30-11-14 Production Diary

Initially Rosie and Layla were supposed to shoot today however last minute we found out Rosie was unable to attend, this could have meant a wasted day of filming as it one of the only days everyone was available to film. So we had to use some initiative and decided to film the scenes with just Layla. To start with we had to get Layla prepared for the shoot, this meant hair and make up I had a specific idea of how I wanted Layla to look, working on this image I decided her scary look will be centred around her dark eyes and ghostly white skin.

As Layla is not exactly in the age range we hoped for we had to use certain techniques to achieve the 'scary old lady' look as best we could. Rosie and I worked on her look using my dark make up and flour for the skin. Wetting her hair to achieve a scraggly effect made her look even more haunting. Draping her hair in front of her face not only made her appear more threatening but also you could see less of her face which worked in our favour as it made her age even more ambiguous.

The scenes we then filmed were to begin with just clips of Layla stood still in a
shadowy setting, we plan on having a sort of 'blink' effect in which she quickly flashes on and off screen that will frighten the viewer as through researching other horrors we discovered this was incredibly horrifying. The next proper scene we filmed was of Layla walking up to the house, it was incredibly cold outside and Layla only had a thin dress on so I provided a coat so in-between filming Layla was able to get warm again.

The next few scenes involved Layla walking with a knife which could have been a potential health and safety risk however this was easily avoided by setting up a few guidelines in-between filming so no one was harmed. These were:
Carry the knife away from the body and never run with it in your hands. Always firmly hold the knife by its grip and walk with it facing away from themselves, especially if you're outdoors where you might fall. Also be conscious of other people around you.

The next scenes that followed were the nightmare scenes where Layla laughs hysterically in a menacing manner experimenting with the lighting we decided that using a bright white portable light because it was a dream scene the lighting could be unrealistic and scary. The flickering lights flashing on and off Layla's face gives of a incredibly disturbing effect as every time the light fully shines in her face you see the full effect of the scary make up.

I believe today we were incredibly efficient and used a lot of initiative with today's shoot this is noted through the bandage used to cover Layla's festival bands. As they looked childish and not scary a last minute decision was made to cover them with bandages and ketchup to give a blood stained effect.

To improve today's shoot I believe the scene where Layla walks up to the house could have been done much slower this comes down to an issue of doing a lot more takes with each scene to get the perfect one rather than rushing.

12-11-14 Production Diary

Setting out with the aim to complete 8,13,14 and 15 we actually managed to get the majority of this completed. Filming both in and out of school we had an extremely successful day of filming. Our first scene was inside a classroom there were many things we had to prepare before this shoot, most importantly we had to ensure we had a free class in order to not obstruct any lessons. When filming the year seven class we had to ensure we didn't capture any of their faces as we hadn't had written consent from their parents this would mean a breach of their rights if we filmed their faces. The year sevens were well behaved and easy to work with. The filming was quick and efficient and Rosie was extremely professional and got stuck in straight away, it is evident we are working with someone who has experience. We were able to get a variety of shots and takes in the small amount of time we had.

Scenes 13 and 15 is where Rosie's acting skills really came to fruition she was able to act realistically and performed really well. Choosing Rosie was an excellent decision as she was able to adapt to each scene we threw at her, changing up the angles, script lighting etc. didn't deter her as it may have done to someone less professional.

 Rosie during filming

Filming scene 8 proved to be problematic as we really wanted to film the scene in the alleyway when it was dark so timing was crucial as we wanted it to be dark as it is more atmospheric, however we couldn't film in pitch black as then we would't be able to see anything. Once we had waited for the lighting it then started to rain this meant potentially damaging equipment however this was easily overcame with the help of a massive umbrella to protect the camera.

   Using the umbrella to protect the camera.

However the next scene we filmed with the dogs barking the lighting was far too bright and outside it was still fairly light so the scene didn't have the intended unnerving atmosphere. This was a fault on out part in terms of timing, next shoot we will be fully aware of the fact it turns dark at 4pm therefore we are able to schedule filming certain scenes around this time so we are not having to use artificial lighting or film in day light which simply doesn't reflect and conventions of a thriller e.g. chiaroscuro lighting.  

