Why are trailers important?

I feel that trailers are essential to a films success in the modern day industry. Trailers are a great way of showing off the art and quality of the film. What I mean by this is that, if you've created one of the all time greats, using great camera work, casting, script etc, your able to show it off in a 2 minute slot, and show it to the vast nation. However in other cases it allows the audience to find out about the film, the genre, the content, the characters and whether it would be something that would appeal to them, that they may not of ever heard about.

However trailers can be tricky, as they are only 1 - 2 minutes long, therefore the amount of detail you are able to fit in is limited. Also you don't want to give too much away. There is a difference between telling the story, and letting the audience develop an understanding of the story - this is what separates the good trailers from the best. Also someone could argue that they were looking forward to watching a film because of word-of-mouth, however when it came round to seeing the trailer, they were immediately put off.

In summary I think that what makes a trailer important is the quality of the trailer, because if you haven’t got a good trailer, you’re not going to gain business and could/probably lose viewers, but on the other hand if you’ve got a good trailer, you better hope the films good because everyone is coming.

Short essay - Regulation of the press (topical)

Should news papers be more tightly regulated?

A big question has arisen over the last few months about whether the newspapers should be more tightly regulated. (Regulation is formed to stop harmful, illegal content being shown in media. But the regulatory system must protect and promote the rights to freedom of expression and information.)  But like all questions there are two sides and in this short essay I shall explore both sides and try to form a conclusion.

            Many believe that the newspapers should be more tightly regulated as some news articles appear to be “shocking”. For example the “Raoul Moat” story caused a lot of controversy – as it appeared that after the middle aged man went on his killing spree, the Daily Mail printed a story explaining that he had gone to care workers, the police and the press - to seek help, as he feared that he was “mentally unstable”. None of the above took any notice of “his cries” for help and it was only after his killing spree, followed by a suicidal end, did anyone admit that he was actually trying to solve his problem. This supports the claim of a tighter regulation because should the mail have been allowed to print this? If the child of one of Moat’s victims were to read this and discover that their father or mother could still be with them, if the police or press helped Mr Moat, they would be in despair. Another example is the case of former British boxing sensation Ricky Hatton, who had won many titles and was the ultimate “zero to hero” role model for children. However Mr Hatton was pictured on the front page of the News Of The World, snorting cocaine in a toilet. This story questions the regulation of papers, as should a role model for young children be shown doing something like this, as it may bring the attitude that if your hero does it, it must be okay.

            Finally in the news recently has been the News Of The World scandal. This was the main story that has questioned the regulation of papers, as it became apparent that the newspaper company had hacked into celebrities and members of the public’s mobile (personal) phones, including missing or dead victims and there families. The news paper company would then go on to publish their findings. This story is a prime example as to why newspapers should be more tightly regulated, as many believe that papers should never be allowed to invade the public and even celebrities’ private lives.  Also the press should not have that much power over the pubic, as we live in a democracy.

            On the other hand, many believe that the press should not be more tightly regulated. Some believe that the press investigates and informs the public of news, and the method of how the news is found is meaningless. In the case of the News Of The World scandal, others could also argue that celebrities manipulate the press, as they need the press when they are releasing a new DVD or and new album, however when the press finds out something about them and publish it, the celebrities make a fuss. Also you could accuse the public as manipulative as well, because when the celebrities phones were hacked the public enjoyed the gossip and the inside scoop. But when the public’s phones were hacked for instance in the Milly Dowler story, they public didn’t want to know. Therefore it could be seen as unfair that the News Of The World was discontinued because people were still buying it, because they enjoyed the gossip and knowing things that used illegal methods to obtain them.  Also many could argue that newspapers are entitled to freedom of speech. This means that they are able to say what they like.

            In conclusion I feel that the newspapers should be more tightly regulated. Looking at both sides I think that there does need to be a balance, because even though the press do print things that shouldn’t be printed, we as the public still purchase them, which says something.  The press should be allowed freedom of speech; however the things that are said must be controlled and the methods that are used to obtain the news should be monitored.

Animatic

Trailer - Music

I chose to use Garageband to make the music for the trailer. I've used this software before and so have a reasonable understanding of how it works. Its basic, but effective and I found that although it took a while, I was pleased with the music created.

The music takes a creepy tone and only uses the repetition of a few notes. I felt that this would reflect the ambiance of the trailer best. I also tried to make the music reflect the setting, therefore I feel that the music is cold, dry and eerie, like the forest.

The music was produced on an Apple Mac, using the alphabetical keys as a keyboard.

Casting Shots

Casting Shots

Ollie Miller - Main Camera-man

Ross Campbell - Second Camera-man and actor 

Matt Osborne - Actor

Although there were only three of us, I felt that we all worked well together. But because of our short numbers it meant that we had to plan well and be organised, as we shot the trailer over a few days. However we were always on schedule and didn't encounter any problems.