Original Brief

We have been set the challenge of producing a promotional campaign to advertise a new film. This promotional campaign must include three pieces of media production; a film poster, a film magazine front cover, along with the main piece, a promotional trailer. In order to uphold professionalism and maximize the success of it all, the three pieces must share a symbiotic link, sharing a common look and feel.

The promotional campaign will advertise a film that is within the horror genre. We have chosen this genre for a number of specific and key reasons. Firstly, the genre is very expansive in terms of what elements are considered to be classified as part of the horror genre, branching off to many sub-genres with different themes and iconography. These sub-genres have so much creativity put into each film placed under one of these categories and interesting conventions that give the genre such vibrancy and uniqueness. Secondly, and more importantly, horror films have the power to give a strong effect and influence their audiences in a way that is considered exciting and somewhat fascinating to witness. We want to experiment with this ourselves in the hopes of achieving this.

We will reach out to appeal to our target audience by producing three pieces that follow the conventions of the horror genre and of their respective forms, whilst also having their own unique touches of innovation and originality. An investigation and study of existing media texts will allow us to be on familiar terms with these conventions and to see the potential for growth and change.

My partner and I are feeling confident in working collectively on this project to produce a frightening, yet professional and effective promotional package. The following individuals will be working in our small team: Joshua Naughton, and Patricia Boamah-Brown.

A History of Horror

Sub-Genres of Horror

Sub-Genres of Horror from JoshNaughton

This presentation showcases a variety of sub-genres of Horror films.

Sub-Genre Selection and Narrative Ideas

Patricia and I have been thinking to choose working with the supernatural sub-genre of horror as it is easy to work with and that it is the most popular sub-genre for today's cinema audiences. We have also decided that we want to incorporate the handheld camera type of filming as this option is also considered to be popular.

We felt that this should also take place in a school, as barely any horror films have it taken place in one before, giving our film the sense of uniqueness from other films of the genre. It is also convenient for us as well, given the fact it would be pretty easy to film in this particular setting. The main character and protagonist should also be female, as this is a standard convention within horror films to have, along with the fact that they will be the 'final girl'.

The ending of this film should be a bad one, as this is quite normal with horror films. The protagonist, thinking that they're able to escape the situation that they are in, are suddenly killed by the supernatural forces just before the film ends.

Description of Target Audience Research

Patricia and I will be carrying out target audience research in order to gain an insight into what they like and prefer when it comes to horror films. We have done this by producing a questionnaire available to participate in online through SurveyMonkey, and also through the creation of a a focus group as well.

Questionnaire

Patricia and I conducted our own questionnaire combing aspects of target audience profiling, horror films, and films in general. This was made and distributed online through the use of the SurveyMonkey website.

Focus Group + Analysis

This is the focus group that was produced in order to paint a better picture about the target audience after the results was taken in from the questionnaire. We chose only girls to participate as this what the most favored gender seems to be when it comes to fans of horror films, as pointed out by the completed questionnaire. They were all around the age of 17 and were currently in full-time education. These were fans of horror films and therefore, this made the selection of them being used appropriate for the focus group.

Analysis of Focus Group
Overall, this focus group has helped to gain a significant insight into want the supposed target audience sees in a horror film and has indeed helped to contribute to the construction of the target audience profile. The audience used for the focus group were easily able to distinguish what kind of imagery should be used within a supernatural film. They were able to select from a range of supernatural horror film posters on which one was the most appealing to them. From this, we were able to gain an insight on what to include for the design and creation of the movie poster as part of our promotional package.

Questionnaire Results + Analysis

Questionnaire Results + Analysis from JoshNaughton

TAP (Target Audience Profile)

My target audience is predominantly female and aged between 16 and 21. She is currently participating in education with a collection of good grades in her GCSEs.  She works part-time in a supermarket as a sales assistant. Her work generates a substantial amount of disposable  income that allows her to  have a decent social life outside of school. Her job is important to her as it is her only way of obtaining money.

She is very much liked by her friends, as she is clever, sassy and fun. She is conversational and is considered to be a social butterfly, and can therefore fit in easily when it comes to making new friends at a party or event. This is due to the fact that she simply loves chatting and is open-minded to any conversation aimed at her,  she is also a great person to come to in need of advice as well. She doesn’t have any spiritual or religious views and therefore considers herself to be purely atheist, despite being raised in a predominantly Christian household.

Relationships are not that much of an importance to her  as she would rather focus on her job  and getting good grades than having a boyfriend. And although she may be busy with her work and school life, she does however find the time to interact with friends at gatherings on the weekend. She lives with her parents in a semi-detached suburban house in west London. The house is owned instead of being rented and the mortgage has recently been paid off. She would hopefully in a few years have her own apartment closer into the city and be that settled enough in order to start a fresh relationship with someone and then go on to having her own family. She knows that motherhood will be exciting for her and can’t wait until she has children to call her own. 

