Crowd Funding

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CF, MA, MODULE 101

Funding a Film

When working on a film, i am usually the writer or i chose a script which can be made on a small budget. Especially being a student, I feel in order to make a project a successful when there is a deadline to work to you have to be realistic. So in order to achieve this a script has to be written with a setting, with props and with costumes that can be possible to create on a small budget.

For either big or small projects, there are many ways of funding with the help of others. Online is the most popular with sites such as https://www.gofundme.com/ with it’s wide range of users willing to support aspiring artists. Using a site like this, you have to not only sell your project idea but yourself, describing oneself as an Independent Film-maker with links to previous projects gives you a head start when getting people to submit their money to you and a project they are interested in helping with.

Using Crowdfunding 

With my research into Crowdfunding, the most popular method for building and succeeding in my campaign on my chosen online platform is “The Four P’s of Crowdfunding”, as identified by Trigonis: the Pitch, the Perks, Promotion, and Personalization.

The Pitch

Just as your pitch reels in donors and investors in the noncommercial and commercial arenas of independent film financing, so your pitch in the crowdfunding arena is responsible for piquing interest that can convert to support. But instead of pitching in person over lunch or in an elevator, you make your pitch in the form of a short video.

A pitch is the introduction to ones projects, to go through details, explain the concept and story while also piquing interest that can bring in support from outside financing. Personally i’m used to pitching in person, either to one other individual or a room to individuals. Undeterred by finding it daunting to public speak, i find it more dense to interview myself on camera – which is the most successful way to pitch my project to online supporters in the form of a short video.

For a pitch there are certain points to outline to not just make it simple but successful:

• The Introduction:  When beginning a pitch i introduce myself – my name, who i am, daring to show my personality – this showing i want to connect with my audience and to show i care more about my product.

• The Pitch: Now i have presented who i am as a person – it’s time to show myself as a filmmaker. While not giving too much away about my film, i want to tease what my film is about, with mentions of practical details such as timelines and budget to demonstrate my willingness to succeed in my project. I also want to mention why i am to the crowd and how they will be specifically helping me make this film and what they can receive from me by indicating the rewards i am willing to offer in return for their generosity.

• The Showcase: The showcase is the part of the pitch where i can build credibility with the viewers. I can show previous projects i have worked on and what go into detail about this present project.

• The Call to Action: To conclude, i make it obvious i need the viewers help and direct them in steps on how to support me.

The Perks

As donors and foundations enjoy contributing to films with which they resonate, so the crowd enjoys supporting films in which it believes. Ultimately, however, the average supporter is closer to an investor than to a noncommercial funding source. Where an investor expects a shot at profit, a supporter expects the perks he/she is promised.

Part of designing your crowdfunding campaign is creating your perks and factoring them into your rewards levels. For example:

• Pledge £1: Receive a “Special Thanks” on the film’s website.
• Pledge £5: In addition, receive access to an online production diary chronicling the creation of the film.
• Pledge £10: In addition, receive access to a “musical inspiration” playlist curated by the director.
• Pledge £25: In addition, receive a download of the film before it’s released.
• Pledge £50+: In addition, receive a DVD and “Special Thanks” mention in the film’s credits.

The Promotion

Online Marketing has been proven to be the most common and successful way of getting the word out about my projects – this being because of the wider viewing audience. Of course the first step if getting my friends and family involved, these people being supportive in my practice and they can spread the word to other locals in the community about the project. Word of mouth is always a good idea when promoting – this can also be used through social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

The Personalisation

I have always worked in a certain style when working on my films and feedback shows that it is to an extent original – people like to see something they’ve never seen before. This is a great way of sparking more interest across the board instead of re-creating something that has been done too many times, while presenting my project i need to make sure i keep it as innovative as possible.

“What I love about Kickstarter is that it gives filmmakers an opportunity to make smaller, personal films without having to sign away any artistic freedom.” Glenn Paton (Dir. H Positive)

Online Marketing

Online marketing isn’t just a great way to promote my film but to also further my presence as a filmmaker. Setting up online pages on multiple social media and video hosting sites gives me an advantage for getting my name and profession out to a wider audience.

Show Reel

A Show reel of the projects i have created and worked on over the last couple of years.

Tumblr

Tumblr Page set up for promotional purposes – Tumblr is very popular and has a large worldwide audience of all ages. The arts subject is one of the most popular tags that are viewed by users.

http://adkoproductions.tumblr.com/

Vimeo

Vimeo being the most popular among other film artists and searching employers, it is by far the best option to have a profile where all of my work can be viewed and shared.

https://vimeo.com/user29228678

Producing my Project

When making an Indie film on a limited budget there are some simple employed guidlines to follow to simply make it easier in the production process:

Design your film on your surroundings

Lena Dunham, star, writer and producer of the hit HBO series ‘Girls’, shot a huge portion of her directorial debut, ‘Tiny Furniture’, in her parent’s 2-bedroom Tribeca loft. Director Jim Mickle shot most of his first feature, ‘Mulberry Street’, in co-writer/actor Nick Damici’s apartment. When writing ‘Thirteen’ i did the same thing, crafting the locations in the script and narrative to what was surrounding my city, Plymouth. Within a 30-minute drive of the city are rivers, lakes, hills, woods, valleys, and nature preserves – my chosen places being Plym Bridge and Burrator. I tailored my narrative and scene locations to harness the area’s accessible and natural diversity. Doing so kept my locations budget low; my crew moves limited, but still keeping the visual mixture for the film abnormal, considering what is around me and what i had a chance of securing for little to no money in the development phase will save me time, energy, and money.

Props used are what you already own

A large portion of the props that are going to be used in my short film came from a box of previously used props which i had bought for former projects (masks, corset/costumes), knowing i had these gave me the opportunity to re-use them visually throughout the film when designing the theme which helped keep the props budget low and my pre-production phase manageable.

When asking for favours, be as detailed as you can

When using locations, i’m asking people to let myself, my crew, and all of our accompanying gear onto their property and intruding in their day to day lives. It’s a big request, so to give them every bit of information possible goes a long way – even going as far to using the location in the future. I let my location owners know exactly:

• What we are filming
• My crew size
• Our estimated vehicle count for each day
• If we’d like to use their electrical or other facilities (bathrooms)
• When we’d show up each day (down to the minute)
• When we expect to leave

To my Cast Crew

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MA, MODULE 101

pre-production-plan (Downloadable Word Document)

Once setting the date to film with my cast and crew. The next step is to share what i had planned for the film. Because the short is only a minute and half long with no dialogue, this means there is no necessary need for a script.

