My schedule

This is the schedule that i planned:

• actors/actresses arrive at my house at 1.30
• 1.30-1.45 set up the first scene and the video camera
• 1.45-2.15 film the first scene until perfect
• 2.15-2.45 film the second scene of putting the tent up and Leanne walking off
• 2.45-3.15 film the thrid scene where the actor chris is following leanne
• 3.15-3.45 film the final scene where the screams happen and the two other girls hear their best friend screaming
• 3.45-4.15 look over the recording and see if there are any mistakes in the filming and redo them.

This was my schedule for the day and it worked very well. Everything went to plan.

Filming Started

On Tuesday I went out filming and got my first draft done. The weather was windy and raining. Which I didn't think would be good at first but it added to the scary effect and made the day look duller then usual. I got my four actors to come together on the same day at the same time. This meant that the schedule that I put together all went to plan and everything was done smoothly.

Seventh poster draft

On this poster I have made the picture black and white which I really dont like but I have made my main heading bigger which looks a lot better and I have kept the slogan the same size. Meaning that it looks more effective and the title is the first thing that catches the customers eye. This is also because of the colour of the title as it stands out from the rest of the colours used on the page. I think that the heading works very well but the picture isn't great neither is the colour of the picture.

Sixth poster draft

On this poster I have used my own picture but I feel that this picture doesn't work at all. I think that the lightness of the picture makes the poster look like a different genre movie then a horror movie. This might be miss leading for the audience. I also think that this picture is not as effective as the picture i used before. I think that this is because it isn't in the right location but also this is a picture that I got for my location I am just using it for an idea. I still think that I will keep the border background as dark brown instead of black. I think that the main title is too small on this poster as it should be the biggest thing on the page.

Fifth poster draft

This is the fifth poster that I made and I think that this one is the best yet. I like that the colour link together and also I think that the red title looks so much better against the dark broun background then the black backgrouns as it doesnt contrast so much. I think that the picture is the main part of the poster and really cacthes the audiences eye well as it is striking but yet simple as the same time.

Fourth poster draft

On this poster mock up I have made the girl in the picture coloured to make her stand out. I also experimented how the girl would look all red but this didn't work out too well. I think that this is effective but I dont think that this technique would work very well.

Third poster draft

On this poster I have just made the black banner a dark grey and everything else I have kept the same.

Second poster draft

This is my second draft that I have created I have made everything the same except I have taken the block out at the bottom because I was thinking that it was too much and didnt link in very well with the picture that I have used. I have also made the girl smaller which makes the poster look more realistic and professional then what it was like before. I think that the whire writing at the bottom of the poster looks very good on the picture and I like the fact that the picture is bigger and covers more or the page as it is more eye catching and people will be more attracted to the poster as it stands out more. I have but a white line between the picture and the black block at the top of the screen that is a banner. This is because I think that it looks a lot better then it just being straight onto it. I am very attracted to the black and white theme that I have created on these mock ups. I think that this links in to the genre that I have picked and also the plot that I have created. I think that I will use this black and white colour scheme form my actual poster and the only colour that will be on the screen is red as it will make the title same out a lot more.

First Poster draft.

This is my first draft that I have created. I have took the idea of this poster from paranormal activity because that has the two black blocks at the top and bottom of the poster. I think that the black blocks that I have used look a little too dark which is a bit too sharp for the picture that I have used. I have put my title and the slogon in the top block and then I have put a rating from News of the World with their star rating and quote as well. I have also included the logo and the certificate that my movie is going to be. I like the font that i have used for the rating from News of the World as it is plain and simple and represents that they are a news paper. I have made the font white so that it stands out on the black background. I feel that this bottom block looks a bit too sharp as it doesnt blend in as much as i would like it too. Also the girl that I have used looks too big and should be smaller. This is just a rough mock up but I think that it is very similar to what I want to end up with. I have used a darker red then normally so it doesnt look to bright and looks more spooky. I think that this contrasts well with the black that I have used. I have put the slogan in a white colour so that it stands out under the red title. I have made the title the biggest text on the poster so that it stands out the most which makes it eye catching.

The props I am going to need...

