece) Shot 10- Text appears again. "Can survive." (Not used in final piece) (Music stops and is replaced with silence.) Shot 11- Medium shot. The trailer is suddenly silent, and the boys stare into the woods around them. Shot 12- Still silence. Extreme close-ups of both the boy's faces, who look terrified as they stare into the trees. Shot 13- POV extreme long shot from behind the two boys, through the eyes of the villain. Heavy breathing can be heard. Shot 14- Long shot. One of the boys turns round to where the villain had literally just been standing, but does not see him. He whispers "If someone attacks us, run into the woods because we can climb up trees to hide." (Here, the montage editing will begin and there will be very little dialogue. The following section will be more tense, and will exploit the horror genre more than the comedy genre.) Shot 15- Scary, ominous music can suddenly be heard in the trailer. Long shot of boys running down the track into the distance. Shot 16- High shot of villain in pursuit of one of the victims. Shot 17- Medium low shot of the two boys hiding behind a tree, breathing heavily. The villain can be seen approaching in the background. Shot 18- Long shot of the two boys running away into the distance. Shot 19- Quick shot of one of the boys fighting with the villain with a stick. Shot 20- High angle shot of one of the two boys lying on the ground, screaming in pain. Shot 21- High angle shot of villain from below, slowly bringing his gun around towards the camera. Shot 22- Medium shot of the two characters with guns, firing towards the camera. One of them yells "Aim for his legs!" Shot 23- Music dissipates, replaced by a ringing sound. The screen is black. Shot 24- Flash of brightness, followed by a high angle medium shot of one of the boys lying dead on the ground, with a voiceover in the background, which reads out the title of the movie. (Not used in final piece) 25- Black screen again, before the title of the film appears in cheesy big red letters. 26- One final quick shot of one of the boys pulling off the villains mask, revealing the person beneath who proceeds to punch him in the face.
In my trailer I am planning on having three characters, two of them being the victims who get hunted down by the villain. This means I will need two actors to play these victims. These actors will need to be able, physically fit and be willing to incorporate both horror and comedy elements into their acting. I am planning on giving them some test lines to read and then to record their attempts at reading them. I feel this will help with the selection process, and will give me an idea of their abilities ahead of the actual shoot. I am planning on having two male characters within the trailer, but both with very contrasting personalities. One will be brave and boisterous, the other scared and easily intimidated. However they will both be very low in intelligence, as they will make some really stupid decisions within the trailer.
Test lines
I will get the actor/actors to read some test lines in order to test their ability at acting. I have come up with four lines (which may or may not appear in the actual script) which will they will be required to read for the auditions. These lines are:
"What's a psychopath? Is it an animal?"
"Maybe if we both shout really loudly we'll scare whoever is doing this away."
"We have no cell reception."
"If he attacks us run in to the woods because we can climb up trees to hide."
(Below, potential actor Toby Oliver is tasked with reading the four lines in certain expressions, to test his ability at playing the role.)
Locations Pre-planning locations
The locations that I choose for the comedy-horror trailer should be suitable for both the comedy and horror aspects of the genre. As the film trailer will partly belong to the horror-genre, the environments that I pick should be fairly creepy/unsettling. Environments that fit this criteria include woods and the countryside, perhaps on quite a cloudy, dark day. If the script required indoor environments then I would be looking at darkly-lit, claustrophobic rooms with little props (referring to research done into the horror genre such as the movie "Don't Breathe.") However if I were to film in an indoor environment (which I feel is less likely than an outdoor environment) then I would have to be very careful in my selection of the room and the props that can be seen inside. This is something I found difficult last year, and an area where I lost marks (specifically mise-en-scene.)
I feel an outdoor environment is more likely as if it is shot outdoors then it will be easier to make fun of the typical horror cliches (for example car breaking down, having no cell reception, victim running off into the woods.) It will also give us much more space to film, and to use as many camera angles as possible to make the trailer very visually dynamic. Remember this is a convention of the comedy-horror genre, as my timeline analysis of the trailer for "Scary Movie," showed that a variety of long shots, medium shots and close shots were used throughout.
