Film ratings

Obviously, our film needs to have a BBFC rating and the most common of these are the over-PG ratings 12, 15 and 18. Me and Adam have been thinking and we've decided to go for a 15 certificate, because despite the fact there is no extremely gory and/or s*xual content, if we did actually make a film lasting 90 minutes, there would potentially be a lot of foul language, e.g. f**k.

The 12 rating is a very uncommon certificate for horror films. Most genres that go towards 12's are action, thriller, teen comedies, mature cartoons (e.g. The Simpsons) and superhero films. In terms of mature content, sexual content can only be brief and discreet, moderate language can be used (strong language may be used only once or twice) and violence can be moderate, but not putting emphasis on injury detail. Blood can be used, as long as it's not extremely gory (for example, blood featured in the final Lord of the Rings film when Gollum bit off Frodo's finger). The only horror films classified 12 upon cinema release include Van Helsing and The Woman in Black, possibly because it didn't have much in the way of blood and the level of violence.

The 15 rating is a fairly common certificate for horror films. 15 rated films (whether it's horror or action) usually contain occassional bits of gore, for example, Hot Fuzz contains lots of gory scenes. Strong language can also be used, but the strongest forms can also be used, as long as it's appropriate. Horror films that are classified 15 include Drag Me to Hell, The Shining, The Ring and its sequel, The Ring Two.

 

The 18 rating is the most common certificate for horror films. 18 rated films show extremely mature content that is for adult viewing only (so that's appropriate for some of us). In 18 rated films, s*xual content, violent content and foul language will be very strong and frequent, but because our film would not have the first two of these if it was filmed completely, this wouldn't be the rating we would go for. Horror films that are classified 18 include The Thing (1982), Alien, Friday the 13th and its many sequels.

 

Filming plan

Me and Adam have decided on a filming plan. We planned that we will film Monday 29th October, Tuesday 30th October, Friday 2nd November and Tuesday 6th November. The following list is what scene we're going to film on these days:

• 29th October - quarry
• 30th October - car scene
• 2nd November - underpass
• 6th November - bedroom scenes

Storyboard

The following five pictures show the storyboard, which was created by Adam and a little bit of contribution by me early on until I was told to make the script. As shown, there are 10 boxes on each page, so 50 boxes had do be filled in. Adam had to draw what the shot was expected to look like and say what type of shot it is, as well as if there was any dialogue, camera movement and sound and how long each shot was expected to last. Usually, each box on a storyboard lasted 3 seconds (which, obviously, it doesn't have to) and 50 boxes means that it would last 150 seconds (2 and a half minutes). Of course, each box isn't actually going to be the exact shot; some shots may have to be different.

 

 

Script

After about four lessons, I have now completed the script, while Adam has finished the storyboard. Below is the script for the trailer. This was originally meant to be put up on here as a link so it can be viewed in Microsoft Word, but I don't know how to do that, so I thought I'd just copy the entire script in here.

Slender trailer

(DreamWorks Pictures logo in grey)

1 INT. DARK ROOM:

(a dark room with ‘DreamWorks Pictures presents’ overlaid; the door open ajar. Suddenly, a shadow passes through the light as the door closes. The door finally shuts completely. ‘A Parsec Productions film’ appears as the door shuts.)

2 EXT. TREES:

Part 1

(a girl runs through a tree-filled area, panicking, breathing heavily as she runs)

Part 2

(the girl standing in the middle of the forest looking fearful. The legs of a tall figure stand behind her*.) *When the girl stands in the middle of the forest, the camera pans around 720 degrees.

Part 3:

(the girl notices something by a tree. She sees a sheet of paper saying ‘don’t look…or it takes you’.)

Part 4:

(the girl is back in the forest, hiding behind a tree, shaking and breathing heavily. Suddenly, a hand grabs around the tree.)

Part 5:

(suddenly, the tall figure’s body peers around the tree. The faceless head lowers slowly and quickly faces the girl.*)

*Jumps to black as soon as the figure makes contact.

