Audience Feedback

Below is a video of the focus group we created in order to gain valid audience feedback. The focus group consists of a number of both teachers and students, all chosen at random. This increases the representativeness of the feedback we get, therefore it can be assumed that from the feedback we can generalise with regards to our wider audience. 

audience feedback (1) from Alexia Docker on Vimeo.

Rough Cut Edit

Above is a copy of the rough cut of our trailer for our film 'Somnium'. This is the stage we are currently up to, improvements still need to be made to certain aspects of the trailer.

What rating would our production be?

According to the BBFC our production would be rated as a 15. Below is a copy of what is written on the official BBFC website, stating the criteria of a 15 rated film.

What might I see in a 15 rated film or video?

Any of the following:

•   strong violence
•  frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
•   portrayals of sexual activity
•   strong verbal references to sex
•   sexual nudity
•   brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
•   discriminatory language or behaviour
•   drug taking

What about horror works?

At 15 there can be strong threat and horror as long as there is no sustained focus on sadistic or sexualised threat.

Our production fits into some of this criteria such as strong language and violence, also being a horror and potentially giving children under the given age nightmares. 

According to the hypodermic needle theory, a significant reason for our production to be rated as a 15 is because children are passive users of media, and therefore more likely to re-enact anything they view. For example, it can be argued that the media may have been an influence on the Jamie Bulgur case, in which a young boy was brutally murdered by other young boys. Therefore by restricting people below the age stated from viewing the film, tragic problems as such can hopefully become avoided.

Permission Slips

Permission slips were needed from our cast before we were allowed to start filming. As the majority of our cast were under the age of 18, we also needed the permission slips to be signed by their parents or guardians. Permission slips are extremely important as they give written consent. Below are some images of the permission slips we used.

Layla Khan's Permission Slip

Rosie Goddard's Permission Slip

Eleni's Permission Slip

Changes to Shot List

During our first shoot we found that some of the shots were slightly ambitious, and therefore not attainable. As we went along we changed the shots to fit what we saw best at the time. This proved to be successful because the changes we made worked out better than the initial ideas. Below there are images of the changes we made. 

Shot List

Shot List

Props and Costume

KNIFE:

A knife was used by Layla to enhance her sinister, unnerving image. As the knife can be potentially harmful, safety precautions had to be taken. This included; no running with the knife, holding the knife correctly, putting it down when it's use isn't required, and being sensible with it.

OPTREX:

Rosie used optrex eyewash in her crying scene. The aim of this was to make her eyes look wet, like she's been crying, without irritating her eyes. As the solution in of the same consistency as the eye, it didn't irritate her eyes, and was effective.

BANDAGE:

Layla had numerous festival wristbands on her arm, which obviously would have looked out of place and unrealistic on our character. As they are irremovable, we wrapped a bandage around them and carefully applied ketchup in places as a substitute of blood. 

CHILDREN'S NIGHTGOWN:

This was worn by Eleni, who plays the part of Rosie's younger self, in our flashback to Rosie's persistent nightmares when she was a child. Pink was the most favorable color as it is the colour of the whole bedroom that we filmed in, and it is the most stereo-typically common color amongst young girls of this age. It also connotes innocence and feminism, which portrays the young Rosie as a sweet, normal, innocent character. This is what we were aiming to achieve. 

NIGHTGOWN:

This was the outfit that was worn by Layla, the antagonist. This was chosen because often in horror films such as 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge', in which the antagonists are of a similar style to out antagonist, white nightgowns, or something of the sort are worn. This gives an unnerving, creepy effect. Also, the light, airy material of the night gown moves in a floating motion, which can resembles a ghost, which clearly is quite fitting to our production.

ROSIE'S COSTUME:

Rosie's character is a young woman supposedly in her twenties, with the job of a newly qualified teacher. It was our aim to portray her as quite feminine and gentle due to the kind nature of her job. In the teaching scene which was filmed at school, Rosie wore a leather jacket to make her look more professional and office-like.

In a few scenes at Gabby's house in our final shoot, Rosie wore a dark red jumper with a collar, and a black skirt and tights. This was also meant to be an office-like outfit, this is because in our production Rosie has just come home from work.

