Music decisons.

Music in trailers is key. It sets up the mood and atmosphere for the rest of the film whilst also indicating to the audience what genre the film is. Thrillers tend to use 'creepy'/'eerie' music which starts off slow then builds up faster and faster creating the tension. The music used represents the action going on in the film. 

I have looked at many examples of thriller music choices and they all follow the same sort of fashion of beginning slow, fastening and including a few drum beats when key action is happening and also on occasion overlaying the sounds of gun shots footsteps, heavy breathing and most commonly a voice over, or even almost natural diegetic sounds then with a song being played over the whole of the action.

I found it very difficult to find any copyright free music that would be suited to my genre. For the beginnig of my trailer I used a royalty free track from www.youtube.com. For the rest of the trailer I have chosen to use a song called 'Get my gun' written by some guys I know in a band called 'The Kid Kapichi'. Who have let me use their song in my trailer. I think that this song choice is very good as the sound fits the action quite well, the band also has a Kooks sort of sound which could entice a mainstream audience possibly.

Film trailer

I decided not to have a voice over as I felt that it was too distracting and I feel that it is more effective to have an enigmatic feel to my trailer rather than  spoonfeeding the audience.

I also chose to have minimal and very simplistic credits with a font that resembled my magazine cover fonts so they all linked in almost as if they were the same product. 

Final Film Trailer

QUESTION 4

4) How did you use media technologies in construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

When researching and planning I used many different programmes such as:

• Blogger
• www.google.co.uk
• www.wikipedia.co.uk
• www.imdb.co.uk
• www.youtube.com
• www.prezi.com
• Microsoft office - word and PowerPoint
• www.slideshare.net

In the planning and research stages I wrote down all my findings/ideas onto my blog which is set up on www.blogger.com I used blogger as if it was my 'media diary' updating it with a new post whenever I got inspiration or had completed some research. I used www.google.co.uk as my main search engine to look up certain things about the thriller genre. www.imdb.co.uk was my main search engine when it came to actual film research and directors but whatever I couldn't find on there information wise I went on www.wikipedia.co.uk and what ever trailer or movie clip I couldn't find on www.imdb.co.uk or www.wikipedia.co.uk I found on youtube.com.

For a lot of presentations i used a website called www.prezi.com. This is a free website that allows you to make formal presentations look more visually appealing which I think is a key tool for presentations so you don't get bored half way through they keep your interest/focus 100%. I also used Microsoft PowerPoint  and uploaded them onto my blog via slide share, PowerPoint I found better than www.prezi.com for some things for example if I had a lot of content to write in PowerPoint was the more appropriate choice.
For my audience feedback I hand wrote the questions and just wrote down their responses for no technology was used in this process. 
I also used Windows movie maker to edit a stop frame section together this was experimental so I did not feel as though it had to be done with a professional standard editing programme. 

I used my samsung galaxy s2 to take some location shots and also to contact my friend to see when I could borrow his camera etc. I used my home computer to blog and edit when I wasn't near the college computers. 

During the construction process I used my friends camera which is a Sony A37,  the editing software I used Sony Vegas 12 to produce my film. To edit my photos for my film with Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended which is one of the 
I used www.blogger.com again to post my evaluation questions. I also used www.slideshare.net also.
I posted my final product- Film trailer onto www.youtube.com I chose to post it onto www.youtube.com as it means you can access it quickly and easily it is also a free website that has a very high amount of users so is also a way of promoting my film more.

Evaulation questions 1

Evaluation questions from Oliviacalleja

basic chase scene

Here I have created a basic idea of how I want my film to pan out. I feel as though chase scenes are key aspects of any thriller and in my trailer I want this one chase scene to be a continuous aspect of the trailer. This does however defeat the linear time frame but I feel that it makes it seem more exciting as you do get this running fast paced almost exhilirating scene complimented by this fast paced song but with the flash backs too, I think it allows a break from constant exhiliration and means the audience cannot guess what is going to happen next.
Here I have rendered these clips at a low'ish' resolution 360. and only placed in basic crediting which is nowhere near complete.

