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.