Questions for our target audience focus group.

I gathered a group of people who are in the correct age span for my target audience. I asked them questions relating to my film and I also asked them if they had any improvements which could benefit the final outcome of my film. The questions I asked where:

1. Do you think that the narrative is something along the lines of what you would conventionally expect from a horror or a Slasher film?

2. Would this film appeal to the target audience?

3. Please explain your answer.

4. In a horror film, what aspects are important to an opening?

5. After watching the opening to this film would it convince you to continue watching the rest of the film?

6. Would you want to see lots of gore and violence in this film?

7. What elements would you like to see in a Horror/ Slasher film opening?

8. Do you have any suggestions of things to include in our Slasher film opening?

9. Are there any elements of our film opening that you feel we should not include?

10. Whom would you recommend this film to?

11. Why?

Classification post.

For my film my group and I have decided that the classification will be rated 15. We have decided to use this rating because it is the correct age for our audience and the content that we will include in our film. Our target audience range includes people of the age of 15 which means that our target audience will be able to go and watch our film without being too young. Another reason why we chose to have the age rating at 15 is because some elements of our film may be quite gory and violent and the British Board of Film Classification states that in a rated 15 film it is allowed to include some gory elements. After doing my research on the BBFC website I now know what elements and features not to include in my film. In our film we will not include any crude sexual references or any sexual content that is detailed. Although our film is quite gory and violent we will not include any sadistic or sexual threat in the movie. One of the themes in our film is danger however we will not cross the line of including any suicidal, hanging or self harm in our film as these elements would be sending the wrong message to our target audience and would not be appropriate to watch.

Risk assessment

This is a print screen of our risk assessment document.We have thought carefully about the risks that might occur and how dangerous they will be on a scale of 1 being low and 5 being high. We have also decide how we will rectify these risks and make sure we reduce the possibility of them happening. During the filming process if we discover any more risks we will add them into our risk assessment.

Casting

When we went through the casting process the first thing that we thought about is who had experience. We needed to consider who would portray the roles correctly and we as a group thought that experience would help to do this. We thought about who would fit each role well and if their appearance would be good for the character that they would be portraying. An important thing that we considered as a group is whether or not the actors that we picked would take the filming process serious and if they would joke and mess around on set during our filming time. We also thought about whether or not these actors would be reliable and would work well with us when making this opening. Most people our age have jobs so we had to consider whether or not these actors would be committed to the job and would also put the best effort into the job.

After we had selected the actors for our film opening we has to consider availability and whether or not transport would be an issue for them when it comes to filming as some of the actors do not live in the area which we will be filming in.

The Antagonist.

We chose Joe because he has the right build for the antagonist character as conventionally the murders are tall and slim and we felt that Joe was committed to the task and would be reliable when it comes to filming. Joe is also male which fits in with the conventions in a horror film of the antagonist being a male character.

The Drama Queen.

We chose Sophie to be our dram queen and she is an experienced actress and also lives in area meaning that there would not be a transport issue She is also very committed and would be reliable. Sophie would also take this part seriously. Drama queens are stereotypically female which is another reason why we selected Sophie for this role.

The Jock.

We selected mal for this role because he has experience in acting and knows how important this is therefore he would not mess around. He is also reliable and has transport options which means he would be there for filming sessions. We also felt that Mal had the correct appearance for a jock. We think this because he has the right physical build and is attractive which is what a jock is like stereotypically.

The Nerd.

We selected Ed for this role because he fitted the stereotype of a nerd character perfectly and also lives in the location area which means he would be reliable when it comes to arriving and attending on time for filming sessions. Ed also does not have a job which means he will have more free time and will not be tied down to other things making him more committed to our film.

Location Scouting

We travelled to our location to take some pictures and take some tester videos so we could see what our shots would look like. We took some of our characters with us. Due to the location being in Chacombe this would mean that some of our actors and filming crew would have to travel to the location. We needed to consider if it was going to be possible to transport all the equipment there each time we needed to film. Two of our actors live in Chacombe so that enables us to cancel out the concern of them not being able to get to the set when needed. However the other actors would need to rely on public transport or cars which could mean that it could be harder for them to get to location. Public bus is one of the modes of transport which would mean we would have to be extra careful when transporting this equipment as there are other people on the bus increasing the risk of damaged equipment. The area that we chosen to film in is public so we would also need to be aware of people walking. However due to it being a public area we would not need to ask anyone for permission to film in this area.