Classification

Suitable only for 15 years and over.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

QUESTION 2

EVALUATION Question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

I assumed that my audiences would be as follows: 

I would say my preferred audience would be young females 12-20 years of age. This is because any younger and they wont be able to view the film due to some of the language used and scenes of violence but also as the protagonist is of the same gender and similar age they might be able to connect with the story a lot better than any other age group/gender.

I would say my negotiated audience would be young males as although they might not really connect with the female protagonist they might find her attractive enough to watch the film and also when I surveyed 10 males aged 17-54 they majority said that their favourite type of films were action or thrillers.

I would say that my oppositional audience would be ages under 12 as it will be rated a 12 and also the elderly. I think that it would be too shocking for the elderly. Also middle aged people may find it boring or just not their cup of tea. I asked a female aged 42 and she stated ‘I really like the concept and as thrillers go I would actually be interested in watching it but thrillers aren’t my cup of tea in general I’m afraid.’

I did a few questions and answers with a variety of different age groups and both genders and here are the responses that i got when I showed them my synopsis:

Question 3 from Oliviacalleja

What do you think about the ancillary tasks from Oliviacalleja


From my feedback I have learnt that what I assumed would be my audience was pretty much right, with the exception of the older woman, I didn't think that she'd enjoy the synopsis etc. so much but there will always be exceptions  to what you assume the audience would be. I think that the general feedback was good which has made me a lot more confident on my decisions and although I had the feedback of 'boring' for my poster/magazine cover, I didn't get told it was too busy etc. I believe that the more simplistic the more effective which I am happy sticking too despite the critic.

Film trailer analysis essay

In this essay I will be exploring a particular genre and explain why it interests me and why I feel it works as a genre. The genre that I am focusing on is thrillers. I have chosen this genre due to it's action, mystery and suspense; To me it is a very intriguing genre in how the correct moods and atmosphere is created for the audience to be drawn in and continue to be drawn in. The basis of a successful thriller would be fast-paced editing, gritty story-lines, plot twists and high levels of suspense. Genre's aren't closed systems that all follow the conventions word for word, they are open systems that allow the entrance of conventions from other genres to create sub-genres. Sub-genres of thrillers merge different conventions of all sorts of different genres, for example; Crime thrillers, conspiracy thrillers, spy thrillers just to name a few. I would expect from a thriller, an equilibrium then a disturbance of a death or something violent or sometimes in the case of supernatural thrillers, some unworldly even and then a lot of action happening until the equilibrium has been reached again or even left suspenseful on a cliffhanger.
I feel that with thrillers in particular music is key. Music helps to build up the tension within a scene as many have said, it's about the build up to an event that's the suspense rather than the event happening itself. This I think is true for films such as horrors but I feel in thrillers music is a great accompaniment to an action rather than just a device to build up the tension.
I have chosen to evaluate two thriller trailers, one directed by the 'master of suspense' Alfred Hitchcock and one directed by Joe Wright. I have chosen to evaluate two from two different periods of time to see the progression within the genre through time and what conventions have been developed and which have remained the same.
Vertigo (1958) by Alfred Hitchcock is a classic example of a thriller, as it states in the trailer 'Only Hitchcock could weave this tangled web on terror'. It was like nothing that anyone had seen before, he was an early pioneer of thrillers. Trailers in this time period weren't as hard hitting and exciting as the are nowadays, I feel like the trailer was being sold to the audience more as a product rather than something that is almost reality. Now most films have almost broken down the barrier between media and reality in this 'post-modern age' whereas with the Vertigo, it is very apparent that it's just a work of art not reality. This is done with the usage of the non-diegetic sound of the voice-over with a very salesman like voice, also they have placed the actors credits on top of the shots of each actor, this ensures that the audience knows the actors names and faces whereas nowadays you get the main actors names at the very end of the trailer if at all, but in Vertigo their crediting is made 100% necessary and almost a main factor of the trailer. This is a convention of all film trailers that has almost diminished in time. Also voice overs almost throughout the entirety of the trailer as like in Vertigo has also been stopped, you now only see it often in parody/ spoof films; I think this is because now with the current technologies it's easier to portray a narrative in film with just the visual instead of the sound almost spoon feeding you the entire plot. Voice overs are only really used to give audiences information that is key but cannot be portrayed through a shot and also gives the audience the voice of a character that may not of spoken yet so is used as a character device as well as a plot device.
Actors tend to get caught in a 'genre trap'. This is where they get too well known for only playing one sort of role in certain genre films, so when you see the actor you immediately associate them with the film/ whatever they are doing being in a certain genre. For example Vin Diesel with action films and Simon Pegg with comedies. Saoirse Ronan, who plays Hanna, is well known for dramas such as The Lovely Bones and The Way Back, so Hanna is a quite different role for her. Since being in Hanna she has been in Violet and Daisy, Byzantium, The Host and is filming some more thrillers, so maybe since Hanna she is being almost pigeon holed into being a thriller/drama actress.

