Deconstruction of film poster 1

Insidious film poster

I chose this film poster as I feel that it is quite unusual to others and goes against a few of the codes and conventions of horror and in general film posters. One of the ways in which it does this is the title, although it is located in the middle, it is quite small and vertical, whereas usually they are much larger and horizontal to the page so that they are easily recognisable. This could be to make theirs unique and that the 'insidious' could be represented to be inside the boy who is the main image to show that he has been possessed, also following the forms and conventions of giving hints into what happens in the actual film. The main image also goes against the forms and conventions of horror film posters as it has one of the protagonists as the main image, whereas usually it is the antagonist which is the main image, although they have given theirs a unique touch by altering it in a way that is still effective as the evil is within the boy. Also, a little boy is usually used to signify innocence but this connotes that the evil forces have ruined this normal stereotype.

The use of colours are very effective also, the dark gloomy look clearly highlights the evil within the film and the young boy, almost like a pathetic fallacy. There is also a use of red in the title and on the boys pyjamas which signifies blood and anger, although this could be seen to be different as this is a paranormal film and not a gory film, but the use of red usually signifies danger, especially in the horror genre. The use of white also goes against the forms and conventions as it signifies innocence and heaven, but this is used to contrast good and evil (Staruss' theory) and show that the evilness has transformed the boy from innocence to evil. The main image is very effective because although it is quite different, the little boy is directly looking into the camera, the possessed look and dark lighting work well into almost making him look like the antagonist. The eye contact between the audience and the boy is done to make it more scary as his eyes look very evil, this is done to scare the audience but also feel sympathy for the boy and entice them into watching the film. 

In conclusion, I feel this is a very good and effective film poster as it goes against a few forms and conventions but does it in a way that isn't bad but in a way that gives their poster a unique and exciting twist to give a unique selling point to other horror film posters. This is definitely something I will use in my film poster to make it stand out and give the audience something new and different.

Forms and conventions of film posters

Image 
There is usually a large main image which covers up the majority of the page, this is so that the audience/people walking past will get their attention caught by the large image. They can either be a shot taken directly from the film or from a shoot before but it usually shows what genre the film is.

Title
Nearly all film posters have a title, unless the film is so popular that it is not needed. If there is a title it is usually in the middle and just below the main image.

Directors, producers and actors
These people are most of the time included and are near the title, especially if it is a well-known name as it will stand out more near the title. If it is a small budget film then normally only the main characters are named, but if it is big budgeted film it usually will have more well known names so will include all of these in order to attract a wider audience.

Quotes, recommendations and ratings

When critics have seen the film, they redo their posters and add the positive things said about them, especially if it by someone who is well known giving it a high rating as people will want to see the film because of this, an example of a well known company is UK Film Magazine.

Awards
If the poster is put out near awards season then these will be put near the names of the directors, producers and actors who have won an award which will make their name more widely known and will force the audience into thinking this is a good film to see because of this, as it gives them a unique selling point above competitors

Taglines
These are used to give a hint about the film and add a tiny bit of context. They can also be a common line from the film, for example in Forrest Gump "life is like a box of chocolates" is used.

Date and extra information
This shows the date of the release so that the audience doesn't miss it. The extra information shows things like the age restriction of the film and if there is things like swearing included. This is usually located at the bottom of the poster as it isn't as important as the rest of the poster.


I feel that Barthes' codes relate to this very well. The enigma code is when the audience is left asking questions, and this is the main aim of film posters to entice them into watching the film. Also the semantic code relates to this as it is common in posters for them to be symbolic for something which is included in the film.

Final trailer

I feel that overall the filming and editing process has gone very well and that it is the best that it could have gone due to the successful research and planning stage. Me and my partner worked very well together to achieve this considering there were some difficulties to begin with.

Editing process

We started off with a blank document to start this off, we uploaded all the clips from the camera by connecting it to the computer.