Lighting

When it comes to filming our opening we need to select a time during the day where the lighting will be perfect for our film opening. We have decided to film during the day with high key lighting as it wont be dark and the audience will be able to see hat is happening and during filming we will be able to see what we are doing. If we film in high key lighting it will make the opening and the narrative look more realistic. It could also show the audience that scary things don't always happen during the night. If we are filming in high key lighting and we would like the visual effect to be darker then when it comes to the editing process we can add filter to make it darker and more ominous which follows the codes and conventions of a Horror and Slasher film. However when we are filming we may decide to film a 3/4 o clock at dusk when it begins to get dark. Filming at this time in the night will create a good effect because some feature will be emphasised with the setting sun.

Props

The weapon.

The prop that we are going to use is going to be a woodcutters axe. We chose this weapon because it is a classic weapon that has been used in old school horror and Slasher films. We though that using this axe would be more unique than using a kitchen knife as they are commonly used in Slasher films. One of the reasons we decided to use an axe is because it is easy to get hold off and would be easy to transport around. Using an axe may also surprise the audience as usually they may expect knives in a Slasher film.

We think that using the axe will also look more threatening as axes are usually used for chopping wood in half- this could foreshadow what might happen to one of the protagonist victims. An axe is also a brutal weapon which could fit in well with the codes and conventions that usually occur in Slasher films. When using an axe it requires a lot of force to use it which could connote that the murderer using it is quite strong. Axes have larger blades than other weapons which could connote that a lot of damage could be done by using this particular weapon.

Art Mask.

We have chosen to use a white art mask as when the antagonist is wearing the mask it could look creepy and ominous which could help build the atmosphere for the audience. The white mask will also make our antagonist look recognisable and will help the audience distinguish the villain from the protagonists. This white make could also act as an icon for our film and could represent our film. The mask is very distinctive therefore using this as our icon could make our film distinctive and recognisable too. When this mask is paired with the antagonist's outfit it may make his appearance look very intimidating and could scare the audience. Using a mask in our films follows the codes and conventions of the sub genre Slasher as in some films like "Scream" a mask is used to scare the protagonists and becomes an icon for the film.

Costumes

The antagonist.
The costume that we would like the actor to wear is going to be plain black clothes so the audience will be able to tell the difference between the protagonist and the antagonist. The items of clothing that we want our actor to wear will be a long sleeved black top or a long sleeved hooded jumper/sweatshirt. We want a long sleeved shirt so less skin is shown and will make the character look more sinister. The antagonist will also be wearing a white art mask which will be the signature icon for our film and will make our film recognisable and distinctive.


The Drama Queen
The costume that we would like the dram queen actress to wear will be something that is stereotypically girly like a skirt. We would also like her to wear a outfit which reflects the characters personality that she is playing. We want her to wear bright clothes with colours like pink or purple which reinforces the archetype and stereotype that girls like to wear pink and purple.


The Nerd
We would like the nerd character to wear a costume that reflects this personality as well. We would like him to wear a long sleeve white shirt with a dark sleeveless sweater on top which will reinforce the stereotypically appearance of a nerd character. We would also like this character to wear gasses to reinforce the stereotype that nerds wear glasses to show that they are clever. I would like this character to wear smart trousers or chino styled trousers as I think that this would reinforce to the audience the stereotype that nerds dress in a certain way.


The Jock.
The jock character will be wearing a stereotypical jock outfit so the audience will be able to tell what the characters personality is. This character will be wearing jeans with trainers. The trainers will reinforce the jock element as they do lots of sport. The actor will also be wearing a plain neutral coloured t-shirt like black or white and will have either a black leather jacket on top or a varsity jacket on top to reinforce the stereotype.

The Treatment

The Action

In our film opening we will begin with an establishing shot o the location that we will be filming. This shot will set the scene and allow the audience to see the environment in which our film opening has been set in. We will then include the main group of protagonists walking down the set. The camera will either be in front of the actors or will be along the side of them so we can see them walking down the location. As the protagonists are walking into the shot we will cut and it will go to a shot of the antagonist. In our opening of the film we have planned to only reveal the face of the antagonist until the end of the clip. We are doing this because it will build suspense and will make the audience wonder who the villain is in our opening. To make the antagonist character look more mysterious and creepy we will film shots which show the audience that the antagonist is hiding from the protagonists. My group and myself will write a short script so the audience can hear some dialogue and can get to know the characters that they will watch on screen.