In Hanna by Joe Wright, women are shown throughout as different stereotypes, there is Hanna the main protagonist who is shown as a young, natural girl brought up to be a very strong and powerful female this is quite rare I think for a girl of her sort of age to be shown like this. The antagonist is a woman very high up in the CIA, she plays the stereotypical villain, I feel that it is more common for women to be shown as these sort of malicious characters rather than as heroes. Along Hanna's travels she finds a family whose female members consist of an overly protective mother and a daughter who is the stereotypical teen girl who cares greatly about boys, her looks etc. all the things that Hanna hasn't even come into contact with, this gives a contrast in characters even though they are of the same age group, which adds to the hilarity of certain scenes which underpins previous and later thrilling events. I would say that within Hanna females are represented in many different forms which I think if very fair and almost uncommon in the majority of films. Men however aren't shown as much as women, I think this is because the protagonist is a young girl and the focus of the film is about the strength of this girl. In the film men are used mainly as henchmen for the 'evil woman' or as helpers for example Hanna's dads friend, Hanna's father is a main character but isn't featured as heavily as Hanna he's just shown more as the typical 'doner'/father type figure. Race isn't really explored as such, I don't think that it's a key focal point of the film apart from the face you realise that the family are holiday makers through the shots of the camper vans and also their British accents. 
In Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock I do not feel as though race has been represented at all, but gender on the other hand has. Hitchcock is well known for his treatment of women in films, he often uses them as sexual objects or things just to kill off. In Vertigo the woman is playing a helpless suicidal 'princess' character, being protected by a man. This helpless woman is often found in Hitchcock's work, but one of the main male protagonists has a fear of heights- This is showing a weakness too that links in with the ending of the trailer for Vertigo. So I wouldn't say this film was objectifying women or even really looking down upon them either.  
I feel like both Hanna and Vertigo (in it's day) are/were aimed for late teens through to adults as there is nothing in the script that suggests it's aimed at specific audiences or genders. Using the uses and gratification theory by Blumer and Katz which states that audiences watch certain media that suits their psychological needs- To be informed or educated, identification with the character or situation, just for plain entertainment purposes, to enable themselves to socially interact with others or as a form of escapism from real life. I do not feel as though either Hanna or Vertigo are informative/educational and they are both very unlikely circumstances so probably not very relatable to audiences so I'd say that both were for pure entertainment purposes and possibly social interaction. I would say that Vertigo would have the preferred audience of men though as Hitchcock's films are created through a male gaze which may not entice all female audience members.
The genre is clearly shown in both trailers in different ways but I feel Hanna was more effective at doing so, this is because I felt Vertigo could just be a drama as I didn't feel that the trailer was as full of suspense as it should be due to the slow editing and to me not very thrilling story line but that's personal preference I suppose. I felt as though Hanna conveyed a lot of the conventions of a thriller with the fast paced editing, action scenes, voice overs at points, diegetic sounds, flash backs. The whole package in my opinion in terms of thriller conventions. 

Poster attempts

I took a few photos to decide which ones I thought would be the most appropriate to use for my magazine cover and film poster.

