Youtube channel

• We created a youtube channel so that we would be able to upload any videos which we create during the planning and research, the construction and the evaluation. 
• The Youtube account means that we are able to reach out to a wider audience as our audience is able to view the trailer using online media.
• It also means that we are able to gain feedbacl from the audience as they can like, comment and subscribe to our youtube account which will allow us to improve our film marketing package.

Target Audience

• We decided that our target audience would be male 18-25 year olds. We decided on this because looking due to the historical aspect and the use of female victims. 

• The plot of our film idea relates to mystery, so we looked at current media texts which also show this. We came across Black Mirror which is a TV series  based upon how media can effect peoples life's. This is also aimed at the same target audience as our trailer 

• We also looked at crime shows, such as CSI, which is another TV programme based upon mystery.

Target audience for The Ripper's Shadow

•  creative characteristics 
• enjoys mystery 
• educated 
• male
• 18-25
• enjoys intellectual films 
• 'indie music'
• interested in history

We presented people with our film idea who were in this target audience and received feedback suggesting that they would be interested in viewing our film. 

How to create shadow in black and white

First we looked into famous photographers who created effective shadow in black and white looking at how they achieved this and found some interesting images taken which will influence us in our filming.

Alexey Bednij- Captured images of animals in black and white with shadows in interesting shapes. Here are some examples of the photos he took:

Andre Kertesz- He experimented with shadow to form interesting compositions. Here are some examples of his work:

Andreas Feininger- Looked at creating shadows when taking photos of buildings, landmarks and cities.Here are some examples of his work.

Things that affect shadows in black and white:


Natural Light- Light at different times of teh day will create different shadows and set a different mood in the image. For example a darker image taken later in teh evening will seem more broody than an image taken early on the morning.

Silhouettes- Silhouettes are important to think about when creating shadow.They can be created by making the background brighter and lighter than the subject to great a larger contrast and more tone. They can also be made into different shapes depending on the angle of the camera to create a different effect.

Meaning- Different shapes and types of shadow can create different meanings which is important to think about when filming for example; Illuminated areas suggest dominance or aggression or a dark foreground can compel the eye toward a lighter center. Shadows to the lower right creates a realistic impression, while shadows to the upper left will invert the image.


Drama- Often in film, the use of dark areas and the contrast between light and dark can create a dramatic mood therefore it is important to think about where shadow will be created and what we want to be emphasized and clearly shown to the viewer for a specific reason. 


Tone- This is important as it helps create the mood. Darker photos create the sense of brooding whereas lighter photos are considered more delicate or upbeat. Lighter images are more effective when light is more diffused therefore should be filmed on a overcast day for example fog, mist or rain would make good filming conditions.

We also looked at the website http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/05/13/black-and-white-photography-what-you-need-to-know-for-perfect-mono-pictures/ for some help with our own black and white film editing!

Back and White trailers

          Clerks (2004)

     The artist (2011)

Trailers in this format inspired our production, the black and white means the audience must develop the colours in their mind. These trailers show both time period, and simplicity. Showing that colour is unimportant compared to the narrative and execution.

RESEARCH OF VOICEOVERS

Having decided on the story line we felt that we needed a voice over at the beginning to make a reference to Jack the Ripper so that our audience would understand the link. We therefore researched into other film trailers that effectively use voice overs.

Seven

The Shining

















From hell


















These voice overs are effective as they help the audience to get inside the head of the character so that they can identify with them. They also help the viewer understand the vague plot. 

Typography

We then went on to look into different fonts for the title of our film in our trailer using fonts from Imovie shown below:

             
                             Cracked               BlairMdITC TT

                            Chalkduster          Colonna MT

                            Handwriting           Kino MT 

              

                          Herculanum           Mesquitto std 

                                   

                           Lucida Blackletter      Matura MT Script C
                               

                          Portago ITC TT           Desdemona    


We then picked out three that would be most relevant in our horror film trailer.



We like this font as it gives a cracked special effect making the words look broken and relates to our horror genre. 



We like this font as it is in a scrawny handwriting style and is relevant to our Jack the Ripper storyline as he would write handwritten letters to the police in similar writing. 




We like this font as it is similar to fonts used in other horror film trailers and looks rigid and is easy to read.







Influences from other horror film trailer fonts

We looked into different fonts used in other horror film trailers to influence our font. 

New protagonist characters costume

We changed our mind about the costume that the Jack The Ripper copycat killer would wear. We decided against the trench coat and top hat as this would not suite our modern setting.

After research, we decided that Jack the Ripper wore the long black coat and top hat because that was the fashion in the 18th-19th century, so we are going to dress our protagonist character in a dark common coat, as this is a common outfit, so the serial killer would not stand out, creating more of a mystery.

To differentiate our protagonist character from other characters, he will have an object which is always on show to represent him. Our initial thoughts are to have a stop watch, as this is a small object so easy to manoeuvre and gives it a historical link to the original Ripper.

Cast

 Our protagonist character:

 We have decided that in the trailer, the protagonists character's face is never seen. This creates mystery and leaves something unknown to the audience in the trailer, encouraging them to watch the final film- which is the purpose of a trailer.

We feel that in the casting of this character, we are sticking to our proposed representation of the protagonist character

Lighting

Our blog 'How to create shadows when filming' is one way in which we will use lighting. As we want shadows to feature heavily in our trailer, this is going to be where lighting is used the most.


Low key lighting will also be used within our trailer. This is because it will create an eerie effect and build suspense of which we desire. Low key lighting will also help to clearly show the genre of which our film is. An example of low key lighting is shown in the picture on the right.





When we have the establishing shot of Camden near the beginning of our trailer, we aim to use high key lighting as hints of the genre 'horror' has not yet been shown. This will set the scene for the film.

Roland Barthes

Sound

We have decided to use a heartbeat sound within our teaser trailer, to create tension through a sound bridge. We have found some youtube videos of a hear beat, and many with a quickening pace which would be perfect to initiate suspense.

We intend to use the sound of the heartbeat in the trailer when the police open the package sent from the serial killer to find a body part inside. The sound of the heart will speed up, but then stop when the package is opened, and there will be silence on the trailer until the montage of clips begin with the original trailer soundtrack. 

The heartbeat score will be a representation of the victims that have died, and by the sound stopping when the body part within the package is opened, it represents the death of the victims, which we hope will intimidate the audience, so generate conspiracy of who the murderer is and suspense as to what will happen next.

How to create shadows when filming

After finding these photos, we realised that to create shadows like these in our trailers, we would have to first of all shoot at night or at a dark location. We will then have to use lights from things such as a torch or from a phone to create shadows in different positions. This will hopefully then allow us to create shadows easily and effectively. 

Facebook/Twitter Page

We have updated both of our Facebook and Twitter pages so please follow us/like us for constant updates!

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/rippersshadow

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheRippersShadow#

Special Effect Make-up

After purchasing our materials for the make-up, we decided to trial what we have learned from tutorial video on our blog, and begun practising creating a wound. We used Katherine's arm and used materials of liquid latex, fake blood, tissue and foundation. 

After creating the wounds, we realised that making a realistic wound would be a challenge.The tissue was difficult to control and the foundation was hard to apply to the latex covered tissue making a realist wound look not very realistic.

Next time we attempt this special effect make-up, we will use a foundation that is closer to the models skin tone to make the cut seem more believable and we decided to try and find an alternative material to tissue as it was problematic and we are looking into buying an alternative.