One of the protagonists will hear something and will go inspect what has happened as one of the group members will be scared by this noise. We will then cut to a diegetic scream created by the character inspecting the sound. When the other characters hear this scream we will do a close up of their faces so we can see their expressions. The protagonists will run towards the sound and will discover their friend who has been brutally murdered. We hope to use a camera shot in which there is a close up of the antagonist's hand and he will be holdings a bloody axe. This will build climax for the audience. The last shot will be the first time that the antagonist is shown to the audience and once he is shown there will be a non diegetic sound effect of a conductor's whistle which will get louder as the film opening finishes. The whistle will also help the audience make the connection to the narrative. This whistle will be the film openings recognisable sound which will make the audience recognise the film.

The Theme

When the audience watches the film I think it will make them wonder why the antagonist is targeting the group of protagonists. I would like the opening for our film to be based on revenge. I want the audience to wonder what has happened in the past to cause the antagonist to go on the murder spree and why he has targeted the group of protagonists. The theme could also be stalking as the antagonist is following the group of protagonists around and is killing them off one by one. These themes will be good for our target audience as they would expect a revenge/stalking theme to be included in Slasher and horror films.


The Narrative
The narrative of our film will hopefully be a quite simple one. We hope to include a short dialogue in which the audience gets to know the characters and what they are like. We hope this dialogue will also help to show and reinforce the stereotypes that each character is representing. The dialogue will be similar to a conversation and will be quite informal. The narrative will be set in present time of filming which could make the narrative seem more realistic to the audience which could make them more scared- something they expect to be when watching a Slasher film. There will be diegetic sounds in the narrative such as the sound of the antagonist hiding behind a bus or tree whilst watching the protagonists. There will also be a diegetic sound of one of the protagonists screaming in pain whilst being murdered. However we will also add in non diegetic sound effect like the conductors whistle so the audience can make the connection between the whistle and the narrative. We will also include some incidental sound in the climax building up to the murder to build atmosphere for the audience.


The Characters.
In our film there are four main characters. The antagonist and the tree protagonists. The antagonist is going to be played by Joe James. The reason we selected Joe to play the role of the antagonist is because Joe had the right physical build. The build needed for our antagonist is slim and tall and that is what Joe is. We also selected him because no talking is needed and but acting is required and we as a group felt that Joe would fit the role correctly. We also selected Joe for this role as he is male and conventionally in horror and Slasher films the antagonist is usually male. The characteristics of the role will need to be quiet and quite sly- this will make the antagonist look creepy and intimidating. The clothing of this character will be dark items of clothing like black shirts, jeans and shoes. We want this because black is usually associated with death and the grim reaper. A mask will also be worn so the audience and the protagonists do not know the identity of the antagonist.


One of the members of the protagonist group is going to be a drama queen stereotype. For this role we selected Sophie Paul. We chose Sophie to play this role because she is a good actress and enjoy appearing in plays and pantomimes. Therefore she has the experience that we need. Due to the fact that she has experience it will mean that she will get into the role well. We also selected Sophie because she is female and drama queens are stereotypically female characters. The personality of this character needs to have a strong personality and also needs to be very dramatic. The clothing that this character will wear is going to be stereotypically girly clothing like skirts and items of pink clothing.


Another member of the protagonist group is Edward Morgan. Ed will be portraying the role of the nerd character. We selected Ed for this role as he like Sophie has been in many plays and pantomimes and is very experienced and will fit the role correctly. We also selected Ed for this role because of his appearance. Ed wears glasses and is average height and is quite lanky, this could help to reinforce the nerd stereotype to the audience. The personality of this character will need to be quite scared and will also need to show the audience that they are clever. The nerd character may also be pushed round by the stereotypical jock character. The costume of this character will need to reinforce the nerd stereotype so the character will need to be wearing glasses, sleeve less jumper and chino style trousers.


The last character of the protagonist group is the jock character. The role will be played by Malachi- Dempsey- Clark. We decided to use Mal to portray this role because he has done some acting in the past and would be quite experienced which is good for our film. Mal also looks like he would fit the role well of a Jock due to the fact that mal has a good physical build. The characteristics that mal will need to portray is cockiness as jocks are stereotypically mean and cocky to everyone around them. Mal will also need to portray someone who is quite flirtatious as jocks also have the stereotype of being a player with women. The costume that the jock character will need to wear are jeans and a plain t-shirt combined with a varsity jacket or a leather jacket as this is stereotypically the type of clothing that jocks wear.


The setting and choice of location.
For our film opening we have decided to film in Chacombe where there is an abandoned train track/tunnel area. We chose to film here because it relates and links in with our narrative and the character of the antagonist. Another reason we chose to film here is because it is very isolated which will create a good atmosphere for our film opening. Due to the location being isolated this means that it could make the narrative more realistic as it looks like the group of protagonists have no where to run or hide. (See blog post on Location Scouting for image and test shots of film opening in our chose location).


