Inspiration for Double-page spread

I have decided to research into double page spread film reviews as this will allow me to know the layout of images and texts which is typically used in professional magazines.

This double-page spread review for the "Amazing Spider-Man" movie taken from Empire magazine. What I like about this page layout is the colour scheme used by using a black background it allows the white writing to really stand out especially the title of the movie in my double page spread I want to use a three colour for my colour scheme to allow me to keep to a house style but also allowing the texts to really stand out against the background. 

In addition I like how they haven't used too many images on this page but kept to one main bold image of the protagonist which as a viewer my eyes are drawn to straight away. It also allows the audience to recognise what the film is about if you have never seen or heard of it before. For my double page spread I want to use two bold images of the antagonist as this is the main character of my short film these images will also give an idea to the reader what my film is about as the first image will be of the "young clown" then the second of the "killer clown" showcasing the young clown grew old however still holds onto childhood traumas. It will also tell the audience that my short film relates to the scary "killer clown" trend which scared both the UK and America. 

I like how the lighting is very dark on the image on this page as it can represent how the film does have some dark aspects however the white writing may suggest there are happy areas within the film. I want my double-page spread to represent what my short film is about so  would want to keep to a dark colour scheme by using black and reds as these both suggest danger and death however I may use some white writing as the audience never finds out what happens to the little boy in the house so there is still a glimpse of hope that the audience will hold onto.

The actually article talks about the inspiration for the film and the key aspects of it which will give the audience a good summary about what the film is about however by not giving too much away of what happens as they obviously want these readers to go watch the film after reading the article or allow those who have already watch the film give more detail about the deeper meaning of the film. In my article I want to talk about the main inspirations for the story of my film and how I got the idea to create what I did but also the deeper meaning of how social trends which start out as a simple joke can be taken to extreme lengths by others which to me is very scary as it is relevant to the world that we live in today.

Conventions of horror film posters

There are several features that you would typically see on the front cover of a horror film poster which makes it recognisable that the film is in the horror genre.

Lighting:

The lighting used in horror film posters is typically dark and dull and the only real lighting seen is either near the person or object however this lighting is still very dull and not bright. This is done as it creates mystery and uncertainty about what the film is about and makes the viewer want to go and watch the film to find out what happens. An example of a horror film cover that uses lighting to create mystery is the conjuring film poster.

This cover has used dark lighting around the person then in the middle there is some light to allow us to see the outline of a doll however we still can't see who is holding the doll and what they are doing, this then makes us want to find out by viewing the film.

Colour scheme:

The main colour scheme seen on horror film posters are associated with a dark colour scheme. Blacks and greys are typically used as they have connotations of mystery and death which are the main themes that we see in horrors films throughout the film there a moments of mystery when we don't know when the scare is going to come and they always end in a death so the poster is stating this to the audience. We always see the colour red used in film posters as this colour has connotations of danger, warning and blood which is telling the audience that the film doesn't end with a happy ending and that we should be warned about this. You wouldn't typically see any bright happy colours on the front of a horror film poster unless they want to confuse the audience and make them believe that everything is good and happy in the film before they watch it which would create a bigger impact when they find out what actually happens.

Setting:

Typical setting/background for horror film posters is an eerie photograph of an house then the protagonist is in front of the house. This is typically used for supernatural horrors where the house is possessed by spirits for example "Insidious" however could also be used for slasher films as typically the killing will take place in the house so I might use this for my film as the sub-genre of my film is a slasher so I could have a picture of the house as a background for my poster. The house used will typically be very old-fashioned houses maybe from the victorian era by using a house it will make the viewer feel very uncomfortable as we would typically associate a house with safety but in this case by being in the house wouldn't be safe at all.

Iconography:

Typical iconography you would see in horror film posters are weapons that would cause danger to someone for example a knife, pitchforks or guns these could all cause danger to someone. Typically you would see a knife being used for slasher films as this is a typical weapon used in these films for example "halloween" throughout the film the main weapon used is a knife so by having it on the poster it will tell audience what type of horror the film is. Im going to feature a weapon on my poster as the sub-genre of my film is a slasher and the "killer clown" kills the woman with a knife in the end so this will tell my audience what sub-genre of horror my film is.