The main thing i need to keep ahead of is gathering enough ideas for the clips to be used throughout the promo film and the audio behind it (this means making sure my sound designer knows exactly what i want).

I also added some images that inspired my idea for the promo to help visualise what i want for the final cut.

Storyboard

As you can see from my storyboard a lot of my shots will be still shots using a tripod. Some closeup shots will pan with the subjects movements. – the close ups being intimate with the characters to show their intimate side.

I want this to be filmed as simply as possible, only showing subjects and props that are relevant to my story with my chosen timeline to be no more than one minute and thirty seconds. By way of illustration the angel and graveyard will be specifically symbolic for life and death – an important theme in my story, with the angel representing religion which relates to my witches beliefs.

The editing process will be using quick cuts, i feel like i will have plenty of shots to fill the time of the trailer and even re-use certain shots in multiple places. With the style of the film being a vintage take in a modern surrounding i will be using my previous skills i have gained on multiple past projects where edit digital into an analogue style – for example Super 8 with jumping film and a static overlay.

 

My Roles

Producer

My role as a Producer is the most important. I will be in charge of everything from start to finish of this project, my main responsibility making sure my cast and crew are updated at all times and making sure they are doing their job to great standards.

My role including things such as:

• Contacting and hiring the members of my Cast & Crew
• Setting and sticking to a budget
• Finding and confirming locations
• Time Management
• Arranging transport
• Setting up meetings with Cast & Crew
• Making sure things were up to date with everyone during Pre Production, on the days of the shoot and Post Production

Director

When planning how i want my film to look i will be working very closely with my Cinematographer Michael Hawthrone, once i decided on a location (Burrator) we took a few hours to scout the area specifically looking for places which would look best on screen and be most relevant to our witches home location.

This project being a trailer, a script was not completely necessary, especially there being no dialogue with the exception of backing soundtracks. I have drawn out a storyboard, in which to show the shots i feel i absolutely need to show the story of my film idea, for example the surrounding forest, the half pig which connects with paganism and the doll representing the children involved etc, other shots will most likely be shot on the spot as we walk around the location and get the lighting sorted, the main goal is to experiment with the shots not only in pre-production but also while shooting on location.

Editor

The editing role is the most important for me and one of my main goals for this module. This role will include taking all of my footage and collaging them in a way of setting out a timeline for the story without giving too much away. I will also be mixing techniques throughout the short to give the effect of mixing times – for example, editing certain footage into super 8 style. This will give the visual impression the film is set in the past, contrary to also being set in modern times.

I will also be working closely with my Sound Designer, Rebecca Bell in Post Production.

Proposed Crew

Cinematographer: Michael Hawthrone

I have worked with Michael before on my previous film, so he was my first choice when looking for a Cinematographer. His knowledge especially on equipment certainly makes my job easier.

Sound Design: Rebecca Bell

Once i have done a rough copy of the trailer in Post Production, she will receive a sound script, detailing her the inserts of sounds i would like at a specific time throughout the trailer.

With constant communication throughout this process we will be able to determine what fits and what needs to be changed to help the trailer flow and to create suspense – which is the main goal when promoting this certain genre.

Make-up & Prosthetics Artist: Freya Beavis 

Freya will be using her own personal make-up. She has been given two masks that will be be shown throughout this trailer – a pig mask and a red devil mask. She will be needed in pre-production, keeping me updated on any changes that need to be made to the mask to help them look genuine on screen and to have my approval with the final pieces.

Her role will also be very important during filming as she will be responsible for fitting the masks onto the actors and applying any extra prosthetics at the time.

Production Requirements

• Transport arrangement (2 cars needed at most)
• Equipment booking & confirmation (College’s ERC lighting & home equipment)
• Casting (Using mainly female crew plus one outside actress & one outside actor – no lines to be learned)
• Costumes (Corsets & skirts – re-use of previous costumes used)
• Mask re-constructing (by Freya Beavis, to be done on set)
• Time for filming (1 evening needed – 5 hours tops)
• Props (minimal props needed – can be borrowed or re-used from previous projects)

Pre-Production & Synopsis

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MODULE 101

Everything i have planned visually is for a reason – i am trying to keep this theme as original as i can, so for example the setting for the promo will be in a wooded area in the middle of the night – witches working their magic at midnight in the dark, creepy forest is how every scary story should begin.

With my male actors being in masks, i want them to be hidden, my actresses have to show their faces to show the proud side of their characters, this relating back to not only the power of witches but to the power of women – they are centre of attention. They are in control. In films such as ‘The Purge’, we see the villains/criminals in masks, this is hide there identity when committing their crimes. When dealing with an unknown face, most are ordinarily uncomfortable and on edge considering we do not know who is behind the mask, making us a little vulnerable. In Horror we tend to go for the creepier option that will scare and there is commonly a fear against the subject, for example clowns etc.

The masks i have created for this project are gruesome and scary in a sense when suggesting what we normally witness in the Horror. With one being a pig and the other being the devil – these both associate with witch lore and paganism, should anything suggest my film is not about witches, these little hints should be significant in confirming this theory the viewer may have. These masks will be re-imagined by my make-up & prosthetics artist, Freya Beavis, this mainly being done on location with the actor in costume, to make any changes due to the shine from the lighting and forming the mask to to the actor.

The costumes will play the role of keeping it as modern as i possibly can, of course witch craft goes back thousands of years so it was difficult to decide what era i wanted to set these characters in. With a lot of the films and television series airing now, modern day seems to be the more popular choice – this being mainly so the audience can relate more to the story, for example ‘American Horror Story: Coven’, one of our main characters Fiona Goode played by Jessica Lang, a sassy head witch who is very much loved by the audience, and some of her best lines are as popular as they are because they are relatable to modern day life.

With my main female characters living in the woods i want them to be seen in mostly bare feet ad they are living off the land. The colour black is used widely in horror however putting my witches in white gives them a sort of innocence to vaguely fool other characters and the audience if their villainous side.

The main technique i will be using is to keep the short a classic horror – dim lighting, shadows, eerie shapes in the background etc, however i am hoping with my modern day twist, it will be kept original to me – my goal with the final piece is to reveal a baseline to this story without giving too much away, just enough to intrigue the viewer so they want to know more.

