Pitch

 

My pitch will be 10 minutes long and is in a professional format.

Audience profile

 

Age/gender- my target audience is males and females aged between 16- 20 years of age.

Occupation- the occupations my target audience will have is, students, working or unemployed.

Social class- there is not a specific social class that watch films, but the upper class can be associated to going to watch a play at the theatre. So i am going to be targeting my film trailer to people in middle and lower class.

Hobbies- my target audience’s hobbies include things such as, watching films with friends and getting takeaways, listening to music, going out to parties. 

Exploratory work

Here is an example of a shot type that I may use in my film trailer. I have put a black cross to indicate that the character 'Jordanna' will be at that place just before she falls over. The yellow cross indicates that the character 'Louise' (the killer) will be at that place.  I have positioned Louise behind Jordanna to indicate to the audience that Louise is the killer and is chasing Jordanna. This will therefore allow the audience to identify what the genre of my film trailer is.

The use of an long shot will represent the narrative of the genre, which is horror. This is because it will allow the audience to recognise that Jordanna is getting chased, but also the audience will be able to recognise the fear and emotion that is seen through out horror films. Also, by the use of an extreme medium shot, the audience will be able to recognise that the location is out side a house, due to the path way leading to the front door, the bins and the flowers.      

This is an example of a medium shot that I may use in my film trailer. The black cross represents Jordanna sitting on the bed reading a magazine, while the red circle represents the light flickering on and of. This follows the narrative of horror as this is a feature that is seen across the majority of horror films. Also the music will be gradually getting faster at this point which will have an effect on the audience as it will indicate that some thing is about to happen, which will keep the audiences interested.

From producing example shots of camera angles i may use in my film trailer, will be beneficial to me as i will know how to develop my ideas to follow the narrative of horror, and also, what type of shots will represent horror successfully.

Story Board

Here i have made an idea of a story board. As i am doing horror, i have followed codes and conventions to represent the narrative of horror, For example, a long shot of the main location, which is the house. This is to emphasise that the house has enigma codes, with visual codes of grey sky's which makes it feel more spooky to the audience. Through the use of a close up, this represents the genre of horror as when the close up of Louise happens, the music screeches to make the audience jump and make them feel scared. After this the trailer ends to successfully tease the audience and therefore make them want to go to watch it. I have also included that Jordanna cry's and looks scared, which is done through a close up to enable the audience to recognise that this is a horror film trailer. The music also follows the narrative of horror as it starts of slow and then gets faster building the tension to get the audiences hearts racing and to keep them interested.

The Treatment

Genre.

The genre I have chosen to do is horror. This is because horror was the most popular answer from my questionnaires. Also from my own experiences, horror is my favourite as the narrative of horror is tense and always keeps me interested from the scary storylines.

Production Dates.

My production date will approximately start in the last week of January 2012 or the first week of February 2012. the final dead line for when my trailer will be complete will be the end of March 2012.

Medium/ format.

I will be making a film poster to advertise my film trailer as this will be successful in appealing to more people. I will also be making a website as a way of advertising and this is because more and more people are using the internet now and therefore will, allow more people to hear about the film.

Duration/ length.

30 seconds to 1 minute.

Target Audience

From analysing the results of my research, I have decided to target my film trailer to people aged between 16- 20 years of age, this is due to this age group being the most popular answering horror as their preferred genre of film. I will be targeting my trailer to males and females so that I have a wider audience and both genders like horror.

This age group is also my own so I know what to put into my trailer and on my website to appeal to my target audience. By targeting at this age group, it will allow groups of friends to socialise together by going cinema or just watching it at home.

As it is a teaser trailer it will make a group of friends to go cinema as they have seen the trailer, so this is a good age group to target my audience at. 

Production description.

The name of my film I am making a trailer for is called, A Thirst For Killing.  

Her body was never meant to be found. Her existence was never meant to be revealed. But one day Jordanna was in the wrong place at the wrong time and un covered a deadly secret. As Jordanna starts to learn that a young girl was killed (Louise aged 11) she wants to track down her murderer, but what she doesn’t know is that Louise was killed for a reason! But when Jordanna starts to see things that you shouldn't see, every one thinks she is going mad. Its not until Jordanna learns that Louise is an evil spirit that has a thirst for killing that she knows that Louise was killed for a reason. Can Jordanna stop her or will she become one of Louise’s many victims never to be seen or heard from again?

