Marketing My Thriller Film

Marketing is a very important aspect that needs considering when producing a movie. The more viewers you are able to attract, the larger the revenue will be. It is also important to keep within the budget in order to keep profit at its highest, and not waste money.

The key to making someone want to watch your film, is making the perfect trailer for it to be advertised, without any visuals of your movie, it'd be impossible for the target audience of that production company to even become remotely excited without it already being a known series already, and as this will be my first film just writing text will not be enough.

One of the best resources for advertisement is commonly not looked upon as being useful, because of the amount of other videos on the streaming service but YouTube being the largest streaming service in the world is the perfect place for any start up movie producers as it is free. meaning that the only thing needed to publish your movie for advertisement is a YouTube account.

Another popular service for those not willing to spend money is kick starter this is a project driven website made entirely for those who want to build projects but don't have to money to do so. Kick starter allows users to make videos and put them up as a type of advertisement, where generous people can pledge money towards your cause as you attempt to reach your goal of money, this allows the increase of budget when trying to pay for more expensive methods of advertisement such as using billboards or television ads.

Possible Fonts

Small details make a big difference when making a title for the film, when writing is slanted and has pointed edges this normally hints at a horror film, this may also be presented by colours of the text, which make all the difference when trying to establish what you want your audience to think, I'll provide some common examples that will present this way of thinking.

An example of horror:

 

Looking at this image it's easy to tell it's a horror because of the background being dark, and the text in general saying 'house of the dead' the way the font shows this is by making the edges of each letter sharp as though a point weapon, and the merge between red and black to present a type of blood in each of the letters presents this effect without the audience having to pay too much attention to this blend of colours. 

 

An example of a Thriller:

 

 

 

Thriller movies are different from horrors in the way they present their movies, it's a more mysterious, problem solving aspect and by doing this I believe by adding the perfect background the text almost becomes transparent, and example of this may be shown by the title for the movie 'Inception' a movie all about trying to deceive others through smart ways of manipulating the brain.

As shown by the image above, the background of the maze forms the words inception by leaving spaces in the middle. This is a smart way of making a title and just shows how complex the movie is going to be even before watching it.

 

Target Audience Profile Interview

To get a better understanding of people who'd like to watch the film, I'll be asking questions to both males and females to get an opinion of both genders because my descriptions may be too single sided and completely biased so by gaining the insight of others it will allow me to make the right decisions when creating my film.

The questions I'll ask and why:

1: What's your common interest when watching a thriller movie?

Reasoning: the reasoning behind this question is to gain a general opinion on what people like to see. Like any director this information is very important as it allows me to gain a proper insight into what makes the audience tick, not everyone likes a mysterious movie which they have to think about, a common example being like saw, where the objective of the audience is to have as much fun as possible while being filled with the excitement of the 'captive' being trapped in one of Jigsaws sick puzzles.

2: When watching a thriller movie, what's the most interesting point in the film?

Reasoning: This allows me to make correct pace when adjusting my opening, we don't want the audience to become highly interested in the beginning then become highly bored towards the end. This would make the pacing horrible and non enjoyable which is not wanted when you want the audience to watch a film for a long period of time.

3: Do you prefer having more action than mystery or vice versa?

Reasoning: This is to gain the general view of the males and females as gaining the average from their results will make the survey more easier to put in statistics. If possible if the person being questioned also adds their personnel insight in, it allows us to see the audiences way of thinking.

Costumes And Props

Costume: Child

 

In our opening sequence, our aim is to have a combination of two different pieces of footage. One of which will be showing a boy before he went missing and the other will be showing a person who seems to be involved in his disappearance. My idea will be to have the young boy in very casual clothes such as jeans and preferably a white top. The reasoning for this choice in his clothing is because its generally what a young person would wear on a day out with their friends (linking to the age of the boy) and the white top is to represent innocents for the child (shows how he has done nothing wrong and makes the boy seem more like a victim the less wrong doing he has done).

