Magazine Cover Inspiration

For my magazine cover, I decided to look at various different covers to inspire the one I was making. I looked at seven covers below to get an idea of what kinds of covers entice people and what they included. Magazines such as Total Film and Vanity Fair are well-established magazines and so I thought looking at these would help to inspire my cover. I looked at different colour schemes used and the layouts used, as well as the text used and where it was placed. 

These covers helped me to decide which type of font and which colours I wanted to use to create a cohesive design. These covers all include one main image in the middle of the cover, with bold and interesting titles around them. This is something I hope to include in my cover to make it look effective and professional.

Final Poster

This is the final version of my poster for my film, WATCHING.

By using the image of the panda, I was able to continue the brand identity through the poster, magazine cover and trailer. I chose to contrast the red of the title by making the image black and white and using white fonts for the rest of the poster. This effect is useful in alluding to the genre and ominosity of the character and the overall film. I used a gradient effect on the edges of the image to create a similar effect and to allude to the genre further. By having this as the only image on the poster in the centre, it draws the attention of the audience, as it creates a darker and more mysterious effect surrounding the film. 

I used a similar bold font for the main title as I did in the trailer. In the trailer, I also changed the colour from white to red, which is the colour scheme I used in my poster and magazine cover. This creates a brand identity for my film, and continues it through my texts to make it more recognisable for audiences. The bold font is effective in drawing the attention of the audience. As this main title is in the centre of the poster and is a contrasting colour, it stands out well and emphasises the genre - with the connotations of death and danger associated with the colour red. I used the same font for the other titles on the poster, in order to create a sense of continuity in the text. I made these titles smaller and in white instead of red, in order to not take away from the image and the main title. I added a gradient effect on all of the titles to allude to the genre and to add to the mysterious effect of the poster. By dragging this up from below each set of text, I was able to create an eerie looking font, whilst still be able to read the text effectively. For the bottom credits, I used Powerpoint and Photoshop to create these so that they looked real and professional. I used a small, squished font to make this look as realistic as possible and then made the text small enough to insert effectively at the bottom of my poster. The actors' names at the top of the poster is conventional also, which is why I chose to include this on my poster. 

By using a black background, I have conformed to conventions of typical horror films with a dark, mysterious effect for the branding. The image and the fonts all stand out against this background, which draws the attention of the audience and conforms to the horror genre. I, similarly, used a black background, and red and white colour scheme, in my magazine cover and trailer, further continuing the brand identity I have created for my film. 

It took a while to get the layout for my poster right. I altered the position of the text in relation to the image multiple times before deciding to put the text below the image. I like the way that I changed the sizing of the fonts to add variety to my poster. Although there is not as much content on the poster as there is on the magazine cover, I spent time carefully deciding where to position the text and image and how I wanted the gradient to look. I made sure to get the sizings of the text and image correct and in proportion, to make the poster seem professional, and I also thought carefully about the layout of the credits and how they would look when incorporated with the rest of the poster. 

Poster Editing Process

For my poster, I wanted to create an eerie and ominous looking effect. I used an online tutorial for Photoshop to try to imitate common horror poster conventions. To document my work, I used the Print Screen tool on the keyboard to show each stage and layer. I think my poster turned out to be effective and looks very similar to other horror movie posters. 

First, I started out by editing the panda picture. This meant I was able to insert the final edit onto a black background to start adding other features of the poster. I chose to put the panda image in the top part of the poster in order to leave room for the titles.

Next, I started to add the title and slogan, as well as the actors' names. I used the same font for all of the titles on the poster and used a gradient filter to make them seem shadowed and ominous. The red colour of the title was to add emphasis to it and draw the audiences eye to the film. This colour also creates an evil effect to indicate the horror genre.

To finish the poster, I added the credits to the bottom. I made the credits on Photoshop, and used a different font to make them look more squished and effective as credits. 

