Final Trailer

Final Poster

Final Magazine

Contact Sheets

Qualitative Audience Research (Focus Group)

Poster Templates

Magazine Templates

In this phase of the project I decided that I will utilise three different magazine covers as templates. By doing so I gained a wider array of audience feedback on my template designs, and thus creating a more broader set of parameters as to which magazine I should choose as a final magazine; with suitability and genre compatibility being two of the key determinants of this decision along with the most important factor of all; the audience. Red, white and black are the prominent three colour palette chosen, as via my Audience Survey, this conveyed the genre the most efficiently. However Little White Lies lacks this due to the convention of simplicity in both colour wise and art wise.

Rough Designs of Poster & Magazine

Planning: Reconnaissance/RECCE

A Reconnaissance or RECCE shot is a stage of planning which takes place before principal photography or actual filming shoots. The objective of visiting the locations was to discover where my principal photography would take place, in addition any problems or unexpected complications were discovered e.g. Lighting, acoustics, safety issues etc. I visited conventional locations which are formulaic of the Slasher Genre such as a deep forest woodland area, eerie alleyways, churches and murky streams. Me and my group discovered that the forest provided a perfect area for filming with excellent lighting (despite Winter's darker daylight) and a murky and dark water stream, the forest also had leafless trees which can have deeper meaning through Mise En Scene such as death or lack of life, this metaphoric meaning can cross into Ruby's state of mind also.

Planning: Special Effects Preparation

Gore is an integral convention in the Slasher genre as implied by its name, and is a characterising factor of the genre in conjunction with its violence. In order to replicate this defining feature I researched into useful techniques by professionals online via website such as YouTube regarding the methodology for such endeavors. I discovered Smooth-On Inc. a channel based on DIY SFX for independent film making and general arts and crafts tutorials for low budgets. I subscribed to their channel to view and follow the tutorial guides given in many of their helpful and informative videos such as this one regarding make up and latex to produce realistic gore whilst working with the limitations of a budget:

Then I progressed to trying to replicate and follow the tutorials given on my colleagues and group members to practice SFX beforehand. By doing so I avoided complications which may arise through inexperience whilst on location trying to produce this with no prior experience. The results of this are shown in the following document:

Planning: Risk Assessment

This risk assessment stopped any potential accidents from happening, highlighted any threats or dangers within the shooting location and helped in the overall objective of planning; time efficiency, smoothness and general organisation of shoots whilst in the phases of principal photography.

Risk Assessment

Danger that could occur	Why this could be seen as dangerous	Solutions
Branches, trees and logs in the forest	This can be dangerous as if the characters are running through the forest; they may trip, or bump into things if not careful.	We can ensure that the characters are running in a wide enough space for all of them to fit. We can also make sure they do not run too fast, as this can be changed on editing. Characters should also watch where they are running, and know when to stop.
Weapons being used	This could be a danger to all characters as this could cause serious harm if not used with care	We should always ensure that we are keeping the knife away from any characters, and at a far distance. We should also ensure that we do not joke, or play around with the weapon. This way we can prevent any accidents from happening.
Speed of the car	This could actually cause potential accidents, or even cause a real crash itself.	Ensuring that the driver drives slowly for the production, as this can be changed during the process of editing.

Planning: Call Sheet

A call sheet is a film production term that is allocated to a piece of paper which is distributed among the cast and crew. This document is created by the film producer with the sole purpose and objective of the document to educate and inform the cast and crew on the necessary information and Intel about the production; information such as telephone or mobile numbers to refer to e.g. in the case of absence and the desire to inform the rest of the production team. It is cases such as an absence which demonstrates the call sheets practicality and useful application to film production as it saves dividends, regarding time efficiency and sticking to deadlines whilst producing quality media content. If a accident may occur then the call sheet is again referred to with extremely useful details such as the nearest hospital within the proximity of the shooting location in the worst case scenario.