Outside of her social life, education and work, she enjoys a few hobbies in the little spare time that she has. One of her most enjoyable hobbies is watching a marathon of any of her favourite TV shows like ‘True Blood’, ‘Ghost Whisperer’, and ‘Supernatural’.The target audience is highly fascinated by these shows, brought in by the interesting and intriguing story lines behind it questioning the supernatural in a thought-provoking and exciting fashion. She then blogs about these programmes on her Tumblr account, reblogging various gifs and screencaps of the episode that she has just seen.

The target audience has a fond interest in films and likes relaxing to an entertaining film of her satisfaction. A variety of films and film genres appeal to her. Her opinion of action films and films featuring car chases and violence  is that they are meaningless in their scope of narrative, as she is a person who enjoys well-scripted  narratives that stimulate thought to their audiences. The Horror genre is definitely one that appeals to her, as it offers audiences a wide range of opportunity to question the spiritual and religious societal values that we have become so  accustomed to. She is not a massive fan of gory slashers, as these can be quite “cheesy” and without depth. Supernatural films interest her as she loves anything paranormal and of a spiritual nature. She thoroughly enjoys the heart-racing and eerie horror genre. On top of this, possession films also appeal to her as the demon within the character creates fright but also intrigue at the same time , and the thought of being controlled and followed by an external-being  is terribly frightening. Her favourite back-catalogue of supernatural films include The Woman in Black, The Grudge and its sequels, The Conjuring, and Carrie.

Pitch Presentation + Analysis

Me and partner were given the task of producing a pitch to present to our target audience and gather feedback for improvements to be made and new things that need to be incorporated within the finalisation of the product. The pitch was produced on Prezi and the full presentation can be viewed on Youtube.

Looking back at the video of the presentation, I think that we had made a clear presentation aside from the infrequent pauses and stuttering being made. The feedback gathered from our teacher and the six other classmates was quite good and most were compliments towards everything that was spoken about. What could have been better was to include more information such as to who was our target audience and so forth, in order for the presentation to be more understandable.

Director Case Study

An exert from one of Lucio Fulci's works, The Beyond, can be seen below in which one of the characters gets their head impaled on the wall in one of the most creepiest and disturbing scenes of the film, showcasing Fulci's exciting make up effects. The Beyond was only filmed on a budget of $400, 000 dollars and goes to show the efforts that can be made with only a limited amount of financing available. Another example from City Of The Living Dead showcases more of Fulci's work in which a woman pukes up her own intestines.

Conventions of Horror Film Posters, Trailers and Magazine Front Covers

Codes & Conventions of Supernatural Horror

In this presentation, I have showcased the many conventions that are seen and heard within a Supernatural Horror film.

Horror Film Poster Overview

Horror Film Poster Overview from JoshNaughton

Magazine Front Cover Overview

Horror Film Trailer Overview

Horror Film Trailer Overview from JoshNaughton

TRAILERS USED FOR THE OVERVIEW:

(Sinister, 2012)

(The Conjuring, 2013)

(Annabelle, 2014)

(Insidious Chapter 2, 2013)

(Carrie, 2013)

(Grave Encounters, 2011)

Film Magazine Front Cover Analysis

In this section, I have done an analysis on two film magazine front covers. One of which is for Empire Magazine, and one is for Total Film.

Horror Film Poster Analysis

These are every Horror Film Analysis that I have completed for the research and planning.

Analysis of Film Trailers & Full Film

In these analyses, I have looked at two trailers (The Conjuring and Suspiria), along with analysing scenes from a film (City Of The Living Dead) as well.

Real Life Case Study

This case study was selected as it fits with the location and back story of the film. It has inspired Patricia and I with the whole concept of paranormal activity taking place in a school. The concept sounds unique and different to other horror films of this particular sub-genre.

Film Narrative

My partner and I have decided that the following text below should be the narrative of the film that we are creating a promotional package for:

After being missing for several days, footage is found that reveals the truth of what happened to the students' disappearance from their college. The footage shows them breaking into their college after school finishes in order to uncover the mystery of why the underground floor has been sealed off from being ever used. After stealing the janitor's keys and hiding until after everyone has gone home, the students use the key to access his lift and enter the hidden corridors and classrooms.

At first they find nothing but abandoned school facilities and discarded equipment. Thinking it's only being used as a secret dump by the college, they turn to leave, only to find that the lift is no longer working for the night, becoming trapped on the underground floor. Things then to go horribly wrong as one of the students goes missing when the lights go suddenly out and winds up being found hung upside down in front of their very eyes when the electricity turns back on.

The activity escalates further and further as the students die one by one trying to find a way out, while also uncovering the reason why the floor is no longer in function. The last survivor is swallowed up a fiery fissure that opens up from the ground below, screaming into the camera as the flames consume them just before the camera cuts.

Location Research and Reconnaissance

In this presentation, I explored the many locations suitable for a supernatural horror film and have given an example of one used in a film. The Reconnaissance is also presented here.

Analysis of Costume, Props, Key Locations, Camera, Lighting & Sound

This presentation is of an analysis on Costume, Props, Key Locations, Camera, Lighting & Sound using the film, Suspiria, as an example.