Final Trailer for WATCHING

This is my final trailer for WATCHING. I used Adobe Premiere Elements 15 to edit this together. In this programme,  I added transitions and layered sound to enhance the clips I had filmed and to bring together my trailer.

Filming Day 2

As I had to include another actor in my film, I asked my friend Victoria to star alongside James and Claudia. We decided to film this on the evening of Saturday 9th December as it would be dark enough to film exactly what I had pictured for her scene. 

To film, I used a bedroom as the location as this is relatable to the audience. I wanted the lighting to be natural, and so I used the lights that were around the room in order to light the room in a realistic way. This was effective as it created an ominous surrounding for the scene whilst also making sure not to over-expose the video.

I wanted this scene to be filmed well as it is the only scene with dialogue in it. The use of the short clip and the tone in Victoria's voice when she says her lines is effective in adding to tension and suspense within the trailer. I think that this will be effective to use across the trailer as I could move some of the sound around instead of using the video with it, which might also add the to fear in the audience.

I continued to use the Sony HD Handycam Camcorder, and the tripod, to get the clips looking as professional as my previous clips had done. It was somewhat difficult to use the tripod in this scene as it was a bit tricky to place the tripod in exactly the right position for the camera to get the whole image due to the size of the tripod, however, I managed to find places in the room that worked well with the camera and what I wanted for the scene.

Filming Day 1

As I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do for my trailer, I only used one day to film it. My friends, Claudia and James, who acted in my trailer were also factored in as they could only film on one particular day. I wanted to film the trailer in one day so that I could get the lighting and times correct so that the trailer flows more easily and the clips come together better when I begin to edit.

I chose to film on Thursday 26th October in the evening, from about 17:30 onwards until about 19:00. This timeframe was to ensure that I had enough light to film but also so that it looked dark and mysterious to add to the effect of the horror genre. I filmed the clips in the order of my storyboard so that the lighting would be more accurate for the story as it got darker throughout the trailer, in order to add a more ominous effect to the film. It was quite a rainy day so the sky was a bit foggy and a bit grey, adding to the pathetic fallacy in my trailer - it actually began raining towards the end of filming, which hopefully adds a bit more tension to my trailer. 

For my trailer, I used a Sony HD Handycam Camcorder, along with a tripod, to get the clips looking as professional as possible. I used this camera last year to film, and have also used it previously on other occasions, which made it really easy to film with and enabled me to get high quality shots. The tripod enabled me to get better shots during filming in unsteady locations, such as when we were filming in the field. This will ultimately make my trailer look more professional. 

As it was slowly getting darker, it meant we had to film quite quickly as we didn't want to lose the light. I thought about using film lights, however, being outside was not ideal for this type of lighting. Instead, as it got darker, I took advantage of surrounding street lights and on one occasion, used a slightly covered phone light to illuminate the shot a bit better. Although this was not the best way to light some of the clips, it added to the ominous, dark effect of the overall film and horror genre. 

Storyboard

For my film, I made a few different storyboards as my ideas progressed. My original storyboard is very different to my final trailer and so I decided to re-do my storyboard to tell the story more accurately. My first storyboard was completely different to this one, as it was of my original ideas, which obviously changed during the filming and editing process. 

To begin, I decided to use long, establishing shots to create a sense of atmosphere for the audience. On the first shot, I included a transition effect to bring the film into focus and continue this with fade to blacks between each shot. This adds tension and creates an ominous effect as a genre indicator. On the last shot, I end the establishing sequence with a dramatic fade out to increase tension further.

After the establishing shots, I want to add a title to try to break up the establishing location shots and the establishing shots of the victim character. The first shot of the victim will be a medium shot of her shoes while she is walking. This will introduce her character in a mysterious way and allows me to include different shot types to add to the ominous effect. The second shot of the victim will be another medium shot, but instead of a profile shot, I wanted to include a face-on shot so that the audience can view and relate to her more easily. To keep the flow of the film going I will match-cut the two shots of the victim to make the scene look seamless as if she is continuing to walk.  