To evaluate if i have been successful in my technique to draw in an audience without using original footage of this ‘film’, i will preview the trailer to various viewers in different brackets- for example, age & gender. I am hoping from this i will be able to not only get feedback in the sense of successful or unsuccessful to draw in an audience, but to assess on my editing skills in trailer making and what i can improve on.

Film Synopsis

In a small town surrounded by the deep, dark forest, a little boy discovers the hiding place of a coven of witches only known through bedtime stories and local folklore. Legend has it, these witches practice their magic through the sacrificing rituals through children. When young pre-school children start to go missing, their teacher sets off to take the continuing disappearances of his students into his own hands.

Characters:

Witches – x6 Female Witches – In the coven we meet in the film, there will be one head witch and 5 follows, all of which have powers. The folklore says that the witches are over 500 years old and to keep their youth they sacrifice young children by luring them into the woods and never to be seen again. With only a few missing children being reported in the modern years, they are overlooked by police and search parties, this keeping them off the suspect list. These characters will be leading the film forward, alongside the male lead, who will stumble across their path and figure out their secret. With the witches being young and seductive, their sexuality will either be their way out or their downfall. With this aspect crossing with the femme fatale and feminism aspect of the horror genre, we see these characters as strong females who do use their sexuality as a weapon when compromised by a male character. However, this could be seen from a different characteristic feature of feminism. Are these women only protecting their family and home? Sure they are the villain of the piece, but in a way they are protecting their livelihood, whether this is seen as a villainous act or not. I hope that this will raise a lot of questions from both sides of the feminist argument.

School teacher – Male – This character teaches history in the town local pre-school, when some of his students are reported missing he takes it upon himself to look into the case. With a wide knowledge of the towns surrounding folklore it becomes more applicable that the residents in the woods may be accountable for the missing children. This character will be considered as a lead alongside the witches. With a past of adultery our male lead will have to face the youthful witches as to not fall under their spell of seduction – this linking in with femme fatale as the male characters are manipulated by the females actions.

Child – Male age 8 – This child character is in charge of moving the story forward, with this character being the chosen child the witches need to being their spells to light. As we follow this child, we discover the witches who are living in the woods, and so out story begins with the interaction and the hidden agendas of the witches. With the imagination of ch  ildren i will be using this as a way into the lore of witches and pagan mythology including magic and creatures (half man half pig for example). When children are involved in this horror world they are the priority, they are the ones who must be protected, this usually being the case in any situation. Using this as a base line, i also plan on putting my adult male lead in this very same situation, with both male child and adult being endangered by these foreign powerful women.

Film Breakdown:

I have written a brief breakdown to the starting scenes to the film with added pieces taken from the ongoing script.

Opening Scene 1: We open the film with a series of clips showing news stories of children going missing with dates reverting back at least 50 years (Tv and newspaper) with newscasters voices layered in audio- This will be in the style of my trailer.

Scene 2: We cut from the opening to a long shot of a school – the loud end of school bell ringing  as doors whip open and young children come running out. We are introduced to our leading male character, John, following the children as he is chased by another teacher – she’s asking about tomorrow’s trip.

Scene 3: John’s car, evening – He’s on his bluetooth to his wife letting her know he his on his way home – call ends – radio comes on once the call is ended, the news is talking about a missing child who hasn’t been seen in four days. The radio starts to turn to static, john messes with the radio dial but every station is static. His attention is moves from the radio to the road as a woman is standing in the middle of the road, her white dress dirty and her long dark hair hanging in front of her face tangled. He swerves off the road to the side and breaks to a halt. In panic he looks around trying to catch sight of the woman.

Scene 4: John exits his car, the road is silent, not a single car or person is visible.

(Dialogue Script)

Witch 1

Excuse me mister?

John

(John springs around to find the woman who in the white dress standing being him – her dress pristine white and her hair tied back in a bun)

Are you okay, i am so sorry i didn’t see you!

Witch 1

Don’t be silly, i was trying to flag you over. My car broke down here of all places. Can you help me?

(She point to her car on the opposite side of the road, the red tail lights illuminating the trees)

John

Yes, yes of course. Are you sure you’re okay?

Witch 1

I’m quite alright, i make a habbit of being the dear in the headlights

(She gives him a little wink)

Scene 5:

John finishes giving her car a jumpstart. She exits her car and walks towards him.

(Dialogue Script)

Witch 1

I don’t know how to thank you!

John

It was really not an issue, least i could have done almost running you over

Witch 1

(She looks him up and down with a light giggle)

Are you married mister?

John

I am.

Witch 1

Is she pretty?

John

She’s beautiful. Get’s more and more beautiful everyday.

Witch 1

I always find it rare to meet such a gentleman. She’s a very lucky woman.

John

Thank you. And i should be getting back i’m late for dinner. Get home safe..

Witch 1

(John holds out his hand, she takes it)

Dawn, i’m Dawn.

(Dawn leans in slowly and plants a light kiss on his cheek, pulling away with a pouted smile)

John

(John pulls his hand away swiftly)

Get home safe Dawn.

(He turns his back to Dawn and quickly enters his car, pulling away. His eyes glance in his overhead mirror a few times as he see’s dawn fate into the black. He runs his hand down his face as he heads home).

Scene 6: John finally arrives home, dropping his keys into the bowl, the house is dark and quiet. He walks slowly up the stairs trying not make a creek. He opens the first door to see his wife with her back to him, the covers up to her chin. He slowly closes the door back to close and makes his way to the next door. He makes his way into his son’s room, he’s in the same position as his wife, his back to him. John sits on the edge of his sons bed and leans over to place a kiss on his head as he strokes his hair. He gets up to leave.

(Dialogue Script)

Aiden

Daddy?

John

(John stops and makes his way back over to Aiden to his original position on the bed)

Hey buddy, what’re you doing up?

Aiden

I can’t sleep. I had a bad dream?

John

Oh yeah? Want me to check for monsters?

Aiden

Mummy already checked.

John

Then what’s got you all scared?

Aiden

A lady was at my window. She asked me if i wanted to go and play. I said mummy doesn’t want me to go into the woods again.

John

It’s just a dream, there’s nothing to be scared of, sometimes we create things that aren’t real when we sleep, and sometimes it can be scary.

(John strokes Aiden’s hair)

Aiden

She didn’t scare me, not like the monster. She gave me a present.