The Return

The Return (A2 Media Coursework)

Production Office: ROOKS HEATH COLLEGE – MG2

 

DESCRIPTION OF SHOOTS: The Forest - The group of friends is lost in the middle of the forest; they are looking for a way out.   They then lose each other and end up individually alone. We need to show that they  are being watched by the villain, and show how the villain ‘disrupts’ the characters.  We need to show how each character dies. The house – Here we need to show the equilibrium of the characters, and show them  living the daily lives by partying and drinking alcohol. We also show the group of friends  playing spin the bottle, where the truth about the death of Ruby is revealed.  The car scene – We need to ensure we include the two characters leaving the house,  their speed from takeoff which represents their panic, and also them crashing the car,  due to the villain appearing in the back of the car. The park – We need to ensure we have a variety of shots of Ruby on the swing. The school – We show Ruby’s mum sad looking down at a photo of Ruby as this is  her lost adopted  daughter.
Date:20/11/13          23/11/13          27/11/13          4/12/13          13/12/13          15/12/13          28/12/13          5/1/14          16/1/14          23/2/14          26/2/14	Start: 1.00pm  End: 5.00pm	Breaks: 3/4	Weather: Cloudy/Wet/Cold conditions

LOCATIONS CHARACTERS MOBILES                         CAST 1.     Roxbourne Park Forest 2.     South Harrow house scene 3.     Rooks Heath College 4.     Ruislip park 5.     Ruislip Alex Jason Jay Frankie Trey Chelsea Amy Ruby Mum Henry Dilan Nitin Alex Harry Rosie Mia Roma Ms Malins

HEALTH AND SAFETY Closest police station: South Harrow  03001 231212   -  999 only in case of emergency    Closest A&E: Northwick Park / Mount Vernon Hospital   Fire: Everyone involved will be notified of fire procedure and assembly points before each shoot

Planning: Shooting Script

This shooting script provided me with a vital time efficiency tool which helped organise shoots on location. It aided the cast and crew in how exactly to implement, utilise the resources and content revised & obtained e.g. Rehearsed lines/movements and correct usage or functioning of camera equipment. This assisted in the process of the shoots being smooth and as optimal in time efficiency as possible.

Shot number	Scene	Shot time	Scene description
1	House scene	5 seconds	Spin the bottle
2	House scene	8 seconds	Group of friends dancing together (Pulling funny faces to the camera)
3	House scene	6 seconds	Chelsea and Trey sexual scene
4	House scene	5 seconds	Frankie and Amy sleeping, hear the doorbell
5	House scene	6 seconds	Fridge scene, Amy gets a drink (Ruby is shown)
6	Forest scene	3 seconds	Group of friends running
7	Forest scene	10 seconds	Jay’s death scene
8	Forest scene	5 seconds	Group discussion
9	Forest scene	5 seconds	Ruby chasing Alex
10	Forest scene	4 seconds	Chelsea hiding from Ruby (her death scene)
11	Forest scene	3 seconds	Trey lost, screaming for help
12	Forest scene	5 seconds	Filming empty forest, Ruby appears behind trees.
13	Car scene	4 seconds	Car drives away from location
14	Car scene	6 seconds	Aftermath of crash, (Jason and Alex death)
15	Car scene	3 seconds	Jason and Alex walking to the car
16	Car scene	5 seconds	Jason screaming (reaction to seeing Ruby at the back of the car)
17	Car Scene	4 seconds	Close up of Ruby hiding in the car

Planning: Casting Calls & Character Profiles

Story Boards

The primary objective to producing our Storyboards was to provide me & my filming group a sufficient direction as to filming the trailer whilst on location and planning. This guided us through the process and saved vital amounts of time resulting in organised and time efficient shoots. This time efficiency stopped any infringement into our filming budget which was very helpful considering this is a low budget production, as the cast and crew along with the amount of equipment and how long we could utilise them for were affected by this. The Story boards were very beneficial in ensuring smooth, collected and organised shoots. Our group took into account the shots used, the time they were sustained for and the speed of the cuts which also aided me and my group bountifully when in the post production/editing phase.

Genre Analysis of 'The Return'

Genre Analysis of ‘The Return’

Genre organises media content and text into helpful variants and categories which simplify the process of selecting media to enjoy. What defines a Genre is the codes and conventions that are consistently featured within the texts. These conventions characterise a genre to make identifying them simpler. Some genre are created within a certain time period in history such as Film Noir and German Expressionism have a socio-historic context as it mirrors the political and social issues endured within that time frame e.g. Film Noir had the convention of including a ‘Femme Fatale’ as a result of the rising Women’s civil rights movement. Genres may utilise other conventions from other Genres to create Cross Genre content which creates a hybrid Genre; Slasher is a hybrid genre as it incorporates thriller aspects and mystery with horror and its entailed gore and blood. The Slasher Genre has also been identified to have a ‘pattern of meaning’ which frequents sends out the message that female or males being Promiscuous are bad/evil or doomed to die whereas Virginity results in success and is positively reinforced. Although throughout the development of the genre it has broadened its parameters to wider meanings regarding a Psychopathic murderer who relentlessly murders a group of conventional teens.