Analysing specific location choices 1st location choice: Footpath leading into woods
My first possible filming location is a footpath that leads off into some woods. As can be seen from the picture below, the footpath is very shaded and dark, which will obviously add to the horror aspect of the trailer. I feel this is a good spot to use because as well as having an eerie atmosphere to it, there is a lot of space to use, meaning a lot of camera angles can be exploited. A good shot to use in this specific location would be a long shot, as the footpath leads off into the distance in a straight line, meaning things can be seen at the other end that could add to the atmosphere of the trailer, and/or establish the scene.
The disadvantages of filming in this space however is that because it is quite dark and is shaded by trees, some things might be hard to make out. As such I will need to be careful that where I am filming has enough light in order for things on camera to be seen, and perhaps will have to wait for a day where there is a reasonable amount of sunshine in order for everything to be seen.
2nd location choice: Field surrounded by trees
My second location choice is a field which is predominantly surrounded by trees. As can be seen in the picture below, there is also a path that skirts round the edge of the field, which could be used for dramatic effect in the trailer (for example if we wanted a car as a prop, we could use this path for the vehicle.)
The advantages to this potential filming location are that there is a lot of space for a number of different camera angles. Long shots, medium shots, close shots and high angle/low angle shots could all be used in the area, and as such if I were to film here it could potentially make the trailer more visually dynamic and interesting.
Unlike the last filming location the area is not very shaded, and as such brightness will not be an issue. However if it raining on the day of shoot there will be less chance of protection from it, although the trees that are visible that surround the field can be used in the case of unexpected weather changes.
A possible disadvantage to this filming location is that as it is very open there will be little space for the villain/victims to possibly hide and/or fight each other. When there are a lot of trees scenes of this nature are easier to shoot as there are more places for, for example, a villain to jump out unexpectedly and scare the audience. This is something I will consider when finalising filming locations.
3rd filming location: Track leading through forest
This filming location is similar to the first one, with the fundamental idea being track/footpath going directly through a wood. However, I feel this idea is better than the first, as this time there is a track going through the trees instead of a footpath. This means that we can potentially have a car in the area as well. As it is a track instead of a grassed footpath, it will be easier to walk around and set up the camera, as the ground is already established. Also, at this location (although not visible in the picture), there are ditches running down both sides of the track, potentially meaning the trailer can be made more tense through the paranoia that someone might be watching from either side of the track. As there are slopes it also means that we can possibly make use of the high angle/ low angle shots more often as well, which again will serve to make the trailer more tense and dramatic.
A disadvantage of this area compared to the first however is that there is light at either end of the track. In the first location, the path goes deep into a wood and light is not visible at the other end, however in this location the exit to the woods can be seen at both ends. This could make the trailer slightly less scary, as it could unintentionally be signifying to the audience that there is hope for the main characters. However, as I am making in the comedy-horror genre, not all the locations have to precisely meet the usual horror criteria, and the light at the end of the track might actually help to establish that the trailer is a comedy as well as a horror. In other words, this may actually be a positive thing.
4th filming location: Abandoned house in the middle of woods
The fourth potential filming location is an abandoned house in the middle of some woods. This location is very near location 3, as the abandoned house is actually down one of the ditches that leads away from the track. This is personally my favourite location, as I feel it looks like a location that would typically be used in horror movies. I think audience members, upon seeing the shot, would immediately be able to identify the genre of the trailer as having a horror aspect to it.
I think the location is also very good because, as the abandoned house is at the bottom of a ditch, a lot of camera angles can be used to add to the effect of the trailer. For example, the camera can be placed at the top of the hill and can get the whole area in shot, which would be very effective as an establishing shot. As the house is surrounded by trees there is also a lot of potential for exploiting the feeling of paranoia which often comes with horror movies, as the audience will probably work harder to try and find out where the villain is and when he will next attack.
A disadvantage to this filming location is actually the overall safety levels of it. The ground surrounding the house is very uneven, meaning tripping is much more likely. The house itself is very derelict and old, and we will potentially be putting ourselves in danger if we go to close to it (as can be seen from the picture, one side of it has already collapsed.)
This is something I will need to consider when doing my risk assessment and also of course when I actually film there. More planning will be required if I decide to shoot at this area, and a ground check might be necessary before we begin shooting there.