(Aiden brings a small doll out from under his covers, the quilted doll is dirty, wearing brown trousers and a little matching waistcoat, black hair spiking out of it’s head and it’s beading little black eyes reflecting the light form the nightlight)

It looks like you daddy.

John

(John takes the doll from Aiden and examines it)

Where did you get this?

Aiden

The lady.

John

You shouldn’t pick up dirty things, you don’t know where it’s been look at the state of it.

Aiden

It was a present!

(Aiden snatches the doll from John and hides it back under his covers, his eyes frowning as he raises his voice)

You can’t have it! It’s mine!

John

Okay! Okay! Keep the damn thing. It’s too late for this anyway! Get some sleep!

(John throws his hands up in the air as he exits Aiden’s room. Aiden creases back under the covers as he strokes the dolls hair as it lays tightly in his arms.)

Scene 7: John’s household kitchen – Morning- John come’s down to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes as he pours himself a cup of coffee, his wife hunched over the sink as she washes the dishes. She gives him a glare and asked him why he insists on making more dirty dishes just as she’s trying to clean the house. John stops just as his lips touch the rim of the coffee mug and retreats back as he apologises for his coffee in a sarcastic way. His wife soon apologises saying she’s tired and feeling stressed. They soon get into the conversation of Aiden and where he got the shaggy old doll. John’s wife shrugs her shoulders claiming that he must have found it outside and kids always make up stories in their heads. The conversation promptly comes to a close as they run out of things to say. John places his cup slowly next to the sink as he slinks out the door before his wife comments once again about the dishes.

Scene 8: School bus – John and his class are sitting on a bus. The children behind him are talking and laughing with each other as John takes in another yawn. He stands up at the front of the bus to make an announcement to the class. He announces that there is only ten minutes away from the family run farm (where they are having their school trip) ands reminds them to be on there best behaviour while they are visiting. The students all nod their heads as they agree in unison to their teacher’s requests.

Scene 9: Arrive at farmhouse, see’s dawn and other witches

Witches and Cults:

Throughout the course of my film we will meet the heroes and the anti-heroes. The leading male, an innocent school teacher will be the obvious choice as he tried to track down the missing children and will be living up to the hero cliche until we discover who the character really is and his secrets are revealed by the end of the film.

The witches are seen as villains. However part of the Coven are actually willing to change with the times, with modern technology and with the days of slavery and overlooked abuse are behind them, and they are just realising hundreds of years later that what they are and have been doing is wrong, selfish and it’a only a matter of time until they are caught.

With these witches on the course for change, this could easily abrupt the rest of the Coven’s plans with their sacrificial rituals to stay young and bring unease throughout their alliance. Living by the same rules for hundreds of years it’s hard to change, especially when there are selfish motives at work. Our witches doing these evil deeds truly believe they have the right to execute them, and always have. We are left with the question if these homicidal witches are in fact martyrs and if we, as viewers can relate and possible have pity for them.

If we look at American Horror Story’s fourth series ‘Freak Show’, we meet Jessica Lange’s character Elsa Mars, the owner and show runner of a travelling carnival – freak show, which houses abandoned people with disabilities to pub on a show for a strange seeking audience. However to Elsa these people are not disabled, nor freaks – as the towns people perceive them as, but people with extraordinary gifts. Set in 1952’s florida state, throughout the series we see the freaks be bullied, assaulted and even murdered by the ‘normal’ folk. To protect her employees and friends, Elsa does what she can to protect them, even if it means fighting back. The freaks themselves even murder certain people who try to either harm them or run them out of town for their differences.

Us as viewers know that anything of this sort is wrong. We can say that there are other ways around this situation than murder. However, if we were in these character’s shoes, would we be pushed to the same extremes and fight back in such a violent way to protect our friends, family and way of life? Is this a kill or be killed situation?

These are some of the questions i want my audience to debate with my witches. We have two sides, the good and the bad witch. Many would side with the good witch, she wants to change, catch up to the times – nonetheless if she stops the sacrificing of children, herself and her family will age and die. Whereas our bad witch knows the consequences if they do not make the sacrifices and is willing to protect her family to see it through. Once again, what would we do put in this situation? Who’s to say they are wrong? Especially being older and more powerful?

With the witches being around at the time of the Salem Witch Trials – where women were burnt at the stake for witchcraft even with little to now evidence of them being a witch, this has sparked fear of the average man, despite the modern day world. Living through this time and loosing family member at that time doesn’t mean that they should stop being fearful of being caught and killed just like in 1692. This could even be a grand example to hold a grudge against the average man and even in modern day they will still be feared for their powers – thus why they are living in solitary.

I will be linking my story with past events with more research into the history of Salem and real life told stories form that time, assorted with mythology. With creatives and a bigger audience being interesting in mythological stories and already aired television on the topic, this subject should draw in a wider audience.

Marketplace for Horror

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MA, MODULE 101

Market and Audience

While horror as a category may be the seventh highest grossing genre in the movie business, the films of the horror genre are sometimes the most profitable. Horror films made over $413 million in the United States in 2012, while comedy films ranked as the biggest grossers with $1.64 billion the same year. But horror films often cost a fraction of what competing movies in the comedy genre cost, which makes the genre ideal for small risks with huge rewards. For example, ‘Paranormal Activity 4’ cost $5 million and made $54 million domestically as well as another $86 million overseas. That’s a $135 million profit, not including marketing expenses, on a single film.

Horror has been an ideal genre for films with smaller budgets because a lot of scares can be produced with a minimum of expensive effects. The original ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ terrified audiences with the simple visual of a man with a murderous power tool. This economical horror film cost only $140,000 to make and grossed $26 million, a significant box office number in 1974. New filmmakers and producers flock to the horror genre to make money and gain a successful reputation. The low production costs of making a film with handheld cameras for a “found footage” type of horror movie can make a cheap film budget even cheaper. While there are plenty of horror films that under-perform, this genre often produces the biggest success stories.