First of all we selected all the right clips and good shots that were to be included and layered them into the right order. This step was quite easy due to the storyboard we created beforehand which includes the order of the shots and the timing of each shot.

After this I added the necessary sounds that clearly portrays the genre. We got these from non copyrighted Youtube videos. This was quite easy as the majority of them were already planned beforehand and the others took a bit of discussion and trial and error to see if it suited it well, but was quite easy due to the wide range available.

I then added in the credits, for this we added in a black background that had an opposite fade from the middle so the writing would look better and stand out. The fade also makes it look more professional than just a standard black background. We also added an effect to the text in order to make it flash in a way that makes it look like it had been overcome by paranormal activity.

To get this effect I added the Timecode effect which gives the bar in the bottom right, this gives this camera a realistic feel to it. I also played around with the different toggles on the TV simulator tool to eventually get this effect which also adds to the realistic feel to it.

On this glitch effect which was added throughout the editing on a number of different things, I made it transparent by using the displacement map video effect which meant gave the video a horror look to it and clearly portrayed the genre.

This is how the final interface looked. This production really helped me understand how to layer clips and the importance of sounds in production as before the sound was added it seemed completely different.

Learning Sony Vegas Pro

We have decided to go with Sony Vegas Pro to edit our film trailer. The main reason was that it is easily accessible for us as my partner has it at home, despite this neither of us have never used it before so we will need to learn how to use it well before editing out trailer to ensure it is edited well, as this is very important in making a good production. We have watched a number of different youtube tutorials in order to develop our skills before the editing process and this is the main things we have learnt.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6l8kk9qW-4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLSHYe1-LuE


These youtube tutorials have taught us the general details of how to use Sony Vegas. When we need to learn something specific we will have to again youtube how to do that specific editing, an example of this is adding sounds to the production.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eknb_ft67XY


The editing process is so important that every specific detail needs to be considered in attracting the audience and the message that is sent out by every detail. How the audience interpret something is the most fundamental part. Learning Sony Vegas will aid me in making sure every detail is perfect as this is a very professional editing software.

2nd day of filming - Appuldurcombe

The second day of filming we went to Appuldurcombe House. The filming went really well as we had planned the shots beforehand so the filming process was much easier because of this. We filmed long parts but this will be cut down in the editing process and we done this so the continuity of the shots wasn't ruined. First of all we took photos of the building for the ancillary task as we knew this would probably be the only time we would be allowed to film so we had to be quick. The person kindly gave us the keys to the inside of the building, this was very nice of him and this aided the filming heavily as the inside suited the look we were going for.

We started off by filming part within the ruins as this will be chronological order for the actual trailer and then moved into the actual building. The filming process was very smooth as the location was in a very quiet place so there was literally no noise. Also, we had an experienced actor so learning the lines and the acting skills like emotion was very good as he had done this many times before in actual performances.

In summary, I feel that the filming went perfectly and couldn't have gone much better, this was because it was planned well so this made it much easier as we didn't have to make it up on the spot. Now we will be moving on to the editing of the trailer.

Photos of main location

Update on location

Firstly, I went to scope a possible location and took some photos, this was going to be the location for the main part, especially after Appuldurcome hadn't replied. Although the location was too small and didn't suit the genre and the plot of the story. After this I was researching other possible locations to use and while emailing Arreton Manor I saw that in my spam email was an email from Appuldurcombe saying that we could use their premises. This is very good as this was the first choice location for the trailer and I feel this best suits the plot and genre of the film. This has held me back and got me behind on the filming but I feel that it is worth it in order to make the trailer the best that I possibly can.

1st day of filming - short clips

The first day of filming we went out to a number of different locations to select a number of short clips, this is for the start of the trailer to show the number of different places that he has been to before going to the main place in the film, showing what has established him as the famous explorer that he is known as today. It was quite hard to find appropriate locations that were accessible, although we did manage to find a few perfect ones, one of these being Firestone Copse, we went at night so that it was dark and only used natural light of torches and a light panel on top of the camera so that it looked realistic but still professional.