I felt that although this shows the audience the face and whole dosy of the protagonist it doesn't give thesaem amount of mystery and fear that posters such as salt and hanna have. 

I really like this image, what I like is the fact  that it almost looks as though the audience is looking behind of and down upon which gives a very nice point of view for the audience. The fact that you cannot see the protagonist's face also adds an element of mystery that I feel thrillers need to contain and conveying them though a poster also insures the conventions are put through clearly with the mystery and the violence with the gun being in shot too; Also the background to the image is very naturalistic with the woods which is a very common convention within a thriller genre.

This image I also like due to the strength behind the image. It is a mid-shot, which will be used throught my trailer but I feel as though this doesn't look like a really well done photograph it looks like an image extracted from the trailer.

I feel like this image is too similar to the image prior to this one, as it's the same pose just on a plain background which I feel like it's not as succesful as the other one.  I will not be using this image.

I really like this image. Although it is not a very flattering image it follows the conventions of film posters such as Avatar with the face being shown- I will half the image through the centre of the face vertically, also the holding of a weapon mirrors The Pirates Of The Carribean film poster in which he's holding a sword and a large gun.

I have chosen to follow film poster conventions of these two films as although they are not directly apart of the genre of my film, they are both very well promoted and high grossing mainstream films so they are ovbiously doing something to attract audiences in which I also need to do.

BELLATRIX film story board notes

start off- 
green this has been approved...
Bellatrix title- super quick
Jump cut
High intensity running scene (over the shoulder shots, CU, MS, LS, handheld camera action shake)
flash back
run
flash back
run- stumble
stop frame Bellatrix title
Character turned away from camera noise then turn point gun (like in salt)-MS
GUN SHOT NOISE 
official Bellatrix title end bit



music: calm relaxing at first, then voice over with some slow thrillery music then full on doom doom doom baa daa thriller music
VOICE OVER: 
BLA BLA BLA 

Location choice/shots

This are my chosen locations:

I chose them because....
They are very natural places which i need for my film- They also allow for great filming opportunities with open spaces etc. The only downside to having an outdoor setting is the weather issue but luckily I filmed on days of similar weather so it didn't effect the continuity of my trailer at all. 

Casting decision

Here is my choice of main protagonist: 

-Myself.


I have chosen to do this because: The lack of budget means I couldn't pay for professional actors or to pay to get my friends days off work so I just had to do what I could and focus mainly on location shots, CU's on key items and use a tripod for the majority of the shots of me and I also had a helping hand who just filmed a very minor section of the footage which takes up roughly 5 seconds of my trailer. It was the easiest option for me at the time due to my lack of time to organize something on a large scale and allow time for photo shoots etc. So I thought it'd be equally as effective and also easier to 'get hold of' myself than anyone else.
Given the time/avaliability I would probably cast someone else as the protagonist but I think that it still works well with me in it and also directing. Many directors have been known to be in their own films such as Quentin Tarantino 

BELLATRIX FILM POSTER

VIRTUE MAG COVER

Bellatrix synopsis

Bellatrix is a story of a teenage girl called Nina. Nina's father and mother are ex-CIA they get murdered- We do not see them in the trailer, we just see a switch from equilibrium to dis-equilibrium indicating the death. Nina has been trained by her parents to fight for herself this is how she survives. CIA come to destroy Nina, in case she knows anything that her parents have told her. She is living in the woods to keep away from them, but they find her. She in on the run from them then on, but- Who comes out on top?

-Bellatrix. 