Jason Blum (Producer of the films Insidious & Paranormal Activity) quotes, “The edge has gone and movies can appeal to non-horror-obsessed, young movie goers, the people who just want to be entertained and to get a more recreational scare, not be so terrified that they can’t bear the thought of going home or not. I think there’s a slightly gentler aesthetic in the market place right now.”  (indiewire.com, 2014)

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Successful Low-Budget films

• Most profitable films: Insidious, Monsters, The Devil Inside, Paranormal Activity 2, Dead Snow
• MPAA Rating: 82% are rated ‘R’, 12% PG-13 and 6% not rated.
• Running time: Relatively short, with an average of 94 minutes and no film ran over two hours.
• Critical reviews: Average to poor.  Highest rated film in this category is “Buried”, which has a Metascore of just 65 out of 100.  The average Metascore across the dataset was just 49 out of 100.
• Audience reviews: More supportive than the critics but still not above most films, at an average of 6.2 out of 10 on IMDb.
• Release patterns:  Two very distinct release patterns:  half played in fewer than 100 theatres while the other half played in over 1,500 theatres.
• Income streams: 28% from theatrical, 60% from home video and 11% from TV and other ancillary income.
• Income location: 46% of income was from the US & Canada and 54% international.

(Info from: http://americanfilmmarket.com/what-types-of-low-budget-films-break-out/, 2016)

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Hometown Publicity

Filming a project in one’s hometown could bring great things to the local Tourism business – this being of course if the film is successful in reaching a wide audience. With the ever so popular television series ‘Game of Thrones’ mostly being shot in Northern Ireland, their TV industry invested £13.75m into the first 6 seasons of ‘Game of Thrones’ to return a massive £146m in services and tourism for the local economy.

Even when the legacy that  Game of Thrones comes to an end, Northern Ireland can continue to reap these benefits. The show is filmed at Belfast Titanic Studios whilst further studios are being built on the North Foreshore of Belfast harbour. Game of Thrones will also leave behind expertise with post-production companies, casting, extras, catering, lighting and construction companies.

For example, take the success of ‘Harry Potter’. It is said that over the years Harry Potter was being filmed and released, it generated £1.9 billion investment into the UK economy. The films also created around 3000 to 4000 jobs. What followed the movies was the Warner Bros. studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire becoming open to the public after a £150m redevelopment for the making of the Harry Potter tour. The tour has created 300 jobs and continues to bring investment into the local economy, particularly the hospitality sector.

The studios itself continue to attract world renown productions such as the ‘Dark Knight’, ‘Sherlock Holmes’, ‘Inception’, ‘Pan’ and more recently ‘The legend of Tarzan’ and ‘Jason Bourne’.

Pinewood, also based in the UK also attracts its fair share of the world’s most profitable productions, with added benefits of having the only studio in the world with a permanent underwater filming stage. When producing ‘Star Wars’, direct production staff alone reached 258 and this ready supply of skilled staff was one of the key reasons for shooting in the UK. (Info from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36749938, 2016)

Locally made films

Looking at locally-made films with a lower budget such as Peter Nicholson’s horror/thriller, ‘Dartmoor Killing’ with a budget as small as £1 million and filmed with the backdrop of Dartmoor’s Moors and there’s no arguing that Nicholson takes stunning shots of the surrounding landscape. However is it enough to spark an interest of the chosen film location?

Nicholson’s other project, ‘A night in the Woods’, also set on Dartmoor is also a great example of how film can make the rise of Dartmoor’s tourism very promising. Viewers living in the Devon area will be motivated to visit the Moor’s more often, whereas viewers outside the county will influenced to take their vacations to the beautiful area, this also being a fine example of promoting the area.

BBC’s ‘Sherlock’ filmed the episode, ‘Hounds of Baskerville’ on the Moors also. With ‘Sherlock’ being as popular as it is and a vast fan base all over the world – Fans visiting the worldwide famous character’s locations in London (Baker Street etc) will also be inspired to take a trip down South to view the scenery where their favourite show was shot. It only takes as much as an episode of a popular show to influence an audience to visit a set location – popularity goes a long way.

Nonetheless, are scenery shorts enough to get visitors? The literature of a setting can also have a huge effect. Seeing a view can inspire a person, though a specific person’s viewpoint can intrigue followers -Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired by his visit to the eerie Moors:

“Yes, the setting is a worthy one. If the devil did desire to have a hand in the affairs of men” – Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The world-famous crime writer described the area as “dotted with the dwellings of prehistoric man, strange monoliths and huts and graves“. In parts, little has changed, and Dartmoor remains one of the most atmospheric locations in the country. Film and TV crews regularly flocking to the National Park’s to capture its misty moors and jagged tors to shoot on screen. The quoting of Doyle could of well in fact stimulated the popularity and compulsion of using the Moors as the perfect backdrop for many film projects.

With the success of a film, even a small town can become as popular as a big city tourist attraction. The Sky Tower based in Bangkok, Thailand uses it’s publicity by using posters of the 2011 comedy ‘The Hangover Part II’, all because of a small scene filmed at the bar at the tip of the building. The building itself is famous for other things for example it’s height and reputation for it’s five star service, however because it has starred in a successful, world-wide recognisable hollywood film, more people will want to visit, especially tourists.

Successfully Funded Kickstarter films

Crowdfunded films are getting more and more popular these days and it is still early in the evolution of this new approach to funding movies.  On Kickstarter, Film & Video is their second highest revenue generator having successfully raised almost $200 million.

Veronica Mars (2013)

The teen noir crime series starring Kristen Bell, developed a serious cult following during its four-year, three-season mid-’00s run. Unfortunately, the ratings didn’t translate commercially for CBS and Warner, so they dutifully canned it.

Screenwriter Rob Thomas was given the opportunity to wrap up the series’ various plotlines and mysteries at the end of season three, but was reportedly so upset that the show wasn’t going to get another series that he left the finale wide open with a lot of questions unanswered… A genius way to secure a crowdfunded sequel seven years later if ever there was one.

To this day Veronica Mars remains the most successful crowdfunded movie ever, with a campaign which raised $5,702,153 from 91,585 making it one of the most funded projects of all time. It also broke records for the highest amount of minimum pledges and highest amount of backers at the time.

Wish i was here (2014)

After seeing the success of the ‘Veronica Mars’ Movie, ‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for his film, ‘Wish I Was Here’.

The campaign raised $3,105,473 thanks to its 46,520 backers. With Braff’s rise to stardom success thanks to his lead role in ‘Scrubs’, many fans from the show were more than happy to show support for the actor’s undertaking to Produce and Direct the film, as well as star.

Lazer Team by Rooster Teeth (2014)

Creators of ‘Red vs Blue’, ‘Achievement Hunter’, ‘The RT Podcast’, and ‘RWBY’, Rooster Teeth launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds for its film ‘Lazer Team’.