Permission Letters

A Permission Letter is a written document seeking for approval that may or may not have been asked verbally. Often it is just further approval than spoken consent.

• Should be written much before the event for which you are seeking permission of 
• Often typed up to give a more professional look 
• Should be very brief and clear Simple and to the point language 
• There should always be a purpose of the letter 
• Whether the permission has been given or no should be indicated in clear words without leaving any room for ambiguity 
• It should be written by a person with authority for example the producer/director 
• A phone number or email address should be mentioned in the letter for the reader to make a contact if necessary 
• If there are any terms and conditions to the permission, they should be clearly specified in the letter

Shot List

SCENE 1 – Eleni asleep in her bed
1. Long shot of Eleni lying in bed, her mum walks into the shot
2. Medium-close-up of her mother kissing her forehead
3. Close-up of the mum leaving and turning off the light in her room
4. A upward panning shot from Eleni asleep in bed up to a picture on her wall saying ‘sweet dreams’

SCENE 2 – Eleni tossing and turning in bed
5. Long-shot from the side of the bed of Eleni tossing a turning in bed – suggesting she’s having a nightmare

SCENE 3 – The nightmare
 6. Cut to a different scene – where Layla is rocking back and forth on a chair laughing. This is a sustained long-shot where the audience presumes it’s the nightmare that Eleni is having

SCENE 4 – Rosie wakes up from her nightmare
7. Long-shot of Eleni in bed – her mum runs in after hearing her cry
8. Close-up of the two having the conversation to see if she is okay
9. Cut back to the longshot as Eleni expresses that Layla is ‘behind’ her mum
10. From the longshot we pan across the room to see that the scary woman is behind her

SCENE 5 – Photograph of mum and daughter
11. Close-up of someone holding a framed photo of the mother and her daughter
12. Cut to long-shot exposing that it is Rosie holding the photo – but many years later. This creates the link between the change in time

SCENE 6 – Rosie teaching in a classroom
13. Longshot of Rosie teaching in a classroom telling her students to be quiet
14. Cut to medium-close-up of her speech
15. Match on action with her turning around to write something on the board, from a closer angle

SCENE 7 – Rosie hears strange noises behind the door
16. Longshot of Rosie going about her day to day activities
17. Sustained shot as she hears a strange noise
18. Tracking shot as she walks towards the door from where she hears the sounds
19. Close-up of her looking through the keyhole
20. Long-shot of what we expect that she sees through the keyhole
21. Cut back to close-up of her eye through the keyhole as she begins to walk back. Sustained shot as we see Layla behind her

SCENE 8 –Alleyway
22. Hand-held tracking shot of Rosie running down an alleyway - sustained shot to show she’s scared and running away from something

SCENE 9 – Balcony
23. Low angled shot of Layla walking on the balcony – to suggest her power and authority.
24. Sustained shot as she stops walking and faces the direction of the camera

SCENE 10 – Balcony
25. Cut to shot of Layla from behind – we are aware it’s her as it’s the same location. Sustained shot as Rosie walks in front of her without being aware she is being watched

SCENE 11 – Rosie and her boyfriend
26. Longshot of Rosie and her boyfriend stood there with dialogue.
 27. Cut to behind shot of Rosie as she reaches out to hug her boyfriend

SCENE 12 – Rosie in bed
28. Rosie is lay in bed crying, angle shot from above
29. Cut to match on action as she turns round crying and hits the pillow

SCENE 13 – Dog begins to bark
30. Long shot of the dog barking at the window leading to the conservatory
31. Cut to longshot of Rosie questioning this
32. Longshot from a different angle as a tracking shot of her walking towards to dogs
33. Cut to angle of behind Rosie as she approaches the window
34. Close-up of her face as she sees Layla – so we see the emotion she is feelings

SCENE 14 – ‘Leave me alone’
35. Medium-close up of Rosie from behind as she runs down the stairs
36. Match on action as we carry on the movement from a different angle
37. Long-shot as she runs across the landing towards a set of double doors – presumably her room
38. Close-up of her face as she slams the doors and suggests ‘Leave me alone’

SCENE 15 – Car Scene
39. Tracking shot following a car down a lane – Rosie and her boyfriend
40. Cut to shot of them inside the car, medium long shot of them being happy and singing along to the music 41. Close-up on Rosie as she tilts her head from looking down to upwards and of her screaming
42. Cut to shot of her boyfriend slamming on his breaks asking what is up
43. Cut back to close-up of Rosie crying as she can’t get her words out
44. Cut to outside the car, longshot of Layla stood in front of the car
45. Close-up of Layla’s hand – holding a knife.