5th filming location: Old railway bridge
For the fifth and final filming location I chose to investigate an old railway bridge, with a path that leads underneath it into a small wood. The railway bridge is abandoned and overgrown, making the area look eerie and sinister. This will obviously fit with the genre, which is comedy-horror.
There is a small hill leading down the path under the railway bridge, again meaning high angle shots and low angle shots can be used more easily. This will be good in the trailer to show difference in status and power, and to perhaps help distinguish between villain and victim. There is also a fair amount of space at the location, meaning a lot of camera angles can be used to make the trailer visually dynamic. It is relatively safe as well, with quite smooth ground and little in the way of derelict structures which may collapse, unlike the last location.
A disadvantage to this location is that, like the first location, it is quite dark and overgrown, meaning more time will need to be spent with the camera in order to ensure good lighting. Also, the wood at the end of the path is quite small, perhaps meaning that the trailer is less dramatic. However, as established in location 3, this might actually be a good thing, as it might establish that this is a comedy-horror rather than just a pure horror.
These locations can be seen within my storyboard which I have now completed. I am going to use page 1 as an example:
In my storyboard the shots seen can be linked with the filming locations that I have looked at. In page 1, shot 1 where the two boys can be seen walking towards the camera on the track is location 3. Meanwhile, shot's 2 and 4 are location 2, with the boys standing in the open space with trees and countryside visible around them. Shot 3 will take place in location 2, as the dialogue within the shot flows on from shot 2, meaning it must be in the same location.
The images below represent that of the horror parody genre. All of the images apart from one are that of "Scary Movie," with the one exception being "The Cabin in the Woods," which is another classic film in the horror parody genre. Other films in the horror-parody genre include "Shaun of the Dead," and "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil."
For the mood board I tried to go for screenshots that represent both the horror and comedy aspects of the genre. For example, I included the image of the crying woman in the woods at night to help represent the horror aspect of the film and the genre as a whole. I also included one of the key shots in the trailer, the wide shot of a house at night, to again help represent the horror genre.
However, I feel the other images help to represent the much more slap-stick, comical nature of the genre. For example the "Don't answer the phone," text, which people will know serves to mock the general horror cliche if they have seen the trailer. Also, the main antagonist of the movie, "Ghostface," (who is mocking the villain from the Scream series) can be seen in two of the shots. I think Ghostface looks quite comical within the Scary Movie franchise, and thus decided to include images of him within the mood board. A poster for "The Scary Movie Collection," is also shown, showing many bizarre, out of the ordinary characters on the front. This is of course conveying the very slapstick elements that the Scary Movie franchise incorporates.
I think the mood board helps to represent conventions of the genre by firstly featuring a mixture of comedic and horror shots (as previously mentioned.) It shows the "Using satire on horror cliches as it's main source of humour," element with the "Don't answer the phone," picture, which also of course links with the parody and spoof elements of the genre. I also think clear example of gallows humour can be seen in the mood board, with the villain holding up a comical looking knife while looking into the camera.
I think in terms of visual style, a clear style can be identified from the mood board. Quite dark, bold colours are used throughout like black, red and dark orange. It is important that the colours visible are not all dark or not all bright, so people know that both happy and sad elements are exploited within the medium. I think this compromise of dark colours presented in quite a bold and bright way helps to represent the comedy-horror genre as a whole. This is something I should consider when making my trailer.
What idea have I chosen for my main task? For my main task, I have chosen to go with the horror parody idea. This idea, as stated in my pitches, will be in a similar genre to films such as the "Scary Movie," franchise and "The Cabin in the Woods." In other words, it will be in the same genre as films that mock the horror genre. These films tend to make out that the horror genre is bland and predictable, and features a bunch of cliches that crop up in almost every film, such as victims running in the woods, answering the phone to strangers, talking to reporters and generally making stupid decisions so they end up getting killed.