Maybe this secret was best of kept a secret………..        

Recourses and equipment.

For the pre production I will be constructing storyboard as this will allow me to have a set idea on my film trailer and how to improve from there.

The resources and equipment I will need for the production is a camera and tripod. This will allow me to have steady filming. 

For the post production I will be using Apple Mac Imovie editing program to edit my film together.

I will also be using Moon Fruit to produce my website for my product.

Target market place

As I am making a moving image my target market place will be on the internet and television. This will be the best way to market my product because more and more people are now on the internet and the age group I am targeting my product at, are the age group more likely to go on the internet. 

Costs

In order to make my film trailer, I will need to budget the production. The following resources I will need and the prices are,

•         Moon fruit website- free

•         Microphone- £450

•         Camera- £252

•         Tripod- £48

•         Prop hire- £25

•         Costume- £100

•         lighting - £280

•         Location- £50  

•         Actors - Costing - £48 per actor (5 actors- £240)

•         Editing- GIMP- free

•         Editing-PHOTOSHOP- £191

•         Sound engineers- £501

•         Production of poster- free 28 day trail then £20

Total coast= £2,137 to make my teaser film trailer.

Pitch Plan

From creating a pitch plan, it will enable me to be organised and spend my time efficiently on my research. This will therefore help me to keep up to time on my deadlines and meet my targets in time.

Focus Group

I like this film poster because it has a cold look to it and just looks spooky. When looking at this poster it makes me think there may be some kind of secret or hidden message due to the images in the face and this makes me want to watch the film.   

I didn’t really like this poster because it didn’t look that scary but, I did like the fact that there is a close up of the face and has photos in the face which keeps my interest pulled in.

When looking at this film poster it makes me think that the film may be confusing and some kind of evil may be in photos due to there being loads of photos in the face, and this is what will make me go to see the film.

I think that this horror film poster does not look that scary but it looks more mysterious as there are photos in the face, but I like the colours that are used it makes it feel more cold.

By constructing a focus group it has enabled me to have a better understanding in to what people like to see in horror film trailers. I got examples of previous horror film posters and simply asked people what they liked and didn’t like about them and also, what attracts them most to the film posters.

By doing this it will enable me to know how to appeal my film poster and film teaser trailer to my audience using the correct codes and conventions in the best way to represent the genre of film.  

Analysis on film trailers

Horror,

Jeepers Creepers 3

This screen shot represents the genre, which is horror as the text has a glow affect around it and looks like it has been hand written, which gives the audience a sense of realism.

The back ground is black which has connotations of death or evil and the text is white which stands out to the audience. As it has the glow affect it makes the film trailer seem more spooky and mysterious.   

Here is a close up of the killer. This is used to show the audience the facial expressions of the killer and how evil the killer looks.  This pulls the audience interest into the film and tells the audience what genre the film is which is horror. The killer looks slimy and has big teeth that indicate that this film will have some kind of killing going on. The killer is clearly shown to be some thing out of the ordinary and this can attract the target audience. It has dark lighting such as black and a dark greenish colour which represents the darkness and evil in the killer.

The music at this stage in the trailer is slow and tense that builds up the tension and makes the audience more gripped to the story line.  

Here it shows the audience what the killer looks like. To make the killer look more scary smoke has been added at the bottom to make the killer look more deadly.

The composition of the killer tells us that he is strong and evil due to the long shot at a low angle used to show the audience what he looks like. The camera is looking up at the killer to show he has power and is strong.

Jeepers Creepers is a well known film, which has two pervious films, so this film trailer has an advantage of appealing to its audience because it is already known for being a horror film trailer, and already has a fan base, so people know what to expect. The symbolic codes around the colour of the title are death, evil and blood, this is because the colours are red but with white as well that could mean that there is good characters as well. The fact that there is a number 3 in the title tells the audience that this is the next film made. The title is not in a straight line. Its letters are different sizes and look spooky. In the trailer is has a back ground song which talks about Jeepers Creepers, so the song has been linked to the title, which shows that the killer is creepy.

