Radio interview – entertainment genre for a horror film.

Casual style, not formal.

Narrative

Begins with intro music (sample taken from horror film)

Interview begins with introduction from the interviewer.

Set up for interview is the interviewer asks a question and the other person responds.

The questions range in subject but are all based on the film.

There is no video, just sound.

Representation

Interviewer and person answering questions are both female.

They are both also representing adults.

In the interview there is discussion of having a low budget for the film which could relate to the representation of social class.

Audience

The audience for this radio interview would be teenagers and adults who are interested in the horror genre or like the sound of the film.

The musical introduction would appeal to fans of the horror genre who recognise the sound from a film.

Media language

Transition has been edited between the musical introduction and the start of the interview.

Black screen during narration which makes the listener pay attention.

After coming up with my initial ideas I decided to choose my second idea to go forward with and develop. I chose this because it interested me the most and at this stage I could not see any complications with this idea. I decided not to choose idea one as I thought it would be very difficult to sync the video footage with the music over the top. I decided not to choose idea three as the setting of my film is a complicated one and therefore I would not be able to access it. I thought it would then be difficult to find a setting that looked realistic enough. Once I had chosen my idea I researched further into pre-existing videos to help give me ideas on what to include in my own video. At this stage I also created a set of SMART targets. These are very detailed and show me the various tasks I needed to do to reach the end of my project. I set myself dates to achieve each task by and wrote out the things I would need to achieve them. This was very useful as it gave me a clear image of everything I had to do and made it much more organised. I then added to my research by looking into pre-existing magazine adverts and album reviews from magazines to help when creating my ancillary products. This was useful as it gave me an idea of the conventions of these types of print.

Once my research was complete I began my pre-production and planning for my main task. I created pre-production documents such as storyboards, talent release forms and a risk assessment form. At this stage I also wrote a list of prompt questions that I wanted to ask the band in the video. I had decided that for the promotional video I would include an interview and footage of them performing. I then began organising the band I wanted to use so that I could begin my filming. However this is when I began encountering problems. The band did not have a lot of free time due to other commitments so I had to try and arrange a time when they were all free. This proved to be very difficult and many filming attempts had to be cancelled. After further planning and canceling, I decided that in order to complete my coursework on time and to a high standard, I would have to consider changing my idea. I talked it through with my tutor who advised me to go a different route and create a promotional package for a new film instead. As I had trouble with making a video, we decided that it would be more suitable to make a radio trailer. Along with this I decided to create the front cover of a film magazine and a double page spread review. This did not seem too complicated as I have a lot of experience with Photoshop so I thought this would be a much more achievable task.

I knew I did not have long to complete my coursework so I began straight away with some research into pre-existing print products to help me develop my idea. I created mock ups of both my front cover and double page spread. I also looked into interviews about new films to give me ideas for my radio trailer. From this I wrote a script which I then recorded. I did not encounter any difficulties doing this so I edited it and added a jingle to the beginning to make it sound more authentic. I then took my original images and added them to my chosen mock up designs. After changing the appearance around slightly my print products were finished.

I think this promotional package for a new film works well to get the audience interested in it. The radio interview features lots of information about the film and what went into creating it which gives the audience an insight. The print products also help create a buzz for the film. Overall I am pleased with my finished products. Obviously I was limited for time after changing my idea but I know that without changing my idea I would not have finished creating my products in time for the deadline.

After asking my peers and my tutor to suggest which idea I should go forward with, I decided to develop my first idea. This is because it was already the most developed idea and it was also the most original of the three. After choosing this idea I decided it would be useful to write out a more detailed story to make it easier when I wrote the script so I wasn’t coming up with everything as I went along. This definitely helped when it came to writing the script as I had some references to work from. At this stage I also wrote a treatment which helped me develop my idea. When writing this I thought about my film as if I was actually making it as opposed to just writing the script. I therefore thought about things such as the equipment I would need to make the film, the budget I would need to have and the target audience that I would be aiming my film at. I decided that my target audience would be teenagers who are interested in horror films. It would not be for children because of the unsuitable content but it could also be for adults who have an interest in horror films.

Once my idea was developed this far I started writing my script. I made sure to set it out in the correct script format. As well as writing all the speech I also included descriptions of what the characters were doing and any instructions on how they said their speech.

When my script was finished I showed it to my tutor who advised me on how to set it out more appropriately so it looked like a script. Overall I was pleased with my script. I think the storyline was well developed and made it clear for the reader what was happening. I think it builds tension from the start and leads to a suspenseful climax. I did this by making the characters seem very confused about what is going on around them which makes the reader worried to find out. I do however think that I should have included less characters as I think it may be confusing for the reader to keep up with all of the characters and who they are. The characters were also not as fully developed as I would have liked. I think they could have each had more of an individual personality so that the audience could really feel like they were getting to know them. I also think I could have added more detail about the surroundings to create an even clearer image for the audience.