We also went to another place called Havenstreet Bombshelter. There is a small building located on the top although we could not get inside as there was cows on the top of the field. Despite this we used this to our advantage and made this part of the plot that we couldn't get to the building because of the haunted beings making it impossible for them to enter it.

We also filmed parts in his car of us arriving to these different places and other haunted things happening in his car. I felt that this is effective because it makes it more realistic to show it more in a documentary style which would be what an explorer type of film would be like. It is also quite unique as I have not seen this type of horror film done like this very often.

Another location that we have used is the theatre at our school, this is to show the main actor (explorer) collecting an award. This will be at the start of the trailer to show the normal equilibrium before the mayhem occurs and the equilibrium is disrupted, links to Todarov's theory. This will show the audience that he is a famous explorer, almost like Bear Grylls, and give some background context to the film.

Script - draft

First scene - theatre 

Mr Nye - "And the winner is... JACK MILLWARD!"

*Clapping and whistling edited in* 

Jack "I am just so surprised to win this award..."

(Cuts to Jack in the car)

Second scene - series of short jump cuts (highlighting his career)

Narrator "This year!"

Jack "Welcome explorers"  

(Jack narration of speech overlaid over the series of quick jump cuts)

"First of I want to thank my fans and my family, without this none of this would ever be possible. 

I'm sorry I am a bit emotional, I never expected this to happen, I haven't even planned a speech (stuttery/emotional)

I have been through a lot, not just in my exploring experiences but in life in general and to get to where I am today I am so happy and thankful to everyone who has supported me or ever watched any of my videos.

Narrator "His biggest adventure ever!"

Third scene - Abandoned building

Jack "I've heard this place hasn't been touched in roughly 20 years, because of the high level of paranormal activity that has happened"

"This place is so creepy"

"We come peacefully"

"So, explorers, the aim of todays video is to show you Appuldurcome House to really see if all these rumours and accusations are true, let's get into it..."

"What the fuck was that!?"

Shaun (me) "I honestly think we should leave"

As we are working in partners, we have both decided to do a draft script and then discuss the good things out of both our scripts and then do a final script which will actually be used for the trailer. This is the best way of doing it as our imagery will both vary and then we can discuss the best of both of the scripts which will make it the best possible.

Storyboard

Now I have planned the film trailer and I know how it will look I can now create the storyboards. These make the filming of the trailer much easier and more effective as it isn't just made up on the spot. It also ensures me that I use the right type of shot and use a wide variety which could easily be forgotten if there wasn't an initial idea.

I will include the main things included in each shot like the main bits of speech and the added in details like the clapping sounds, how each shot will transfer to the next, for example a fade into the next shot and the music and sounds added on top when editing. I have also included the shot duration to make the filming process as easy as possible and so I know roughly how long the full trailer will be which will be about 1 minute 30 to 1 minute 45 seconds

Example of one of my storyboards;

Risk assessment

Risk	Level (1-5)	Solution
Permission of building	2/3	Use another location from research
Actor pulling out	1	Very unlikely but will have to try and get someone else last minute
Weather	1	Doesn't matter too much as if it is poor weather then this will suit horror genre, although will need to film all that day
Other people being there	4	This could heavily affect the filming as it wouldn't be realistic, will have to wait for it to be empty if this happens
Equipment breaking	2	Quite unlikely and I have other cameras to replace
Injuries	1-5 (Depending on extent of injury)	Will have to be ready to get another actor for another day if it that bad
Memory card running out of storage	3	Have other cameras but might have to come out on another day
Lose or forget storyboard	4	This could heavily affect the storyline and will have to make sure I make copies and put them somewhere safe

Now that I have assessed these risks I will now know what to do if one of these happens and will do everything I can to prevent these from occurring.