Mise En Scene.
The lighting that we will use will be a combination of high key and low key lighting. We hope to film in a time of day where it is light our but will slowly get dark. This can make the audience think that this hunt has been going on for a while. We may also only film is high key lighting as is makes our film opening look more realistic. The costumes of our actors will be dressed according to their characters, stereotypes and personalities. The makeup of the characters are going to be quite simple. The drama queen character will have stereotypically girly makeup like lipstick and eyeliner, we want this character to reinforce the archetype of woman liking lots of makeup on. The antagonist will have a plain white art mask which will create the icon for our film. The prop for the weapon that we will use is going to be a woodcutters axe, the antagonist will use this to kill of the protagonists in the film opening.


The camera work.
When filming our opening we need to think about camera shots and angles. We will start with an establishing shot of the location to set the scene for the audience. This shot will a longshot so the audience can see the majority of the area we have selected for filming. When the characters are walking down the pathways talking we will use shots like long shots so the audience can see the costume of the characters and can see their whole body. When each character talks we will use medium close ups so the audience can have a good view of the character from shoulder and upwards. When the antagonist comes into the opening of the film he will be hiding behind some trees/bushes. We will film this part in a point of view shot through the vegetation so it looks like the antagonist is watching. We may also include another shot of the antagonist watching the protagonists behind them using an over the shoulder shot. When it come to the first murder we will do an extreme close up off the axe in the hand of the antagonist reinforcing the violence in that scene. We will also try to use some tracking shots so the audience will feel as if they are walking along with the protagonist group.


The Editing.
During the editing process of our film we will use effects like cutting to give our film short snappy editing. The editing effect will also make the scene change look more fluent. When we are editing we will use the same effect for each part to make the opening look consistent and uniform. However at the beginning of the film opening we will show the title of the film and we might use a dissolve transition so the title fades to black and the establishing shot replaces this dark background. The filming of our opening will take place during the day however in the editing process e may decide to use filters to create a darker environment, giving the opening a darker eerie atmosphere.

The Big Pitch

This is a video of our pitch explaining to our class what would be in our film opening.

Target Audience.

My film opening is in the genre Horror and the sub genre Slasher. Due to this my group and myself need to think about what age our target audience would be, this target audiences needs to be the right age so the film will appeal and will be liked by this age gap. We also need to think about the primary and secondary genders that our film opening will appeal to.

My group members and myself discussed and decided on a target audience that we felt would be appropriate to our target audience. We has discussed the possibility of having a target audience of people between the ages of 12-40. However we did not decide this as we thought 12 being the youngest would mean that the children and more naïve and may get scared or get nightmares from the storyline. Another reason why we thought not to pick 12 as our youngest is because most children of that age do not enjoy Slasher films and would prefer genres like action and adventure or science fiction/fantasy.

Myself and my group members also thought about what our eldest age would be for our film opening. We had talked about people in the 40s age range to be interested. However we decided not to because people over the age of 30/35 may not find Slasher film interesting and could find them immature or boring. From our discussion my group members and myself decided that our target audience would be people aged between 14-35. We decided on this age range because we felt that 14 was a suitable age for teenagers to be watching this particular genre of film without them being terrified and getting nightmares. We thought this was a more mature age than 12.  Using 14 as our target audience could also relate to the narrative as it included teenagers around that age. This could make the narrative and the characters relate to our target audience. We decided to have the oldest age in our target audience to be 35 as many this age still enjoy watching Slasher films and would think of  the film as boring or immature.

My group and myself also thought a lot about what would be our primary and secondary genders that this opening would appeal. The primary gender of this film is males. We chose males because stereotypically males like to go and see horror films and enjoy the gore that is in them. Men stereotypically like going to see them with females so they can cuddle and "protect" them- reinforcing the archetype that males need to protect females. Females are our secondary gender because stereotypically females do not like scary films like Slashers because they usually include lots of gore and blood. However we do know that there are some females who do like this genre and sub genre because they enjoy the narrative and the climax which is included in Slasher films.

Film opening mood board.

This is my mood board for my film opening. I have included elements that will occur in my film opening.

Initial Ideas

This is my groups initial ideas mind map. We thought about narrative, mise en scene, location etc.

Things to consider.