I think I have succeeded in creating the screenplay for a film that would fit well into the horror genre with a unique storyline. The storyline is the unique selling point of my film as I have never seen a film that is set in an abandoned train station. Whilst it is similar to films such as ‘Creep’, I think the storyline is different enough to make it individual. After completing my screenplay I decided to research into classification of films to decide what rating my film would be given. I looked on the BBFC website at the different categories which give a breakdown of each of the ratings and the reasons a film would be given them. I knew my film would not be anything lower than a 15 because of the target audience and the unsuitable content for younger children. However I don’t think my film would have an excessive amount of gore in it so instead of rating it an 18 I think it would be a 15.

This idea can be compared to the film The Road as they both have a similar idea; the aftermath of a disaster. However my film would be unique as it would be filmed in a hand held camera style which I have not seen before for a disaster film. This would give the audience a stronger connection to the characters.

The storyline of this film would be a group of friends who survive a disaster and have to learn how to survive in the aftermath of it. The audience is shown their journey through the hand held camera.

As my characters are a young group of friends I could use my own friends as actors which would make them easier to get hold of.

For my production team I would need a director, producer, editor and boom mic operator. As the camera would be a hand held style one, the filming would be done by the actors to make it seem as authentic and through their eyes as possible.

The location would be an issue for this film as it would need to appear as if a disaster has just happened which would be very difficult to achieve.

To make this film I would not need to pay my actors as they are friends. However I think achieving a realistic setting would be very expensive.

This idea can be compared to the grindhouse style trailers that were shown before the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez double feature films as they are in the same style and feature similar content.

The content of my film would involve a group of teenagers who are escaping from a crazy slasher killer. He kills them off one by one throughout the film. The storyline would be very stereotypical of the slasher genre with over the top gore and characters who do not use their common sense. It is set along country roads with woods surrounding it which makes the characters secluded.

As the characters in this film are teenagers I could use my friends as actors which would make it easier to find them. However I would need to find a male adult to play the killer.

This film would not be expensive to make as I am mostly using my friends as actors so I would not have to pay them and I am filming in the woods so I would not have to pay for the location. I would however need to pay for a costume to disguise the killer and also props such as the killer’s weapon.

For my production team I would need a director, producer, camera operator, editor and boom mic operator.

An issue I would have with this film is dealing with the public as I would be filming in a public place and would therefore have to ensure their safety and make them aware of the filming.

Where did you get the inspiration for this film from?

My love of horror films heavily influenced my script writing and directing for this film. I wanted it to be as realistic as possible, so the audience could imagine themselves in the situation and relate to the characters. As for the actual storyline, I travel on trains a lot and I’ve often wondered what is in the darkness in between each station. After doing some research and finding out about abandoned stations that literally are stuck in time I knew it would be a perfect setting for something to go very wrong.

This film had an interesting marketing campaign, can you expand on that?

I wanted to make use of the technology available and the internet community to get my film out there. I think word of mouth is a great method for film promotion and this has been made so much easier with the internet. Instead of putting posters and trailers up everywhere I used my website to release little bits of information at a time and create a buzz for my film. Then once enough people were interested I released the trailer and put more into promoting the film nationwide.

This is your directorial debut, what other projects can we expect from you in the future?

I have a couple more scripts that I’ve started, I find it difficult to stick to one project at a time so there’s a few things going on. They’re all in the horror genre though, I haven’t ventured away from what I love.

How did you choose your lead roles?

I’d had them in mind for a while and after getting them to read from the script I could see their chemistry was spot on so it was an obvious choice for me.

How long did it take you to shoot the film?

Only about a month, I don’t think the tension would have been as effective if it had been drawn out over months so I wanted to get it done quickly enough to keep the atmosphere there. I also had such a clear idea in my head of what I wanted that there wasn’t much need for improvising and seeing what worked for each scene.

How closely did you stick to the original script?

As closely as I possibly could, this script has been in the making for quite some time so I found it difficult to consider any drastic changes. Obviously when making any film there has to be some adaptions along the way as some things do not work once you try and put them on film but I tried to keep these minimal.

What scene carries the most meaning for you?

Probably the ending. Obviously I don’t want to give anything away but I’d had that ending in my mind since I began writing the script and it transferred onto film perfectly so I’m very proud of it.

Did you find it easier or more difficult to work with a smaller budget as opposed to a bigger one?

At times it was more difficult when you start getting all these crazy ideas but for the most part I found that having a smaller budget allowed me to keep a sense of realism in my film. I feel the lack of special effects and over the top sets made it much more believable for the audience.

Well the audience definitely seem to enjoy it! Abandoned is out in cinemas now.