Salt

Salt- 2010

The Salt trailer begins with a voice over telling the audience that there is a Russian spy woman- This sets up the story already in the first 13 seconds of the trailer which I think is really effective as it draws you in almost instantaneously without giving the whole story away. The trailer gives a good sense of location with the use of technology showing the 'neuro scanner' and the interrogation room. It uses a mixture of mid-shots and close ups and extreme close ups showing key items. Which I will be mirroring in my trailer with mid shots of the location, close ups on my protagonist and extreme close ups on the knife or gun. The trailer uses a crane shot/ High angle shot of america, This is in my opinion one of the most effective ways to establish the location as it gives the audience a true perspective on the vastness and density of a location, I do not have the equipment to do such a shot but I can do a few high angle shots by sitting on a tree branch/ on top of a ladder to try and replicate on a smaller scale. A lot of the shots in Salt are of action moments not really giving the audience much story line, some of these scenes I cannot create due to the lack of actors/stunt doubles/ funding in general for such fantastic props. I can however try to show elements of physical action between characters. There is a shot just before the 'SALT' title comes up where evelyn is turning and then point the gun at something or someone that the audience are unaware of who it is or what it is so this poses an enigma I really like this shot and I think it's very effectively placed just before the title as it builds up tension throughout and gets the audience excited and then at the optimum tension moment of the shots and music then title comes in, I think is very well done and is something I definitely wish to replicate.



 

Make-up

In the film 'Hanna' they have made the protagonist who is a female, look almost boy-ish with her clothing and make-up. They do not try to accentuate her female body parts in any way and she has either no or very natural make-up on. This almost eliminates her femininity which I think was the intention of the film maker. In contrast the protagonist in 'Salt' is slightly more sexualised, they give her rather stand out make-up and also not 100% figure hugging clothing but slightly more revealing than Hanna's clothing which mainly consists of jumpers up to the neck- combat style trousers- hoodies etc. 
Salt's clothing colours consist mainly of blacks this to me as an audience member highlights the danger and mystery of the character which I really like.

For my character I intend on just merging the two different characters looks to create my own. I don't want 100% natural make-up and I don't want really over the top make-up. I am just going to elongated Nina's eyelashes with false eyelashes as mascara can clump up and not look as natural. I also am going to dress my character in dark colours but not very feminine clothing just black leggings as they allow for easy movements and also a black t-shirt or a black hoodie or a red high neck jumper- the same sort of style as seen in Hanna but slightly more modern and bright red (signifying danger.)

Half way evaluation

story board- written

Stop frame

I felt that incorporating different styles for my trailer would be a good idea. I felt as though it gives my trailer a slight edge. I wouldn't use real people and then start going into animation although the film 'Hugo' incorporates both very well and smoothly I don't think that I could do it justice it also doesn't conform to typical thriller editing. 

I felt that stop framing would be the most successful way of incorporating styles of animation with classic filming. I decided to use the stop framing on my title 'Bellatrix'. 

I began with a blank piece of A4 paper and a black marker pen and just began to write out BELLATRIX bit by bit and take a photo after I drew a new section. 

Here I am editing my stop frame sequence on a simple programme- Windows Live Movie Maker. This is a simple programme to use and although it isn't what people use in the film industry I feel it works perfectly fine for my project. 

I decided to put every section on at a very fast speed of 0.1 second, this was so it'd flow very quickly and give the appearance of someone just drawing it or it even just appearing, also the fast speed is typical of a thriller trailer.

I am uncertain if I will be definitley be using this or not as it's not convetional of a thriller. This will be something I will decide in the editing process. 

shots

Semiotics

props and costume

My film storyboard

Textual analysis

GENRE- How is it defined? 
In the magazine cover- 
-The use of scratchy writing in the title. 
-The language used- Tag line
- Dirty face
- Sinister facial expression
- Femininity not being overly expressed
House style 

In my trailer-
-Pace
-Light intensity
-Music
-Action mixed in with mystery 

NARRATIVE- 
Use of binary opposites- The girl and the person she's trying to kill (Their identity remains unknown)
Not using stereotypical character types. I'm trying to steer away from generic views

Equilibrium- Her living her life in the woods- running, training etc.
Disruption- They find her, she has to attack and overcome the challenges that face her by destroying them.
New equilibrium- She conquers them so all is good BUT I do want to leave in on a cliff hanger as to if there is more threat or not.

I will be showing the setting in my magazine and poster this is because it doesn't give away the story but still gives the audience an slight insight to the film- I will probably be using the same image for both so that it is more recognizable as a film rather than two separate images. I think that if I do chose to use two separate images they can't be too different as they need to be the sort of stamp for my film. 