I would exploit these conventions in my final piece, making sure to make the film trailer seem as cliche as possible. As such I would use some of the classic cliches that are found in horror movies. My plot would probably revolve around a pair of teenage boys who are driving before their car breaks down. Realising they have no cell reception, they get out of the car and wave their mobiles around to try and pick up a network. They hear noises in the woods around them, and one of them decides to investigate. This person is killed, and the other one is left stranded at the car. He has a gun on him and fires it, yelling at whoever is in the woods that they are armed and dangerous. The villain would then emerge right behind him, attempting to strangle him. The villain would then get blatantly shot in the head but would simply stand up again to attack him as if nothing has happened. The trailer would end on some kind of cliff-hanger, such as the remaining victim running away into the forest or the villain pulling the victim into his own car and tying his hands together.
I would make sure to exploit the comedy aspect of the trailer to a high degree, whilst at the same time still making the trailer tense and atmospheric. This is important as both the horror and comedy genres have to be exploited in order to yield a successful product within the comedy-horror genre. I also need to make sure that the trailer is not overly cheesy and keeps in line with real movie trailer conventions. In other words, the trailer needs to be made as a serious product and careful attention to detail needs to be applied in order to build atmosphere, even though the trailer will have slapstick elements to it.
After we have made our main task we have to make some ancillary products to support it. As I am doing a trailer, I have three options to choose from for my ancillary products, which are a website, a poster and a magazine front cover. Out of these three options I have to choose two that I will go ahead and make. I am not yet sure which two options I will choose, as I first want to focus on making the actual film trailer. I feel that after making the trailer, it will be easier to decide which two ancillary products would be most suited for the trailer.
(Below, my 100 word breakdown summarises the story of my trailer)
What idea have I decided to go ahead with?
As stated in my previous, introductory post, I have decided to make in the comedy-horror genre.
I have come to this conclusion through audience feedback as well as basing it off of my own preferences. Out of my three initial ideas, I felt this one had the most versatility in terms of how it can be made and structured. I found the connecting of comedy and horror genres quite interesting, and feel there is a lot that can be done within the genre.
I feel comfortable working with the horror genre, as this is largely something that I investigated last year when I made my thriller piece "Unresolved." However the comedy genre is not something I am so comfortable in making in. The reason I have decided to go ahead with the comedy aspect of the genre is because I think it will be more interesting than straight up horror and gives me the opportunity to research into other conventions and come out with a better understanding of how film trailers/openings work generally, rather than just those representing a specific genre.
If I find the comedy aspect of the piece too difficult I can always switch to purely horror, which will probably not be too difficult concerning the script and the props as the horror aspects will be there anyway. If I shoot the trailer and watch it and find it not to be very funny, then I can simply switch the genre of the piece from comedy-horror to simply horror. This way, there will be no confusion in the possible genres involved and there is less risk with making the trailer in the first place.
When I shoot my final trailer I will make sure to incorporate certain shots into it so I am sticking to genre conventions. From my timeline analysis of "Scary Movie," as well as general research into the genre, I can infer that a mixture of close shots, medium shots and long shots are used throughout. An establishing shot should be used as well to build atmosphere. These are shots that are often used in comedy-horror movies, and as such act as conventions of the genre.
For scene-setting I will make sure to have creepy locations to show that the genre does involve horror, while also giving away that comedy elements belong in the genre as well, perhaps through having cheesy props or a creepy environment with light visible in the distance. I will have quite a simple narrative which will be easy to follow (again sticking to the genre conventions) with few characters.
For lighting, I will have a mixture of dark and bright lighting (again referring to the timeline analysis for "Scary Movie.") This is to help show the contrast between light and dark, and thus the difference in the horror and comedy aspects of the trailer.
What have I learnt from my research?
To leave more options open when it comes to our main task and to have a very clear idea of how film trailers work, we were tasked with researching into two non-genre specific films which could potentially be the genre of our main task. Genre-specific wise I chose to look at the comedy genre, specifically sub-genres of comedy such as action-comedy (The Nice Guys), and horror-comedy (Scary Movie), as this is the genre I want to exploit in the main task. For my two non-genre specific films however, I chose the horror genre and the documentary genre. This is because I feel if I was not successful with the comedy genre these would be two possible genres that I would try next.