Adventure,
Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean is an historical adventure film. This is shown by the long shot used to show the audience the location and the customs that are worn. The use of the long shot shows the audience big room, the big paintings on the walls and the gold colours on the cloth on the table. This represents the wealthy characters in the film and this is easily noticeable to the audience.

The music used at this moment is starting to get faster and this keeps the audiences attention.

There is also a voice over used and it says, ‘oh Jack Sparrow’ then the camera looks at the character Jack, this shows the audience what the character is called.

This shot shows the codes and conventions of adventure as it shows a fight happening on a ship.

The music used here is fast and dramatic which is getting faster and pulling the audience in. the lighting here is dark which represents the period of time it is set in. This is because back then they did not have electricity so would have used candles. But it could also be dark due to the time of day it is, which is night time.

There are loads of binary opposites taking place in this film trailer, which are day vs night, bad vs evil.

This film trailer puts the actor’s names in it as they are well known and will bring more of an audience in as these actors will already have a fan base.

Johnny Depp has been in the pervious Pirates of the Caribbean films and is known for being the funny character. The lighting is dark and grey which could represent that there is more to this character. His name is in white with a glow in the middle of it which is using the codes and conventions of adventure as the glow could represent the adventure in the character.

The music has a sort of heroic deep and fast sound to it which builds up the interest within the audience. As this is a way of advertisement, it uses assumptions that the audience will appeal to this music and therefore pull a wider audience in.

Here is a long shot to show the audience the location. It shows that the characters are on an adventure, and this clearly shows the genre of the film. The film is about pirates, hence the reason why the title has ‘pirates’ in it. The compositions of the characters are on the bank and the camera is looking over at them, which is telling the audience what the genre of the film is, which is adventure. This is due to the location.

The music helps build that idea of adventure as the music is starting to get faster and there is a voice over that say’s ‘you could guide an expedition’ this is said as soon as this part is shown, so it is basically telling the audience what is going to happen, but not giving to many clues away, but teasing the audience.

                                

Action

The Expendables

 The army trucks represent the genre of The Expendables. This is because it is showing that there will be some kind of action going on. The lighting used here are mainly dark colours that could represent the bad that is going on. This shot uses a long shot to enable the audience to see what is going on, and due to the army trucks and the castle, it will pull the audiences interest in and ask them selves what is going on.

The music that is playing in this part is dramatic but at the same time it has a seriousness sound to it. This is a common sound that can be related to action films.

This shot represent the genre, action. This is because it is showing the traditional ‘ass kicking’ that is usually seen in action film. The fire behind, lights
It up and the brightness from the flames and the dark colours (black) could represent a good vs bad fight.

The music used here is a like a rock type of music that is loud and fast, which follows the narrative of action, as it could be representing the fastness of the fight.

“They are the world’s greatest mercenaries. The only life they’ve ever known is war. The only loyalty they’ve ever had is to each other” this is what the voice over says at the start of the trailer. It ends with a rock song and sound effects of knives, guns, military vehicles and explosions. This is in between the rock music that is linked to the narrative of action.

The close up image of the skull could be linked to the fact there is a motorbike and the fact that the music is rock, could represent a hard life that the characters live, having that type of action packed life style. ‘Expendables’ is the logo these characters have and it represents the job they have, which is to kill people.

In this medium shot of the money the genre is well presented as in most action films, you tend to find that a large amount of money if involved. This tells the audience that some thing bad must be going to happen to have that amount of money. The bag its self just looks a bit suspicious. Just after this the characters are shown and these characters are well known to be in action films and ‘ass kicking’ for instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and many more. This pulls in a wider audience as there are many well known famous actors that are known for action films.

Sci-Fi

Humanity's End

This shot shows how epic Humanity’s End is. Its representing its genre, Sci-Fi due to the space ships in the sky, and the beam of light in the centre of the shot. The colours used have a warming feel to it as the colours are browns and dark yellow/orange. The dark colours could represent the bad starting to come but the light colours could represent that there is goddness waiting to defeat the badness.

The sound used at this part audience interested because it is making them think what is going to happen. of the trailer has a sound to it as of to say that some thing is coming, this keeps the

This shot uses dull colours such as grey and black which represents that the baddies have taken over. This shot also shows the science in the film as there is some kind of platform or floating in the air.