After the establishing shots of the victim, I wanted to include another title to break up the story. This is effective in increasing tension in the film. The next shots are the introduction of the antagonist. To introduce this character effectively, I created a series of jump cuts, zooming in towards the character. I think this is effective as it makes the trailer fast paced and alludes to the fact that this character is the antagonist. I started with a long shot and get closer as the jump cuts continue. These are profile shots of the antagonist and lead up to a face-on shot to increase tension and mystery surrounding the character.

To end the jump cuts, I decided to add a face-on shot of the antagonist and then a quick cut to the photographs of the victim on the floor. This is effective as it shows him to be the antagonist in the trailer. The fast pace also allows the audience to only get a small glimpse at this character, increasing the ominosity within the trailer. Ending this sequence with my production credits is unconventional as most production credits are usually at the beginning of the trailer. I chose to do this to create a break in the narrative but also in order to create a trailer that instantly begins with increasing tension. 

I chose to film in the evening and so, after the production credits, the shots get darker and more conventional of the horror genre. To introduce the characters together, I chose to include an over-the-shoulder shot to show the antagonist following the victim. This was effective in showing a new angle in the trailer. I then cut to a close-up of the antagonist stepping on a twig. This type of shot is conventional and with the close-up, I have highlighted this action in creating tension. This scene in the trailer is fast-paced and ends with a medium profile shot of the victim running away after hearing the twig snap. I used this conventional sound motif to enhance my trailer and conform to the horror genre.

To continue the fast pace, I cut to a long profile shot of the victim running across the street. The street lamp creates an ominous effect for lighting and enhances the genre. By match-cutting the shots together, I was able to keep the pace of the trailer whilst also creating a seamless, professional look. After the long shot, I cut to a medium shot of the victim running face-on. This allows the audience to see the fear and danger of the situation. Cutting to a title here helps to, again, break the scene but also helps to increase the tension before the fast-paced chase scene. 

For the chase scene, I decided to alternate between three narratives - the victim, the antagonist and a second victim character. To achieve this, I used a close up of the victim opening a front door, a medium shot of the second victim character in her bedroom, a close-up of the antagonist's eyes and a medium shot of the antagonist running. As well as alternating these, I included a close-up of the second victim character picking up a ringing phone. This creates tension and is conventional of the horror genre, shown through films such as Scream. By alternating between lots of shots I was able to create a fast-paced chase scene that is effective in portraying the horror genre of the trailer. This also let me introduce a third narrative and leaves the audience wondering who she is and her relevance to the film.

I end the sequence by having three different angled shots of the victim opening her door. By including different angles I was able to keep the fast pace whilst also creating a disorientating feeling for the audience. I match-cut this together as the end of the chase scene as the shutting door creates a sense of finality, or so the audience thinks. I did not include a fade on the end of this as the instant black shot creates an abrupt ending, adding to the tension of the trailer.

After shutting the door, I chose to add a plain black shot with the dialogue of the second victim over the top. The fact that you cannot see her reaction or what she is feeling increases the tension in the trailer and attracts the audience to the film. Once the dialogue is finished, the title fades in. I used three different effects on the title, with different colours, to add to the disorientating effect of the end of the trailer. The changing colours conform to the genre as I used white, black and red, which typically signify a horror film. After the title fades out, I added a short medium shot of the antagonist inside the victim's house with a knife. This would shock the audience as they are unsure as to how he got in the house in the first place, which will lead them to want to go and see the film. 

Adding a shot between the title and the date of release is conventional as it gives the audience a glimpse of how the film might end, but does not give it away completely. I used a similar, bold, white font for the date on a black background in order to catch the audience's attention. By fading this shot to black and then having an extended pause before bringing a extremely short close-up of the antagonist is conventional. I included a jump-scare type shot at the end of the trailer to further highlight the genre and add tension to attract the audience.