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'When a Stranger Calls' Trailer Analysis

Drafting/Planning Film Idea

Characters; Mother, Father, Two little girls.
Mother is your stereotypical woman that loves her children, cooks, cleans and works.
Father is an abusive alcoholic - abusive to both the mother and the children.
One girl is 10 and the other is 8; both are scared of their father and love their mother dearly.

Plot/Storyline; The father is an abusive alcoholic that always takes out his anger on either the Mother or the children. One day the father comes home and starts being abusive to which the Mother would normally not react to, however this time she reacts and end up murdering the father. Following this, the father becomes demonic and haunts the family by doing things such as possessing the children, making noises in the house, standing there as a black figure watching them etc. Towards the end the Mother tries to talk to the father and show understandng for why he was the way he was and for what he is doing now, she finally gets through to him and he lets go and leaves them alone.
Setting; The main setting will be inside a house (my house), however I have thought of ideas such as the little girls being in the park and seeing a black figure; therefore a park with a field may be another place I film my trailer.
Sound/Music; I'd include the usual 'horror' type sounds, however this is something I need to research more into.
Certificate; My film will more than likely be a 15 as I don't think it will feature many '18' elements. I will be researching into what I can include in a 15 trailer.

Sound/Music

Sound is a very important element when making my film; the screens on computers or mobile phones aren't huge therefore the picture has less of an effect than it would if it was on a cinema screen. However, the sound is always going to be as loud as the computer or mobile speakers can go so I need to make sure it is good; this could be a major element that keeps my audience interested.
 
J-Cuts; This is whereby you lay in a couple of seconds of sound from one clip over the end of the one before to help the viewer follow the trailer.
Soundbridge; A soundbridge is similar to a J-Cut however the sound from one clip will follow on to the next and could follow on for many scenes. Similar to a J-Cut, its connects the frames together and helps the audience follow.

Types of Sound:
Sound is overall divided into two categories, this being Diegetic and Non Diegetic Sound.
Diegetic; Generated by things we can see in the picture. E.g. A dog or a person talking
Non Diegetic; Generated outside the picture. E.g. A voice over or music.

DIEGETIC:
Location Sound; this is sound that is in the shoot itself - it is often enhanced with sound effects.
Ambient Sound; this is any natural noise outside. Usually added to create realism.
Room Tone; this is any natural noise inside. Added to create realism also.
Dialogue; this an important part of diegetic sound, and depends on vocal delivery.
NON DIEGETIC:
Soundtrack; this is previously-recorded music chosen because of its fit to the rhythm, content and mood of a sequence. If a song, the lyrics may add meaning to the images.
Score; this is music specifically composed to accompany images. As well as enhancing mood and atmosphere, it can be used thematically - e.g. a character can be represented by a musical theme every time they appear, or the audience can be reminded of a situation every time a musical theme recurs (e.g. the 'shark theme' in JAWS).

Camera Movement

Panning

This is whereby the camera moves horizontally across the scene. This is often used to show the setting or follow a moving object.

 

Tilts

Similar to panning however scans a scene vertically rather than horizontally

 

Tracking shot

camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. A tracking shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.

 

Hand held shots

Hand held shots portray a very amateur way of filming however work well in films that are supposed to be real recordings e.g. blair witch product.

 

Crane Shot

Crane shots are like tracking shots, however they are in the air. They can be used to follow action in all different directions or be able to get out of the action very quickly.

 

 

 

 

Camera Shots/Angles in Films

 

Establishing Shot

This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used to show the audience where this film will be taking place and from that they can grasp what type of things will be happening. It usually shows the outside of places, such as the outside of a building or a landscape; there will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.

 

 

Long Shot

This the angle that generally shows the image as almost 'lifesize', which could make the audience feel that the distance from them to character is real - this creates more of an impact by making the audience feel like they are there in the scene also. This shot shows the whole of the body, however still shows some of the background so we still have an idea of what the setting is like.

 

Medium Shot

Contains a figure from the waist up and is usually used for scenes of dialogue or action. It shows some body language along with the facial expression giving the audience a full view of what the character is feeling. This angle is used in two shots or three shots, anything after that and a wide shot is used. Hardly any background is shown therefore this shot is usually used when the audience have already been shown the setting and want to focus more on the characters.

 

Close up

 



 

This concentrates on the face or a detail of mise-en-scene; it shows the importance of things, whether it be a specific object needed in the film or an expression on someone's face.  It is a very intimate shot; it either makes the audience feel comfortable or really uncomfortable - depending on the character - it is a sign of trust, as we only let people we trust get that close to our faces.

 

Extreme Close Up

 

No background is shown whatsoever, it is generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. This shot can be used for dramatic effect or to really convey what the character is thinking or feeling. This shot however, has to be very carefully done, otherwise any little movement can be very noticeable.

 

The Birds-Eye View

 

 

This shot puts the audience in a god-like position, and everything they're looking down on can look very insignificant. It is a shot from directly overhead, and is suggested to be a very unnatural and strange angle - this could make our audience feel un easy.

 

High Angle

 

 

This angle is not as extreme as the birds-eye view; the camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. Anything below it can be portrayed as insignificant or weak/not in control.

 

Eye Level

 

 

This is a fairly neutral shot; the camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground. It puts the audience at a realistic angle when viewing the characters in the scene.

 

Low Angle

 

 

This puts whoever or whatever is in the scene, in power and in control. The audience however, can become to feel very disorientated and inferior; there is usually a very neutral background such as the ceiling or the sky which enhances the confusion the audience would feel.

 

Canted Angle

 

  

 

The camera is titled to creates a sense of unstableness and imbalance. This shot could be used to show someone's point of view; hand held cameras are usually used for this shot.