Choice 1- Horror genre- Don't Breathe
For my first non-genre specific idea, I chose to look at the trailer for "Don't Breathe", a horror movie which has just recently been released in the UK. The movie is contemporary, potentially meaning conventions found in the trailer represent the current state of the horror genre. I looked at editing, mise-en-scene and lighting within the trailer.
Editing
Editing wise, I found that the trailer differs in its approaches. For example some parts, like the beginning and the middle, have slow editing in order to build tension. However the last third of the trailer has very quick editing. This use of montage editing signifies that the films tension builds to something and that there are fast-paced, dramatic scenes in the film as well as slow ones. This is probably done in order for the trailer to appeal to a wider market. The music builds in sync with the rapid increase of editing and shots used, to show perhaps that the film gets more and more dramatic as it goes on (a horror convention.)
The shots used in the trailer include an establishing shot, reaction shots, long shots and low angle shots. I think that the reaction shots definitely help to portray the fear that the characters are feeling, and thus make the trailer more entertaining to watch. The establishing shot of the trailer with a city skyline visible, and the long shot of the blind man's house, help to build the atmosphere as it establishes location, and pinpoints to the audience where the action is going to be unfolding. As the locations look quite eerie and threatening, this will make the trailer more frightening for the audience. The low angle shots that are used (which are, for the most part, also reaction shots), I feel help further develop the characters emotions, which is important for a film of this nature. I think that it is shot from a low angle in some cases simply to make the trailer more visually pleasing. When the low angle shot is used for the villain in the trailer it is perhaps showing the power and dominance he have over his victims.
Mise-en-scene
For mise-en-scene, I observed that the environments used are environments typically associated with the genre, for example an establishing shot with a city skyline, an abandoned house, and dark, barely lit corridors. Again, this was probably done to make sure the film appeals to the masses (audiences tend to like the familiar.) In the actual environments themselves there is little in the way of physical items. For example the rooms in the house where the thieves break in are quite bare and void of any distractions. I feel this lack of props helps with the overall effect of the trailer, as it makes the house seem more empty and as such more eerie and creepy. The shots are all relatively simple as well, with the things that the audience should be paying attention to clear in the shot. I feel this is done as the horror genre as a whole is quite a simple genre, usually containing no "deeper meanings," or moral messages. As such, shots and set designs used are often simple to convey this idea. Saying this however, mise-en-scene is important in order for the audience to feel captivated, and this is an aspect that the trailer for "Don't Breathe," ultimately exploits.
Lighting
The lighting in the trailer is very dark. Although the lighting starts off quite bright (though still somewhat murky), this is only to show the increasingly dark and sinister tone of the film as the shots get darker and darker, both literally in the lighting and in what is shown on screen. As can be seen from the screenshots, the environment surrounding the characters tends to be murky and hard to make out, with the characters standing out from their backgrounds. I feel this is done for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it makes the characters seem somewhat more important, as they physically stand out from their environment. It attaches importance to them, and makes the audience aware of the fact they should be paying the most attention to them. Also, it really adds to the horror feel of the film, as the dark shadows and environments that surround the characters add a sense of paranoia to the experience of watching, as you never know what could be lurking in the shadows or round the next corner.
Sound
In the trailer, the music starts off with quite a slow, sad tone. The music is not intense or out of the ordinary in anyway, perhaps representing the state of equilibrium that horror movies often start off with. Once the thieves break into the house, the music then stops, building tension. Then, when the villain appears in a dark doorway, increasingly sinister music begins to play, which builds and builds as the action increases on screen. Then, in the last scene which is presumably in the basement of the house, the music stops again. This complete absence of music makes the trailer more scary, as the audience is waiting for something to happen and all we can hear is the worried voices of the people in the basement.
Dialogue wise, we hear important conversations between the characters that help advance the plot within the trailer itself, so the audience have a rough idea what the story is by the end of it. This is another convention of trailers, to show certain key plot points within the trailer so the people that go and watch the film will have a rough idea on what the plot is.