Storyboard

Making a storyboard is imperative as it allows a way of sharing your ideas and creation as clearly as possible.  Having the storyboard as a visual aid allows the director to map out exactly how the film will look etc. Thus making it easier for everyone to understand your vision, by planning out the shots needed the order in which they’re needed ensuring no shots are forgotten and also makes it easier when editing as the editor is aware of the order therefore making the film much easier to create. 

Call Sheets

Call Sheet 3.12.14

Call Sheet 30.11.14

Risk Assessment and Location Recce

Hair and make-up

Having an image in mind of how I wanted Layla to look I started out with the base- her skin. I wanted Layla to have ghostly white skin, however this wasn't achievable with the make up I had so we decided to use flour as Layla had non sensitive skin this wouldn't be a problem, using a pale foundation as a base the flour stuck on nicely to her face, making her appear not only older but much more threatening.

The grudge- dark eyes

I wanted the emphasis to be mainly on her eyes so using a mascara and eye shadow I covered the whole of her lid in a pitch black shade that made her dark eyes almost blend into the lids this created an almost 'soulless' and dead effect as common in many horror films. Hiding the eyes beneath the dark colours is extremely unsettling and the look I intended. The grudge's look had a huge influence on how we wanted Layla to look and the scraggly hair looks worn and decrepit, something we later transferred to Layla.
                                                                                             
                                                                                                  
Next we wanted to create a wrinkle effect on her face using a slanted brush to create a precise line I shaded in the creases of her mouths to intensify the look of wrinkles, using the a dark grey made it seem more horrifying than realistic which is what I intended. We replicated this effect on her collar bones and even legs to make Layla appear bruised and delipitated.


Separating, wetting and then hairspraying individual strands of Layla's hair in hope of achieving a look of no maintenance and neglect this creates an abnormal effect and is rather haunting. the fact it covered her face also made her appear extremely unnerving. Hiding her main feature- her eyes connotes mystery as you never know what she may be hiding.

Me styling Layla's hair

Props and costume

Props are absolutely imperative in order to employ the drama within a film. They can often be symbolic for example the teddy used in Rosie as a child's scene was important to connote innocence which helped to make it all the more menacing for when the ghostly lady haunts her.

Props needed
knife
chair
bed
whiteboard
pen
teddy

Costumes are often a method of expression not only in real life but also in film. The way a character dresses is often a reflection of their personality. It is very easy to assume a persons characteristics through their clothes for example through stereotyping you may assume someone with long dark hair and skinny jeans is a fan of rock music. We used the idea of these non verbal codes to establish a character for Rosie in which she was reliant, vulnerable, kind and scared. We wanted our play to look as realistic and true to life as possible this meant regular outfit changes for Rosie.

                                             

Costumes needed
checked shirt
leather jacket
black jeans
plain top
collared shirt
night gown
girls nightie

Script Final Draft

SOMNIUM Final Draft

Further audience research

We wanted to have a more in depth understanding of our audience and in order to do so we looked at a survey carried out by the BFI, in which states 32% of the British public aged 16+  enjoy the horror genre with an males and females both having a fairly equal preference for the genre. This further research coincides with our ideal audience as it seems that the majority enjoying this genre are below the age of 35, this especially apparent with females where the preference for horror halves from 44% at below the age of 35 to a mere 22% above the age of 35. The BFI survey encouraged us as a group to target the younger audience and this encouragement was further backed up by our questionnaire.

We believe by choosing a popular genre we are able to reach out to a much wider target audience, when conducting our questionnaire we found the majority preferred horror to other genres (we were also made sure we surveyed a range of people of different ages, social classes, gender etc.) 

VALs (values attitudes and lifestyles) is a research method used for market segmentation. It is a way of tailoring your product in order to advertise to the consumers who are most likely to buy your product, this is especially helpful when looking at genre films as take horror for example, those interested in the genre may expect to see dark colours, with red blood splatters advertised to gain their interest. 