Originally only seeking to raise $650,000, the campaign reached $2,480,099 thanks to 2,188 backers. Rooster Teeth being a self-made production team solely based on the internet, had the upper hand thanks to it’s already extensively worldwide fanbase.

The Horror Genre & my project

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MA, MODULE 101

Pleasure in Fear

“Everyone is entitled to one good scare.” – John Carpenter’s Halloween

Why do we enjoyed being scared?

The curtains are tightly drawn, the door is double locked, and you are armed with a blanket ready to cover your eyes and block your ears. You tentatively start the film knowing you won’t be able to sleep for weeks or shower without fearing what might be lurking behind the curtain.

Add in a fair amount of bloody gore, tales of paranormal beasts and terrorised characters, our brains should arguably be programmed to avoid horror films. So why do millions of people scare themselves for entertainment?

Beneath the fake blood and prosthetics, horror films have a soft centre. Additionally they have the power to unite us and can boost our confidence. This attraction to controlled fear is the key to the appeal of horror. When a person is afraid, the amygdala, an almond-shaped set of neurons in the brain, triggers the fight or flight response, causing palms to sweat, pupils to dilate, and ensures that the body is pumped with dopamine and adrenaline.

Our bodies respond to both genuine and fabricated fear in this way, but feelings of pleasure rely on the individual and whether a person subconsciously knows they are safe.

For some people the experience of watching a horror film creates physiological feelings that are always interpreted as fun, a short thrill and so on.  But for others, the feelings in their bodies are interpreted as terror or other similarly negative states. For others being scared in a safe place is a source of enjoyment and makes them feel good physically and can even serve as a confidence boost by reminding us that we can make it through a scary situation – to make us feel strong in a sense.

Why are there Horror movies?

When watching a horror movie with friends, i always find myself looking around the room to see who will flinch at a jump scare, hide behind their hands or even just simply scream the loudest. Half always hides away from the suspenseful music building – due to past movie experiences, while the other half sit forward, waiting for that shock that may or may not come. Now, why would we do that? Why would we enjoy having the most negative of negative emotions – fear?

I think that fictionality, knowing  in the back of our minds that it’s theatrical, leads to pleasure. Actuality – having to decide about acting in response to such a real situation, leads not to pleasure.

With my personal opinion, all films should be seen in a theatre because it is in that dark room that you can truly become a part of the film without any of the distractions that come with sitting in your front room. You engage with the film more because of the atmosphere inside the windowless room. You sit in the dark with people all around you waiting to hear a campfire story, yet the film is individually yours to enjoy.  You stare at the images and listen to the soundtrack and through your own personal experiences, end up seeing a completely different film than the person sitting next to you. In horror films it is the ability to give in to what your senses perceive, to fully understand the narrative.  No matter how often you tell yourself throughout the duration of the film that, ‘none of this is real’, by the end you have forced yourself consciously or unconsciously to believe in its reality in order to make sense of the story line.  This is one way in which we gain pleasure from the horror film; it is a guilty pleasure that results from simply following out the narrative.

“Reality is something that none of us can stand, at anytime.” – Alfred Hitchcock (The Listener, 1964)

Whether you are a fan of the horror genre or not, there is a sublime joy that comes with participating in a horror film, that whoever the viewer is, they can have an intense emotional reaction toward a subject matter that is normally contained underneath the consciousness, whether we know it’s there or not.

Gender roles in horror films

Often gender is crucial in horror films, not long ago the only role women had in horror films was teetering around half naked before screaming and being brutally murdered by the killer, showing that a lot of Hollywood films in fact, use women to serve men.  By the 1970’s women were becoming slightly more powerful in horror films, this happened due to the raise of feminism, the female protagonists were fighting back which lead  to the rise of the ‘final-girl’, this female character being the only one surviving at the end of the film having outsmarted the killer, there are many films in which the final-girl can be observed, for example, ‘Halloween’, ‘Friday the 13^th’, ‘A Nightmare On Elms Street’, ‘Scream’, ‘Final Destination’, ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, ‘Alien’, ‘The Strangers’ and ‘Terror Train’.

These extracts show how if the woman is a hero or a killer she shows masculine characteristics, implying that men have more passionate, stronger characteristics.  In ‘Scream’ Wes Craven shows Sidney (a unisex name to insure the character is not too feminine) running up the stairs whilst attempting to escape from her killer which criticises the stereotypical female character, however, Craven may have been displaying this very stereotypical behaviour in order to later completely contrast this behaviour and show Sidney as a strong, dominant lead character as apposed to a man, so provoking stronger emotions in his audience. In the film ‘Alien’ a horrific alien mother stars called  Sigourney Weaver, “a toothed-vagina, the monstrous-feminine cannibalistic mother”- at the end of the final scene Sigourney potters about before returning to her pod to sleep with her orange cat, after many frightening shots of Sigourney, this signifies how the audience sees the female form as ‘acceptable’. (Info from: https://sophievickers.wordpress.com/the-representation-of-women-in-horror-films/, 2011)

Psycho (1998) was a revolutionary film based on the serial killer Ed Gein, Marion steals money, cars and flees in order to try and help her boyfriend – Marion is still represented as a sexual figure in the film. Later Marion is stabbed to death by who the audience presumes to be Norman’s mother, this is the point in which women became stronger and malicious in horror films and started to be used as an unlikely twist in the plot.

Depending on the era the film was made, women are generally represented in horror films on how they are perceived by society in that time. The modern horror film is merely the latest form of such story telling. Many horror films are influenced by other films being made at the current time – for example black comedy, in these films the writers choose to cast the starring female as the heroine, they are presented as strong, resilient and intelligent, as well as this many horror films cast female killers, this contrasts to the large amount of male killers.

With the influence of feminism and our new ideology of powerful women our modern culture no longer sees women as victims but as strong women in both hero and killer characters. The horror genre itself is influenced by what our culture perceives as horrific; war, terrorism, global issues, political issues all affect what society fears. This has what has changed the horror genre and why women are represented now no longer as the victims but strong, powerful heroes and even killers because women have more power in society; which is the fear of traditional anti-feminists. Whereas a global fear is terrorism which is why the horror films today such as ‘Saw 2’ focus less on male and female representation and more on working together to escape from the fear itself; of death.