I am going to need a lot of props when filming this movie trailer. I will list the things that I will need when filming below;

• I will need a tent
• I will need small suitcases (bags)
• I will need 3 female actors
• I will need 1 male actor
• I will need fake blood
• I will need a knife that wont be used in a harmful way
• I will need clothing for all my actors
• I will need an umbrella
• I will need some twigs
• I will need black clothing for my male actor

I think that this is all the props that I will need. I will add to this post if I think of anymore props that I will need before filming. This post will help me to keep organised because I can refer to this post just before filming so I will know wether I have got everything that I need.

At this stage...

At this stage I feel that I have completed most of my planning for my movie trailer and think I need to start focusing on getting the ideas for my DVD cover, back and spine and also a front cover of a film magazine. I will need to think about how I am going to link them with my movie trailer and what I am going to do to make it work well. If I am going to use a picture from a scene for the whole background of my DVD cover or if I am not going to fill the whole background with a picture. I also need to think of the layout of the magazine but also the layout of my DVD cover. This is all important because it will stand out more if you make everything focus on the picture or the main image in the picture so that your making everything else look like a boarder.

The other logo I am using

I am going to be using a logo that is already established as well as my own on my movie trialer because I think that it will make my movie trailer look more professional than just having my own logo that I have created. But I think because I am going to be using a company logo that is just used for horro movies then people will think that my movie will be good if I am working with a well know production company.

The company logo that I am going to be using is the Full Moon Entertainment logo. This logo is just used for horror movies and the lgog represents that. I feel that this logo will fit in with the genre very well and also the colour scheme that I have picked for my own logo is used in this logo as well. This backs up what i said on my earlier post about blue and black is a popular colour.

My Company Logo

My company Logo

This is my Company logo that will be going at the beginning of my trailer. I think that this is a good logo that I have created because it is big bold letters using colours that catch the eye easily because the light blue contrasts with the dark blue and the black that I have used. I think that the shapes make the logo stand out more because it makes it look very professional. I have chosen that colour blue and black because I have done some research from other company logos that have been used and found out that a lot of the logos use blue and black. Maybe not in the manor that I have but these colours seemed popular.

From these logos that I have researched you can see there in every logo except one they have used blue. This might be to show the sky or other aspects in the logo but blue is on them. Black is also very common in the these logos because it makes the logo stand out because it is on such a dark background. This is what i have tried to do by making the shapes I have used bold and 3d looking. I have also tried to make my font look 3D by having a shadow form on the writing.

Pinnacle Studio Plus 12

This is the other movie maker that I can use for my movie trailer when I come to produce it. In this post I am going to be talking about the features that this programme offers.

This is the toolbar that is on the side of the programme which allows you to do many things to the videos or pictures that you have imported into the programme. The first icon is where you import a movie that you have already done or a movie that you are still finishing off doing and editing. The second icon which is of a lightning bolt is where you can add as many tranisitions as you want to, to the picture or movie that you have imported. The third icon is where you can add a montage theme onto the pictures or movie that you have put into the clip. This is where it shows one picture then shows the whole screen of pictures and goes into another. I dont think that this is a very good tool to use when you are doing a movie trailer because it doesnt make it look scary which means it doesnt run with the genre of the film. The "T" is where you add titles onto the movie or pictures. This allows you to add writing on the picture, before the picture or at the end of the picture.
This is a screenshot of the kind of texts that you can put at the beginning of your movie trailer. This is my logo that I am using for my movie trailer and I feel that this is a good and bold logo for the production company e.g. me to use for my movie trailer. I will put this at the front of my movie trailer to show the target audience who has made the movie. I think that this is a big bold logog that will catch people's eye because the colours stand out and work well together. I have also found that the main colours that people use for logos are blue and black. I like the writing that I have picked on the text because it is bold and stands out from the bold black background.

The camera on the toolbar is where you insert pictures into the programme which allows you to be able to add pictures into the movie. The pictures are shown in a thumbnail view which allows you to see the picture clearly. I like that the pictures are shown like this because i can see what is on the picture clearly without having to click on them. But if i want to click on them then they come on bigger on the right hand side of the programme which shows the whole detail of the picture. When you have put a picture into the movie then the picture will be ticked off. This is a screenshot showing this.

The sixth icon on the tool bar is where you can add a title menu at the beginning of the movie but this doesnt really occur to me as I think that this feature should only be used when you are making a DVD style video.