3 INT. CAR:

(On the phone, in the car)* (you don’t hear the boy) *This dialogue will be split apart to produce more than one part of the trailer.

GIRL (terrified)

Come on! Pick up, pick up!

 

BOY (unheard)

Hello?

 

GIRL

*exhales* I-I-I think I’m b-being followed.

 

BOY (unheard)

Wha’? What are you on about?

 

GIRL

I said I think I’m being followed.

 

BOY (unheard)

Whoa, slow down. You keep stuttering. What are you trying to say?

 

GIRL (calmer)

I’m being followed.

 

BOY (unheard)

Who by?

 

GIRL (increasingly panicky)

I don’t know!

 

BOY (unheard)

Wait, wait. Calm down. I’m home in a few days.

 

GIRL (slightly calmer)

Yeah. Yeah. Do you believe me?

 

BOY (unheard)

Umm…

 

GIRL

Do you believe me?

 

BOY (unheard)

Uh, yeah.

(the girl hangs up. Suddenly, the car swerves violently and the girl hits her head off the steering wheel.*)

*This cuts to black afterwards.

(After a few seconds, the girl starts to wake up. A shadow passes the car but the girl doesn’t notice as she’s stirs.)

4 INT. GIRL’S BEDROOM:

(the girl stands at her desk in her bedroom looking down at the notes she picked up from the trees.)

5 INT. CORRIDOR:
Part 1:

(the girl runs down the corridor, followed closely behind by a tall figure.)

(Suddenly, the girl stumbles and the tall figure leans down to grab her*.)

*During this scene, there are a lot of jump cuts to black

Part 2:

(The girl is still running with the tall figure getting closer.*)

*This jumps to black.

6. LOGO AND CREDITS:

(Slender video game logo wipes across with a glimmer of light in its usual sketched design. A huge flash appears, soon goes away and the logo reappears along with a zodiac symbol, as if carved into wood. The logo and symbol fades out)

(the film’s release date, URL and credits appear, along with the DreamWorks Pictures and Parsec Productions logos)

 

 

Production companies

Obviously, a film needs to have production companies to help out with the film. Of course, I already Parsec Productions, the company who do the game, as the production company. I just really needed to choose distributor(s), because a film isn't a film if it isn't distributed by a big name movie studio like Warner Bros. or Paramount Pictures.

The distributor I went for was DreamWorks Pictures. The main reason I chose DreamWorks was because of their logo. Over the last decade, film companies have changed their logos; e.g. Universal Pictures ditching the logo used since 1997 back in January in favour of a new one to celebrate their 100th anniversary. DreamWorks is the only movie studio that hasn't changed their logo, apart from odd little modifications e.g. bylines whenever they change owners or the owners are renamed. I could've also used Columbia and Warner Bros. for their logos but I couldn't find their distinctive print logos that I could use on the poster.

I also need to have Touchstone Pictures' logo on the poster, because, while Touchstone aren't the actual distributors of the film and DreamWorks are, they have been distributing DreamWorks films since 2010. Our film trailer will also have to have Touchstone's actual film logo at the end, because that's what trailers for DreamWorks films since Touchstone started distributing have done.

Target audience

Our film trailer obviously needs a particular target audience. This post describes what target audience suits our trailer. There are eight types: thinkers, believers, achievers, strivers, experiencers, makers, innovators and survivors.

I think one of the target audience's for our film trailer is survivors. This is because our film is based on a survival horror game and shows the main character trying to avoid being captured by a creature. It basically shows the character desperately trying to survive. Our film gives a clear view of survival by showing the character deeply concerned for their safety and finding several hints in order to survive, particularly the notes.

Another target audience for our film would be thinkers. This is because our film's is a psychological horror and her experience with encountering the antagonist will stimulate her brain and has to try and think on how to beat the antagonist and survive, for example, phoning her boyfriend to see if he'll help.