Emotional content- sinister
                           - suspense

Deadfall (2012)

Director: 

Stefan Ruzowitzky

Writer: 

Zach Dean (screenplay)

Stars:

 Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde and Charlie Hunnam 

Genres:

 Crime | Drama | Thriller

Box Office

Budget:

 $12,000,000 (estimated)
Opening scene- deer, car, conversation, crash, money goes everywhere.

Deadfall is  'A thriller that follows two siblings who decide to fend for themselves in the wake of a botched casino heist, and their unlikely reunion during another family's Thanksgiving celebration.'
The title itself- Deadfall instantly creates a harsh feel conventional of Thrillers, this is backed up by the cold setting and the action shown in the trailer. Thrillers tend to stick with very short and simple titles so the audience can interpret and make make assumptions on it themselves. I have chosen to call my film 'Bellatrix' this is due to the strong female warrior meaning, so it gives the audience an insight as to what my main female protagonist is going to be.
The opening shot of the deer in the snow was very reminiscent of Hanna. This is because of the icy cold setting and the split second of tranquil feelings with the animals just grazing then having a disturbance of some sort. In the case of Deadfall it's a crash, but before the crash occurs, the woman- played by Olivia Wilde, is counting money. This poses an enigma as to how she got the money? Is it hers? What did they do to come across this money? This is then answered in the trailer but, I think that it might of been more interesting if they chose to just leave it out and let the audience realize for themselves. In my trailer I don't intend to give too much of the story away but in some ways you have to as if you just show action scenes the audience viewing the trailer will think that there probably isn't a very good story to it if none at all is indicated from the trailer, but a the same time you can only show snippets which is going to be very difficult to decide what is chosen to go in. The first shot we see of the character played by Eric Bana, is a close up. This CU allows the audience to gain a connection with the character as you can see their facial expressions and also makes you feel as though you're in the scene. The names of the two siblings who performed the robbery are never said, this adds to the mystery of the film and the characters themselves and for me as an audience member intrigues me into wanting to know them and their reasoning for the robbery more. 

 From this short trailer you already realize the close connections and relationships between characters which in such a short amount of time is very hard to do.
The music used in this trailer creates a really tense atmosphere at the beginning. Music drives the audience emotions almost unknowingly. This particular trailer starts of with diegetic sounds with faint key sounds and then string sounds creating an eery atmosphere with random drum beats symbolizing gun shots or heart beats- This is very typical for thrillers and also horrors as it successfully creates a tense atmosphere. 
 I really like the way that the director chose to portray fear through a police woman as it ties in with the story as he shot a policeman in the face but she also represents authority and power so if a character like her is scared it makes the audience realize how dangerous Eric Bana's character is.

Magazine basic flat plan

Here I have created two possible magazine flat plans for my magazine 'Virtue'. Virtue is a specifically a film magazine- specializing in small independent films but it will also contain reviews etc. of large mainstream films. 
My film- Bellatrix will be highly promoted in this issue with my protagonist featuring on the front. The image will have direct mode of adress as the protagonist will be looking directly at the camera helping to stimulate an interaction between the image and the audience. I have decided to give a free gift in this issue- this will be a Bellatrix film poster- This helps to advertise Bellatrix further.
My house style for my magazine is going to be black with a slight pink border around the title- Virtue. This is because the black stands out on most images and is a simple sophisticated colour for a font and isn't uneasy to the eyes unlike some yellows and other colours. The pink as a border for the title is to add a slight feminine touch without being too overpowering. I have chosen to take a feminine approach to this magazine due to the fact I think that there is a lack of feminine film magazines as film magazines are in semi- low quantity in general with Empire and total film dominating the market. 
My strap line is 'The UK's newest independent film magazine!' This basically just sums up the magazine and what the audience can expect from it. 
Adding numbers to the cover lets the audience visualize the content being offered 'TEN top new independent films!'
I have added a few buzz words to entice the audience into buying my product such as 'Hottest' and 'Free' making the reader feel like they cannot miss out on purchasing this issue.
I have decided to price the magazine at £1.00 this is because it would be a weekly film magazine so it needs to be of a cost effective price.  
On my final product I will add the publisher which will be my company- Luja who also produced Bellatrix. 

