Research

1. By Conner Tregilgas & Luke Collins Research

2. TrunkCreated by Sam HendiOverview of storyline Trunk is a story is set in a car. There two main characters in the car. One (Rachael) is distraught and the other (Kate) is trying to find out what happened to her friend. Rachael slowly reveals that she got into an argument with her boyfriend and in the ensuing fight, accidentally killed him. Kate then asks to see the body to make sure that the unnamed boyfriend is definitely dead. Rachael tells Kate that she put the body in the trunk, as she didn’t know what else to do. When they both get out of the car and check the body, Kate pronounces him dead. However in the last few seconds of the film, a hand out of shot grasps Kate’s arm implying that the boyfriend is not actually dead. The film then cuts out, leaving the fate of the two girls hidden. The storyline is quite cleverly done, you don’t know the main hook of the storyline until halfway through the film, and does very well to build up the suspense not only to the reveal but to the climax. The twist at the end is unfortunately quite predictable and can be seen as early as the point where the main character Rachael admits to the murder.I have learnt from this films storyline that hiding particular points of the story and releasing them overtime can work very well in a film, therefore I will attempt to implement this into my film, I have also learnt that some twists are fairly predictable and to make my film truly good, I would have to come up with an unseen twist ending.

3. TrunkCreated by Sam HendiOverview of the sound The sound used in the film is very low key, the main brunt of the sound is either dialogue, sound effects or ambience. The dialogue is delivered very authentically and the main character seems genuinely distressed. The sound effects seem to be either genuine noises from the actions or very well done dubs. The ambience isn’t weaved in very well as the sound of the crickets doesn’t seem realistic. The sound plays light string instruments at revelations in the story or during very emotion filled scenes to rely the distress and to build the suspense of the film and spikes during the end of the film during the twist to punctuate the final point and cause the viewer to jump in fright. From the sound of this movie I have learnt that sound isn’t everything and sometimes, you only need the background noise to increase the suspense. However, string music at tense situations can also ramp up the fear factor of the film. Trunk’s ambience seemed too loud so if I am to add ambient noises, I will make sure they are much quieter.

4. TrunkCreated by Sam HendiOverview of the Camera Shots Trunk held several great shots that help convey the film. The first is the establishing shot of the car showing it from a birdseye view. This gives a clear message that this is the main area of the film and that a majority of it will take place within the car. The shots within the car are a series of shot reverse shots which work to convey that the conversation is between them alone. When the film wants to direct the attention of the viewer to the boot, it creates a wide shot that slowly moves backwards to accommodate the image of the boot as well as the main characters to focus on the main plot point. From the shooting of the film I have learnt that a dynamic camera is needed to keep the viewer constantly interested even in small areas. Also an establishing shot of the area can help the viewer identify where the characters are which could set certain moods.

5. AtticCreated by ConorSteensonOverview of the Storyline The story is set in a house during what seems to be Halloween, the main character is asleep on the sofa while only a TV plays, showing a horror film, before a loud thunderstorm outside wakes him up. He then logs onto his computer and uses facebook to change his relationship status to single. This implys that the main character has recently broken up with his girlfriend and as a result is at home alone. Suddenly a loud noise comes from upstairs and the door creeks open. After a quick glance the man decides to ignore it and continue to watch TV. Suddenly the sounds happen again and the lights go out while the door slams. While attempting to light a candle a face appears in the flame but the main character notices. The main character gets a call from his friend. The call is a useful tool to fill in the main characters back-story of why he is at home alone in the first place. The call ends and the electricity comes back on. The main character realises the TV seems to be describing that something “is upstairs” before the noise return. This time the man investigates going into the attic. The attic door closes behind him and the film ends with him seeing the “Monster” and a cut scream. I have learnt from this film that a good technique to use is to have a secondary piece of media within the film that may coincidentally be similar to what is taking place, therefore I will attempt to implement that within my film.