The speaker icon on the toolbar is where you add sound effects onto the picture or video. I think that this could work well if you are using any animal sounds in your video. I will be using one of the animal sounds when I do a clip of the owl because I dont think that I will be able to get an owl to make a sound because I would probably scare it off when filming.

The final icon is where you add a proper soundtrack to run all the way through the movie if you want it to. This is the icon which allows you import the music into the programme. I will be using this quite a lot of times as I will be putting many different soundtracks on the trailer to show all the different emotions the characters are feeling.

This is a screenshot of the screen that plays the movie whenever you want it to and I think that this is good because it has a timer at the bottom of ti which allows you to see the exact time that everything is happening and whether it works well or not. There is also a volume button on the screen which means that you dont have to use the computer volume. Finally you can make the screen a lot bigger if you want it to go full screen so that you can see the full detail of the pictures and the video of what is going on.

This is the timeline that is at the bottom of the programme which allows you to see everything that you have imported into the movie meaning the soundtracks, sound effects, pictures and movies, transitions and the titles. You can make the timeline bigger or smaller by using the zoom in and out button. Also the orange line at the top of the pictures is the time of which all the pictures and how long it lasts in total. This can turn green when you add a tranisition or text into the video to show you that it will take some time to add into the movie and to take place. When it turns orange again then that is when you know it is complete and is ready to play.

Finally these are the tabs at the top of the screen which tells you what order to do the movie in going from step 1 to 3. The fist tab is where you import the footage that you have collected or the photos that you have taken. On this tab you can also take footage on the programme if you have got a webcam. The second tab is where I have just explained where all the features are as this is where you edit the footage and filming that you have collected throughout the days/hours you have been filming for. Finally the third tab is where you produce the footage into a movie to make it professional and work on other computers. This means that you have completed the movie trailer all together. For my movie trailer I think that I am going to use Pinnacle studio plus 12 because I think that it holds more features and is a lot better than windows movie maker. This will make my movie trailer look more professional then doing it in windows movie maker.

Windows Movie Maker

I have been using Windows movie maker to make the animatics I have done so far. I have taken screenshots of the programme that I have been using and what is so important about the programme which makes the animatic good.

This is the first screenshot that I have taken. It shows where all the pictures and files get imported. This means that all of the pictures and files are all in the same place which means that it is easier to see where everything is. I also like the fact that you can see the pictures very well which makes it very clear on what you are putting on the time line. You are able to see all the files including if it is a sound file or a picture. This is good because it is very easy to find everything but also something that is good about this is that the pictures come up as thumbnails which enables you to see all of the picture.

This is a picture of the timeline at the bottom of the Windows movie maker programme. This is a good feature because you are able to see how long the picture or video lasts for and also you can see what tranisitions you have used or the sounds. I think that this is good because it enables to see the picture of video clearly and this makes it easier to match the music with the picture or the video. The zoom button also makes this easier as you can zoom in or out as much as you want.

This is the screen where they play the video for you and also it plays automatically if you put a tranistion on a picture or a video which is good because you are able to see if it works well or not. If not then why it doesn't work well. This is also a good feature because you are able to play your video whenever you want all the time and also pick where you want to start your movie from to make sure that all the timings are right. It tells you the time of the film playing at the bottom of this feature so you know at what point the movie is going well or not. You can also make this screen bigger so you can see everyhing that is going on in the movie in more detail.

All these features that are on the programme are all good and key to making a good movie trailer. I also think that Pinnacle 12 is also a very good programme and might even better. I am going to look at what Pinnacle 12 has to offer in my next post and then see which is better and will make my movie trailer better.

Monday 11th October

In this lesson we were taught about Pinnacle 12 and how to use it. I thought that this was a very good lesson as I am near the stage of filming my movie trailer and putting the footage together. This allowed me to learn about all of the transitions and the special effects that you can put on the footage to make it look better and more effective. This gave me more of an idea of how to use a different software rather than windows media maker. This would make the footage look better than doing it in windows movie maker. I have also been taught how to import the footage and the sound tracks. I will soon be posing some example footage that someone else has done to show you the effects and transitions that I will be using in my own movie trailer. I will also be using this software to do another animatic so that you will be able to see the difference between using Pinnacle and Windows movie maker.

