Trailer

Evaluation

http://prezi.com/a2wy5_fgyofh/evaluation-a2/

Magazine cover

Clapper boards

Poster

This is my Poster I chose the wallpaper background to represent the houses which are main parts of the story the Witches house and the house of Hansel and Gretel themselves. Behind the wallpaper were it is peeling away is the forest in which Hansel and Gretel get lost, the reason I had it hidden behind the wallpaper represents the classic fairy-tale is only just covered by the modern setting essentially it is the same story and the true magic of the original lies just beneath the surface. The same goes for the silhouettes of Hansel and gretel I scaned  these images from a book and darkened them using Photoshop this was to also show the connection with the original story also I didn't feel showing the actors here would add as big of an impact the darkened figures show an air of mystery and loss as in the story they are both lost. In terms of the font that is inspired by Tim Burton. I thought when we were coming up with the idea of the film that this would be a very Burtonesque story to do so in picking a font I chose one inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Questionaire

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dEhiSHhYQ2h1eThQRlZYaXJOV004RkE6MQ

Soundtrack and Ident

This is the soundtrack we chose for our trailer. We originally had a lullaby lifted from youtube this lullaby was very creepy and slow pace. However this song did not fit with the faster paced section of the trailer, therefore we looked for another song which gave us the slow molevalent part and also had a faster paced section to fit in with the trailer. The one we chose was from Sleepy Hollow not only was this song perfect for our trailer but also the films director Tim Burton was one of our inspirations for the films design. 

This is the Ident from Warner Brothers and Dark castle pictures we chose to use for our film.. An Ident is a graphic or short clip used to show which company is producing the film.

Shot list

time table

location list

Running Order

risk assesment

Mock up Poster

Costume list

• Hansel- Modern clothes that a young person would wear should be dark to fit in with genre of the film.
• Gretel- Modern clothes that a young person would wear should be dark to fit in with genre of the film.
• Witch- Black cloak, Black boots Black leather gloves dark clothes.
• Father- Checkered shirt to reflect the original story of him being a woodcutter.

Prop List

• Fake blood
• Washing up props
• Ball
• Cloak for witch
• Torch
• Weapon for Father
• Rope to tie up Hansel
• Tools

Mock up front cover

Actor List

Hansel: John Appleby- We chose John as he is currently doing a drama course  and could give a very realistic performance as Hansel. We also thought him and Lucy worked well together as brother and sister.

Gretel: Lucy Cashman- We chose Lucy to play Gretel as she she fit the profile of the character rather well.

Witch:Ashley Gallagher- We decided in the end Ashley would make a better witch than Liam Rudge so therefore we chose her to portray the antagonist of this tale.

Step- Mother: Elle Loftus- We hose Elle as she came across as the right fit for the character of the evil step-mother.

Father: Danny McDonald- We thought Danny would be the perfect person to truly highlight the struggling relationship between the mother and father.

Trailer analysis

I am going to compare two star wars trailer, Empire strikes back - 1980 and Revenge of the Sith - 2005. I will compare the codes and conventions of the two trailers and how they have changed over a period of years.

Star wars - empire strikes back
The trailer begins with the recognised star wars opening them with the blue colour star wars logo panning slowly closer to the screen with a galaxy/universe background. The trailer then flicks through two second shots from the film in a random order. The Trailer consistently refers back to the oncoming star wars logo each time it is closer to the screen. There is consistent digetic sound in time with the actions in the scene. The music is orchestral, traditional John Williams music. The shots consist of medium to close up to extreme long shots showing all the key characters and identifiable props such as lightsabres. The mise en scene is the most noticeable in the trailer as it identify the genre clearly being sci-fi.

Star wars - Revenge of the sith
The trailer begins with Advertisements such as luasfilm and 20th century which is a change in years passing as it shows a more modernised media institution. The music is orchestral however more slowly and quiet at the beginning, the main sound is the non digetic sound from the characters however only certain scenes show the lip sink to be in time. The mise en scene is also clearly shown through the trailer as there is clear view of lightsabres and spaceships. The storyline is more identifiable as it is narrated through the sound and relevant images. The trailer then flicks through two second shots from the movie. a lot more is revealed in this trailer than the first and the scenes contain a lot more action and cgi showing their is an improvement in film investment and the companies can afford to include these formats and also the twenty five year gap shows how cinema entertainment has dramatically improved. 

Magazine Analysis



Queer theory

The queer theory is a field of gender studies that emerged in the early 1990's out of the gay/lesbian studies and feminist studies. Although many believe that the queer theory is only about homosexual representations in literature, it also explores categories of gender as well as sexual orientation. It is not only concerned with sexuality but also with identity.