ELENI'S MOM:

Eleni's mom wore a grey coloured dressing gown. This was because her scene involved putting her daughter to bed, and kissing her good night, therefore it was appropriate to dress her in her nightwear.

Storyboard

Below is the storyboard that we created for our production.


Storyboard

Script - Final Draft

SOMNIUM-final Draft PDF by AlexiaDocker

Script - Draft 2

SOMNIUM-draft 2 PDF by AlexiaDocker

Production Company Logo and Research

We decided to use the production company which my group last year created for our AS project. This production company logo was created using, thorough research, for a thriller that we made last year, and therefore looks suitable and appropriate for our horror trailer. Binary oppositions were used, black and white; this is to connote good and evil, sane and insane, day and night. All of which can be related to the theme of the trailer. 

The image of a black and white animated eye makes the viewer feel almost as they're being watched in a creepy way, almost as if they can't escape the gaze. This is fitting because the main character of our trailer, Rosie, can't escape the nightmares she's having. 

The sans serif font is in bold, black, uppercase letters. The purpose of this is so it stands out, and looks clear, and aggressive. 

We chose 'Blumhouse Productions' as our second production company associated with our trailer. This is a real company responsible for the efficient production of films such as; Paranormal Activity (1,2,3&4), Jessabelle, Ouija, and Sinister; all of which are of the horror genre. However the film produced by this company which swayed our decision to use them was Insidious. This is because Insidious is of a similar theme to our film.

Our Cast

Rosie Goddard

Rosie Goddard

To play the part of Rosie, our protagonist, we cast Rosie Goddard. Rosie is a 5 foot 6, slim, fair skinned female, with long light brown hair. She is also quite natural looking, and pretty. These characteristics make her a suitable person to play the role, as stereo-typically speaking her characteristics connote kindness, innocent and generally nice, which are all things we aim to make our character be. 

Rosie has had experience in acting too, recently she starred in a film named 'The Knife That Killed Me'. We thought our trailer would be a great opportunity for her to use as part of her acting portfolio, and it would enhance our trailer as the acting would be more professional. In addition to this, because she is more of an experienced actor, it would take less time to film her scenes as she wouldn't necessarily laugh or be embarrassed as much as other more amateur actors would. Generally her experience would make her over all quicker than someone of less experience, therefore making our shoots more time efficient.  

Eleni Gregoriou

To play the younger version of Rosie, we chose Gabby's neighbour, Eleni. It proved to be quite difficult to find a young girl who was willing to play this role in our trailer, this is because collectively we didn't know many young girls. We didn't really have a specific criteria that this girl had to fit other than being young, therefore didn't need to be particularly picky with our choice, which of course made it easier to cast someone. It is also very convenient for us as Eleni lives next door to Gabby, who's house is one of our filming locations. This means that Eleni is easily accessible, and with her being young, has a reasonably clear schedule, which means she is available when we need her to be. As she is only young, we asked her mother for permission, she said yes and was very positive and excited about it. 

Gabby described Eleni as a performing arts kind of person. She has starred in a school production, and has written a couple of her own songs where she sings and plays guitar. This is useful as she obviously enjoys performing and therefore is eager and willing to play this role. Also, with her being young, outgoing, and used to performing, it means she will be less awkward and embarrassed and therefore be easier to work with than someone who's not. 


George Bury

George plays the role of Rosie's boyfriend. He isn't needed for many scenes and doesn't have a significant role in the production. When we mentioned our production to him, and the role available to him, he showed enthusiasm and seemed eager to fill the role. He is a confident person who has a talent for performing. He has hosted charity evenings, acted numerous roles in school productions, and also studies drama. 




For the role of the antagonist

Initially, we wanted an old woman to play the role of the antagonist. We emailed an amateur acting club asking if they had anyone willing to play the role. We didn't get a response and therefore had to use someone else. The email we sent them is shown below.


 From: Francesca Roncoli <francescavroncoli@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 22, 2014 at 1:52 PM
Subject: Actors wanted
To: info@summerseatplayers.co.uk

We are 4 A level students from Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School producing a thriller trailer. In this trailer we hoped to have an actor to play the part of an older woman who will act as the villain. One member of our group has visited your theatre and speaks highly of your productions. We would appreciate if you could get back to us as we hope to start filming within the next upcoming weeks. There would be no speaking in the part just practical acting, so it would not take up a lot of time to rehearse, we could send scripts at a later date for a better understanding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Frankie, Gabby, Alexia and Rosie.