 

Costume: Male Protagonist (Suspect)

 

The person who seems to be behind the child's disappearance will be wearing smart clothing such as shoes, a smart shirt (possibly casual) and smart trousers as well as an apron (bearing in mind the sleeves on the shirt will be rolled up, top buttons undone and the apron will have blood on it.) The reasoning behind this kind of costume choice is to show two sides to the suspect. In public this person is seen as a respectable person who wears fine clothes and may have a good job that pays well but secretly in his spare time (shown by his smart cloths being relaxed) he may just be a murderer/ abducts people.

 

 

 

Props: Child

 

Some props that the child will have may be a bag of some sort which contains all his personal belongs that a young man may carry (phone, wallet, aftershave etc.) Another prop that could be used could be the child's shoe. in one of the shots, his shoe could be placed somewhere (not too obvious) to show that something has happened to the child or that the suspect may have a link to the case. Another prop which I'm undecided on would be a piece of jewellery like a chain. This could be what the child would wear like a part of is costume that has some meaning to it or could have a big link to the case (in one clip the boy might be wearing it, but in the next the man could have it on) that in itself could add mystery within the opening sequence (how did it get from the boy to the man?)

 

 

 

Props: Male Protagonist (suspect)

 

The male could be wearing glasses to show precision in his work or whatever he is doing (e.g. disposing of the body) or/and he could be wearing a mask to hide his identity from the viewer (cannot give to much away up front or no one is going to want to watch the show!). Another set of props that would be effective would be a set of knives. This would make the viewers question what the suspect is up to (could he be cutting up the body?) A final main prop for the suspect would be the chain (discussed in previous paragraph).

 

Props: On The set 

 

in order to create a good theme/ atmosphere whilst filming, my group must ensure that the set has the appropriate location choice and props to go with its surroundings. some props I am hoping to obtain for the filming , would be; table (which the suspect will be standing behind and we will not be able to see what's on the table), a cover to go over the table (bloody and tattered), a board containing pictures and pieces of string as well as a map to add mystery like I old detective movies). and finally lights  (we want the set to be dark and the lights will then focus on key thins such as the table and the board).

 

Se7en Title Sequence

In the opening sequence of Se7en, many interesting camera angles and lighting techniques are used. The lighting , camera angles and editing are used in such a way, the viewer is unsure of what they're actually viewing throughout the opening scene. Some shots are of an unusual nature which makes the viewer feel uneasy and intrigued as to what the actual film could be about.

For example, in the picture above (a screenshot of the Se7en opening sequence) two drawn hands can be clearly seen. Both hands look similar, showing they could belong to the same person however the lighting on both of them is varied. One hand has a fair amount of light which allows us, as the viewer, to see the detail and characteristics of the hand whereas the other hand is left mainly in the dark, a clear contrast between them. This could be a declaration of a persons personality being difficult to understand, or possibly the act they have more that one personality. The light and dark could also represent the sins and virtue of the individual. The crooked fingers could represent the amount of good/bad this person has done in their society, showing that the dark side has more of a crooked look than the light side. This could mean that the person has been more sinful than anything else, making them a possible danger in the future, in the film.The font of the text in this is a clear sign of where typography can be used effectively to achieve a certain feel on a title sequence. The writing is written in a sketchy, which, chalk-like substance that looks to be the messy handwriting of a person. This could relate to the crooked hand drawings, since crooked, crippled hands would not have particularly neat handwriting.

Throughout the opening scene, the title slides can be clearly seen to blur and glitch, giving making the audience uneasy as to what this could mean. A popular interpretation of these effects are that it represents the mental state of one of the protagonists; possibly a mentally unstable person with an illness such as Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression), or schizophrenia, which could then also link to the multiple personalities and the good and bad in the person.