Things to consider

When filming our opening we must consider how long each filming session will take We also need to consider what time of day we will start filming as it gets dark earlier now. We also need to consider other arrangements our group members and actors have made and if they have any other commitments that may clash with filming time for example jobs. We need to consider and think about doing a filming session when everyone is available and if they will also be able to get to the filming location when they are required. We need to plan and film around any other commitments my team members or the actors have already made in advance and cannot be changed for example jobs or family events. Cost is a vital thing we need to think about. The group and I need to consider if we use any props how much they will cost. We also need to think what props we will use and all members of the production should look at their own homes to see if they own ay props that are needed before we go out and purchase them. When we are filming we also need to consider the natural lighting that we will be using for our opening. As it gets darks earlier now in the evening we need to plan what time we will start filming so one scene isn't darker or lighter than the other.

Choosing the idea.

The Narrative

The narrative of our storyline is about 3/4 teenagers who are a group of friends, they will each be in the stereotypical groups you would expect in school for example nerd, drama queen etc. This will reinforce the stereotypes that the target audience will be used to seeing during education themselves. We will see the main group of protagonists walking down the location and they will be having a short conversation which will show the audience that they are friends and know each other well. The narrative will then proceed to one of the characters hearing something. One of the character (probably male) will go off and to see what has happened to make the other protagonist feel "safe". When this character does not return the other characters start to panic and become worried which will help to build the climax for the audience. One of the other group members (a female) will go after the first male character after the group members hear cries of pain.

The antagonist will kill the first character and when the deceased character has been discovered by the other group members they will hear an eerie train whistle. The main group will turn around and see the antagonist dressed in black with a mask on with a axe or knife.

The train whistle will link into the narrative as the location of the opening will be in a abandoned train tunnel as the antagonist will be portraying a conductor who is a serial killer.

 Mise En Scene

The location of our film opening will be in Chacombe where there is an abandoned train tunnel. The reason we chose this location was because it fits in well with the narrative. Another reason is when we film our opening we can do it in high key lighting however when you go inside the tunnel it becomes more low key lighting and can build tension and climax. Also if we film in high key lighting there may be a possibility of the light streaming in through the tunnel which could help to emphasise certain features that hit this particular light. The costume that the protagonists will be wearing will reflect their personality. For example the nerd character will be dressed smartly whereas the drama queen will be dressed over the top to reflect her personality. They will also be dressed this way because it will help the audience distinguish the protagonists from the antagonist. The antagonist will be wearing the opposite to the protagonists. The villain of our film will be wearing dark clothing and will be have a mask. The mask is one of the codes and conventions that the audience will expect from a Slasher film. The makeup of the female protagonists will follow the archetype of females always wearing makeup and caring about their appearance. Therefore the female protagonist will be wearing makeup as it also goes with her dram queen personality in the film.

The lighting for the film will be high key and low key.. The high key lightning elements will make the opening seem happy and as if there are no troubles. We will also use low key lighting to create a darker atmosphere and build tension for the audience.

Some of the camera shots we will use will be an establishing log shot so the audience and can see the location and the atmosphere of the film opening. We will also include some close ups of the characters so the audience can see what the main characters of the film are like.  I will also include an extreme close up of the weapon so it adds emphasis for the audience.

My chosen Genre.

The genre I have chosen for my film is Horror. The sub genre that I have chosen is Slasher. To recreate the codes and conventions that are usually included in Slasher films we will film the opening in low key lighting locations. I will also hope to use incidental sound to create the tense and creepy atmosphere that people would expect from Slasher films. This incidental music will also build a climax which is also expected from a Horror film. To recreate other codes and conventions which are in Slasher films we will include a physical threat and a physical weapon such as knife or axe. This will help to fulfil the audiences expectations of this sub genre.

The characters in the film opening will be dressed in way in which the audience can distinguish the antagonist from the protagonist. The antagonist will be wearing a costume that the audience would expect from a Slasher sub genre for example dark clothing and maybe a mask. The protagonist characters will be wearing clothing that will make them look like  stereotypical teenagers for example jeans and t-shirts. The protagonist will be a teenage character which will form a connection between the character and the target audience of our film. This will help our film appeal to the age group of teenagers.

The codes and conventions of Slasher films are usually a small group of teenage males and females are either lost or exploring a low key location whilst a serial killer is on the loose (the protagonists may not be aware of the killer until someone is killed off). Usually each character is killed off one at a time.

I hope to use these codes and conventions in my film to the narrative that is usually expected in this sub genre, this will also use the codes and conventions to build up the tension and climax for the audiences pleasure.

Slasher Mood Board