Ross Morrison 1748
Claremont Fan Court School 64680
I worked with Casey Drewett 1723
Our film brief was to create a promo pack, this consisted of a teaser trailer, full trailer, film website, film poster and social media pages. The title of our film is "His Last Mile". His Last Mile is a horror/thriller film about a sports rivalry who turned violent as the bitter rival becomes a serial killer and takes revenge on the athlete that stole everything from him. Our film focuses on a number of characters, the athlete, the rival, the athletes girlfriend and the detective.
Camera Work - I did the main amount of filming when we were creating our production. However, at times I was unable to film as I was in front of the camera at these points Casey filmed although I was still organising the camera angles. For a number of the scenes I used a Nikon 4K HD camera.
Editing - I edited our production from organising the sequence of the trailer to editing the colour and audience of the trailer. As I was completing my production in a lockdown I decided to buy Adobe Premiere Pro so that I could edit at home whilst getting the crisp and professional finish I felt my production deserved. After deciding to use the same ident from our AS production I decided to change the fonts on the ident as I felt that this made our ident look more professional.
Directing - I decided on where we should film and where the camera and actors should be positioned to gain the best shots for my production. The locations that we filmed at such as the park, school grounds, woodland and the house worked perfectly for the horror film we wanted to create. I took the main brunt of the directing with Casey providing input where necessary.
Teaser Trailer (click to watch)
In order to distribute my film I created a number of different social media pages. I decided to create an Instagram and Twitter page for my film as when researching I found that my target audience of people aged 15-35 mainly used both of these pages. Social media is used by film companies to provide information to their target audiences. Social media pages can be used to show behind the scenes, teaser trailers and the full trailer.
By using Instagram and Twitter I intended to post information about my film, reviews, information about screenings and links to my film website. I will release my film poster on my films social media pages to build suspense before I release the trailers.
TEASER TRAILER Your teaser trailer with its succession of opening murders rapidly establishes the threat of death to the young athlete who may be running his ‘last mile’. The repetition of the serial killer’s calling card builds a sense of foreboding. The heavy beats of the music emphasises the peril and drama which comes to a head with the terrifying attack by a masked assassin on the young runner, which the audience is led to believe is fatal because of the horrified reaction shot of the detective who has struggled to prevent further murders. The teaser trailer is appropriately fast-paced and action-packed; it encapsulates key characters (all engagingly young and attractive to appeal to audiences) and themes within 32 seconds, along with the release date, BBFC advisory certificate and film title. It signals the genre clearly through visual and sound codes, leaving the audience with a ‘hook’ in suspense, underlined in the inter-title.
ReplyDeleteMAIN TRAILER All genre conventions are convincingly observed (BBFC advisory certificate, production company idents, release date, accolades from critics, institutional information, inter-titles). The crime genre is clearly signalled through a series of murder victims and the enigma of the killer is launched effectively through the ‘calling cards’ left behind at the murder sites, which is used to build tension. The same visual codes appear on the website and poster, creating brand cohesion. Sound codes are effectively used in sophisticated layers (diegetic sound of dialogue offers information about the crimes and the detective; a pulsating, jarring soundtrack unnerves the viewer; diegetic sounds of owls, disturbed barking dogs). Casting is effectively handled with all the young, attractive actors engaging the audience’s sympathy and the killer disguised in a horrifying mask – stereotype tropes used to good effect here. Settings are well handled, especially considering the restrictions posed by the pandemic: startled deer in the park staring straight at the runner, lonely rain-washed streets at nights, the killer’s cabin in the woods
ReplyDeleteEffective camerawork includes the low angle shot from the victim’s POV up into the worried detective’s face, the transition created by the jacket thrown over the camera, the over-the-shoulder attack by the masked killer, the mid shots of the trapped victim and the horror of the final scene.
The trailer creates real fear and insecurity, unfolding the enigma and leading the audience to the point of suspense without resolving the tension.
POSTER Your film poster is the result of careful genre research, thoughtful drafting, reflective reactions to feedback and an excellent level of technical skill. It works superbly as a cohesive part of the promo pack as you have integrated several key visual codes: at the centre of visual interest is the striking figure of the young runner, terrified that he is about to be the next victim, whose horrified image forms the climax of the trailers. He is framed within a playing card, one of the central motifs of the killer’s method, and the card itself is framed by the killer wielding an axe. You have designed the title of HIS LAST MILE in red, with dripping blood, which fits the crime / horror genre. The screaming face of the young victim also features prominently on your film website and forms the climax of the trailers, tying the whole promo pack together cohesively.
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ReplyDeleteWEBSITE An arresting home page that features the video clip of the engaging young victim trapped by his assailant, mid scream. This powerful image appears across your promo pack, such as on the film poster, in the climax of the trailers and in the gallery, creating brand cohesion. Equally, your film title in red dripping like blood also features across your promo pack, clearly signalling the thriller / crime genre and contributing to the cohesion. You include a creative Shop page selling specially made film merchandise, which is inventive. The website functions smoothly with convergent links to social media, a Screenings page, reviews, a gallery and the film trailers.