Advertising agency Young & Rubican developed another method of classification knows as the 4C model (Cross Cultural Consumer Characterisation model) it categorises consumers into categories such as the resigned, who are rigid, strict, authoritarian typically the older generation who’s brand decisions reflect that of safety and familiarity. The struggler, who’s often disorganised and impulsive their brand choices tend to be sensation orientated e.g.  alchohol and lottery tickets. The mainstreamer; domestic, conventional, part of the mass and favour well known ‘family’ brands. The aspirer, who is materialistic and oriented to the packaging rather than quality. The succeder who’s brand choice is based on ‘caring’ brands e.g. fair-trade. The explorer, who exudes energy and strives for challenge, they’re often the first to try new brands. And finally the reformer, who’s focused on personal growth who opts for high quality brands.

I believe our production will target the explorer, often eager to try new brands and often students. They have a willingness to experience new things I think this is particularly applicable in terms of films they will want to see a brand new film out on the marker whereas the resigned category are more rigid and there is a certain stubbornness when it comes to changing their consuming habits, therefore are most likely to watch our brand new film as they have an eagerness to differentiate and explore. 

Script 2nd Draft

SOMNIUM 2nd Draft

Script 1st Draft

SOMNIUM 1st Draft

Choosing a title

When coming up with the name for our production, we initially decided we wanted it to be a single word. We thought that this would have more impact as this is generally the pattern that most horror films take with naming their productions, for example 'Insidious, Sinister, Halloween, Psycho and Scream' etc. 

We thought of a few different ideas, but they didn't seem complex enough and we were aiming for a title that had an underlying meaning or something that the audience wouldn't really get until they've actually watched them film. 

We looked on different websites for ideas, and discovered different demonic names, etc. 

In the end, none of these were really that effective in our eyes. So we moved onto a different way of sourcing a name. 

Here, we had to break it down and came up with the key words that were to do with our film. We wrote a spider diagram with singular key words and then narrowed it down to the word 'Dream' as the most significant and relevant aspect of our story line. 

From here we Google translated the word into different languages, but found that the Latin translations were the ones that sounded most creepy. 

As a result of this, we collectively decided that 'Somnium' would be the name of our production. This translates directly to 'day dream' which we thought was extremely fitting considering the fact the our protagonist can't escape her nightmares, even whilst she's awake. 

Character Profiles

Character Profiles

Rosie

Age: 24

Personality: Very kind individual, extremely caring and wants her students to do well, very vulnerable, insecure, nervous and fragile she is actually quite shy and aims to please others. She needs protecting which makes her quite submissive she lets her personal life interfere with her.

Background: Went to Lancaster University and is now at her first job teaching English. Has grown up with a fear of an old woman, who used to haunt her in her dreams. Has been with her boyfriend for 3 years and is rather reliant on him. 

Craig

Age: 23

Personality: Extremely protective over Rosie. He is a very patient individual and exceptionally understanding of Rosie’s problems although he doesn’t understand the severity of them he often plays it down and puts it down to her being overly sensitive.

Background: Also studied at Lancaster University where they met and is also a teacher.

Mum

Age: 40

Personality: Caring and compassionate. Worried about her child but like Craig doesn’t understand the horror and trauma Rosie goes through. She thinks the nightmares are just that and doesn’t delve deeper into why or if they are actually real.

Background: House wife, been married to her husband for 9 years they enjoy a happy family life unlike Rosie who lives in fear of her nightmares. Very well off and offer the only source of stability in Rosie’s unfortunate childhood.

Evelyn 

Age: 76

Personality: Extremely bitter and twisted woman, seeks revenge with no mercy. Hates everyone and has an extremely menacing outlook on life. She is incredibly threatening and terrifies Rosie.

Background: Her daughter was killed by Rosie's great granddad and so seeks revenge on him by haunting Rosie and will not stop until she's dead. 