The music here is loud and builds up the tension and pulls the audience in. It gives a feeling that something epic is going to happen, which follows the genre of Sci-Fi

This long shot enables the audience to see the action which is going on. It uses dark colours such as black and greys to represent the evil or badness that is taking over, but at the same time there is an explosion which is white, this represents the good characters fighting back.

The shot clearly follows the genre of science. This is due to the alien ships flying around in the sky and a huge explosion. These features are things we expect to see in Sci-Fi films.

At this part of the trailer, a voice over is used, ‘a dark force is risen to bring an end to humanity’ this is linked to the title of the film, Humanity’s End. The image shown indicates to the audience that some kind of alien is going to take over the human race, and the images also follow the genre of Sci-Fi as there are ‘out of this world’ aliens with guns.

The compositions of the characters are running towards the camera so this could represent that they are coming to take over.

The music used here has a loud but deep base to it which builds up the audience’s interest and keeps them gripped to the action. This follows the narrative of Sci-Fi as it uses the tense music when the aliens are on screen.

From analysing different genres of film trailers it has helped me to know what codes and conventions to use to make a successful film trailer. It has also enabled me to use the appropriate camera shots, music and colours to use in my film trailer to represent the genre I am doing.

Graphs from questionnaire results.

From analysing my questionnaires I found that the majority of people that answered the questionnaire were in the age group of 15- 20 years of age.

 

The majority of people that answered the questionnaire were female, with 28 being female and 22 being male. It is roughly equal between both genders that answered.

The results here clearly show that horror was the most popular genre that people prefer. If I decide to make a horror film trailer I would have a wider audience as 32 out of 50 people said that this was the genre the preferred out of the rest. This is over half the people that answered my questionnaire.

 

from these results it clearly shows that the genre is what attracted people most to a film trailer, this is shown by 22 out of 50, choosing the genre to what attracts them to a film trailer. This is all most half the people that answered my questionnaire.

 

This graph shows that colours were the most popular answer in to what attracts people to a film poster. However all the answers where very close so it is still important to take this into account, and still using the rest of the answers as an important element when creating and producing my film poster.

 

Once again there are similar results in this graph. Even though dark colours was the most popular in what people expect to see in a horror film trailer, the killer/ ghost was only behind with having only a few less people that choose that one. Dark colours had 17 out of 50, and the killer/ ghost had 16 out of 50.

 I asked ‘when going to watch a film, what do you base your choice on?’ this was so that I have a clearer idea how to target my audience and get them to watch my film. 31 out of 50 people said that they base their choice o the genre of the film, so when making my film trailer I need to make sure that the genre is successfully shown.

 By following the narrative on horror, I asked, ‘what scares you the most in horror film trailers?’  32 out of 50 people said that when things suddenly jump out’ scares them the most. So when making my film trailer I need to make sure I have this element so that it appeals to the target audience. However, it is still important to take into consideration fast tense music and dark lighting as these are also seen in horror film trailers. 

I asked people what they prefer out of the following, unexpected twists or cliff hangers to find out which one would be more appealing to the audience. This is so that I can end my film trailer that will make people want to go to watch it more. The majority of people, 41 out of 50 people said that they prefer unexpected twists.          

‘Who do you mainly watch movies with?’  The main purpose of this question was to find out who people tend to watch movies with, so that I have a clearer idea on who to target my audience at. 31 out of 50 people said that they mainly watch movies with their friends so I will take that into consideration to make sure my film trailer has the feeling to it that will appeal to a group of friends.

I asked people ‘if you had the chance to make a film trailer, what genre would you do it?  I asked this question to find out which is the most popular genre that people would pick. The results tell me that over half the people I asked said that they would pick horror. This is shown by 31 out of 50 people picking horror. The rest of the choices where very low with around 6 people or less choosing the other genres.

From analysing all the questions it has given me a clearer idea on who to target my audience at and what genre to make my film poster. These results have also shown me what codes and conventions to use if I was to make a horror film trailer. This is shown when I asked the question. 'what scares you most in a horror film trailer?' by asking this question it has enabled me to now make the correct choice on to what elements are needed to successfully let the audience know what the genre of the film is.