In order to analyse the Return regarding genre, there are two approaches I must take a Descriptive and Functional analysis along with institutional consideration (audience and producer) and explain how my trailer relates to McConnell’s Five Genre Theory.

In the descriptive approach of analysis of The Return, this focuses on identifying common aspects which exist in the same genre; Slasher such as character types, costumes, common or conventional locations, themes implied by the film and the overall plot.

Firstly in The Return I have chosen to abide by the convention of the sexually promiscuous members of the group dying first specifically Chelsea and Jay, if not first then quite graphically to imply the Virginity vs Promiscuous theme which is always seen within Slasher convention, this clearly demonstrates the conventional & formulaic form of my film as it abides by one of the most evident aspects of Slasher. Location wise Slashers tend to maintain location continuity of a Haunted House, Forest or woodland area setting. This has been followed in my film due to the usage (planned) of a Forest or deep woodland area as this demonstrates the Mise En Scene aspects of being isolated and stranded in the wake of death itself (Ruby in my film) and a house has been utilised although this has been subverted in a slight manner as the house is not necessarily haunted only that its partying, occupying residents are doomed due to Ruby’s presence in the house so it has been subverted slightly. Another convention which has been altered and subverted in my film is that the main killer/villain is not male but female which empowers females in a way due to the predatory and dominant aspects a villain displays within Slasher convention. In addition to this point is that Ruby abides by the convention of having a masked killer as this displays and feeds on the natural human fear of the unknown (unknown identity of the killer), this consistently featured in Slasher films for example Jason, Leatherface and Mike Myers all being masked killers; however Ruby is masked with her hair not with a mask or balaclava which is a direct intertextual reference in my film to The Grudge, where the killer is a girl and is masked with her own hair.

Regarding the functional analysis of ‘The Return’, the film comments on a social issue which is evident within this time period; Teenage recklessness. In my film nearly all the teenagers die as a direct result of the reckless, irresponsible and primitive nature of their acts for example getting drunk, partying and speeding. The film reinforces the dominant hegemonic value of Teenagers wanting to ‘grow up’ or become adults far too quickly and the view of them being defiant and abusive or uncaring. This is reinforced through again all the teenage characters behaviour but in particular the final girl herself as she was the catalyst for Ruby becoming a psychopathic killer and it was Frankie, the final girl herself who also abused Ruby when she was a child, neglecting her due to her being adopted and ‘stealing’ the attention from her and Amy. Considering that the conventions of Slasher films is to maintain the final girl’s innocent and pure personality, my film takes quite a spin on this.

Genre as emphasised earlier is extremely beneficial with the film industry and general commercial enterprise. A genre highlights a potential market area in business terms and enables producers to identify the codes and conventions within the market gap/genre and cater to them to gain a larger audience and make them, the audience approve of their products due to demographic gratification. The genre creates markets for the producers so they can further empathise their efforts within that areas rather than waste efforts where no profit or yield is produced e.g. success of films such as ‘Man Of Steel’ indicate to producers that the Superhero genre is an area for profit to be made. In a social context genre is beneficial too as it simplifies the process of the selection of media text to enjoy thus promoting social activities such as visits to the cinema. On the parental side also it promotes the home media (dvds, uv copies, vhs and Blu Ray) sales as parent can easily filter through the masses of media content and select appropriately for their children via the genre listing in a shop e.g. HMV regardless of an age rating or not as the genre displays information about the internal content without any further analysis e.g. Horror films are not suitable for children, an age rating is not required to understand this but the genre listing does this for the parent due to the codes and convention they have witnessed from prior exposure to the content of that genre.