Change of Actors

After a lot of deliberation as to who would play the ghostly woman we ultimately decided that Layla was more suitable than Eliza or Megan. Although they are experienced in acting. Layla fitted the character ideal more and as we were familiar with her I personally felt she would be more willing to really go for it. The role was rather extensive and after speaking to Layla we felt she was really cut out for the part especially since she achieved an A* in performing arts at GCSE. Layla has dark features unlike the other two which was imperative for the role in order to make her appear as ghostly as possible.

Overall I believe choosing Layla was the right decision she was professional, eager, hard working and an excellent actress.

Choice of Actors

This year we as a group decided we specifically want professional actors to play in our trailer that way it will be as realistic as possible and be of a high quality. However finding and actually getting professional actors on board seemed to be a difficult task especially seeing as we wanted older people to play certain parts.

We asked Rosie to play the main character, we decided on Rosie for a number of reasons, firstly she fitted the look she looked rather innocent but not too youthful looking which was ideal for the role as she was cast as a 23 year old. Secondly Rosie has lots of experience within the film industry starring in the film 'The Knife That Killed Me', which gives her extensive knowledge on how to interpret a character and become that character. Working within this environment also means she has professional outlook when it comes to filming, something we felt others may lack. All of Rosie's acquired skills mean she will be efficient, professional and will help us to produce a high quality trailer.

Our younger version of Rosie will be played by a family friend of Gabby's who also has relevant experience. Using Eleni for the part seems the most logical decision, she has starred in her schools production so again we know she is a talented and dedicated performer, also with her living next door to gabby it is extremely convenient and we are then actually able to film most days (it is easier to then find days the whole crew can film together!) Another thing about using someone who is much younger is that they are willing to really 'go for it' and be as dramatic as possible as they don't have a sense of awkwardness about acting to their fullest that some teenagers may.

However the problem was when it came to casting was finding an older woman to play the part of the antagonist. After researching several amateur dramatic groups we decided we had to settle on a local one as it had to be convenient for them. Bearing in mind we had a limited budget we could not afford to hire professional actors. The only local amateur dramatic group we could find was the summerseat players, and after I had been to their theater and seen a show I believed they were especially capable and had a strong group of actors. I then emailed them however after several attempts of ringing them with no answer or reply we decided we had to take an alternate route.

However this problem is easily dealt with, Rosie's good friend Eliza fits our character ideal, she has the short hair we originally wanted for the woman and with the right make up and outfits could easily be made to look like a ghostly old woman. Also a positive of having Eliza work alongside Rosie is that their relationship means they have a close connection which will hopefully convey into a more realistic and relatable relationship on screen and the realer a horror seems the scarier it is. 

Actors we would like to play the roles

Jennifer Lawrence gained international fame for playing the leading heroine, Katniss Everdeen, in the popular The Hunger Games film series, which established her as the highest-grossing action heroine of all time. Although she wouldn't be cast as a heroine Jennifer has certain characteristics that fit the role perfectly, she has a fresh face and is thin (connotes innocence and vulnerability.) 

Films such as 'House at the end of the street' make her more suited to the part, as this is a horror film. This films plot revolves around Jennifer Lawrence who, along with her newly divorced mother, moves to a new neighborhood only to discover that the house at the end of the street was the site of a gruesome double murder. I think Jennifer is an ideal actress for this part in all aspects, from looks and personality to relevant experience. 

Synopsis

A 20 something year old woman is devastated when her childhood nightmare of a ghostly elderly woman comes to haunt her in her real everyday life. Evylyn Crick is seeking revenge on Rosie as when she was alive her daughter was killed by Rosie's Great Grandfather. Will the support of her family and friends be enough for her to survive or will it all become too much for her?

New ideas and storyline

When merging our groups we decided to take on a different storyline that still contained elements of each group's original premise. Working with a basic overview of the structure of the trailer we wanted to delve deeper into the characters to gain a wider understanding of the story line and how it should be in order to give the actual trailer depth and meaning.

We liked the theme of dreams from our original premise as we felt it carried lots of connotations that would compliment the horror genre. 

We wanted a more in depth character profile for the antagonist that way we gain a more fuller understanding and when it comes to casting the antagonist they themselves understand their character better and are able to act accordingly thus making our trailer seem more real; therefore scary, more professional and overall more interesting.