A third target audience for our film would be achievers. This is because the main character is trying to achieve her goal of surviving the Slenderman.

Trailer analysis

Because I am creating a film trailer, I have been required to research film trailers. There are several factors that are consistent throughout film trailers:

• Music
• Text in-between clips
• Company logo
• Voiceover
• Heavy editing e.g. dubbed voice from clips over other clips
• Website address
• Release date
• Title logo

Certain film trailers may have factors that aren't consistent:

• Clips in quick succession might emphasise drama
• Monologues for effect
• Voiceovers of characters yelling and screaming to heavily emphasise drama

I am going to analyse two horror film trailers. The first one is for The Cabin in the Woods and the second one is for Sinister.

The Cabin in the Woods:

This trailer starts off with everything happy as it shows the 5 main characters getting into their motorhome. This is to 'disguise' the actual genre of the film, trying to get the audience to, at first, assume that the film is a teen movie. The tone of this trailer suddenly changes when the Lionsgate logo appears on a blood-red sky and the upbeat music ends suddenly as the characters stop off at a dilapidated petrol station owned a sinister man, starting to create the sense of horror. The text in-between clips makes the audience feel uneasy. It is in a white serif font on a dark background with hexagons and it flickers, clearly indicating that it is a horror film. The main premise of the film appears to begin when a bird is obliterated completely by an invisible forcefield, meaning that the cabin (in the woods) is sealed off from civilisation. The horror really starts to begin when a clip of the petrol station owner shows his true nature saying, 'The lambs have passed through the gate. They have come to the killing floor.' This is used to raise suspense. To surprise the audience, the music in the trailer stops so that the only sound heard is the hushed voices of the characters until something loud happens, namely in this trailer, a fist suddenly punching through a wall. The end of the trailer shows the factors generally used in horror film trailers: the stereotypical clips in quick succession and voiceovers of characters screaming or yelling. The music used over this part of the trailer is really effective because the drum beats emphasise the horror and drama of the film.

Sinister:

Unlike the trailer for The Cabin in the Woods, which starts off positively, the trailer for Sinister, after the logo for the distributor, Summit Entertainment, begins eerily dark and scary, showing a house from the front at night. The sound over this is near-silent to create the tension. A sudden flash on the screen along with what sounded like a screech surprises the viewer. The trailer starts to make the viewer anxious when it shows a drawing of four stick figures hanging from a tree and a police photograph of their feet. It also makes the viewer think because the previous image, a photograph of the family, shows a fifth member. The main premise of the film begins when it shows a family moving into that same house. The horror begins when the main character, a father of two, enters the attic and finds a box full of film reels. When the main character starts to watch a reel of the murdered family playing and acting happy, the viewer starts to feel fixated on the family. A screech and a quick glimpse of the family's legs hanging from a tree surprises the viewer as it is sudden. This makes the main character leap out of the chair, allowing the viewer to feel the same way as he does. It happens again when the next film reel shows a car being torched by a viewer, but this doesn't make the character jump out of his seat. The film really starts to take off when the viewer is shown quick glimpses of the film's antagonist, a supposed demonic creature, on photographs, videos and even outside the main character's window. To really terrify the viewer, as the character has the picture of the creature zoomed in, the creature turns its head towards him, while the character looks on completely unaware. Various clips such as the character's son screaming as if possessed, the character screaming, an axe dragged along the floor and zombified children in the attic have all been selected to scare the viewer. Like the trailer for The Cabin in the Woods, the text in-between clips is in a black serif font against a white marble-like background going dark around the edges with cracks around. The music is quite and eerie, adding to the horror of the film.

Filming time decision

Today, on the way home from school (I wasn't in the Media lesson because of a clash with English; damn timetable), me and Adam agreed that we should started filming during half term. We also said we will film when its not raining; we wouldn't mind if it is dull; but not when it's even drizzling.