Within genres there are accepted but enjoyed aspects of the verisimilitude within the digesis and codes and conventions, this enables creative decisions to be made to create more content within the genre. The Slasher genre utilises the convention or aspect that the killer is almost invulnerable and always able to survive e.g. Mike Myers in the ending of Halloween. This generates fear within the audience and paranoia as the threat still exists which further prolongs the Enigma Code or mystery aspects of the film outside of the viewing experience as they are still engaged with the verisimilitude in a shape or form. The Return utilises this as a film within the Slasher genre due to the ambiguous ending which leaves the fate of the final girl Frankie and Ruby being left unanswered, this is a common genre convention or pattern to follow within the Slasher Genre as it is not only seen in Halloween but in Friday The 13^th with the River boat attack scene. These types of endings spark an ability to produce sequels and enlarge the franchise on the film hence why the decision of the ambiguous ending was made as it makes sense from a financial or marketing view point, this decision of enlarging/expanding the franchise is seen prominently in the Slasher genre e.g. Friday the 13^th, Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequels and franchises.

However McConells Five Genre theory opposes the idea of having a genre and its surrounding entailed benefits and believed that genres should be substituted with themes. With each theme outlined I will explain exactly how this relates to the Slasher genre and ‘The Return’. The five themes are;

-The King: An individual who obtains the gift of power and rises socially, economically/financially and physically. This is shown through ‘The Return’ via the character of the Villain Ruby who socially and physically obtains power violently through the systematic killing of Frankie’s friends.

-The Pawn: Smaller side stories of people of lesser importance compared to The Knight or King, it covers the dramatic aspects of their mundane lives who are encaged within a social situation. A prime example of this is British Soaps involving British Social Realism and the drama surrounding those entailed reoccurring characters. This can be seen in ‘The Return’ through the teenagers (Chelsea, Amy, Jay and Frankie) who are trapped in a game of Cat and Mouse with a psychopathic killer, regardless of whether they choose to run to the forest, ‘escape’ via a car they are still in danger therefore trapped within a situation or environment fulfilling the role of the Pawn.

-The Knight: The daring exploits and adventurous experiences of a Heroic (predominantly male) figure. This is not seen within the Return as this does not necessarily feature within Slasher films but is more prominent in an Action genre setting e.g. Rambo

-The Fool: Prominent in more comedy based films were the characters jesting behaviour and demeanour is a direct product of the silliness of the residential state he/she lives in. An example of this is in Mean Girls. Again this is not a common theme displayed in Slashers.

-The Apocalypse: The phase in which the previous established equilibrium is replaced with a new equilibrium which leads to the destruction of a matter e.g. person, person’s possessions or loved ones etc. This is a prominent feature and conventional theme in Slashers and is displayed in ‘The Return’ through the agonising experience Frankie endures in which she witnesses each one of her closest friends and finally her sister being taken from her.

Narrative Analysis of 'The Return'

Narrative Analysis of ‘The Return’

Narratives form a story via a structure, hence why it is essential for pieces of cinema to have some form of narrative. Conventional narratives have been identified by many theorists, some of which are incorporated into my film. In order to demonstrate and express narrative the following are effectively used; Mise En Scene, Sound, Camera (Angles/Shots), Editing and Lighting. Structures of narrative may be slightly unconventional and move between past and present events e.g. The Return as my film utilises this to give the audience insight into Ruby’s past.

One of the theories which have been integrated into my film is Vladimir Propp’s ‘Fairy-tale Narrative’. Vladimir Propp analysed a number of Russian Fairy tales and discovered a correlation, a consistent structure of certain events which when accumulated formed the Russian Fairy-tale. The Fairy tales he analysed even featured similar, if not the same characters; The Hero, Villain & Helper/Benefactor. These characters and sub characters types contributed to the narrative to create events, these events are repeated consistently through the tales he encountered although some events were not utilised in all the tales, the main events were inevitably shown in the same consistent pattern. The pattern of events prominently unfolds in this order;

-       -Hero leaves home

-        -The villain causes indirect harm to the Hero’s close group of friends within his social proximity

-        -Hero is introduced to the Benefactor who beholds something of importance and he/she is conventionally old

-        -The Hero must carry out a task

-        -Benefactor gives the ‘gift’ to assist the Hero in this matter

-        -Villain then carries out reconnaissance/spying

-        -Hero then conventionally engages in the Villain and suffers a direct loss of some shape or form (physical or mental)

