Planning

Planning - Running scene

To make sure we had variety in our running scenes we made sure that we tried the running in two different outfits. The clip above shows two running shots that we filmed, one where she is in the dressing gown that she is seen in earlier and the second shows her wearing a more casual outfit, a vest top and shorts. We found numerous lights around the house where we filmed and moved them around so that we could create our ideal lighting effect. 

Planning

Planning - Test editing

After experimenting with the flashing scene which we are showing at the end of our trailer we added a zoomed in view of an excel spreadsheet which shows the killing and the number of victims being targeted. We made the flashing longer by adding more photos and made the change over of photos go from slow to fast, quickening the pace. 

Planning

Planning - Hanging no. 1

When filming the hanging scene for our film trailer we decided to test a few places/angles where we could create the best hanging effect. In the short clip above we used a pull-up bar so that we could hanging between a door frame, but we found that there was too much movement (swinging). 

However, we found that by using a pole in the loft hatch we could sufficiently hang without too much movement. As we could not stay there for too long we had to overlap the sequence so that it was long enough for our trailer ending. We decided to slightly slow down the clip creating a slower movement. 

Planning

Poster Design Development - Design 2

Planning

Hanging test video

We found the hanging shot hard to film as we wanted the legs to be relaxed and swinging but found it difficult to find a suitable place. This test shot was filmed using a fitness bar attached to a bathroom door frame and by us holding ourselves up using the bar. We think this gave an effective leg swing and allowed us to show the legs a sufficient and effective distance from the ground to create the most realistic hanging shot we could.

Research

Research - Social Networking

Planning

Planning - Test Editing

Using the screen shots from social networking, we were aiming to creating a quick montage of photos and typing until the revelation of the title and the hanging scene (to be shot). This is a quick test and a rough draft of the extract.

Planning

Planning - Picture Consent


As a part of our trailer we want to take lots of different screen shots of pictures of social media - we decided to ask friends if they would give their consent to allow their pictures to be used in our trailer - the following message was sent.

Research

Research - Costuming


 Using the films that we have deconstructed trailers and posters for and have influenced our decisions so far,   we have gathered a selection of images from these films that would influence or decision in costuming. 

Hard Candy - In "Hard Candy" the female character appears to break stereotypical forms of "feminine dress" as her clothing appears quite masculine , perhaps to represent how young she is and how she is not yet a "woman" and also due to the fact that the character does not take the typical "damsel in distress" role as she tortures her victim. Her clothing is therefore more for practicality and is plain. It is casual dress for her stereotypical teenage character also. The darkness of her clothing also shows her dark personality in the film rather than the innocent teenager she appears to be.

Chatroom - In Chatroom the characters clothing is seen to be more representative of their personalities. In the following image the central male character is the antagonist of the film. His dark character is reflected through his clothing with dark colours as well as dark hair. The film is set during a modern setting and so the teenage characters costumes also reflect modern fashion trends. The female characters appear to wear brightly coloured clothing to show their fun personalities in the film as well as wearing their hair down for the majority of the film making them appear more feminine .

John Tucker Must Die - Although not a film that we have focused on due to its genre, it is however set in a modern time period focusing on teenage girls. It also contained a shot which we took as inspiration for our chatroom scenes as our character is talking on webcam. Although our character will not dress so revealing she will be dressed in a similar dressing gown with a strap showing.

Research

Big Brother Research


As our trailer is based around the idea of being watched we decided to research Big Brother. We researched both the fictional character and the popular television series. 'Big Brother' is a fictional character in George Orwell's 'Nineteen eighty four'. He is a constant surveillance who watches people 24/7 using the phrase 'Big brother is watching you' to put fear in people.


In the television series the 'Big Brother' contestants are placed in the 'Big Brother' house were they are constantly watched by viewers and are given tasks to complete. The cameras are on 24/7 but they are limited to how much they can film. They can switch between cameras and decide who to film and who to listen to.
 
There are lots of one way mirrors throughout the house so they can watch and film from the outside of the house whilst the contestants can't see in.

Any glass in the house is used to film through and cameras are also hidden in objects. There are also some Manual cameras which can be seen filming the contestants. 


We took the idea of the contestants being watched constantly and sometimes unknowingly as inspiration for our trailer. 