We then went on to do the same for our protagonist only this time we focused more on looks and personality as we all had in mind an expectation of the character, we wanted her to adhere to the horror convention that is a submissive vulnerable teacher and the easiest way to convey this is through non verbal codes, for example her clothing, pale simple clothes almost washes her out making her seem all the more vulnerable and fragile. We also wanted an in depth character profile in order to have an in depth portrayal of the character when it comes to filming. 

We then went on to plan the scenes in order to have a good idea of where to start when filming and also in order to organise ourselves so we could be as efficient as possible when filming, and also if we are within schedule we may have extra time to experiment and make variations of different scenes this will help for a more enriched production. 

Change of Plan

Due to a member of another group leaving media Gabby joined our group. Personally I felt this was a positive thing as Gabby had many ideas that complimented ours, this meant we were able to easily merge productions. We decided to take elements of our production specifically the dream idea and follow the overarching story line of Gabby's previous premise. Having new members means new skills new ideas so ultimately a better production.

Film Company Logo

When deciding what our production company logo should like we wanted to keep in mind the horror genre, this meant nothing too bright or colourful as it would distract from the serious tone of our film, bearing this in mind we decided to go with a monochrome logo as it ties in with the theme of binary oppositions, black and white connotes both evil and good which is an underlying theme in our thriller. Also the harsh black stands out against the white making it more eye catching. We decided to use an eerie looking eye as part of our logo as it creates a haunting effect again suitable for the production. The fact it is one eye it appears to be looking at you always thus foreshadowing the evil within the film. We came up with the the name 'White Productions' as for us it was simplistic and had a professional look about it in order to not distract from the actual theme, also it looks a lot less amateur than if we were to attempt, perhaps to make a logo with our own drawings. The font we used here is sans serif in capitals with a faint shadow used behind it to connote a sense of danger and the idea that you don't know what is lurking behind you in a horror.We made the production logo in Pinnacle Studios by creating an overlay title. We placed our image of the eye in the centre and added 'WHITE PRODUCTIONS' just underneath.  We then went on to edit the effects of it by adding a fade in and and fade out motion.

For our professional production company we decided to use blumhouse productions firstly for aesthetic reasons, we found the dark colours helped to reinforce the horror genre, the almost shadow affect again alludes to the theme of mystery and helps connote the unknown. Secondly they are an established, professional company renown for their successful horrors such as Sinister, Paranormal Activity, Oculus and The Purge.

Production Company Logo Research

Roles of the crew

Director- Frankie Roncoli

Assistant Director- Alexia Docker

Editor- Gabby Royle

Assistant editors- Francesca Roncoli, Alexia Docker, Rosie Chatterjea 

Director of Photography- Gabby Royle

Make up and hair- Rosie Chatterjea and Francesca Roncoli

Script- Francesca Roncoli and Rosie Chatterjea

Storyboard- Alexia Docker

Sound Production and Designer- Alexia Docker

Producer- Rosie Chatterjea

Director- As director I had the final decision in the wider aspects of the film, I had control over the dramatic and artistic aspects I had an overall vision of how I wanted things to go, I needed to successfully convert the script into a reality. I essentially made the crucial decisions for example selecting the cast and location. When filming I was managing the overall production and overlooking the technical aspects of the production; lighting, sound, set design etc.

Assistant Director- The first assistant directors has many responsibility's, they take on a number of roles to ensure the director is able to concentrate fully and make the creative decisions effectively. Their main responsibilities are coordinating the activities of a production, supervising the crew and cast and assisting the director. Overall they are a crucial link between the director and the cast and crew, whilst being attentive to the progression of the shoot. They have several duties that must be carried out before the shoot; devising a shooting schedule, working with the director to ensure they're fulfilling their creative ambition, prepare the storyboard, check weather reports, and oversee props, location and equipment.

Director of Photography-  Responsible for creating the overall identity of the film, often working closely with the camera crew, director and the lightening department to achieve this identity.  They create this desired look by adjusting lighting, framing, camera movement.

Make-up artist- The key make-up artist, pre-production, the artist will analyse the script and discusses their visions and ideas with the director and screenwriter. Also working with the key hair designer, costume designer, set designer and director of lighting throughout the film. After that, the key make-up artist researches and determines how to design the make-up that will be suitable for the character. 