It sees gender as constructed socially to some extent through out association with the media. For example, gender stereotypes are conveyed clearly through the cartoon programme Scooby Doo:





Daphne wears make-up and feminine colours like purple and all these features represent a strongly feminine girly-woman

 On the other hand, Velma's square glasses, freckles, unstyled haircut and oversized/unfashionable orange jumper make her appear less feminine and attractive than Daphne. Could Velma be a stereotype of a cartoon lesbian? 

Fred is tall, well-muscled and well-dressed. He is typically handsome with a groomed haircut and clean-looking haircut. Fred is the typically attractive man that the typically attractive woman (like Daphne) would be paired with

Roland Barthes theory

Barthes is famous in media for suggesting that narratives work with five codes

The enigma code is the most famous as we use this to make guesses as to how the narrative of a film will finish, therefire providing pleasure for the audience. 

Hermeneutic Code
This is when parts of the story are not fully explained. They exist as enigmas or questions that the audience wishes to be resolved. Detective stories (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) have narratives that complies with this code - a criminal act is shown and the remainder of the narrative is devoted to answering questions raised by the initial event. 

In order to maintain interest, the final truth is not revealled until the end and some devices are used to conceal it:

The snare  

Partial answers 

Equivocation 

Proairetic Code
The proarietic code is a series of actions that imply further action/reaction. For example, a character may have an argument and the audience wonders what the resolution or outcome of this argument will be. This creates suspense and tension as the audience wonders what the outcome will be and begin to make their own guesses.

Strauss Theory

Strauss argues that meaning in narratives is based upon binary opposites (conflicts). He was less interested in the arrangement (or syntagmatic)  of the narrative (or order) and more in the deeper meaning (or paradigmatic) of the themes.

Examples of Binary Opposition
man vs. woman
science vs. nature
good vs. evil
earth vs. space

Propp's Theory

In Propp's theory, he examined hundreds of folk tales and concluded that a formula was commonplace, including:

8 character roles or spheres of action (character and action being inseperable)

31 functions, always highly predictable such as villain being punished at end of story

Character Roles

The villain - represents evil and struggles against the hero (e.g. the Joker in The Dark Knight)

The dispatcher - character who makes the problem in the narrative known and sends the hero on his way (e.g. Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight)  

The helper - helps the hero in his quest (e.g. Alfred in The Dark Knight)

The princess/heroine - the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain (e.g. Rachel in The Dark Knight) 

Her father - often rewards the hero with the princess/heroine (e.g. The Sultan in Aladdin) 

The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object to help him in his quest (e.g. Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight) 

The hero - the centrail protagonist who leads the way in the narrative (e.g. Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight)  

False hero - takes credit for the hero’s actions, is usually good looking and is often actually a coward (e.g. Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight)

Codes and Conventions

The codes and conventions of trailers are about pulling in the audience to inform them on what a film is about. They will consist of selected short clips that will give away parts of what the film is about, this is meant to entice as the audience will want to see more. The shorter the clips, the more the film is desired to be seen and the audience will want to see more of what is happening. Unexpected twists in the movie will not be shown as you don't want to give too much away and what the audience to keep guessing. The limit for trailers are normally 2:30 minutes that was issued by the MPAA, sometimes trailers may run over this but this is very rare. On most trailers, music will play in the background to set the tone and ensure that it matches with the plot of the story.

Several points that trailers should achieve are:

Generate interest in the film

Show off the stars of the film

Show the film to its best advantage

Create excitement

Tell people what the film is about, e.g. the genre

Not give too much of the plot away

Tease the audience by setting up narrative enigmas

Showcase some of the best bits of the film

Give details about the production team.

Since my group will be doing a thriller/horror film, I will focus on the codes and conventions of that genre's trailer. Generally they will set up a premise or situation which leave the audience intrigued and wanting to know more. You want the audience to be asking questions about the characters like what happened to them and invoke the audiences worst fears to make it an interesting plot. There are several different fears that would captivate the audience in a film like fear of death, nightmares, vulnerability, alienation, revulsions, terror of the unknown and loss of identity.

Uses and Gratification theory

 5 reasons why people may engage with the media

1) Escape from reality (film)

2) Relate to others/characters (soap)

3) Entertainment (drama/comedy)

4) Informed and educated (news/documentary)

5) Socialise with others (Facebook/popular series)

Blumler and Katz

Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959) . It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfill specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers' gratification.