-        -Hero encounters a group of friends/person who aids the Hero in this task

-        -Hero and Villain engage in combat

-        -The task successfully accomplished

-        -Villain/Villain threat neutralised

-        -Hero receives a reward (conventionally a girl’s love or affection)

These events can be identified within the film trailer I have created through Frankie taking the role of the hero and engaging in combat with the Villain however in the film this unconventionally ends ambiguously nevertheless combat occurs. Frankie suffers multiple blows from the Villain ‘Ruby’ who kills Chelsea and Jay both of which were close friends and most importantly Frankie loses Amy her sister.  Frankie identifies the task that must be carried out (to neutralise the Villain). However I have slightly subverted the theory via Frankie not necessarily being a ‘Hero’ as she did abuse her adopted sibling before her disappearance.

Tzeylan Todorov’s Classic Narrative Pattern Theory has also been incorporated in my film. He was a Bulgarian structuralist linguistic and similarly identified conventional narrative form in the 1960s. He suggested that stories begin with a status quo or Equilibrium in which an opposition force are in balance and have not attacked. This is then disrupted by an event which rattles the verisimilitude and engages a cause and effect pattern. The protagonist aims to restore balance to the verisimilitude by eliminating the villain and bringing clarity into the world of fiction. When stripped to bare-bones this theory essentially describes Beginning, Middle & End. He stated that they are structured so;

-State Of Equilibrium: This is the beginning of the narrative and everything is in balance and in everyday natural settings. This gives the viewer a opportunity to comprehend the characters and adjust to the general digesis/Verisimilitude. In my film this is demonstrated through a party scene where conventional characters are going about their generic activities, as the group of friends are Teenagers they are partying reinforcing the dominant hegemony.

-Disruption: This phase regards the characters enduring an unexpected event which has disrupted the Equilibrium of their lives or normality of it. This is entailed with a series of Cause & Effect events/chain reactions. The Villain prominently carries this disruption or is awakened. This occurs in my film through Frankie being persuaded to tell the story of her adopted sister Ruby, this is subverted as the Villain is usually responsible for the disruption.

-Recognition of Disruption: The character now have become aware of the disruption within the narrative verisimilitude or digesis. This is shown in my work through Amy and Frankie sensing something wrong or off point along with their group of friends feeling the same after the story told by Frankie last night and the car crash scene in which Henry and his friend have crashed their car as a result of the disruption Ruby has inflicted upon Frankie’s friends clearly displaying identifiable disruption.

-Attempt to Repair Disruption: Hero attempts to restore balance to the fiction verisimilitude which conventionally is done via direct combat between hero and villain as identified by Propp and is closely near the climatic ending of the film. This occurred in the late phases of my film where Frankie becomes enraged and ‘hunts down’ her adopted sister Ruby. However the next phase I did not abide by as conventionally as this stage.

-Reinstatement of the New Equilibrium: A new similar balance is restored and established via defeat of the Villain although not completely the same to the Outset Equilibrium. The main difference between this balance and the outset balance is that the Hero and surviving characters must live with their experiences with nothing being the same completely. Subversion of this stage occurred through me and my group’s decision to leave the film at a cliff hanger/avoiding a high degree of narrative closure (Pam Cook’s Hollywood Narrative Theory Reference), this is unconventional for a film although conventional within the Horror genre as the fate of the Villain and Hero is left by the director ambiguously for example the well-known slasher film ‘Halloween’ in which Mike Myers’s corpse towards the end of the film has not been discovered after dropping from a house ledge via him being shot leaving the viewer’s still feeling frightful (intended effect upon audience).

Moving onto more theories which have been utilised in The Return is Pam Cook’s Classic Hollywood Narrative. Pam Cook identified the generic or consistently used features within the Institutional Mode of Representation. ‘A linear narrative of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution. As demonstrated with the other narrative theories this fits in with my film as after the disruption a chain of cause and effect events have occurred which lead up to the inevitable encounter of the Villain. However subversion has occurred as I chose to leave the film at a cliff-hanger/ambiguous ending which did not resolve the enigma completely as the enigma (mystery) remains as to whether Ruby or Frankie have succeeded in eliminating the other.