magazine

I have chosen to create my magazine in landscape. This is because I think it gives my magazine a very modern feel. It makes it seem more like a website which will hopefully entice the younger generation who are normally not the main audience for film magazines. The girl in my film gets worked on and watched by the government of I think this website look highlights the fact she is just like their little machine and she is always being observed, it also gives an impression of CCTV, I just need to elaborate on this with the fonts and colour schemes. 

Conventions of a thriller.

I have noticed that a lot of thrillers are infact set in icy conditions- Films such as Hanna, Deadfall and Whiteout and countless more. I think this gives a harsh enviroment to add to the action happening. It could also be denoting the heartless emotion of the villianous characters.
I am interested in using this factor of thrillers but due to the lack of funding I can't fly out to a snowy area of the world or buy a giant snow machine.I could however add a filter with a blue tint to give the cold feel to the film.

Improving my film pitch

Improving my film pitch:

Here is the feedback that my teacher gave me on my film pitch.

Y13 Film pitch

Presentation Feedback

You presented very clearly although a little speedly. Stand whilst you present, as it is more formal and you can move around making eye contact with the audience so they know you are speaking to all of them. Also try to not read from the slides, cue card will help you do this.

What you need to do

Work your way through this feedback and using the guidance hand out. The extra inclusion of sound/music you would use is an excellent addition to the pitch.

After I read the feedback I decided to add/ change my original film pitch instead of re creating a new one. 

My film pitch (1) from Oliviacalleja

Schindler's List

Schindler's List (1993)

195 min  -  Biography | Drama | History  -   18 February 1994 (UK)

 

In Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Thomas Keneally (book), Steven Zaillian (screenplay)

Stars:

Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley

 

I watched the trailer for Shindler's List, because although it isn't of the thriller genre it does contain a lot of violence with guns which I am including in my trailer. I looked at the trailer to try and gain information as to how to show the action without giving too much away. I found that they just simply show the person with the weapon then the target/ victim then do a series of quick cuts of other action, this leaves whether the person got shot or not up to the audience to decide at it also poses an enigma code of 'Why is that person being shot.' 'Who is the victim?' etc.

 

I like the fact that the film is black and white, but I think that only works because it is set in the past but mine is set in the present I don't think that it would make much sense. I think that the opening with 'The following preview...' looks very effective in the black and white/grayscale and the jolted effect on it that makes it feel like an old style film. I think this is a general convention of most horror films, which is something I wish to include in my thriller as I think merging two genres especially a thriller and horror adds to the tension. It is very hard to just conform to one certain genre.

 

 

 

Hanna

Top 5000 Hanna (2011)  111 min  -  Action | Adventure | Thriller  -   6 May 2011 (UK) A 16-year-old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives. Director:  Joe Wright Writers:  Seth Lochhead (screenplay), David Farr(screenplay) Stars:  Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana

Taglines:

 Young. Sweet. Innocent. Deadly.

Box Office

Budget:

 $30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

 $12,370,549 (USA) (10 April 2011) (2535 Screens)

Gross:

 $63,782,078 (Worldwide) (7 July 2011)

The budget although looking very large is actually considered as an average budget for a movie. I however will be having a pretty much non-exsitant budget. I will be borrowing costume and props and will be using free location spaces such as the woods by my house so I don't have to pay for travel either.

quote:

Hanna: Adapt or die.
Erik: Think on your feet.
Hanna: Even when I'm sleeping.


This is a key conversation in my opinion. It is near the beginning of the film and i think that it really gives the audience an insight to the relationship between Hanna and her father Erik.  'Adapt or die' is also the tag line for the film, I think that I will also incorporate my tag line into the script of my film.