The theorists say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfils the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.

Blumler seems to envision a marriage between cultural studies and the Uses and Gratifications approach, but he is not clear on what terms. Instead of asking "What are your reasons for watching this programme?." Blumler would ask "What about it do you find true to life?" or "What picture of the world does it seem to convey?" (Blumler, 1979).

History of trailers

The first trailer was shown in a U.S. movie theatre in November 1913, when Nils Granlund, the advertising manager for the Marcus Loew theatre chain, produced a short promotional film for the musical ‘The Pleasure Seekers’ Granlund was also first to introduce trailer material for an upcoming motion picture, using a slide technique to promote an upcoming film featuring Charlie Chaplin at Loew's Seventh Avenue Theatre in Harlem in 1914. In the early 1960s, the face of motion picture trailers changed. Textless, montage trailers and quick-editing became popular, largely due to the arrival of the "new Hollywood" and techniques that were becoming increasingly popular in television. Among the trend setters were Stanley Kubrick with his montage trailers for Lolita, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Today, longer, more elaborate trailers and commercial advertisements have replaced other forms of pre-feature entertainment and in major multiplex chains, about the first twenty minutes after the posted show time is devoted to trailers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kWr9e4JN5I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk

Pitch Script

Script

Danny: We have decided to base our film on the classic fairy-tale Hansel and Gretel

Becky: However our take on the story will be slightly different with a modern thriller twist. This gives a new take on the story which will appeal to many demographics.

(show poster)

Joe: We have chosen to keep the name of the film the same as the original story as we did not want to detract from the classic title which is known throughout the world.

Alex: The plot for our film does not remove itself from the tale however we have introduced more modern problems to the story a troubled marriage for example between the parents. Also the Witch has been altered to a more realistic character without the gingerbread house etc.

Danny: It starts with the children running away from home due to the step mother who has just moved in with the father after their mother’s death. They come across a house quite different to their own. Intrigued they decide to have a closer look which leads to chilling consequences.

(Take through storyboards)

Becky:  The part of Hansel and Gretel will be played by John Appleby and Lucy Cashman. Two very well-known and professional leads.

Joe: The parts of the step-mother and the Father will be played by Eleanor Loftus and Danny McDonald who have both recently been in big Hollywood films such as “The secret”.

Alex: Ashley Gallagher will play the part of the “Witch” This is her first role in a film as she has been working in the theatre for the past few years.

Danny: This film is a great chance to bring back a classic childrens story into the lime light and get it into the public once again.

    

storyboards

Title screen

This is the title for our film it is based on the title for the film last house on the left. We incorporated the black and red theme as briliant ansthetic red colour skheme signifies a dangerous prospect to the film and allows the audiance to understand that it is a violent take on the childrens story with a clever blood splatter.

Production Log

Hansel and Gretel

1.      1.Panning shot of train (extreme long shot)

2.      2Close up of children

3.      3P.O.V shot of witch looking at children

4.      4Close up of hands washing up pans upwards to mothers face

5.      5Medium shot of Father putting tools down

6.      6Extreme close up of tools focusing on hammer

7.      7Pans to close up of Dad’s face

8.      8Medium shot of wife looking out of the window

9.      9Two shot of the wife and dad in the background

10.  10Medium shot of dad smoking a cigarette

11.  11Long shot of Kids running away from mum running through the forest

12.  12Long shot of the witches house

13.  13Medium close up of the pie

14.  14Long shot of door opening

15.  15Close up of foot on the step

16.  16Long shot of door closing

17.  17Medium close up of the kids under the bridge

18.  18Follow cam long shot of running

19.  19Extreme long shot of children running through the bridge

20.  20Medium shot of running

21.  21Long shot to stranger walking down the lane

22.  22Close up of knife slash

23.  23Close up of blood splatter on the wall

24.  24High angled medium shot of Hansel chained to radiator

25.  25Medium shot of father looking for the children in the dark

26.  26Long shot witch shadow behind dad

27.  27Extreme close up of bloody hammer falling to the floor

28.  28Medium shot of Hansel being dragged into the house by the witch

29.  29Medium shot of  hand on the door

30.  30Fade to black title appears

Characters

Hansel- John

Gretel- Lucy

Dad- Danny

Mum-Elle?