Within the trailer for "Don't Breathe," we hear that the thieves are breaking into the man's house as he is blind (so he is an "easy" target) and because he has lot's of money. We then learn that one of the thieves gets attacked and shot by the blind man, and that the other two get locked in and have to try and avoid him. We learn this through lines such as "There has to be a way out of here," and "He's coming." There is also a hint of another plot point in the film as we briefly see a woman (whom we can hear screaming) who looks to be locked up in what could be the basement of the house. This intriguing plot device could make more people want to go and see the film, as they will want to see if there are any twists in the film and anything that could take them by surprise. This is important as enigma is a convention that often makes the horror genre so successful.
Narrative structure
The trailer, as typical to a lot of trailers, plays out in a linear fashion. From the trailer we get a rough idea of what the story is, which is three thieves break into a blind man's house because he has a lot of money. It is then revealed that the blind man is not nearly as vulnerable as they first thought and the tables turn; they are now being hunted by him.
I think the fact the trailer is shown in a linear fashion is important for the horror genre especially, as the audience need to have a rough idea of how the film will play out to add to the tension of the media. I think this is less important for a genre such as the comedy genre (something to consider when I make my trailer). I think this trailer in particular is successful with it's narrative structure, as it is easy to follow whilst at the same introducing an element of enigma and being somewhat intriguing as well.
Choice 2- Documentary genre- Touching the Void
For my second non-genre specific idea, I chose to look at the trailer for "Touching the Void," a documentary film which was released in 2003. I looked at the editing, mise-en-scene, and overall style of the trailer.
Editing
Editing wise, I found the trailer quite peculiar and not typical to the usual conventions of trailers. This is because the trailer is almost advertising for two films, one half advertising for a documentary and the other half advertising for an action film. I feel this is done in order for the film to appeal to a wider market, as action films generally sell a lot more than documentary films. If the film was, for example, just made and advertised as a documentary, it would not sell nearly as much copies as if there are actual actors, set pieces and action sequences. This film shows that the documentary genre can mix with the action genre, and be successful. The film was received well, receiving 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1/10 on IMDB.
The first half of the trailer is styled in a much more conventional, documentary styled way. This is because there are slow shots of, for example, a boot lying next to a closed book. Audio wise there are voices narrating over what is shown on screen (which are the slow shots and text describing the experience of the mountain climbers.) This again is a typical documentary convention, with the real people describing their experiences to the audience.
The second half of the trailer strongly juxtaposes with this however. The voice-overs are gone, and instead we are suddenly bombarded with dramatic, action film music. On screen, we can see extravagant action scenes taking place, for example someone falling off a mountain and someone cutting a rope with another person attached to the other end. These scenes could easily be found in the trailer for a new action blockbuster, and so to place them side by side with previous scenes which would usually be found in a documentary is both intriguing and mildly confusing. I feel this is what the producers were aiming for when making the trailer, to make the film seem as interesting as possible so people will go and see it. Indeed the trailer is accurate to the movie, as (having seen the movie myself) this is largely how the film plays out, with documentary styled scenes cleverly interspersed with high-energy, high-octane scenes of action.
The shots used in the trailer include sweeping birds-eye view shots, long shots and also close shots. I think that the mixture of long shots and close shots (for example a long shot of the Andes compared to a close shot of one of the character's faces) makes the trailer more intriguing and all the more peculiar. The sweeping high angle long shots definitely serve to make the trailer more dramatic, and help set the scene for the action that takes place in the second half of the trailer.
Mise-en-scene
For mise-en-scene, similiar shots of environments and landscapes are used throughout. Certain similarities can even be found in the shots within the first half of the trailer and shots within the second.
For example, there are numerous shots of a boot hitting the snow beneath it (these shots can be found in both the first and second half), which signify that this is a drama documentary on a hiking expedition. This is an example of how mise-en-scene quickly and easily gives away what the film is about.
Visible in the trailer are the Andes where the film is set, this time establishing where the film is set rather than what the film is about. I feel the mise-en-scene is successful in the trailer as it gives away a lot about the film's material whilst at the same time not giving away any spoilers which audiences may want to avoid (although such a scenario is less likely in this case considering this is a documentary.)
Props that you can see in the trailer include hiking gear, a rope, a knife and animals such as a lizard and camels. These represent the outdoor nature of the movie and, again, give away certain aspects of the film which is what trailers are supposed to do.
Lighting
For lighting, I observed the lighting and environments to be very bright and "in your face." I feel this is accurate as it represents where the film is set, which is the snow covered Andes. This can also be linked with themes of the movie. As the film is very dramatic and "edge of your seat," I think the lighting has to represent this and should fit with the action shown on screen. As such the intenseness of the brightness on screen fits with the overall feeling of the movie. The lighting is not just bright however. In some parts of the trailer the colouring is very grey, and in other parts very black. Whatever colouring is used is used to the extreme, for example the greyness of a snow storm or the scene where one of the mountain climbers looks up at the night sky, where everything within the shot has a very dark colouring to it. I think this is done to add to the intenseness of the movie, as strong colouring in a particular shade often makes the visuals more dramatic. As this is a dramatic film, I think these kind of visuals are necessary, especially in the trailer where producers want to make the trailer as convincing as possible.
Sound
Sound-wise, the trailer starts off with the unmistakeable sound of wind blowing, presumably over a vast, empty landscape. This immediately makes the trailer dramatic and intriguing, however not to the point where it is over the top. This is important, as the first half of the trailer has more of a documentary feel to it than the second half. Then the narration starts, over a sweeping, birds-eye view shot of the Andes. The first line of narration is "We knew a number of expeditions had failed on it, so we knew it was hard." This, like the sound of the blowing wind, serves to intrigue the audience and make the trailer immediately engaging. The second line is "At some point you're going to have to rely, wholly, on your partner." This line further engages the audience, as well as now giving away a key component and theme of the film, which is relying on partners and the element of trust that comes with that. The lines of dialogue get more and more dramatic as well as cleverly giving away more details about the film as a whole, finishing on the line "As soon as I saw it, I knew it had been cut." The slow, ominous music that had been building along with the sound of the wind suddenly erupts into dramatic music that plays loudly over scenes of action, telling the audience that what they can see on screen now are scenes in the film that are full of adrenaline. The trailer slows down briefly at the end, where the wind sound returns and the last line is spoken "I thought this is it, this is as far as this game goes." I think the trailer ends on this note because it is effective, as it again slows down the thought process of the audience and will leave the trailer lingering in their heads after they have finished watching.
Narrative structure
Unlike the trailer for "Don't Breathe," this trailer does not follow a particular linear style. This is a typical trailer convention that it is breaking.
Instead of being linear, the trailer shows a selection of random scenes from the film, especially in the second half, where action is taking place. For example we see shots of a man falling down a mountain and a rope being cut. This means the story we can gauge from what is happening is difficult to identity, as the shots are following no sort of order. It should be worth mentioning however that the voice-overs that are in the first half of the trailer do have a sense of order, as the lines of dialogue get increasingly dramatic as the trailer progresses.
The sense of story we get from the trailer however is not very detailed at all, though the main gist of what is happening (man gets cut off from rope and separated from partner) should be able to be identified by most.
For my second timeline analysis I analysed the first 30 seconds of "The Nice Guys," trailer. This is because this links to my first pitch, and one of my ideas which is buddy-cop action comedy.
Like the last timeline I went through the first 30 seconds of the trailer and took note all of the shots that were used. I observed that the trailer uses establishing shots, close shots, medium shots, long shots, reaction shots, over the shoulder shots, wide shots, eye line match shots and logos.
Although at this stage I think I am going to go with the horror parody idea, if I were to make in this genre I could make sure to refer to these shots as I made it. For example, starting with an establishing shot to build atmosphere and to identify time and place (this is important for "The Nice Guys," as it is set in Los Angeles in the 70's), and using long shots, close shots, and medium shots throughout. Like in my previous timeline analysis, I feel all of these shots are exploited in the trailer to make it more visually dynamic and exciting. If I were to make in this genre, I think I would make use of all three as it is quite an "exciting," genre.
In this trailer the logos are used quite close to the start as well, starting at the 18 second mark and finishing on the 20 second mark. They are quick and snappy and fit with the tone of the trailer. This is another thing I could think about if I were to make in this genre. There are also quite a lot of reaction shots used. I think this helps to build the comedic side of the film, as showing the characters reactions to strange events and occurrences is comedic, not only making the audience laugh but also giving them a key sense of how the film will play out. This is an important convention of a trailer, as the audience will want to know what they are paying money to see.
For my timeline analysis I decided to analyse the first 30 seconds of the "Scary Movie," trailer. I decided to do this is as, at this stage, this is the genre I think I want to work with (horror parody.) I decided to analyse "Scary Movie," because it was the basis for one of my pitch ideas to represent the genre, and I feel that it represents the mood that I want to achieve with my final piece.
I went through the first 30 seconds of the trailer, taking note of all of the shots that were used throughout. I observed that the trailer uses an establishing shot, tracking shots, close shots, two shots, head-on shots, medium shots and long shots. When I make my final film within the genre, I could refer to this and possibly use some of the same shots in a similar order, as "Scary Movie," is an example of a successful film within the genre.
For example, at the start of my trailer I could use an establishing shot to help create atmosphere, just like the first 3 seconds of the "Scary Movie," trailer. I could also use a mixture of close shots, medium shots and long shots (as is in the trailer) to help make my trailer more dynamic and visually interesting. Long shots, like establishing shots, help to build atmosphere and establish environments, which is often important for horror movies (although not so much comedy movies.) As "Scary Movie," obviously has a horror element to it, I feel this is why the long shot's are used at such a high frequency. As such, this is something I should consider doing in my final piece.
Close shots are also important however, to show the reactions of certain characters (also often known as a "reaction shot.") Close shots however are not used with as much frequency as the long shots within the first 30 seconds. However I think I will make good use of them within my final film as well as the long shots.
What are conventions of the Comedy-Horror genre?
In comedy-horror movies, "Gallows humour," is often an element that is used. Gallows humour is defined as being humour that stems from very unpleasant, serious or painful circumstances. For example, if someone were to make a joke about war or disease then that joke would be defined as being gallows humour.
Within the comedy horror genre specifically, gallows humour is quite important because it allows the audience to laugh at the unpleasantness that they see on screen. For example in the movie "Shaun of the Dead," many violent things happen such as people get ripped apart by zombies, but it is done in a comical way. For example when Shaun and Liz try and rescue David from being eaten by zombies and they end up pulling his legs off. This is Gallows humour, as it is making light of dark events that are happening.
The same thing can be seen in "The Cabin in the Woods." Many of the characters die in horrible ways, but we never take the action too seriously as the film is obviously exploiting gallows humour to be funny.
I think that to make a successful film within the comedy-horror genre, I need to carefully exploit gallows humour. I would probably have initially done this without even knowing what it was as the comedy-horror genre is just that; making fun of dark things that are happening. However, I think now I know exactly what gallows humour is it will help with the overall production of the media piece as I can use it as much as I can.
From my research into the genre, I can also gather that the horror and comedy genres have been closely associated with each other for a long time. In literature, many novels have taken advantage of both the horror and comedy genres. For example many nineteenth century authors used black humour in their horror stories. For instance after the publication of "Frankenstein," many comedic parodies were made.
The first commercially successful comedy-horror movie is said as being "Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein," which is a 1948 American film directed by Charles Barton.
Another thing I found from my research into the genre is that the comedy-horror genre generally has three elements, which are black comedy, parody and spoof. Black comedy is a genre which is very closely related with the comedy-horror genre, and inevitably both genres tend to cross over a lot. Parody is also obviously an element that will be used, as comedy-horror movies are generally making fun of horror movies. This links with the "spoof," element of the genre as well.
I found that the majority of comedy-horror movies will use "satire on horror cliches as it's main source of humour." It will also sometimes take a story and change it so it pans out differently for comedic effect. Successful films in the genre that manage to exploit all the conventions correctly are said as being films that will both scare you and make you laugh within the same scene. This is obviously hard to pull off, making the comedy-horror genre quite a challenging genre to work with.
To summarise, conventions of the comedy-horror genre include:
-Gallows humour
-Black comedy elements
-Parody elements
-Spoof elements
-Using satire on horror clichés as it's main source of humour
-Changing the plot of a well known horror movie so it pans out differently for comedic effect
-Scenes that, in successful films, will make you laugh and cry at the same time