My pitch

On Friday in lessons I did a pitch in front of the class to tell them my ideas and what I had already had planned. This meant that I was able to get feedback from the pupils in the class to see what I have done well and what I haven't done well. This was good for me because the pupils in my class are the same age as my target audience for my movie trailer. This meant that I asked them what they thought of my plot so far and I got some feedback from my first plot and they were very glad that I changed it because they thought that I gave too much away in my movie trailer. From my new plot they think that it is very good and goes very well with the location I have picked, the title and font colour and font that I have used. This gave me a lot of confidence and makes me want to produce a good movie trailer to live up to the plot I have done. This means that I need good footage and be able to edit the footage well.

Video Diary about my movie trailer

Slasher Animatic Draft 4

This is my fourth draft for my trailer and I have now included more titles, more songs that mix well together and also more effects on the pictures. I think that it is looking better but I need to make the trailer last up to about 3 minutes so it is like a professional trailer. I am going to try and do an animatic on the pinical software because then I will be able to add more effects like zoom and so on. This will make it look a lot better.

Final Font choice and colour

This is my font with the colour that I think that I am going to use in my movie trailer and also in my DVD cover and my poster. I like this colour of red because i think that it portrays blood more realistically then pure red does. I think that the colour of the font and the font work very well together as you can actually tell that blood is dripping from the font now where as before when the font was black it didn't look realistic and also it didn't look like blood. I think that this goes very well with the plot that I am doing but also I think that it works well with the murder weapon I am using and blood drips of a knife very easily and this shot will be the last shot of my trailer before the title comes up.

Further Clothing Ideas for my actor

In this post I am going to have ideas of what my actor is going to be wearing in my movie trailer. Throughout the trailer my actor will not change because he will be in the same clothes because he is after someone and isn't staying somewhere plus he isn't a girl who needs to change all the time.

These are the kind of clothes that I am going to get my killer to wear because I think that he needs to be in black clothing so the actresses are less likely to see him meaning he is harder to spot. I have asked my actor to wear a black hat even though he will have a hood on because if the hood comes off then you still wont see anything other than the colour black. This is the same with the shoes because you have to think about everything to make sure that it looks realistic. If I was able to get army gear/camouflage uniforms then I would put my actor in that because that would look better with the green and browns of the woods. However, these clothes will still be good and still have an effect on the audience.

Further Clothing Ideas for my actresses

From my earlier post on my clothing ideas I have thought more on what clothes my actor and actresses are going to wear and now I have got some pictures on the ideas that I have already come up with.

Actresses clothes

For the first couple of shots:

This is the kind of clothes that my actresses will be wearing when I shoot my first couple of shots of them getting ready in the bedroom and also walking down the woods and setting up the tent. This outfit will show the target audience that they are not used to the outdoor environment and what actualy clothes you are meant to wear. However, when they are packing you will see them putting wellies and tracksuits to get changed into so they know a bit of what is required when you go camping. These clothes show that they are happy and excited about going on the holiday.

Later on in the trailer

This is the kind of clothes that my actresses are going to be wearing. This is the casual look that most campers should wear. This shows that they do have some camping knowledge as they have dressed correctly to go bed or sit around the camp fire. This is the kind of clothes that my actor will wear when going to collect some firewood. I think that this outfit sums up the laziness of the camping holiday that the girls have taken.

Character Survey

I have asked my target audience who they think would be the best actor for my movie trailer and this is the response I had.

This pie chart shows that the target audience think that Chris will be the better actor. The response was clear that they liked him the best. People commented and said that Chris would be the better character because he is more board and looks like he will take it seriously but also he looks more scary and older then Tom did, as they said that Tom had a baby face and this would mean that they target audience wouldn't take it seriously as it wouldn't look professional.

My final decision is that I am going to have Chris as the killer in my trailer as I think that the would suit the role better than Tom. I have also picked him because my target audience told me that he fits the role better as he looks more serious and doesn't have a baby face like Tom.

My Choice of Actors

I am undecided on what male actor to use. This is because I don't know who will be the best for the job as I think that I need someone that looks scary but also that can act like a stalker as well by being serious and acting seriously while I am filming as I will need them to have a scary hard look about them to make the audience scared of them. With Tom I think that he is too nice looking and people won't find him scary because he has got a baby face.

My second option is Chris I feel that he could be more scary but also take it more seriously. I also think that he could act as deceiving because I think that the target audience might see him as a nice boy rather than being a killer.