BEHIND THE SCENES OF BIG BROTHER

Research

Research - Existing Narratives about Social Media


Whilst looking news articles relating to social media , we found another film relating to the idea of hidden identity online called "Trust". The film's narrative has some similarities to ours however ours is taken to more extreme levels as rather than being attacked our victim will be murdered. The film's trailer had some shots that would be useful when creating our trailer, for example the multiple screen capture shots and use of "Photobooth". 

Planning

Initital Poster Design - Idea 1

Research

Research- Title Transitions

Looking at the trailer for the film "One Missed Call" all the titles are shown in a similar format. The film focuses on the use of phones and therefore the text is stylised to look like a phone screen with similar text formatting. The trailer also uses sounds of dialling. This is inspirational to our film trailer as we will use a similar format however due to us focusing on the use of online chat rooms we will stylise our titles to look like they are being typed on a computer screen with the sound of the typing of the keys in the background

Research

Horror Idents


Paramount

Paramount is used in films such as Paranormal activity and Cloverfield.  
However, it is more commonly used in family films and animation such as The adventures of TinTin, Madagascar and How to train your Dragon. Paramount has iconic stars which circle around the large mountain. This is often associated with family films so as a group we do not believe this is the right ident for our film trailer, as it won't attract the right audiences. 






Universal


Universal was used for the famous Hannibal but it is more recognisable for Dramas and Romantic Comedies such as Love Actually and Bridget Jones' Diary. Universal is recognisable by the spinning world and bold lettering which is used in all of its promotions. 






Screen Gems

Screen Gems is an American film production which has produced When a Stranger Calls, Prom Night and many other horror films. Screen gems is a less well known ident but is used in many recent teen horrors. 








Dark Castle

Dark Castle is a film production who's main focus tends to be that of the horror genre and psychological thrillers. They have produced films such as Orphan, House of Wax and Thirteen Ghosts. Dark Castle is symbolic of the castle itself and the red mist resembles blood which emphasises the genre of the film.

Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a very well known ident as it is used for top films,  the most famous being the Saw series, Hostel, The Spy Next Door and Kick-ass which shows its variety in genres. It also has many different variations of their ident always using the same letters but changing the background depending on the genre of the film. 

Twisted Pictures

Twisted Pictures is an ident which produced Saw alongside Lionsgate. It is often used in coproduction with the more well known ident companies such as Lionsgate and Universal Studios. In the ident as a group we like the way the dagger falls and the barbed wire twists around the text. this could work well with our trailer as it sets the tone for our horror trailer. 

Planning

Planning - Hanging shot







We decided to take some test shots of our last image to work out lighting and height. We also wanted to be able to understand how exactly we would shoot the shot when it came to filming. The picture to the left has too much leg for the image we wanted to create and wouldn't give the impact we wanted. The picture to the right shows the body is still alive and is showing too much movement for our ideal shot. 









After experimenting with showing more leg in the shot we decided to show the legs from the knee down. Although this is not the exact image we would like to portray as we would like to have blood trickling down the leg. The flash in the picture to the right is too intense on the picture and reveals too much of the surroundings so the image is not the centre of attention. The picture to the left however, shows more clearly the lighting we would like to use. This is because it is more natural which makes it more realistic. An eery shadow can be created by using this light.

Research

Hard Candy Chat Scene
For our trailer we are planning to open with an online chat with screen capture on a computer screen and we plan to use this scene from "Hard Candy" (2005) as inspiration.

HARD CANDY OPENING SCENE

Within our group we have used trial and error using iMovie to create a similar effect for our chat scene.

Research

Social Media

Online, there are many cases were vulnerable teenagers are lured in by strangers using false identities. Although many news stories show the after effects, for example murders, rapings etc, there are many people who tell their experiences online as they are happening. On a blogging site an annoyoymous girl recites her experiences of a man trying to seduce her and meet up using the power of the internet. She posted:


Online 17 year old guy wants to meet up with me, help!! ?
o basically here's the thing and it would mean so much for you guys to take the time to read this and give me advice cos I don't really have anyone to turn to.
So I'm 13 years old and play runescape ( this online computer game where you can chat with people and play it) sometimes with my friends so I met this guy on there and he was really nice to me and we becama friends and in the end I found out that he lived like 15 mins away from me and we became quite close, to the point where I would come on runescape most days and talk to him. So he said he was 17 and have me his facebook and asked for mine and I saw his facebook which looked innocent enough as it was pics of a guy at school with friends but I had heard about dangers of the internet so I didn't give him my real facebook and made a fake account instead and just got some pictures from google images. And anyways after a while he said he really liked me a lot and omg I regret this so much cos he asked for my mobile number so we could text at like school or whenever and I gave it to him and I know I was dumb :/ so anyways we began texting and like it turned into where we would text like 11pm till like 1am non stop. Then he said he wanted to meet up with me because he felt like he really knew me and he loved me but cos i had given him a fake facebook acc and just cos of my safety I kept saying I was busy and then I said I moved to another city so I could get him to stop cos he brought it up loads, he even said once that his parents and him were moving to another state soon and he wanted to see me before they went but that never happened. So recently in the past week I kept getting these calls that were on private number and i didn't answer them cos I did't know who it was then I texted him about the calls and I found out it was him and now he calls me sometimes but i don't answer the phone and just make excuses.
I know I have been so dumb and everytime I blank him for a few days he says nice things to or says something funny and I feel sorta guilty. Please I want to end this how can i stop this, he keeps making hints about meeting up with me and says he could come to my "new city" or I could go to his, I just want to stop this because I think there's something dodgy going on.

Research

Chat Scene Sound Research


We played around using iMovie and screen capture to create a tester chat scene. 

The Diegetic sounds of the keyboard can be heard throughout, emphasising the use of the internet and the chat room. We decided to try out a soft piano music in the background to create a happy and relaxed atmosphere before we build up the music with harsher sounds such as drums to show a change in the mood when the killer appears. 

Research

Social Media in the news

We researched recent news stories which showed the truth about social networking. There have been numerous accounts of false identity online, where children are their easiest targets. Being young and vulnerable creates cases much like Ashleigh Hall who was murdered by Peter Chapman who used a fake facebook profile where he posed as a teenage boy. He lured her to a secret meeting place where he kidnapped, raped and murdered her, later dumping her boody in a near by field. 

Click here to read article

Research

Typography and Font Designs


We tried out our two different titles in a selection of fonts to see which one looked most effective.

We thought this font looked effective as it appears "Cyber" and "Technological" and we thought it looked more effective in red than black.

This font fits with the title "Intruder" as the word has holes in and appears damaged which suggests danger. However we thought that this title would only work with this one title.



We liked this font as it represents a wall or blinds which emphasises the title "Seclusion" and the theme of isolation. 



This font reminds us of someone scratching the title into a wall with a sharp object such as a penknife which creates the sense of isolation and being trapped which fits well with the title and theme.

This font is the same as the above but we decided to try it in red to represent blood and danger, however it loses its effectiveness and isn't as successful as the one above in black. 

We liked this font as it uses computer wires to create the title and the wires fit in with our film on social media and the Internet. We thought this instantly suggested our theme to our audience and it is also ironic as the victims are killed using computer wires.

This font is the same as the one above but suggests a different meaning. "Seclusion" in the font makes it seem like a sign or warning whereas "Intruder" suggests an invasion of privacy.   

This is a basic font from word but we thought that the simplicity of it could be effective. We decided to use red as the font itself is very simple and it is symbolic of danger, blood and death.

Deconstruction

Hard Candy Trailer Deconstruction

Whilst looking for inspiration for our film we found the film "Hard Candy" which was made in 2005. The film follows a mature 14-year old girl who meets a photographer on the Internet but suspecting that he is a pedophile she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him. This film served as inspiration for our film trailer as it addresses similar issues of social media. 

The trailer opens with diagetic sounds of a keyboard with no image. The films idents are stylized to be presented as blinds and symbol that there is something to hide. An image of a computer screen appears as an online chat appears to take place. This part of the trailer was particularly useful as we plan to open our trailer in a similar way. Identities are hidden with the use of user names, however they give some indication as to what the characters are like with "Lensman319" linking to the fact that the character is a photographer and "Thonggrrrrl14" showing that the character is provocative as well as the number shown being the characters age. The online chat is also very suggestive as they discuss meeting for the first time.

The image fades to black with the sound of a keyboard closing the conversation. From the black screen a male character is revealed who the audience assume to be "Lensman319". He appears to be an intelligent character indicated by his glasses and suit and also in a position of power as it is a high angle camera shot. The camera then zooms into a central shot of a young female who the audience assume to be be "Theonggrrrrl14". She is not dressed in a stereotypically feminine way with a short boy-like hair cut. The camera appears to focus on her face to emphasise the innocence of the character to the audience. Here the two lead character's names are also revealed.