Layla Khan

Layla was chosen to play the part of Evelin Crick, the antagonist. She is a 5ft2 female student at BRGS, which is useful as she is easily accessible. Also, she has dark features which correspond with the image we are trying to capture in her character.

Layla studied drama at GCSE where she achieved an A*, meaning that she is not an amateur as such when it comes to acting. Experience means that her scenes will take less time to film as she is more professional and serious compared to someone who hasn't had experience who may waste time laughing, and who may not give their best due to the embarrassment they may feel.

Eleni's Mom:

We cast Eleni's mom last minute, this is because we didn't have anyone to play this role, and she openly offered. This was useful because although she had little acting experience, she made Eleni feel comfortable. This comfort dramatically helped Eleni's performance, as she no longer felt as shy or embarrassed as she may have been without her mother.

Roles of the crew

Director- Frankie Roncoli

Assistant Director- Alexia Docker

Editor- Gabby Royle

Producer- Rosie Chatterjea

Assistant editors- Francesca Roncoli, Alexia Docker, Rosie Chatterjea 

Director of Photography- Gabby Royle

Make up and hair- Rosie Chatterjea

Script- Francesca Roncoli and Rosie Chatterjea

Storyboard- Alexia Docker

Sound Production and Designer- Alexia Docker

Director

Film directors have control over the creative aspects of the film being made. They basically translate the script into the actual scene, controlling the camera operators, and directing the actors on how a scene should be acted out. Also, they work with the editors, and oversee the work they're doing. Finally, the sound is added under their consent. 


Assistant Director

Assistant directors track the all round progress of the film and compare it to the film production schedule. Their job is to make sure everything is running smoothly and the production is on schedule. Another aspect of their job is taking care of health and safety of the crew.

They're in charge of creating daily call sheets, which are an essential key to organization. Call sheets contain the information of all the actors that are needed that day, what times they are 'in' and 'out', and the times and lengths of the breaks the actors have. They also state which scenes are being filmed that day, and again who is in them. They also have the crew members names, roles, and details. This is so they can be contacted and reached when needed by anyone who has a call sheet. In addition to this, call sheets have the name and address of the nearest emergency center, which is needed as health and safety in case of an accident. Below is an example of a cal sheet.

Editor

Editing is a post production process; editors are responsible for assembling the raw material that has been captured into a finished product which is suitable and ready for viewing. The raw material that editors work with include sound effects, camera footage, special effects etc. An editing software is used, for example, our editor will be using 'Pinnacle Studio 15'. The editing software allows the editor to cut clips, put them in an order, add sound, and do various other things. The software also has sound effects that can be used, and features such as slow motion and different filters. Below is a screenshot of the editing software we will use. 

Producer

Producers have a massive role in making a film, they can be described as the 'main players in television' according to a Wikipedia page on producers. Firstly, they arrange the funding needed for each project, and are greatly responsible for ensuring the each project stays within the budget. In addition to this, the producer oversees each project, and essentially directs too. They also can be involved in the marketing and distribution of the film; their job covers a wide range of things. 

Choosing A Title

As our film is about a demonic woman haunting our character's dreams, we thought it would be quite fitting to base our title around. Therefore we researched demonic women, and different words for them. This is shown in the image below. However, this was unsuccessful as we didn't find a suitable word that we thought bold and fitting enough to name our film with. 

Then, we decided to search for Latin words relating to dreams and nightmares, as our film is about nightmares. The Latin language is very historic and can be quite scary when used in a particular way. We considered the following Latin words: Diablo, Venegeance, Pesadilla, Incubus, and Tantibus. However the one we agreed on naming our film was 'Somnium'. This makes a strong, bold, intriguing title, whilst also being relevant and of great meaning to the film. It means 'day dream' in Latin. The image below shows the English to Latin translation of the word 'dream', which is how we came up with our title 'Somnium'. 