To make up my mind I am going to to a vote and see who people feel will do a better job and who looks more like a killer and could take it seriously. This is because it would make it look more professional but also the target audience will have had a chance to give their opinion.

Actress Three

Leanne is my final actresses that will be appearing in my movie trailer. I have picked Leanne because I feel that she is very loving and friendly. I think that because she is loving and trustworthy that the audience will feel for her. Leanne will be my main actress in the movie trailer as I feel that she can be very deceiving to the audience so the audience wouldn't know what the twist will be in my movie trailer. I also think that with her being the same age as my target audience they will be more interested in seeing the film.

Actress Two

This is the second actress that I have picked to be in my girl group. I think that she is very pretty and will look very friendly and attractive on the screen. I also think that the target audience will be able to relate to her because she has a very welcoming face. This will make my audience feel sorry for her when they are being stalked in my movie trailer as she looks like the typical teenager. I also think that this is a good choice of an actress because my target audience will be able to relate to Helen because she will be the same age and no one wants anyone to go through the tragic that she will be going through.

Actress One

Here is a picture of the first actress that is going to be in my movie trailer. I have picked her because I think that she is very casual looking and also very timid which shows that she will be vulnerable in my movie trailer. This pictures shows that she is a loving and happy person. This also gives the audience clear idea of one of the actresses that I have picked because this is a very clear picture and shows of her facial features very well. Amy just looks like a typical teenage girl which is what I wanted.

My next steps

I am going to try and make a more detailed animatic that will show how long the trailer is going to be. This means that I am going to add more transitions and effects and also pictures to show more of the story but not give too much away. I will also be thinking of what outfits my actors are going to be playing and also the actors/actresses I am going to use. This will give the target audience an idea of who is going to be in my film so they will know if they know any of them. Also I will be thinking of the poster and DVD cover that I am going to create.

Slasher Animatic Draft 3

This is third draft of an animatic that I have made. This has got my new story line in it which I think makes it better and more mysterious as it is keeping more secrets and also there is a twist now in the movie which makes it more interesting and exciting. I think that this is a lot better than my last one. I think that my final animatic will look better because it should have the font that I am going to use on my poster, DVD cover and also in my actual trailer that I will soon be making. Bearing in mind my ideas might all change again depending what my target audience say about the story line in class on Monday.

Storyboard 2

This is my second storyboard that I have created to go on the end of my other six shots that I have already designed. I have changed the plot because not it has a twist which will make it more exciting. The first two shots are of the actrors and actresses faces to show their emotions. The actor close up shows that the is angry and hungry for the girl and the actresses facial expression showss that she is shocked and scared that she is being followed by a weird man. The close up of the actor will be in a shadow so you can really see his face which is keeping him a secret. The ninth shot will be a blank screen to show the tension and to build up the suspension and make the audience think and ask questions on what is going to happen and follow. The tenth shot will be of someones shoes lying on the floor. This will be a very quick shot so that the audience dont see much of what is happening which will make them think more. The next shot will be of the other shoes walking away. These two shots shows that someone is dead and someone is walking away from the murder. There will then be another black screen and then the knife with blood will come up at the end but I will also add a shot of the eyes of the dead person opening to create a bigger twist and make the audience ask question and make them want to go and see it.

Video Diary

Plot Summary 2

I am creating another plot summary because when I made my second draft of my animatic i thought that I was telling too much of the story. I am keeping the beginning the same and just changing the ending.

• A long shot of the girls getting ready in a bedroom and packing for going camping (This will have a happy backing track to show that they are rearing to go.
• A group of girls trying to put a tent up in the darkness or just when it starts to go dark in nice clothes. (This shows that they are not used to going camping.
• Spooky noises of branches cracking and an owl making noises.
• Quick shots of lots of things happening that are bad to build up the tension
• Shadow of the man which will be a long shot to show his build and how scary he looks
• Close up of the knife to show the weapon that he is carrying.
• One girl goes to get some fire wood
• Close up of quick shots changing between both of their face expressions to show that she is scared and he is angry and ready to kill
• Quick shots to show that the girl has seen that the man has followed her and her running away and him chasing her
• Then a black screen to show that something has happened and then a backing track of sad music
• A close up and quick shot of the mans shoe on the floor and then the girls shoe walking away. These will be both quick shot so the audience will only get a glimpse. This will be the twist in my movie.