A2 Construction: Poster Idea 2

I decided not to use this poster as the colour scheme used makes the image appear too dark. Although this allows the white and grey text to stand out the image is too dull and uninteresting to use for my poster. The trees are slightly blurred so the poster doesn’t look professional.

A2 Construction: Poster Idea 1

I decided not to use this poster as the image is far too dark and dull. The text effectively stands out but features in the image are hard to see. Although it fits with the ‘eeriness’ of the genre I don’t think the poster is fitting for my film poster.

A2 Research and Planning: Semiotic Analysis of Stir of Echoes

Stir of Echoes is a supernatural horror / thriller released in the United States in 1999, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by David Koepp. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson.

The colour scheme used in this poster consists of black, brown tones and white. The image is shot in sepia tone which denotes nostalgia and the image appears older than what it is. The slash effect across the poster enhances the old fashioned portrayal of the film. This is commonly used in supernatural thrillers to create a sense of eeriness and of the supernatural.

The image is a low angle shot of some stairs and a person’s legs standing at the top, which creates a shadow all the way down them. The shadow and the lack of a face on the dark figure denotes the unknown and mystery. The use of stairs in the image has connotations with a journey to find whatever’s at the bottom of them. This subtly foreshadows the outcome of the movie. This is emphasised by the tagline ‘some doors weren’t meant to be opened’ which suggests that what the figure finds at the bottom of the stairs is imperative to the film. The tagline attracts consumers by leaving them wondering what is behind the door.

The font used is bold and the white contrasts against the shadows in the image, the effect of this is to make the title stand out on the poster. The same font is used for the actor’s name at the top of the poster.

A2 Research and Planning: Film Poster Image Edits

This was my original image before using Photoshop to change it to black and white and increase the brightness by 52. I decided to use a black and white image as I wanted to emphasise the eeriness.

This is the edited version used in my film poster:

A2 Research and Planning: Movie Poster Image Edits 3

For this image I have increased the brightness by 56 and contrast by 10. This allows the features in the image to stand out.

A2 Research and Planning: Movie Poster Image Edits 2

For this image I enhances the brightness by 67 and contrast by 15. The trees and floor are now a lot more visible.

A2 Research and Planning: Movie Poster Image Edits 1

I converted this image to gray scale and increased the brightness by 10. However, the image is still too dark to properly make out what it is.

A2 Research and Planning: Location Shots

A2 Rsearch and Planning: Moodboard

I created this moodboard using relevant images I found on Google. I used a ghost picture in the woods, a grey scale and a green tint image of woods and an image of a tent. All of these images involve the plot of my film.

I decided to use the image of the ghost in the woods as this directly relates to the plot of my movie. The grayscale used in the image denotes eeriness which is the effect I'm aiming for in my construction.

The image of the tent in the dark again relates to the plot of my movie. The darkness juxtaposes the illuminous tents, creating a contrast against darkness and the unknown and human activity.

I used the image of the woods shot with a green tint as it has connotations with the supernatural and has the same setting for my movie trailer.

The image of the woods which is shot in grayscale is a further example of what I'm hoping to acheive with my movie poster. The eeriness and darkness amplifies the plot.

A2 Research and Planning: Semiotic Analysis of The Last House on the Left

The Last House on the Left is a 2009 American film directed by Dennis Iliadis and written by Carl Ellsworth and Adam Alleca. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. The film follows the parents of Mari Collingwood, who attempt to get revenge on a group of strangers, led by a man named Krug that have taken shelter at their home during a thunderstorm. The Collingwoods discover that the Krug and his group have shot their daughter and left her for dead.

The colour scheme in this poster consists of black, white and red. The use of red is strong and denotes violence and anger. It stands out against the black and white, commands attention and adds emphasis to the signifier ‘house’, which is a larger font size than the rest of the title and is illustrated by the main image. The blood splatter over ‘house’ further denotes the use of violence and gore portrayed in the film. The rest of the title is in a simple white font and is easily readable against the black.

The image used is a long shot of a house in black and white. The connotation of this effect is to create a sense of eeriness which enhances the film’s portrayal of a thriller/horror. The effect may also be used for nostalgia purposes and creates a sense of the movie being a classic portrayal of the genre. The white used around the house juxtaposes the dark shades of the sky and the house to allow the image to stand out.

The image itself is a portrayal of a classic horror/thriller setting. The house itself looks imposing and the trees surrounding it further emphasises the spookiness and eeriness associated with the genre. It also portrays a lack of human life away from the house, which foreshadows the family’s desperation to escape and find help.

The tagline under the image contains signifiers such as ‘bad’, ‘hurt’ and ‘love.’ These are all associated with conflicting emotions which suggests the characters will face danger and conflict in the film. The white font used is simple and contrasts against the black.

A2 Research and Planning: The Thriller Genre

Thrillers are a genre of literature, film, video gaming and television programming that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenre is psychological thrillers.

Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods such as; a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, suspense, excitement, tension, terror. Literary devices such as red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. The cover-up of important information from the viewer and fight/chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own characteristics and methods.

Common methods in crime thrillers are mainly ransoms, captivities, heists, revenge and kidnappings. More common in mystery thrillers are investigations and the whodunit technique. Common elements in psychological thrillers are mind games, psychological themes, stalking, confinement/deathtraps, horror-of-personality, and obsession. Elements such as fringe theories, false accusations, paranoia, and sometimes action are common in paranoid thrillers.

A genuine, standalone thriller is a film that provide thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the character(s) is placed in a menacing situation, a mystery, or a trap from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the threat is sometimes abstract or unseen. Thrillers with a crime-related plot mostly keep the attention away from the criminal or the detective, where they focus more on the suspense and danger that is generated.

“...Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job.” —James Patterson, June 2006, "Introduction," Thriller