Script - Draft 1

SOMNIUM 1st Draft PDF (1) by AlexiaDocker

New Idea

After our group changed, our idea also changed. Below shows an image of the new flip chart we made, again inspired by that of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg in the making of 'Hot Fuzz'. It shows a written description of our new idea for our A2 production. 

Star image and power

If there was to be a film following our trailer, and I could cast a famous Hollywood actress to play the part of Rosie, I would want to cast Jennifer Lawrence. This is because of two main reasons; one being that she has a huge fan base and star power, the other being that her previous roles, and the characteristics of her personality are alike with those we hope to create in Rosie.

Her fame came with the release of 'The Hunger Games' as she played, and still plays, the main role of 'Katniss Everdeen'. These films are a huge hit and have allowed Jen to be recognized worldwide. Also, these films have created a huge fan base, and within that Jennifer also has a huge fan base. This is useful as Jennifer alone has the power to open a film, as she is popular enough that the audience will go to see a film just because she is in it. Her star power would almost guarantee success for our film. This coincides with Richard Dyers star theory, in which he refers to stars as images that have been constructed through magazines, films, and advertising, rather than real people.

The Hunger Games

In almost all of the films Jennifer stars in, she has a bold, strong minded attitude. She is always portrayed in a way that the audience both like, and respect her for her individual actions. This is an important characteristic of the female hero in any film, this is what makes Jennifer so suitable for our trailer. Physically, she has a fresh face and is quite natural looking, this along with her slim figure make her appear vulnerable and naive, however her personality shows us that she's not vulnerable, which again, makes her a good choice for the main role in our trailer.

Production Diary 3/12/14

This was our final shoot. We aimed to get the majority of the scenes we had left to do today, yet we managed to film all of them, plus some extra shots we came up with spontaneously. The actors we had present were Rosie, Layla, Eleni, and Eleni's mom.

We filmed at two different locations, Eleni's house, and Gabby's house. All of Rosie's scenes were at Gabby's house. Again, we had to do Layla's make up, to transform her into her dark, sinister character.

Some good shots were filmed, and new ideas were put forward regarding different scenes whilst we were filming. We expanded our creative aspects and improved the scenes from the base ideas.

We filmed an over the shoulder shot of Layla looking down on Rosie walking across the hall, this was effective in creating a unnerving atmosphere in which Rosie feels as though she is being watched, and haunted by her dreams. 

Eleni is only 8 years old, which made her shy nature understandable. This could have potentially caused us some problems regarding time management if her mom wasn't there to make her feel comfortable. Her mom also played a role in this scene, kissing Eleni on the head as she goes to sleep. This scene went surprisingly well, and took just under half an hour to film.

Our time management this time wasn't as efficient as it may have previously been. After completing Rosie's scenes we had a whole hour to wait until we could film Eleni's scene, this is because she was attending a Christmas fair at her school. In this time, we had nothing to do, and it meant we finished an hour later. To avoid complications such as this we should have kept in good contact with Eleni's mom, and started filming at a later time to ensure we aren't wasting time.

Call Sheet - 3/12/2014

Call Sheet 3.12.14

Production Diary 30/11/14

Hair and Make-up

After arriving at our location, we had to prepare Layla for her scenes. This included doing her make up and hair, in order to make her appear scary which is essential for her characters role. We put four on her face to make it white, it proved to be quite hard to stick the flour onto the face, even when we used water as a base. We also tried using Vaseline as a base, which did stick the flour better, however it as hard to apply to the face. 

Applying make up

We tried different hairstyles so that we could chose which one had the greatest effect. These are shown below.

Filming

First, we positioned the camera behind an upstairs window over looking the drive of the house, where Layla is filmed walking slowly towards the house. This scene wasn't planned, however when we saw the triangular shape of this window, we decided it would add a greater creepy effect to our production. 

As we set up to film the scene where Layla is seen rocking on a chair with a knife, we noticed the mirror close by, and again had another idea of filming a shot using the mirror. The use of reflection is common in horror films, it adds an unsuspecting element. We noticed a candle by the side of the mirror, and lit it in order to create a more sinister, gloomy atmosphere. 

A knife being used in our production meant that safety precautions had to be taken. This included holding the knife properly, not running with it, and putting it safely down when its use is not required. 

