Intertextual References

Paranormal Activity 2:

My references to Paranormal Activity 2:

First of all I have referenced the use of a house - choosing to use a house was not in my original plan, at first I wanted to use a college, however, watching the trailer for paranormal activity I felt that it did an amazing job in making me feel like I could have this supernatural experiences myself.

The use of a house makes any spectator feel like this experience is much more personal, it makes them feel like "it could happen to me".

Another reference I have made to this is the use of the time code, I felt like putting a time code on the trailer makes you feel like "what happens when the time runs out" but also the question "is there a timer because their time is about to run out"

all of these questions make me very happy to be using these in my film trailer.

Makeup Ideas

As identified in my codes and conventions essay, makeup is not essential.

The reasons for this are simple: that the individual has to look natural to apply to the audience on a personal level. These reasons are for the same reason as why they choose to a natural location making it apparent where it is being shot. 

My actor is singular, he is alone in the house and is wearing a little makeup around his eyes, this is sed in a technique to make him look very tired. I found this technique when watching an extra for Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1. When making the film there is a scene were 'Bella Swan' (played by actress Kristen Stewart), is heavily pregnant, and the pregnancy, makes her very tired and ill. Although I am not trying to make him appear pregnant, I used the technique to make him look tired to my advantage, it makes the film trailer feel like he is worn out and creates questions.

- How long is this supernatural spirit going to go on?
- Is he going to exit this house when he leaves?
- Why do we not see any images of his girlfriend and only his daughter?
- Is this supernatural spirit his former girlfriend?

These questions were what I found when I did preliminary research onto my work, and when asking my audience how I would answer this, they said that it would be to do with the amount of make-up that is being used. The young girl needs to look scared, tired but also very bleak.

Children are often seen as very scary in films also. 

The reason I have used children in my trailer is to use supernatural experience to it's best, I feel thatthey have almost become a convention as it is very unlikely you will find one without the underlying issue of children along the line... The reason they are involved is because they see the  world and nice and therefore are very gullable, making them easy to become posessed. This is going to be much easier if it is achieved through makeup, as seen in the first photo from "orphan" the makeup makes her look very pale, sheepish but also the face of somebody who has no soul... maybe she has had a deal with the devil. the photo underneath although in black and white, we can tell the child has being edited to look perfect, not a hair out a place, this however could mean that potentially he is not a child at all. Children are often seen as messy, or wild but this time it is seen that the child has perfect hair and makeup... has he being possessed? in fact yes, yes he has.

In conclusion for my makeup ideas, I feel that for my male adult actor, looking very natural is the key, it is casual and very easy to see yourself within the narrative however, my child actor has to look "perfect" and therefore demonic. Symbols of the devil will be written ont eh walls and a scene were she is being stretched is enhancing this.

Locations

All of my locations are indoors, an enclosed area which makes the protagonist seem trapped. My choice in old Victorian houses was to help with the idea of the demon, in my synopsis it states that the demon died as a child within the house, due to negligence and a belief that she was a witch from her religion obsessed children.  

Luckily I had a friend that lived on Westbourne Avenue and was happy to let me film inside his house, when filming a supernatural horror I felt it was important to have the right environment for my establishing shot.

The locations were also on the inside the room, such as the hallway, the bedroom and the kitchens... I did this so that the house is seen, I saw these techniques used in the video for paranormal activity: as linked below.

As can be seen in this trailer, the house is used as a tool to increase fear. The fear is that this could be your house, which increase my choice of increasing the amount of rooms I used, I chose to use the bedroom, the hallway because these are the places that the individual would have to encounter everyday.

Costume Ideas

- Casual clothing is essential when filming a supernatural horror, it makes the audience watching feel like these occurances COULD happen to them, and therefore enhancing the fear factor. Fear is the main stigma attached to these films, especially for the primary female audience, despite this I have chosen to use a male actor, although, this does go against my research found, because I am using a young child as well, I feel like this will still work in my favour.

- The young girl in my film will be wearing very girly clothing, making her seem much more of a daddy's girl. Appealing to a female audience as they may reminisce being children or have a young child themselves.

Prop List Ideas

- An old booklet full of references to Satan, this book is what makes Steve realize what has being going on.

- Knife; Steve defending himself, not realizing that it is a demon.

- Cross: extensive research told me that people in times of supernatural experiences will turn to religion to look for an explanation, and often these films will have one or more reference to the cross.