MAGAZINE- NAME

My magazine name: Virtue. I have chosen this name due to the fact I really liked it for my film but 'Bellatrix' fitted better so as the name 'Virtue' also fits my film I think it would be appropriate for my film magazine as I want the film magazine to focus on small independent films such as my own, and as I want it to promote my film more than others so I think this will benefit me greatly. 

According to google, Virtue means:

Noun Behavior showing high moral standards: "paragons of virtue". A quality considered morally good or desirable in a person.

This is what I believe Nina my protagonist will portray. Also, my magazine is aimed mainly at the female audience and will contain a lot of information and reviews etc. that will be 'nice', it will probably be mainly for the middle class status as the writing will be of a very high standard. I think this is even shown through the title name 'Virtue'.

poster picture stuff

I am looking at different pictures of young females to use as examples for my images. I have chosen to do this due to the fact that I am using a female protagonist. I want to use a low light intensity preferably with a sort of cold wash to connote her almost heartless robotic emotions.



I really like the focus on her eyes in this photo as the eyes are the window to the soul and you can see the true emotion behind the image.I like the strong almost angry facial expression of this girl I think it gives the strong sense of character that I need for my film. I like the fact her eye line is looking away/past the audience this is rather mysterious and makes me as an audience member wonder what or who she is looking at. 



I like the composition of this image. It'd be really good for a film poster as the blank spacing could be useful to add the title and things onto without distracting from the image itself. I wouldn't use the pose that this model is as it isn't strong enough for my character. I am probably going to have my girl holding a weapon so it won't be a close up of the face more like a full body image shot.

FIRST ATTEMPT AT MY POSTER

Here is my first attempt at my 'Bellatrix' film poster. I used the font from www.cooltext.com. I haven't used my own image for this trial poster as I wanted to see how I could make any image fit my film just by using my own font and house style. 

I chose to use red as my house style as red is said to represent action, confidence, courage and vitality which is what I would like my protagonist to be like. 

I have used the 'Salt' film poster as an example. What I took from the poster is the layering of the film title- One main one and also I added a layer in which I altered the opacity of the text and spread it out over the entire image size. I think this gave it a graffiti look and also a ghostly feel. 

I felt like a lot of thriller posters portray their genre through the tag line. Tag lines have to fit into certain things to be classed as 'good' tag lines.

• Suitability: How well does the tagline capture the central theme, appeal, or essence of the film?
  
• Creativity: Is the tagline clever, playful, humorous, ironic, etc. – expressing its message in a fun and creative way?
  
• Originality: Is the tagline surprising, disarming, or uncommon – revealing a unique or unusual attitude or point of view?
  
• Memorability: Does the tagline demonstrate an ability to influence popular culture and language?

http://www.taglineguru.com/moviesurvey.html- has asked respondents to rank their top 10 movie taglines based on the above criteria This is what they came up with:

1.	In space no one can hear you scream.		Alien (1979)
2.	Houston, we have a problem.		Apollo 13 (1995)
3.	They’re back.		Poltergeist II (1986)
4.	We are not alone.		Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
5.	Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.		Jaws 2 (1978)
6.	Who ya gonna call?		Ghostbusters (1984)
7.	A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away		Star Wars (1977)
8.	Be afraid.Be very afraid.		The Fly (1986)
9.	The list is life.		Schindler’s List (1993)
10.	Earth.It was fun while it lasted.		Armageddon (1998)

What I have gathered from the tag lines is that they shouldn't be too long, they should be mysterious and intrigue the audience into watching the film. They should be straight to the point and give an insight to what the film will contain. From this information I created my tag line of:
'She's not as innocent as she may appear.' 
I added the generic content of a film poster:

• A website: www.bellatrix.com- so that people can access more information about the film like where it's being shot, the actors, premiere information etc.
• Production company: Luja productions 
• The release date:  June 11th 2013- The summer month so teenagers and adults will have more money and time to go see it. It will also gain more time for publicity build up for any film competition/award things.
• The Title 
• The tag line

This poster is my first attempt at doing a film poster. I will try and create another but with my own image and possibly add/ change the tag line to a more dramatic one. I may also change the layout of my title etc.