Linking with my projects

I try to create strong women while also make them humorous and putting them in situations where we normally see male characters – taking the lead in. I would say i’m against stereotypes and the prejudice against women which i believe has and still is hollywood’s downfall. Times are changing and we can see a significant difference, especially looking at Quentin Tarantino’s work such as, ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Death Proof’ where we see our lead female’s as not essentially in a femme fatale role, but leading the story as strong women who defeat the bad guys and win in the end of the film. However if we look at ‘Django’, our supporting female character, Django’s wife Broomhilda von Shaft is taken hostage, putting her in the role of the ever-so stereotypical Damsel in Distress.

With Tarantino having the reputation of writing strong female characters, he still insists on using these stereotypes to move the story forward for our leading male character. As an inspiration for many of my past short films, i have tried to use it as an example to steer clear and deflect on this path for when writing my female characters fate.

Reverting back to the Horror Genre, this project will be my first where i have put my female character’s into the horror universe – this being one of the main reasons behind my decision to explore something new. I have decided to to narrow down this project, and instead of focusing on the femme fatale, to pivot towards the widely intense and daunting horror genre as a whole. My goal is to not have my audience think my promo is about femme fatale witches – this being an open decision – however, i want to get the very obvious effects of the horror genre to be seen when watching my short, this will then connect better to the many different and diverse audiences of the genre – whether out lead characters are female or not.

The Monstrous Feminsm

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MA, MODULE 101

The subject of Monstrous Feminism has always fascinated me and has always found it’s way into my work one way or another – Women in general have always fascinated me, particularly on screen women.

The women classed as Femme Fatale are usually extremely manipulative, sensual and possessive, the Femme Fatale rejects the conventional roles that mainstream society chose for women. Usually in film the femme fatale tries to achieve her chosen desire by ruthlessly using her charm, occasionally lying, her beauty and her sexual allur, often ending in her own destruction and the destruction of the men that fall under her charm. The way the women have been portrayed almost supports the existing social order and the definition of gender roles by creating a strong, independent, powerful, woman that had never been seen in cinema only to capture her and to punish her in the end. The Femme Fatale was mostly used in the early 40’s noir era where she is a male construction and uses the reflection of the misogyny of the era. There are still signs of Femme Fatale in films nowadays however they have changed and shaped within time.

There are many different views on the Femme Fatale of Film characters. Some find it sexist how many are perceived as the sexy, seducing, half naked villains who’s sole purpose throughout the story is to defeat the male character with their manipulating sexuality. However, others may appreciate these elements the big screen creates.

READING: Re-Thinking the Femme Fatale in Film Noir, Ready for her close-up By Juilie Grossman

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Betty

When writing a script, i do prefer to write female characters – this mostly because i find it the easiest to write about my own gender, the conversations, the actions and comedy. For my BA finale film i created ‘Betty‘, a short black comedy film which follows three female friends as they plan a robbery of rich man, only to realise they have the completely wrong person – this ending in the manslaughter of not one, but two men.

When writing the script i was mostly focused on the humour of the piece, not knowing that a lot of the feedback from my audience largely focused on the Femme Fatale side of the piece – This unlocked a lot more pathways my film could have gone down. The majority of the audience liked the fact that the actions of the characters were completely ‘accidental’ to an extent, they weren’t completely the stereotyped Femme Fatale we see in most Hollywood movies, however they did have some similar aspects, such as independence, confidence and a dark motive.

Betty 2016

While planning my present project, i have recognised more similarities to the Femme Fatale – again, not necessarily intentional in any way. With my main genre bring Horror, which visually presents female witches – these woman being put into the dark, scary woods as a setting immediately represents the Femme Fatale – especially these witch-like characters being represented as young, beautiful women. However, the male characters i have created are more visually monstrous and terrifying as they wear masks and skulk around – this being i want the audience to decide themselves, who are the villains of the piece? The women? The men? Or both?

New Project

I have collected various clips from films and television of what i think represents the Monstrous Feminism theme throughout the years. Some evidently show the women as the stereotyped Femme Fatale, however others you may have to take a second look.

When i edit together my trailer project i will be using certain clips from the above film, for example the close ups of the retro women will represent my female characters that link with the stereotype of modern day witches mixed with past times. Their beauty and style will speak for themselves when mixed with other shots and wide range of different footage.

Criticism – Her (2013)

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MA, MODULE 101

The 2016 film, Her asks the question: How are human beings changing as a result of, and in concert with, technology? 

I have added (the attachment of) my Presentation where i explore the pros and cons of the film and what the audience may or may not catch onto – looking more specifically at the widely recognised colour palette the film visually possesses throughout the film.

Presentation:

criticism-in-film (Downloadable PowerPoint Document)

Her Colour Palettes: A lengthened theory.

Despite falling in love with the film & story itself, know one can deny the fact of it’s visual beauty. The most distinctness of it all, despite the futuristic LA scenery, is the colours used to set each scene throughout the entire film. After watching a few more times i paid closer attention to the detail – this is what i noticed:

Red/Pink = Acceptance and love

• Theodore is wearing this colour during the majority of the film. In the beginning I think he is accepting of himself and his lifestyle. While it might not be his ideal or happiest situation, he has come to terms with everything. This only increases as he accepts his relationship with Samantha and everything she teaches him. Amy also wears pretty much all red (after her and Charles split which I’ll get to) because she has come to terms with her situation, and is also the most accepting about people having relationships with their OS, including herself.

Blue = Sadness and/or discomfort

• Catherine, like you said, is I think always wearing blue. She is pretty much always sad/unhappy and uncomfortable. From how she is described, she seems to be uncomfortable with herself and her writing. She never feels good enough. She also is completely uncomfortable and upset with Theodore dating his OS. I think another very important scene with blue is when the surrogate enters their relationship. Theodore is immediately uncomfortable but then when it switches to the night of, he is wearing a blue shirt and is just totally upset and uncomfortable with the situation. Another important use of blue was on the double date with Paul and Tatina. While they were wearing white beforehand, they are now in blue for this scene and Samantha makes things uncomfortable and dampens the mood with her comment about people dying and her basically being superior.

Yellow = Uncertainty and confusion

• Yellow is used less, but pops up in unique scenes. The first one I noticed it in was when Theodore first encounters the little girl’s reaction to him dating his computer. While she doesn’t fully understand, she brings up the idea of her being in the computer and not having a physical form. I think this is the first time Theodore has to question his relationship with Samantha. He is confused and uncertain about their relationship for the first time. Then when she leaves and he eventually finds out about her other relationships, he is wearing yellow like you said. Throughout that entire scene he is confused, uncertain, and again questioning where she is, what has happened to her, and then eventually their entire relationship because of her other relationships. When he wears yellow he seems to have hesitant “is this real” moments.