6. AtticCreated by ConorSteensonOverview of the Sound The sound within the film seems to be primarily background noises and ambience. This is primarily the sound of the TV and the crash noises that the “Monster” makes. The TV sounds are used quite cleverly, as it makes a more convincing ambiance. This is because during a night home alone on Halloween most people would be watching a horror movie. The crashes are used to build suspense, implying that the man is not alone in his home, the crashes get more frequent and louder as the main character gets closer to the attic. I learnt that even if you give away the fact that the main character is in danger, its still possible to ramp suspence by making the quick snippets of the “Monster” more frequent and dangerous as the watcher has no idea when the quick snipets will suddenly turn into the climactic scene. I also learned that if you suddenly stop the snippets, you can lull the viewer into a false scene of safety before hitting them with the final scene.

7. AtticCreated by ConorSteensonOverview of the Camera Shots The majority of the first shots are to establish where the main character is and his surroundings, the fact he is asleep on the sofa surrounded by discarded beer shows that he feels safe here so he must live here. Most of the remaining shots of the film are close ups of the main characters face to show his emotional reactions to the noises. Their are a few shots where there is no image at all due to the power outage. This is designed to ramp up the fear as the viewer can see nothing and it leaves them to imagine what is happening around the main character. This feeling of anxiety is worsened when one of the shots shows something moving, but when the lights come back on there is nothing to be found. I have learned from the camera positioning of this film that sometimes it is what you don’t show that can deepen the suspense of the short movie, showing fewer things means that the viewers imagination fills in the gaps.

8. Poster #1 – Wolf Creek

9. It is significant that this large text is positioned at the top of the page. It is almost the same size as the title of the film, which shows it’s importance. Its position at the top of the page means it will be the first part met by the human eyes natural reading of a poster. “Feel the Fear” is also significant because fear is a convention of the horror genre and the fact it’s a quote from a well respected film review source enforces the strength of the quote. As a marketing tool, the quote has been listed listed above the name of Empire to imply Empire magazine was the source of the quote, when in fact there is no proof they did, and therefore any less respected source could have said “Feel the Fear.” This aside, it works as an effective convention of the poster as it is showing other people have enjoyed the film.

10. This tagline is very effective as it personalises the film with the viewer. People watch horror films to become immersed in the environment and feel fear, and this tagline suggests they will feel just that. It breaks the fourth wall by communicating with the viewer directly. It also suggests elements of the plotline, which shall entice the viewer to go and see themoviebecause this tagline has eliminated one of the typical endings to a horror film by getting found. The tagline instills the fear of never being rescued, as no one knows that you are missing.

11. The title of the poster is very well presented. The connotations of the films name tell the audience it’s a horror film for a number of reasons. “Wolf” connotes feelings of danger, and being hunted. “Creek” implies a feeling of isolation, as it is very natural setting. Also, the placement of the certificate is significant as it’s a legal requirement but it also instantly implies the film is possibly gory, scary and certainly carries an adult theme, which will encourage older audiences to see it. The placement of the title in the middle of the page is relevant as it means the viewer won’t be able to miss what the name of the film is and can remind themselves to see it.

12. This is the main part of the poster. The image has connotations of fear, and no escape. The wide expanses of barren wilderness shows that this is the setting of the film and the victims will be in a fight for survival. The fact a female protagonist is used is significant because it shows a character of stereotypical weakness, as most horror films feature strong, psychotic men. Also, “Based on True Events” is an important part of the poster. This added realism makes the film even more inviting to the viewer because the realism will make the entire film more scary as it implies the “events” could also happen to you.

13. Poster #2 - Scream

14. This is a very clever tagline, as it implies the film carries a “who done it?” theme. It also incorporates a play on words well, suggesting a less than serious tone to the film, which will encourage young people to go and see it.

15. The main image of the poster is very effective. It shows a young female, depicting the main characters in the film. Also, she has a shocked or scared facial expression. It is this element which puts put it’s firmly in the in the horror film genre.

16. The title of the film places it firmly in the horror genre because it highlights perhaps the most used and common convention in horror films. The white colour of the font also contrasts perfectly against the darkness of the background and therefore highlights it more. A list of actors and actresses are listed below the title, as there famous names shall persuade people to go and see the film. Also, the graphology of the “M” makes it look sharper, implying it could be a “slasher” movie.