The final scene we shot was of an actual nightmare that Rosie has. For this scene, because it is supposed to be a dream, it seemed acceptable to stretch reality further. Therefore we swung a bright white light  over Layla's head as she sat rocking and laughing on a chair in a dark room. This gave a disorientating and somewhat surreal effect, making it distinctive from the other scenes Layla has been in, and appear more as a dream/nightmare. This scene went very well, and contributed greatly to the horror elements in our production.  

Conclusion

Overall it was a productive shoot, and we were very time efficient, completing more scenes than we had set out to do. Also, we added extra unplanned scenes that we thought would be good in our production at the time. 

However initially, both Rosie and Layla were supposed to be attending the shoot. However, at last minute Rosie put forward that she wasn't able to. This set us back a bit, as we had to change the scenes we had planned to film with Rosie in, to ones where she wasn't needed. From this we learnt that we should keep better contact with our crew and cast. 

Call Sheet - 30/11/12

Call Sheet 30.11.14

Production Diary - 12/11/14

We set out with the aim of completing scenes 8, 13, 14, and 15. Obviously our aim wasn't realistic to the time scale we set ourselves, however we did get the majority of it done, bar a couple of scenes. 

Firstly, we filmed the scene where Rosie is a teacher in a classroom filled with students. She silences them and then writes 'Somnium' on the whiteboard. When filming this we had to ensure the students were facing the front at all times. This is because the camera was at the back of the classroom, and we only have permission to film the backs of the students head. If we had caught their faces on camera we would have had to send out permission slips to their parents as they're under 18 and cannot consent themselves. 

One thing that we could improve for this scene is the writing on the board. Rosie wrote 'Somnium' too big and it appears broken when the camera footage is played back. Other than this the filming of this scene went very well, and took little time. 


The scenes we filmed inside Gabby's house took quite a bit of time to get right. This is because as we were filming more ideas kept coming to our minds and we added things and changed things in order to make it look better. 

We used optrex eye wash as fake tears. When Rosie was supposed to be crying, she put some of this solution into her eye which made it appear as though she was shedding tears. This wasn't harmful for her eye. 

Finally, we filmed a scene outside where Rosie is filmed running down an ally with the camera chasing her. Initially we were supposed to just film Rosie from in front and behind with the camera stationary, however whilst filming we thought it would have a great effect if the camera appears to be chasing her, implying that something else is in fact chasing her. Whilst outside, the weather took a turn for the worst and it began to rain. In order for the camera and other equipment to stay safe and dry, we held an umbrella over it. 

Overall our shoot went well, although we didn't film everything we set out to film, the things we did film were how we wanted them to be, if not better. 

Research Into Representation

According to the Revision Express Media Studied text book ‘Representation relates to the representation of reality in the media’. For example, we are very unlikely to meet David Beckham; therefore our whole knowledge of him comes from the representations in the media. The way the media represent David Beckham greatly influences the attitudes society have towards him. This is the same with everything the media represents, including many social groups such as; age, disability, gender, race, and sexuality.

A moral panic is a public response to a problem that appears to threaten social order. The media are the cause of many moral panics through the over representation and exaggeration of existing problems within society. For example, teenagers are commonly represented as disrespectful and criminal, this being amplified within the media cause society to fear teenagers. However this representation isn’t necessarily true as only a minority of teenagers actually behave in this way.

I’m going to look at the representation of genre, in particular women, as it is women who will star in our trailer. The heightened reality of men and women is represented in the media. For example the ‘ideal stereotypical man’ is tall, muscular, and masculine, whereas the ‘ideal stereotypical woman’ is thin, innocent, angelic, beautiful and feminine. These stereotypes are commonly used in the way men and women are represented.

A big example of the way an ‘ideal woman’ is portrayed is through Disney Princesses. Disney Princesses such as Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella, are all kind hearted, feminine women. They are all portrayed as innocent and beautiful. For example, in Cinderella, her two step sisters are described as ‘ugly’ and their personalities are portrayed as mean, and as a result of this they don’t end up with the Prince. However, Cinderella is portrayed as stereotypical ‘ideal woman’ and she ends up with the Prince.   