As you can clearly see, the opening credits use many close ups and extreme close ups paired with appropriate lighting (such as high-key or low-key). The close ups show details about the person in the opening sequence, such as their handwriting , hobbies and drawings for example. These close ups and extreme close up shots could indicate we are learning about the protagonist, and getting to know his habits and traits; we can already see he seems to like drawing by the pictures seen throughout the credits.
The habits of the person are very singular and not common, showing he could be an 'outsider' to the world he lives in. Also, although a select amount of information are revealed about them through the introduction, many are kept hidden by strategic use of low-key lighting and glitchy cuts to ensure there is still a large amount of unknown information about them. The scene also contains a mildly disturbing scene showing the person cutting off layers of skin from their finger to rid themselves of their own fingerprints. This is often an precaution taken by criminals who do not wish to be caught when committing a crime, as they will leave no fingerprints as evidence, further emphasising the large amount of unknown information about the person, and leaving the audience 'in the dark' as to what they are actually doing and who they actually are.

Location Analysis

Location Analysis

 

The reasoning for the majority of my locations being placed in parks, is because it fits the criteria of what I need in order to get great shots (quiet, great natural lighting, secluded and gives a sense of mystery due to all the places to hide and go to). 

 

Here is a list of places we could go to in order to film parts of our opening sequence:

 

Harvington park(Beckenham):

 

 

In this picture you see a panoramic shot taken in Harvington park (near Harris Academy Beckenham). I personally like this particular area for filming because it has a lot of cover from the trees above which makes the area very eerie when its starts to get darker but it also allows enough natural light in to make shots visible once recorded/ whilst being filmed. Another reason why I like this area is because it has a lot of bushes and secretive areas that would be great for doing both the scene with the child and then we could go to a different part of the park to film the part of the opening sequence with the male protagonist as well. This particular area has a reasonably big variety from places to film and would be worth considering when filming out opening sequence.

 

 

Kelsey Park (Beckenham):

 

 

In this picture, you see a high angled shot taken of a bridge in Kelsey park (also near Harris Academy Beckenham). In this park there is an easy to access forest which is small but could really set the scene when we start filming. it also has a few great locations such as this bridge, a few huts randomly placed around the park and great scenery which is appealing to the eye. In my opinion it would also be a great place to film. However, in order to get a great shot you need a good amount of natural lighting and some areas (such as the forest) can become extremely dark which can make it hard to see what is going on in certain shots (I tried to take a photo of the forest but it was to dark to see on my phone). Another possible problem is thee park is full of wildlife that may interfere with filming so that must also be taken into consideration.

 

 

 

Crystal Palace Park:

 

 

In this park, there are multiple locations which are perfect for certain shots due to the iconic features such as the statues and the tower for an example. Also, there are several wooded areas as well as the maze which is perfect for a thriller opening title sequence because I could use these areas to represent how the protagonist could be lost and is struggling to find his way out and that is when he is abducted by the other protagonist. Another positive point to note about this particular location is it looks very eerie when both/ either the appropriate filter is used and when it becomes a little darker as well.

I may possibly use all of these locations because they all seem to have very good points which I could use in my footage. I could combine all the pieces I have gathered and make it seem like all 3 of these parks are actually just one park. that way I can get all the mysterious parts of each to make a very good thriller opening sequence.

 



The Difference Between A Horror and a Thriller

Death

Horror movies almost always focus on death. Death is usually focused on in horrors since it portrays a sense of danger, whereas in thrillers death is usually not as common. Thrillers usually focus more upon the build up to death rather than the death itself.

Jumpscares

Jumpscares are very common in horrors as they are able to keep the audience wondering and on the edge of their seats. Jumpscares aim to scare, so do not often appear in thrillers.

Horrors
Horrors tend to focus on common fears of large groups of people, and portray them in a way that sends shivers down the spine of those watching. Horrors aim to keep the viewer intrigued yet scared at the same time. Most horrors also aim to keep the viewers scared even after the film has finished, to ensure the rating and opinions of the film are of a high standard. Popular horror films include Halloween, The Exorcist and Scream.

Thrillers

Thrillers generally focus on keeping a high level of tension throughout the film to keep the viewers interested rather than scaring them. Thrillers are notorious for having unexpected plot twists when the viewer least expects it, leaving them puzzled and interested yet still keeping the tension high. Popular thrillers include The Silence Of The Lambs, Taken, Seven and Panic Room.