Camera Angles/shot types:

Long shot- A long shot would be used in a horror film poster if it was showcasing dark figures of silhouettes as this would allow the audience to see the outline of the killer which would make the audience feel uncomfortable but also allow them to know what the outline of the killer looks like in advance so when they watch the film they would know when the killer is coming

Close up- A close up shot of the protagonist allows the audience to feel closer to this character and while watching the film they will have a connection with the main character and sympathises with what happens to them in the end.

Medium shot- this is typically used in paranormal or slasher films allowing the audience to be close to the antagonist.In addition the antagonist is typically giving direct eye contact to the audience which would make the feel on edge and uncomfortable as if they are going to get them next.

Extreme close up- this is used to show key details of the antagonist or protagonist to give a sign to the audience to what is going to happen in the film. As this key detail must have a link to the narrative of the film which you wouldn't be able to see if a different shot was used.

Filming Log

Here is a filming log of what scene was filmed on each day. This helped as it allowed me to see what I have filmed and what I still needed to film to finish my film. I filmed in four sections I began with the beginning to set the scene then I had two middle sections to build up the tension and finally the last scene.

Risk Assessment

The purpose of a risk assessment is that producers have considered the safety of everyone involved including the cast and crew. This is done by considering the potential hazards and how these can be prevented. The risk assessment should be completed before filming on location as this could prevent serious injuries. It won't stop injuries from happening as you can't control everything however it can stop the injury from being more serious.

Release form

Here is my release form from an actor in my short film . A release form is used in photography, film and music and is a legal binding agreement.  In film actors will have to sign a release form which will mean if they after signing release form and being filmed then they said that they don't want to be in the film anymore they wouldn't be able to do as they have already signed the release form.  

Call Sheet

Here is the call sheet for my short film. It states the title of my film, the location, cast, crew and equipment that will be involved when making my film. It is given to everyone involved to let them know the location of the shoot on that day and what scene they will be filming. Its a general summary of what is happening throughout the day.

KILLER CLOWN

My main idea for my short film came from the huge phase of the "Killer clown" which took place around halloween. The trend began in America in the summer and slowly came over here in the UK. The trend focused on people dressing up in scary clown outfits and jumping out on people however in some cases this trend was taken too far and some people were threatened with weapons.

I wanted to look at this "killer clown" phase in my horror film as its surprising how we are typically more scared of things that are associated with our childhood and inoocence for example dolls,balloons and clowns. In my horror film I wanted to do this by having a child dress up as a cute clown which we see as innocent but then this child grows up and the clown is "psychotic".

In addition I wanted to relate my horror film to real life situations much like "Imom". It interests me how quickly trends are spreaded across countries which is mainly through social media. People start out these pranks as just funny jokes however in some cases they can develop too far and become very dangerous. 

By looking at this trend it helped me in coming up with the title of my horror film. "Clowning around" comes from the idea of how easily pranks can be taken too far even if it is just messing around. 

Screen-play

“Clowning around”                            By                     Georgia Robinson

223 Kingsley Avenue Kettering 07907412823 Georgiarobinson238@gmail.com

FAde Black

Clowning Around

FADE BLACK

Halloween 1993

FADE BLACK TO THEN SHOW A LONG SHOT OF THE HOUSE

 

jOE:

(WALKS UP TO HOUSE AND KNOCKS ON THE DOOR) “ TRICK OR TREAT”

jojo:

“WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOUSED TO BE?”

jOE:

“A CLOWN”

JOJO:

“WELL YOU LOOK STUPID, YOU CAN’T EVEN AFFORD A GOOD COSTUME”

JOJO:

“COME BACK WHEN YOUR COSTUME IS ACTUALLY GOOD BECAUSE RIGHT NOW YOU LOOK PATHETIC”

Jojo shuts the door in his face. Joe walks off and sits at the bottom of the step and looks up in a sadistic way and let’s go off the white balloon.

Fade to black

Halloween 2016

Fade to black

 

 

Long shot of house with lights on in the living room. Camera goes into the living room to see young boy and mother watching a kids clown programme.

jojo:

“IM JUST GOING UPSTAIRS”

 

Jojo walks up the stairs with the camera looking down at her. She walks pasts the camera. The camera begins to zoom in to the letterbox. Grungy hands slide through the letterbox and lift it up to reveal the mouth of the clown (close up of hands and mouth).

Stan:

(HISTERICAL LAUGH)

 

jOE:

(SITS UP TO GO SEE WHAT THE LAUGH WAS AND LOOKS THROUGH THE LETTER BOX- CAMERA LOOKS THROUGH THE LETTER BOX, TO REVEAL A BALLON OUTSIDE. THE CAMERA IS THEN LOOKING THROUGH THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LETTERBOX TO SHOW THE YOUNG BOYS EYES. THEN THE LETTERBOX SHUTS.)

jOE:

(WALKS PAST LIVING ROOM DOOR AND CLOWN HANDS COME OUT TO GRAB HIM)

                “MUM”

JOE:

(WALKS UP THE STAIRS- CAMERA FOLLOWS THE FEET WALKING UP THE STAIRS)

 

STAN:

(PUTS HANDS AROUND THE CORNER TO PLACE A RED BALLOON OUTSIDE MOTHERS BEDROOM)

 

        JOE:

(CLOSE UP SHOT OF HIS SCARED FACE AS HE LOOKS AT THE BALLOON, WALKS INTO THE MOTHERS ROOM)

 

CAMERA FROM JOES POINT OF VIEW LOOKING AT THE CLOWN STABBING HIS MOTHER AND LAUGHING. THEN THE CLOWN LOOKS AT THE CAMERA AND LAUGHS. CLOSE UP SHOT OF HIS FACE WITH HIM SMIRKING. CAMERA ZOOMS OUT AND THE CLOWN GETS THE BLOOD OF MOTHER AND WIPES IT ACROSS HIS MOUTH AND HE LAUGHS. THE CAMERA THEN PANS ROUND TO LOOK AT THE BOY HOLDING THE RED BALLOON LOOKING SCARED.

        STAN:

(CAMERA LOOKS BACK AT STAN AND HE POPS THE BALLON NEXT TO HIM AND HE JUST LAUGHS)

FADE OUT TO BLACK

 

The End

Makeup for clown

Young Clown:

I want the young boys clowns makeup to represent innocence as clowns can be seen as innocent and represent our childhood. His makeup is just for fun as its Halloween and everyone dresses up. To create this look I will just need face-paint. The boy will be dressed wearing a clown costume which will be slightly big for him and wearing a red clown wig.

Old clown:

 

The older clown which is coming back to the house for revenge I want them to have scary clown makeup to represent the "Killer Clown". This "Killer Clown" was scary due to it being so innocent which made it creepy and weird. This idea is used throughout horror films for example children, dolls and clowns typically the villain is actually something innocent which we wouldn't expect to be evil which makes it creepier as we don't expect that they are evil. This is a idea that I want to play on in my film. To create this makeup I want it to look as if the face paint has been on his face for a while to look as if he never took his clown makeup off when he was younger. I will just use face paint and fake blood to create this look.

My short film

Inspiration:
My inspiration for my short film comes from several Horror films. The basis of my short film comes from the short film "The smiling Man" what I took from this is the idea of having "something" in the house while a adult and child is there.
I also took inspiration from the film "It" due to the recent "killer clown" phase I thought this would fit in with my horror film due to most teenagers and adults being scared of these "killer clowns".
Finally, I took inspiration from the classic "Halloween" as I plan to start my horror film in a similar way by using "Halloween 1993" but I also am doing the same sub-genre "slasher" as Halloween.

Title: "Clowning around"
Plot:
My short film is a combination of themes focusing mainly on Slasher, Revenge and killer clowns. The main idea of the film starts at the beginning where a child goes to a house as a clown for Halloween. He is bullied by three girls but mainly by the ring leader whose house it is. This is very upsetting for the boy and he is shown looking up in a sadistic way and letting go of a white balloon. We are then shown "Halloween 2016" and taken back to present day. The ringleader and her son are shown watching a childs television programme of a innocent clown. The girl then goes upstairs and we are shown a pair of hands through the letter box which then disappear and the boy goes to investigate the noise. The boy then walks upstairs and hears a fait giggling noise coming from his mothers room. He goes upstairs to investigate and in front of his mothers room is a white ballon covered in blood splatters and then a hand comes round the door. The boy slowly goes in the mothers room to witness a stabbing of his mother. We are then shown a close up of the "clown" with him giggling and smearing the mothers blood around his mouth then popping his balloon. Then the screen fades to black.

Cast:
Young clown: Joe
girl 1+mother (ringleader): Jojo
girl 2: Tomeka
girl 3: Naomi
little boy (son): Joe
Old clown: Stan

Location:
It all takes place and is filmed at my house.
Living room
Bathroom
Hallway
Bedroom
Front of my house

Target Audience

Person 2

Person 1:

          


For my Target audience I have decided on both Male and female who are both in the teen age group. I decided on this age group due to this age group stereotypically watches the most horror films compared to older audiences. This would mean that my short film will be very popular in this age group as i am aiming my film at them.

Profile-Person 1
Demographics:
Gender: Female
Age:17
ABC:C2DE (parents fall into BA)
Religion: Atheist 
Education:6th form student studying english,media,textiles and      
psychology 
Occupation: Part-time job at Odeon
Income:£400 a month
Status: In a relationship
Nationality:British 



 Psycho-graphics:
She is very interested in all genres of film however prefers to watch horrors typically "Slashers". Her favourite horror film is "Halloween". She prefers films that are more artistic with less well known actors as the quality of the film is normally to a higher standard. She is very confident and doesn't get scared by a lot of things however she sometimes does get scared in horrors due to them being very disturbing however she gets a thrill from this. At the moment she has a boyfriend and she normally goes to watch horror films with him as she feels more secure when he is there.Her fashion sense is very unique and she gets a lot of inspiration from the 90s.


Profile-person 2:
Demographics:
Gender: Male
Age:18
ABC:C2DE (parents fall into BA)
Religion: Atheist 
Education:6th form student studying History,media and photography 
Occupation: Part-time job in a Vintage store
Income:£150 a month
Status: In a relationship
Nationality:British 

Psycho-Graphics:
He is really interested skating, photography and has a very artistic eye when taking photographs he hopes to be a director when he is older. When it comes to films he prefers short films made by small companies as he believes that big companies aren't creative and the films are very stereotypical. He likes to watch horrors as he is a thrill seeker and not much scares him, he likes all sub-genres of the horror genre e.g. "slasher" and "paranormal". He prefers not to spend a lot of money due to him not earning a lot a month so normally shops in charity shops and watches most short films online.

Smiling Man

"A little girl home alone finds herself face-to-face with pure evil."

An example of an effective short film is "The Smiling Man" the bases of the film is a little girl being left home alone and is led to a sinister death through a series of balloons. What I like about this short film is that it is so simple and not over complicated yet so effective. It does what all horror films do which is scaring their audience yet this is done under 10 minutes. This is done through using camera angles and sound to build up tension to leave the audience on the edge of their seats.


How will I apply this?
When I first saw this short film I was attracted to it but at the same time repulsed due to it being very disturbing. This is what I want to in my own short film I want it to be simplistic but yet disturbing and effective. This is done through the narrative of the short film.
 
To make my short film as effective as "The smiling Man" I'm going to focus on my narrative but also camera work and sound as this is just as important as the narrative. Here are some effective camera angles shown below:



The first effective camera shot is from a high angle looking down at the girl. What I like about this is that its telling the audience a lot. It showing the girl as being weak and vulnerable compared to what is in the house. In my short film I'm going to use high angle and low angle to tell the audience what characters are weak and powerful. But this is also puts the audience in the eye of either the "watcher" or "killer" that is in the house which is very effective.



Another shot which I find very effective is this close up shot of the "killer" what I like about this is that it shows all of the detail of the "killers" face and its very disturbing due to the cracked skin and red around the eyes. When creating my film I want to focus on detail so that the it is very high quality, I will do this through costume,makeup,editing and camera work.


This film has helped me in the development on my film and how I want to create about it. Im going to take a lot of inspiration from this short film by focusing on a simple narrative which is still effective and will still scare the audience.