Ideas for: Camera, Mise-en-Scene, Lighting and Sound

In this section for the research and planning, I have made ideas with my partner on what to include for ideas when it comes to camera, mise-en-scene, and non-diegetic sound for the planning of the film trailer production.

• Camera

When it comes to using the camera, we will be implementing the use of it being handheld. This will be done in order to give the film a sense of reality. One of the main focuses of the film involves the usage of handheld cameras in order to create a realistic effect and suggest to the audience that it is real life. It will also make the audience feel that are involved in the trauma that is taking place and adds to the horror of the scene as if they were there with the characters.

Point of view shots may also be used in order for the audience to be able to see the film through the eyes of one character. These will be used over the course of the trailer especially during the tense running scenes. This make the audience's tension rise as the film progresses as it would make them feel like that they are experiencing the same as what the particular character is dealing with. There will also be close ups to show the expressions on the characters' faces and reflect on the situation, as influenced by Lucio Fulci's work.

• Mise-en-Scene (Setting, costume, etc.)

For mise-en-scene, the setting should be that of a school or educational facility as this is essential and a must for the plot to work properly.

The main characters should be also dressed in simple and casual clothing to show their youthfulness and also to demonstrate a sense of differentiality between the students. The lead female should be wearing a casual like outfit to help indicate that she is the leader amongst the pack and also the 'final girl' of the film.

Props will include equipment such as the characters using their phones as cameras as they will be using these to help search around the abandoned floor during the course of the film. The janitor's key will also be an important prop to be featured within the film as this gives students access to what they are looking for in the first place. There are no other significant props that would be needed.

• Lighting

Lighting will be mostly ambient for the first part of the trailer that features the establishing shots, to give off a sense of normality and that there is no problem. This changes to when two of the students discuss the supposed secret of the school.

The lighting then turns darker as the scenes progress, indicating that he children have gone down to the underground floor, although some ambient lighting will remain so that there is some visibility, along with above lighting from ceiling lights.

• Sound (incl. Non-Diegetic Sound)

In terms of diegetic sound, the trailer will have dialogue in a way to present our characters to the audience instead of being introduced via the visuals of the trailer. This is because the main characters are behind the camera most of the time as it is a found footage type film. Sound effects such as screams and ghostly noises will be inserted to create a more chilling effect to the trailer.

For this part, my partner and I looked into of what to include as non-diegetic sound to be played during the duration of the film trailer that we are producing together. We felt strongly that the film trailer should involve the use of incorporating a creepy film score in order for effect and make the scenes of the clip seem more frightening for the audience.

Some of the examples of film scored that we have listened to and thought were quite interesting can be found here (press the play button to listen):



We also looked at how stab sounds should be provided within the trailer at jump scares as want to implement this kind of non-diegetic sound within the trailer as well. Narration might be provided if the back story of the film's plot should be looked at in more detail in the trailer. My partner and I felt that tense background music should be placed when the trailer begins to pick up speed after the first jump scare has taken place.

Ideas for Film Title, Tagline and Magazine Title

Me and Patricia have finalised ideas for the titles and taglines of the film and magazine that we are producing the promotional package for. Some of these ideas were featured within the presentation pitch that we presented towards our target audience, in which we got positive feedback for.

• Film Title

We have stuck with the title, "After Class" for a while now. It relates to the film taking place after and within a school of course and also a play on the phrase, 'after dark' which suggests a time of day that is late at night.

• Tagline

The tagline for this film should be, "This detention may last for eternity". It relates to the film taking place after school, a time when detentions are normally held in place. The "eternity" relating that the characters will be trapped there forever, even in death.

• Film Magazine Title

We have decided to work with a generic movie magazine as they tend to look more refined and professional than horror film magazines like Fangoria for example. As for the title, myself and Patricia have decided to use the title, "Kino". It's a simple word to pronounce and is German for cinema, making the magazine seem exotic and unique.

Ideas for Film Release

Patricia and I have decided to have Columbia Pictures as be the releaser for our film, After Class. They have a collection of highly successful horror films under their sleeve such as the Resident Evil series, the Carrie remake and Quarantine, therefore, have decided to use them as our releaser.

Cast for Images/Trailer

Practise Shots

All of these practise shots used were taken at the Douay Martyrs School as this was the preferred location that me and my partner had wanted the film to be set.  They show various shots of the school corridor, the main setting of the film. If these are used for editing, the lighting will be of course darkened to make sure the scene is properly made realistic.

Shooting Schedule

Call Sheets

Storyboards

Here are a selection of storyboards for the film trailer.

Mock Ups

These are the mock ups for the film poster and film magazine front cover. The first mock up, of the magazine front cover made by Patricia depicts the main image dominating the frame of the front cover, along with typical layout conventions being put across such as the masthead and sell-line positioning. The second mock up is of the film poster. We see the main protagonist's head reaching out of the flames (that relate to the backstory of the film). 

Another set up of Mock Ups were then produced as well to further branch out the ideas of Patricia and I. These designs are more in line of what we want the final output of the film magazine front cover and film poster to become. More features have been added to the poster such as the introduction of institutional information along with the change of imagery.