Pam Cook also states that conventional films will utilise a ‘Fictional world governed by spatial and temporal verisimilitude’. This essentially means a realistic believable world the audience can relate to, with the relation inciting fear in the viewer as the danger is associated with an environment they deal with every day. This was carried out in my film through the use of realistic locales/locations or sets which are prominent in everyday life such as a London style house used in my film (haunted in the case of a Slasher), this effectively conveys a realistic setting to relate to providing the audience with an immersive viewing experience.

A ‘Centrality to the narrative agency of psychologically well rounded characters’ has also been identified by Pam Cook. This refers to conventional use of stereotypical characters who are human hence ‘psychologically well rounded characters’ which have been used in my film via reinforcement of dominant hegemonic ideologies or stereotypes e.g. Teens partying and getting drunk, driving recklessly and indulging in a reckless lifestyle in general with no care or remorse for others or themselves at times. Those dominant hegemonic values are mirrored and effectively reinforced in my film through the party scene and the brief sexual scene of Chelsea and Jay. Most importantly the aim of using flawed dislikeable characters who demonstrate stereotypical characteristics is so the audience can identify them as human or psychologically well rounded. However subversion of this theory occurs through the Villain being the complete opposite of psychologically well rounded as the objective in my film was to make Ruby as un-relatable as possible making her inhuman via her relentless killing of Frankie’s friends.

In addition ‘A high degree of narrative closure’ has been found by Pam Cook with conventional films ‘wrapping up’ loose ends or enigma codes (Roland Barthes cross theory reference) aka Mysteries. In horror films this is shown through only the final girl/protagonist surviving and the group of friends dead however in my film this occurs but we as the audience are unsure of Frankie the protagonist and final girl’s survival due to my decision to leave a purposefully ambiguous ending which subverts Pam Cooks theory in a slight manner although adherence to this theory has been relatively strict excluding this ambiguous ending throughout my film.

Finally Roland Barthes narrative theory is another theory which has been integrated into my film. Roland Barthes identified that in all stories there is the consistent feature of five codes which when accumulated, form the conventional narrative. The five codes are the following;

-        An Enigma Code (Mystery) which has been laid out. This is used in my film as the viewer of the trailer is unaware of Ruby’s motives to attack her sibling and her friends which is initially kept secret from the audience. This enigma code is sustained even after the end of the film as the ambiguous ending leaves the fate of the characters an enigma/mystery.

-        Semantic Code, which is the perspective in which the viewer spectates the events which are unfolding. This has been utilised in my film efficiently through ‘Point Of View’ and ‘Over The Shoulder Shots’ of Ruby whilst killing and hunting her victims (Neck snap scene) which are subjective shots to the character involved as we witness the events from this perspective, this was used to my advantage as I can make viewers feel uncomfortable with what they are watching as they are helpless to stop the slaughter occurring resulting in further audience engrossment in the film. However throughout the majority of the film the semantic code is in the perspective of Frankie.

-        Action Code, this is used to drive the narrative forward through key events. Without these key events there would be a lack of pacing in the film. In my film the party scene in which Frankie tells her friends about her adopted sister acts as a scene involving action code due to it driving the narrative forward with Ruby awakening as a result. Without this event there would be no narrative to ‘The Return’.

-        Referential Code, uses Mise En Scene and media language to refer to a larger ideology, analogy or description. This occurs through Frankie, the final girl who is ideally meant to be innocent, pure, ‘mumsy’ and virginal however this turns out to be not quite the case as she has abused her adopted sister prior to her disappearance which conflicts with the perceived role of a protective, kind and loving older sister.

-        Finally the Symbolic code uses Mise En Scene to provide symbolism. This is a key feature used in my film through Ruby’s knife which directly refers using symbolism to sexual connotations and the Barbara Creed Freudian theory of ‘Women as Monstrous’. The theory of ‘Women as Monstrous’ is essentially the threat of castration according to the Creed’s Freudian theory and the child’s ‘fear of it’ or Castration. This fear is developed between the pre oedipal phase and the Symbolic Order (phases of Freudian psychological child brain development). In my film the knife Ruby wields and utilises represented the phallus which in the theory displays the threat of Castration through the subconscious and displays the loss of masculinity. In addition to this, the fact that the male, Jay in the film is killed by Ruby, a female further demonstrates and reinforces the fear of castration within the film.