White = Neutrality/Neutral acceptance

• I think that white, while being the most general colour, represents a type of general neutrality or neutral acceptance during important scenes and when it is used on main characters. In the beginning Amy and Charles are always wearing white. We see that they eventually split, but I think they are in a neutral acceptance for what their relationship has become, and at first they unwillingly accept it, but once they split, Amy only wears red. Next, I noticed it when Theodore first tells Paul and Tatina that Samantha is an OS. Paul suggests the double date, yet neither of them hesitate or question him dating his OS, but also don’t openly accept it. Again sort of a neutral or neutral acceptance. I think white comes into play a little more with colour blends, but I’ll get there.

Now, I think the end of the film really beautifully combines these and shows off the full colour spectrum. It covers such a magnificent range of emotions and has made me cry both times I’ve watched.

Starting with the scene where the Alan Watts OS is introduced, Theodore is wearing a red robe with a white shirt and underwear. He begins the scene being fully accepting of his relationship with Samantha yet becomes neutral and semi-accepting after the interaction and her evolving more.

The next scene he is wearing Yellow which can represent the transition to his confusion and uncertainty about their relationship from the previous talk (with Alan Watts). This becomes more apparent because this is where she disappears and Theodore is panicking with confusion and uncertainty. He eventually recognises her evolution and the fact that she is not his anymore. He feels like he is being cheated on which makes him all the more confused and uncertain about their relationship. She tries to explain how she is his, but also not his.

The next scene he returns to white. Theodore is struggling to fully accept Samantha’s evolution, so while he is not happy about the situation, he is not sad either because he is able to understand what is happening and returns to this sort of neutral acceptance when figuring out the status of their relationship going forward.

After this we are hit with the most heartbreaking part of the movie. When Samantha announces she is leaving. Theodore is wearing his blue shirt. This is just pure sadness, especially the feels and heartbreak after her “if you ever get here, come find me, nothing would ever pull us apart.”

The next scene he is back in white. Neutral acceptance being torn between accepting her leaving and at the same time having his heart shattered. In this scene he is devastated about Samantha leaving, but we also see some acceptance with his email to Catherine. He then goes to see Amy who is still in red. She is fully accepting of her OS’ decision to leave because they were not romantically involved, which makes it easier for her. I like that the film ends with the two of them together, and Theodore sort of smiles while crying as if she has help him come, at least a little more, to terms with the situation.

Colour Blends

When Theodore and Catherine are at lunch, as you mention he is wearing a blue/red shirt, showing his acceptance yet sadness and discomfort for the entire situation. I think it’s also interesting that Catherine is wearing white/blue because while she enters the scene neutral and accepting about what their marriage and relationship has become, she is okay with it. However, as soon as she finds out about Samantha being an OS, she is completely uncomfortable and they begin to fight and be sad.

When Theodore is struggling with the acceptance of his relationship with Samantha after the surrogate scene, he visits Amy. I thought it was awesome to see him laying on the couch (which I think was blue also) in his blue shirt while she is in red and we see her happily interact with her OS. After this Theodore is accepting again, makes up with her and fixes their relationship, and returns to wearing red the next scene.

On the picnic with Paul and Tatina, he is wearing a red jacket and a blue shirt. They are having a great time and Theodore feels like their relationship is accepted, but then she makes her comment about death and he becomes sad and uncomfortable while he thinks about what she said.

Then at the end, as I mention above, the combination of Theodore’s white shirt and Amy’s red clothes. Theodore is heartbroken, but understands the situation. He’s neutral, struggling between letting his heartbreak get the best of him or accepting the situation and all of the positive things that he gained from his relationship with Samantha. Seeing him and Amy lean on one another at the end makes me feel like he is able to accept everything.

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Reading up on the cinematographer on Her, Hoyte Van Hoytema, who has worked on films such as, Let the Right One In, The Fighter and Interstellar, an interview shows how it was a conscious decision to make the colour grading look warm. By doing this, they removed a lot of blue from the colour schemes of scenes, so that when a scene did appear really blue, it made an impact.

The reason why was because many films portray the future as cold, and if you look at a lot of sci-fi movies, they look very blue, like they’ve placed a filter over the entire screen. They wanted to present a future that wasn’t a dystopia, where technology made people’s lives richer.

Inspiration for my Project

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MA, MODULE 101

For my final piece of work for this module, i will be making a trailer/promo/opening sequence for a non-existent film/television series. I will be primarily focusing on a different style of film promotion.

For many trailer promotions we see the actual footage of said film being edited to tell us what the film is all about and what to expect when watching – for example, the characters, setting, mood and plot. This is the easier option and will guarantee elementary when broadcasting to the audience.

However, we rarely see a more artistic approach to promote film. What if we took the time to resemble what we had from our project – the characters, setting etc, and instead of giving it all away, solely present little by little of the soon to be released film?

This way it certainly is a teaser. Nevertheless, will this still be enough to intrigue an audience?

Inspirations/Examples:

One of the best examples i know of and my inspiration for this projects is 2004 television series ‘Lost’. The above link is the very first trailer they released to promote the soon to be released and soon to be very popular series.

This is called a teaser trailer. Where not much of the story for this show is revealed until a little later when a much longer trailer is released showing true footage of said series. What this specific trailer does show however, is the characters/actors we will be following through the story, the setting (a beach), and the reason why they are on said beach (plane wreckage). All of these are visually shown with a melodic tune and voiceovers of our characters telling us, the audience who they may or may not be – giving us a peak into who we are going to get to know through when the series does start. This sets the scene quickly but doesn’t give anything away

With these small insights to the series plot and genre, we are also shown the artistic side to this trailer, which draws in the viewers attention with the intriguing camera movements around the actors and distinctive sound editing, and not to mention the pretty cinematography and use of location.

I find this a great way for a promotional teaser to be made, once the audience has become familiar with these characters and location, an the way it has been made has intrigued them – when the next trailer which includes the shows true footage is shown, they will instantly relate both trailers and in a sense be compelled to watch to find out what exactly this first trailer was about – therefore creating a wider audience and more interest in the overall project.

What i have so far: