Week Eleven: Institutions

I have researched British film companies that could produce my film because I would like a company that understands a British market. This is because it will be released within British cinemas and contains a cast and crew from Britain. By using a British film company it means that I can also receive funding from the UK Film Council. This is because I would receive the Premiere fund because the film is created by an up and coming British director. A particular company that I have looked into that I think would be able to successfully produce my film is that of “Caver Van”. This is because it has helped to create a number of British horror films, which also use a supernatural theme.

Week Nine: Planning - Animatic Storyboard

To plan exactly what I would do when I came to film my teaser trailer, I drew storyboards to show what would happen between the characters within each scene. I then filmed it on a flip camera. I created to see how long my film would be to make sure it would be of similar length to other teaser trailers. Therefore, I made sure that the filming took one minute and four seconds, which is a normal length for a typical teaser trailer for a film. This also meant that I could experiment with the type of shots that we would be required to use, such as a two, mid shot so that both characters could be seen within one scene and that it portrayed that their statuses were the same as they are two friends.

Week Seven - Planning: Draft of First Poster for Teaser Trailer

This is the first design of one of our films posters. The central focus of the poster design is a photo of one of the main characters in the film. It is a mid-shot photo of her at the centre of the poster, half of her face and body is there but half would be blacked out to represent the fact that she has been possessed or taken, it shows the dark side of her. On the lighter side of the poster her left eye will be a silvery blue colour to also show that she has been possessed. We will use photoshop to blacken the one half of the poster and also to change the colour of the characters eye. The background is a misty black colour and in the top right corner area there will be a faint picture of the other character in the film holdng a tarot card. She ill be barely visable at first glance, but as you look more closely she would be noticeable. At the bottom of the poster there are the years '1992', '2009' and '2015', these represent the year she was born, the year the film is released, and the year she will die, these will be in a black colour to stand out against the background. At the top of the poster the title of the film would be found 'TAROT' in capital letters, in the centre of the 'O' the symbol of the pentacle would be found to give more hints to the audience on what the film is about. Underneath the title to the left of the girl, there will be our films tag-line 'You Can't Change The FUTURE' this will also be in a black fonted writing so that it stands out. We have looked at real film posters and this has helped to get ideas for our own film poster. In this film poster we have blacked out one half of the character leaving a silvery eye, this idea was developed from looking at the Final Destination poster with the half blacked skull figures of each character in the poster.

Week Three - Planning: General Plot for Teaser Trailer

The genre of the film that I will produce a teaser trailer, poster and magazine cover for is that of a horror. It involves the main characters of two teenage girls, who are best friends. One of the girls is confident and outgoing, which means that she likes to try new and different things in her life. The other is more innocent, vulnerable and can be easily influenced. The confident teenager has a background in witchcraft and has become a new age witch, although, the audience will not fully know about this point until the story develops further on. However, it is hinted upon within the teaser trailer to give the audience an idea of her character. This is due to the confident girl, visibly having a tattoo of the Pentacle, which is the most recognised symbol for witchcraft, on the back of her shoulder. This can be easily seen when using over the shoulder shots and quick flashes of this particular tattoo, which will show that it is relevant to the film’s story. Witchcraft and supernatural acts are also portrayed through the girl carrying out a tarot card reading on her friend, which is the main focus of the film. This is because the reading shows that the future for the innocent girl is in danger when the card of death is seen. This event leads to the character becoming possessed and later killing her best friend. They carry out the act of tarot card reading in a a typical girl's bedroom while they are at a sleepover. This portrays a sense of normality as most teenage girls take part in sleepovers with their close friends. To produce an eerie atmosphere throughout the film, we will use a variety of lighting which includes candles so that the room will still be dark but it produces enough light so that the audience can see what is happening. The candles will also be used as the ending to the teaser trailer. This is because there will be a close up of the candle, which will then be blown out to reveal a black screen with the film’s title and date of release on.

Week Five - Research: Teaser Trailer Questionnaire

The following questions are from my questionnaire that I asked ten people on teaser trailers.

1. What certificate of films do you normally watch?
PG 12 A 15 18

2. Which particular genre of film to you regularly view?
Comedy Romance Action Thriller Adventure Horror Drama Musicals Sci-Fi
Other ……….