The scene cuts to a shot reverse shot conversation between the two characters as they discuss the idea of online chats. The male character still appears to be in a position of power as he talks down to the young girl. The camera then catches close ups of the girl during conversations as the characters discuss how peoples' "faces can lie" as the girl playfully asks if hers lies. Soft piano music begins to play in the background to create a calm and happy atmosphere to the scene as the two characters get to know each other in person. A very suggestive scene then follows as the male character eats cake off of the female characters lips rather than getting a piece himself. 

A brightly lit long shot of the two characters in a car park appears to emphasize the isolation of the two characters as there appears to be no other cars or people around. The female characters clothing also appears to stand out in this shot perhaps to represent blood and therefore foreshadowing events to come. More close up shot reverse shots are shown as the two discuss "Romeo and Juliet" again foreshadowing the tragedy that is to come.

A Wide shot of an expensive house where the saturation appears to be altered to make the shot have a darker toning,suggesting the narrative of the trailer is going to move into a different direction and that this house is the centre of the fatal events to come.

In a similar way to how the films idents were shown, awards that the film have won are then shown for example "Sundance" film selection. A slowly edited jump shot is then shown of the male characters photography work showing a heavily made up female, suggesting the type of photography the character is involved in. The photo is black and white to stand out against the brightly coloured walls. Blinds then cover again to show a journalist's comment on the film.

The tone of the trailer suddenly changes as the editing becomes faster with many fade to blacks with separate close up shots of the two individual characters. In one particular shot the male character appears stressed as his surroundings are manipulated into moving whilst he is still and sweating.

Another journalist's comment is then shown as the editing then becomes even faster as numerous struggles are shown between the two characters, ending the line "Playtime is over...now it's time to wake up" before the blinds come over the screen to reveal the films title, details and release date.

Research

German Expressionism

After World War 1 Germany struggled to keep up with the Hollywood film industry so they created their own style, expressionism. They developed Mise en scene and symbolism to create mood and atmosphere in their films.

They used wild set designs which were unrealistic and abstract to make up for their low budget films. They were very artistic and creative and often painted props, shadows and strange patterns on the set design which reflected their main themes of insanity and human experiences.

During the Nazi period many German directors emigrated to America and brought their expressionism style to the American films. Many of their styles influenced horror and crime movies especially their use of shadows and lighting.

Hitchcock’s style was influenced by expressionism when he went to work in the film industry in Berlin and many of the expressions can be seen is films. Hitchcock uses the lighting and film trickery in many of his films including ‘The lodger’ and the famous ‘Psycho’.

 German expressionism has also influenced other directors such as the famous Tim Burton who is known for his abstract and weird themes throughout his films. He has created many films including expressionism both real, Edward scissor hands, and cartoon, Coraline. 

Planning

Planning - Bedroom option 2

We have taken test shots of our location which will be used for the bedroom scene and potentially the corridor scene. We have taken shots from either end of the corridor to see which end appears longer and more daunting. 

Out of the two photographed angles we have chosen the left hand photo as it comes out of the room we have chosen to use for our female victim. 

For the hanging scene we have taken two pictures looking through the door ways where the killer will be in one door way while she is in the other. 

We will also use this doorway for the killers entrance while the female is on the computer. We will see the victim see the killer from the point of view from the webcam, making the viewer tense as they are seeing it from his point of view.

The test shot of the bedroom is shown without any typical mise en scene props which gives us a blank canvas to work with. This way we can create the typical codes and conventions of a teenage girls bedroom. 

Research

Social Media Alerts
As a part of our research for sound we looked at the various different forms of social media to see what sounds would be appropriate to use in our teaser trailer as the victim is on an online chat.

Research

Video Editing Example


As our film is based on social media, online promotion has become a popular subject. As we are aiming to create a teaser trailer we looked at promotions for various other media including t.v shows and films. A particular advertisement that caught our attention was for a programme called "The Secret Circle". The advert is stylised to appear as if a user's youtube or internet is malfunctioning, however it is the trick of the advert to create shock to the audience. We thought this may be particularly useful when it comes to editing our teaser trailer.