Producer- Overall producers have control over every aspect of the film's production process. They combine the production team and ensure they are all working to an approved standard. Their key responsibility is to ensure an environment in which the talents of the cast and crew can flourish. The producers are responsible for the success of a film as they work with the film from the start to the end and beyond. 

Star Image and Power

Dyers Theory of star image, Dyer states that both a performer and a star have become interchangeable in terms of media- they are not the same thing any more. Stars now come with their own brand, persona and look which a lot of the time is unrelated to their role. However Dyer believed that true stars have brand awareness and appeal to a wider market whilst lasting longer in that market.

A stars image is nowadays instantly recognisable as it is often used to brand products. Star's images are powerful and therefore can be used as a device for profit.

Justin Beiber now the face of Calvin Klein 

Richard Dyer said that stars are constructed, artificial images that are constructed out of a range of materials which allows them to be copied and or parodied.

He also stated that they are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings. Simply put stars are moulded by production companies for financial gain, they tend to manufacture their stars so that they appeal to the masses hence why you see so many photocopied boy bands. 

Ideology and Culture

Stars often promote a certain ideology that promotes their persona and star quality. This ideology is non related to their career but helps give them more depth and meaning, e.g. having a stance on the environment.

Personality

All stars at some point start out as a 'real' person but along the way are moulded by production companies.

They provide fans with ambition of how to be in life, a lot of girls now dress to look like Lady GaGa.

Fans dressed up as Lady GaGa

A stars persona needs constant nurture to keep the fans interested this may mean changing your hair every few months in order not to become lacklustre or boring.

Star Image motifs

Often things that are heavily related to the star in order to increase their brand awareness such as images, icons, or fonts.

The Beatles font is instantly recognisable 

  

Research into representation

Representation refers to how media represents certain social groups, particularly focusing on age, gender, social class, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexuality. Representation is ultimately how we perceive these groups. This can also apply to stereotypes in which the ultimate is the ‘blonde bimbo’ which refers to a blonde, brainless woman typically wearing revealing clothes.

Representation in media is a way of making sense of reality and without it we wouldn't have a real perception of the world, for example the news is a way of perceiving the world and without it we wouldn't have any other information other than what the media is feeding you. 

Gender is a key representation within our trailer; there are certain elements that help identify a gender, gender stereotyping comes from many different products and factors. Media can help the construction of a person’s gender often you’ll see ‘gender appropriate’ advertisements which encourage children’s understanding of gender. 

From the above images you can see that media encourages gender roles, girls are encouraged to be fragile, soft and delicate and of course love pink, whereas boys are encouraged to be more competitive and tough. 

I believe these gender conventions have been strongly adhered to with our characters, Rosie for example represents a rather weak and fragile women with a rather submissive nature, she is also a teacher which helps explore her caring nature, all of these characteristics are strongly reinforced in the media especially when looking to fairy tales in which the princess is all of the above and always reliant on a prince to rescue her. This is much alike an aspect of our trailer where we see George hugging Rosie he acts as her protection, he is dominant and tough and represents the 'appropriate behaviour' enforced by the media. 

Not only are gender characteristics enforced by the media but also aesthetics we never see a girl with short spiky hair advertising for my little pony. Or a limp and thin man advertising aftershave this is due to the fact media offers us only one option to conform to the stereotype of a thin and delicate woman or a strong and physically big man. 

However in a way we are challenging the gender representations of women, through our antagonist Evelyn who almost carries the representations of men, she is physically threatening and dominant all of which you would not expect to see in the representation of media.  

Research into Idea Mise-en-scene, Shooting and Editing Style

Looking at wide range of horror films, found that many adhere to certain conventions and techniques. I plan to focus on these conventions in terms of mise en scene, ways in which scenes are shot and editing. Following these conventions means that genre is clearly defined and thus attracts an audience.

Mise en scene

Mise en scene is the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing which includes actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise en scène, a French term that means “placing on stage”

One of the main visual aspects of horror films when looking at mise en scene is the colours used often blacks and reds are used as they connote mystery, danger and death these are the syntactic elements of the production. Often you will see red titles for example Nightmare on Elm Street use red to connote the foreboding gore.