3. Have you seen any of the following horror films? Please Circle
Exorcist The Omen The Exorcism of Emily Rose The Ring Halloween Psycho
The Shining A Nightmare On Elm Street Friday the 13th Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Gothika Poltergeist Amityville Horror Final Destination

4. What is your favourite horror film?
………………………………………………….

5. Do the films that you watch, have a majority of:
All Female Characters All Male Characters Evenly Mixed Between the Two Genders

6. In the films that you normally watch , mainly contain:
Children Teenagers Adults A Variety of Age Groups

7. Out of the following examples, which is your biggest fear?
The Dark Spiders Clowns Ghosts Witchcraft Snakes Death Other ……….

8. Do you recognise any of the following images and know their meanings?
Yes No

9. Do you know what a teaser trailer is?
Yes No

10. Do you regularly watch teaser trailers for films?
Yes No

11. Where would you expect to experience a teaser trailer?
Television Cinema The Film’s Website Radio

12. What would you expect to be included within a teaser trailer?
Characters from the Film Scenes from the Film Music Dialogue from the Film
Title of the Film Release Date for the Film Website for the Film

13. Do you look at the posters for films?
Yes No

14. Which of the following points would you expect on a movie poster?
The Main Character
A Majority or All of the Characters within the Film
Backgrounds Relating to the Film
Plain or Block Colour Background
A Still for the Film
An Image Specifically Taken for the Poster, Which Would Not Be Found Within the Film
Title of the Film
The Date of the Film’s Release
The Names of the Actors that are Within the Film

15. Out of the following movie posters, put in order of your preference and explain the reasons for your decision.
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16. Do you regularly read film reviews and interviews within film magazines?
Yes No

Week Three - Research: Film Posters

A film's poster is used to visually promote a recently released film to attract an audience. This is achieved by using information such as stills from the film or the characters that are within it to give its viewers a better understanding of what the film includes. A poster also contains vital information such as the film's title, tagline as well as the names of the actors within it. These points are used to make the film known, which will also help it to attract an audience. This is because if an individual was to see the name of their favourite actor on a poster for a new film, then they may be more likey to go to see that film so that they can view that actor within it.



I have researched film posters within the horror and thriller genre because that is the type of film the my teaser trailer will be. I first looked at the film 'Final Destination', which was released in the year of 2003. The poster for this particular film includes the five main characters. They are shown with one half of their faces missing. This looks similar to a skull because the left side is hollow. This effect makes the poster look sinister and unordinary. It also makes the audience question why the characters appear in a dead like manner, which would add intriuge as well as helping to give the audience a clue to the plot of this particular film. There is light shone onto the other side of their faces, which would enhance the difference to the other, darker side of their faces as well as giving the image a sense of normality to that area.. The blue lightening against the black background, behind the characters, gives the impression of danger, which would then create a link to why part of their faces look like skulls.



I have decided to create two different posters for my teaser trailer so that I can use a variety of ideas. On one poster I will use an image of the main character. This will be placed in the foreground and in the centre of the poster to draw attention as well as showing that she is indead the main character within the film. I will then use the example of 'Final Destinatin' by having half of her face darkened and missing. This is to represent the part of the film when she is possessed and is therefore a dark moment. I will also make the image look more unordinary as well as enhancing the supernatural force that is within the film by changing the colour of the girl's eyes to a silvery
/blue glazed look as though her eyes are unfocused and that she is not in control of her own body. As my film contains the pentacle symbol I will then use an image of it within the title, which is 'Tarot' instead of the o. This will make the title more interesting as well have enhancing the inclusion of the supernatural within the film.

Week Three - Research: Film Titles and Taglines

The title and tagline of a film are two of the most important things that a film requires, especially before it is released. A film's title can be used when promoting the film to give it definition and stand out from the many other films that are released in the cinemas every week. Taglines, which can also oftenly be called slogans, are catchy, short phrases used by marketers and film studios to advertise and sell a film while also helping to sum up the plot, tone or themes of it. They can be used to entice an audience as well. This gives the audience a clue towards what might happen within the film. which will entrigue them and will make the viewer want to understand what the tag line means by watching the film. Many films have multiple taglines and are normally located on corresponding posters and trailers for its specific film to reinforce what the film is all about. Some taglines are quite obscure, which makes them unforgettable and therefore helps the audience to remember that particular film.

Some examples of taglines from films that have already been produced are, "No Accidents. No Coincidences. No Escapes. You Can't Cheat Death." This tagline comes from the film, 'Final Destination', which was released in the year of 2003. By looking at this tage line I can see that within my own teaser trailer's tagline I should use short, sharp bursts of words. They should also be worded in a way so that the audience can ask themselves a question, which in this case is about whether or not it is possible to escape the grasps of death. Therefore, through this research I have developed the tagline "You Can't Change the Future", which I believe uses these points.