Witch- Ashley/Liam

Stranger-Alex

Locations

Millbank

Danny’s house

Music

Nursery Rhyme from A Nightmare on Elm Street

Main theme from A Nightmare on Elm Street

Trailer

The coursework brief for yr 13 is to create a film trailer of around 2 mins with a poster and web page of the same film. My group have chosen to remake Hansel and Gretel the classic children's story from the Brothers Grimm and turning it into a modern day thriller/horror of the same basic story.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Dyer has written extensively about the role of stars in film, television and music. Irrespective of the medium, stars have some key features in common. A star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines, etc.) as well as films and music. Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings.

Stars descend upon a range of subsidiary media - magazines, television, radio, and the internet - in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences. The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the target audiences.

Fundamentally, the star image is incoherent, that is both incomplete and 'open'. Dyer says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes. These two paradoxes are as follows:-

1. The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer. The star has to be someone that people can aspire to be like
2. The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer

The incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to 'make sense' of the image. This is achieved by continuous consumption of the star through his/her products. In the music industry, performance seems to promise the completion of the image, but it is always ultimately unsatisfying. This means their fans will get away determined to continue consuming the star in order to carry on attempting to complete their image. 

Terminology

Plot Summary
Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. They start with a beginning (Act 1) that lays out the premise of the story. The middle (Act 2) drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a strong piece of 'signature music' (either a recognizable song or a powerful, sweeping orchestral piece). The last act often consists of a visual montage of powerful and emotional moments of the film and may also contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the film.

Voice-over
Voice-over narration is used to briefly set up the premise of the movie and provide explanation when necessary ('In a world...'). Since the trailer is a highly condensed format, voice-over is a useful tool to enhance the audience's understanding of the plot.

Music
Music helps set the tone and the mood of the trailer. Usually the music used in the trailer is not from the film itself (the film score may not have been composed yet). The music used in the trailer may be:

• Music from the score of other films
• Popular or well known music, often chosen for its tone, appropriateness of a lyric or lack-there-of, or recognisability
• 'Library' music previously composed specifically to be used in advertising by an independent composer
• Specially composed music
• Songs, which may include knock-offs of recognizable (but expensive to license) songs

Cast, Crew, and Studio Information
A cast run is a list of the stars that appear in the movie. If the director or producer is well-known or has made other popular movies, they often warrant a mention as well. Most trailers conclude with a 'billing book', which is a list of the principal cast and crew. It is the same list that appears on posters and print publicity materials, and also usually appears on-screen at the beginning (or end) of the movie.

• Studio production logos are usually featured near the beginning of the trailer. Until the late 1970s, they were put only at the end of the trailer. Often there will be logos for both the production company and the distributor of the film.

Technical Elements

• Sound Mix: many movie trailers are presented in Dolby Digital or any other multichannel sound mix. Scenes including sound effects and music that are enhanced by stereophonic sound are therefore the focus point of many modern trailers
• Video Resolution: movie trailers, preceding feature films are generally presented in the same format as the feature, being in the general terms 35mm film or a digital format. High bandwidth internet connections allow for trailers to be distributed at any resolution up to 180p

poster campaign

Synergy is used a lot when looking at the film poster for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2. This shows Harry and Voldemort "facing off". The Elder Wand is shown between them and this is also shown in the trailer. The quote "it all ends" echoes back to the parts in the trailer which states it is the final installment and also the fact that it is the end for Harry or Voldemort depending who wins which is the tension about the film. both characters are covered in blood and dirt as is the case in the trailer showing synergy.

Trailer analysis

There are all different camera techniques and shots used when the trailer is shown because it cannot be one normal shot otherwise the trailer would be boring and not very attractive to viewers. The cameras used are all different, like; long shot from when the scene shows the whole castle and different battles from distance. There is an extreme close up at the very start showing voldemort and the intensity that the film will produce. The medium and close up are shown when harry and voldemort are talking at the edge of the castle. All the shots are used to create the suspense and the agonising wait for the film to be released. The two shot showing harry and voldemort at the castle is used so that both main characters are seen and showing the main subject of the matter. It shows the background also, showing that it is the edge of the castle and that it is going to be one of the main scenes in the movie.
All the scenes in the trailer are all based in all the battlefields and the different areas of the film that are the most dangerous and this will bring in the viewers a lot more and have their eyes practically attached to the screen. all of the clothes are not exactly brand new and in perfect shape because throughout the trailer there is just constantly action used and its not the perfect conditions for the clean clothing.
The sounds and audio sort of combine with the images used at the start of the trailer, it goes through a couple of pictures related and as the image changes there is the harry potter theme tune that goes with the image changes. All the battle and exciting scenes that are happening the music builds and builds and the ambience becomes louder as the scenes become faster which then links to all the clips that are used.