The mise en scene denoted the genre through props such as knives and axes. The use of these props helps create an threatening atmosphere for audiences. These props are often symbolic of certain themes that denote the genre e.g. knives are symbolic of death. This can be seen in films such as Halloween.

Another horror convention displayed through mise en scene is chiaroscuro lighting. Often horror films will use a blue filter which almost washes out the colours which makes it appear darker and more mysterious, this is also a convention in many thrillers. Lighting and colours in a film are massively important as they set an unsettling atmosphere for audiences and these colour connote mystery and fear rather than using bright natural lighting which connote happiness. 

Another convention in relation to mise en scene is isolated locations, something we plan on incorporating into our trailer these isolated locations are heavily symbolic of vulnerability and make the audience feel on edge. Horror films are most likely to be set in a desolate area such as an abandoned house, creepy woods or a mental asylum. Often these locations are used to make the victim all the more vulnerable as it appears no one is around to help them thus making the antagonist all the more powerful which in return puts the audience more on edge. 

Shots

In horror films the shots are typically varied  to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and makes the scenes all the more intense. These shots range from extreme close ups, where the audience can truly see the fear in the victims face, this is demonstrated within the shower scene in Psycho. Point of view shots are also used both from the antagonists and protagonists perspective it is especially effective from the victims view as it appears as if the audience is really a victim. The effectiveness of point of view shots is demonstrated in the film Evil Dead where Ash the protagonist is chased through the house from the point of view of the killer. Long shots are used to connote a sense of foreboding it’s as if the antagonist is working it’s way up to the attack which puts audiences on edge.   

Edits

Editing is used to create suspense and fear in audiences the use of fast paced editing puts audiences on edge and creates a sense of thrill. Also audiences can never suspect when an intense scene is coming up as editors usually create a sense of complacency by making the scenes prior to it slower which makes the shock of the next scene even greater. 

Research into Nightmare on Elm Street

Nightmare on Elm Street

Survivors of undead serial killer Freddy Krueger; who stalks his victims (children of the members of the lynch mob that killed him) in their dreams learn to take control of their own dreams in order to fight back. We believe this is an ideal film to analyse considering its themes are related to ours we can draw inspiration from the many techniques (setting, lighting, cuts, music etc.) used to make this film so successful.

The Poster

Trailer



The nightmare on Elm street trailer has many concepts that are identical to ours, although we may not have the equipment to produce a trailer of this standard we can draw inspiration from the many techniques used.

The first technique used to imply the genre is setting: here we see a desolate house in a run down area. The setting fits the horror convention of an isolated location which gives it an eerie atmospheric feeling to the scene. It seems there is a blue filter being used here which helps create a ghostly atmosphere. The fact the building is so isolated makes it seem all the more threatening and menacing. We plan to replicate aspects of this scene by having our location also isolated.

Another key aspect of both trailers is the theme of nightmares, we aim to have this implied in many ways. Alike the nightmare on elm street trailer we have a protagonist suffering from nightmares and the idea of them being so torturous they almost seem real and haunt them in day to day life. There is an extreme close up used here in both trailers to symbolise distress in this trailer, however in our trailer it is used to show curiosity that ultimately leads to danger. One of the key aspects we our drawing from this trailer is the way in which the line between reality and nightmares is blurred, we want our audience to be unaware of what is real and whats not.

Shadows is a key convention in thrillers; heavily used throughout the trailer it again creates a ghostly atmosphere as if you don't know what's lurking in the shadows (sense of mystery.) In literature shadows are metaphorically linked to death. The darkness also acts as tool to connote secrets and danger.

Another feature we intend to employ is the way in which we never see Freddie Kruger fully, showing only parts of him intensifies he scariest features e.g. the hand. Similarly in our trailer we intend to only show parts of the antagonist using close ups to focus on her prominent features for example her long creepy hair and her unnerving idiosyncrasies. 

Titles used here again connote the horror genre the red blood splatters imply images of death whilst the serif font demonstrate that this film is for an older audience. The colour red connotes images of danger, death and horror so considering all this it is likely we will incorporate red within our titles in order to have a similar effect.

Domestic Summary

Opening Weekend:	$32,902,299
% of Total Gross:	52.2%

(#1 rank, 3,332 theaters, $9,875 average)