Carol Clover’s final girl theory shows that in horror films it is normally the ‘ideal’ girl who survives, and who goes up against the antagonist. The victims of the films are usually the girls who are sexually available, and use drugs, and generally challenge the innocent representation of women. Carol points out that the ‘final girl’ has usually abstained from such activities that would taint her ideal womanly image, and therefore not be punished by being killed in the film like the other women. Therefore it gives a message to the audience that challenging the image of the ‘ideal woman’ results in punishment, and it emphasises the characteristics of the ‘ideal woman’, setting an example to women.

Our main character, Rosie Goddard, is also going to be presented as a stereotypical ‘ideal woman’. The nightmares her character will experience in the trailer will represent her weakness and vulnerability. Her character’s job as a teacher will show her caring, maternal, kind, and feminine nature, which will inevitably provide her with the characteristics of being an ‘ideal woman’. This way, the audience will empathise with her more, and want her to survive, and therefore be satisfied when she does.

Call Sheet - 12/11/14

Call sheet 2 12-11 by AlexiaDocker

Research Into Similar Trailer - The Ring

The Ring (2002)

The lighting is very dull, and everything seems to be hidden in ambiguous shadows. The colours are very dull and grey, setting an unnerving atmosphere. The sky always appears to be dull, grey, and full of clouds. 

The pace of editing quickens during a scary, tension filled scene. For example, fast paced editing is seen in the opening scene when the TV is heard crackling, and won't turn off. In addition to this, close ups are used frequently in these scary scenes. The reason for this is to show the characters emotions and expressions. This also allows the audience to see less of the setting, making it easier  to scare and surprise them with which shot is used next.

The Ring mise-en-scene and TV

Example of a close up used

The mise-en-scene is realistic and simple, representing a normal suburban house. The audience can identify with this setting, as it is similar to any ordinary house. The aim of this is to lure the audience into a false sense of security, where they think that the house is a secure, safe location, when in fact certain scary events are to take place here.

The Ring mise-en-scene

The font for the title is in the films specific style. It is white on a black background, the white letters appear to be light seeping through the black background. The image below shows the title for the film, it is supposed to look like the image was taken from the bottom of a well. The  font is simplistic and child-like, and in monochrome. 

White noise from a TV is a prominent noise throughout the opening of the trailer, sometimes diegetic, and sometimes not. The first piece of dialogue heard is 'Have you heard about this video tape that kills you when you watch it?' this immediately interests the audience and leaves them slightly on edge. After the dialogue the white noise becomes louder and then stops suddenly. Eerie orchestral music involving chimes is the played, with the occasional fuzz of white noise. After the tape is watched the phone is heard ringing, the sound of the phone is exaggerated, loud, piercing, and unnerving, this builds tension and encourages the audience to fear the phone, and what is on the other end of it. 

There is a diegetic sound of '7 days' being repeatedly whispered through the phone, the quite unsettling noise of the whisper created mystery and tension as the voice is unidentifiable and threatening. The orchestral music quickens it's pace correspondent to the pace of editing, creating more tension.

Research Into Similar Posters. - The Ring/The Woman In Black

The Ring Two

Before designing my own poster I looked at the poster for The Ring, in order to get an idea of the different conventions of a horror film poster. Immediately the use of monochrome and lack of colour was brought to my attention. This gives the poster a more sinister, cold feel, immediately defining it as a horror film poster. 

The poster is very simple and vague, intriguing the viewer, and not giving much away. The faded, fuzzy effect on the poster represents the fuzzing, and white noise of the tape that kills people. 

The tag line says 'Before you die, you see', which is a intriguing statement which leaves the viewer wondering what they will see.

The billing block is positioned at the bottom of the poster in a long, thin font. This appears to be the same on the majority of film posters.

The Woman in Black 2 

The tag lines is positioned at different places on the shadow who is the woman in black. 'She never forgives. She never forgets. She never left.' is a broken up tag line, using rule of thirds, creating emphasis on 'She never..'. This makes the tagline more bold and imperative. 

Again, there is a lack of colour, and a grey filter appears to have been used to dull the colour.  It is hard to distinguish whether or not the image of the woman in black is a shadow, this scares the audience because it makes her more mysterious and unidentifiable.

The image takes up the whole of the poster, with the main feature in the centre, making it stand out.