CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION

 In my film, I combine the themes of teenage love of adventure, youthful experimentation and paranormal threat into a ghost hunt that turns too serious to be fun. The premise of my film involves three teens ghost-hunting in the vast grounds of Claremont, a now abandoned manor house where Princess Charlotte once lived. Having vanished 100 years ago, she is believed to haunt its grounds and the garden’s ruined Belvedere.  My film builds on real-life historical fact and weaves in supernatural issues, embroidering a genuine royal connection and inventing Charlotte’s suspicious disappearance. In my film, rumour has it she was murdered by her friends on the day of her 14th birthday but the secrets surrounding her disappearance were buried with her family and have been laid to rest ever since. My protagonists are stereotypical teens in that they revel in ghost stories and can see themselves taking part in a thrilling adventure of their own, that is, until they realise that they are not invincible when confronted with real danger. My representations conform to stereotypes in that the thrill-seeking teens are led by the boy, Gibby, who declares “There is no such thing as ghosts” whilst the two reluctant girls feel an immediate sense of unease as they step through the gate. They are timid whilst he leads them through hidden gates to a secret burial ground where they reach the point of no return.  Charlotte’s malignant spirit watches and waits to seek revenge. A key issue in my film is the supernatural, which drives the narrative and creates the enigma, tension and jeopardy. A second set of characters, older women, play the part of  wise elders who warn the teenagers never to dig up the past and open doors that want to stay shut.

According to Stuart Hall, media produces an edited version of real life through representations constructed through codes that use imagery, language, sound and editing, which play a vital role in shaping how people see the world. Stereotypes are used by the media to create characterisation by reducing social groups to key traits or visual cues depicting a set of behaviours and social hierarchy. Hall suggests that stereotypes help audiences to recognise  representations in narrative. 

My film narrative involves tropes that are the staple of thriller and horror films, such as the concept of vulnerable victims and vicious assailants that are shrouded in enigma. Our casting was vital to our representations of the characters depicted in the film.

My film website's homepage has the striking main image of the ‘Belvedere’ which also appears in my poster as well as my social media accounts. The image signals the film's genre though its significance with Charlotte’s life, it also appears on other elements of the promo pack. The production company name ‘Trapdoor Films’ has been chosen as it resembles horror, which helps to brand the film and make the genre clear beforehand. I have linked my social media accounts to my film as it helps to promote the film by reaching my target audience (15-30years), all of my social media accounts are cohesive with the same ‘Roboto Thin’ font as well as red colouring. My twitter and Instagram timelines promote the film by showing behind the scenes photos as well as reviews from highly established critiques such as Mark Kermode. The cast are an important part of creating recognition in our audience, so they feature in 'behind the scenes' photos as well as social media feeds as well as claiming significant space on my film website.

Across the whole campaign of posters, social media and trailers, the scarlet red colour, font and the blood drip of the title Charlotte leave no doubt that this film belongs to the horror genre with its connotations of murder, haunting and fear. The font (Roboto Thin) used for the title is chosen to fit Charlotte’s character as a princess so the brand name needed to look classic. The classic quality of the serif font lends authenticity and seriousness to the claim that the film is a true story about a princess murdered within her home. This title leaves itself open to the possibility of prequels and sequels, like Charlotte Comes Of Age. 

The poster’s subtle face of a child peering out at the audience suggests Charlotte is a ghost which enacts the subtitle  “She’s always watching, even if you can’t see her”.  All imagery for the campaign chosen was dark.  No bright colours were used at all.  Luckily the film was shot when we had snow, so this added to the cold and atmospheric feeling. 

The website’s homepage carries an emotional charge with its mise-en-scène of a Victorian Belvedere shrouded in mist and set in wooded wastes. The same building is used in the opening of the main trailer, with footage taken by drone, to convey the quality of a vast, secret, abandoned wilderness: just the right backdrop for a ghost and horror story. Overgrown gates, a wooden swing creaking, glimpses of tombstones and outstretched hands, coupled with fast footage of chases through woods and basement corridors, all suggest a ghost story whilst the voiceover of narrative sound bites coupled with intertitles establish the unsolved murder mystery: “You should never unlock a door that wants to remain shut” serves as a warning to the teenage ghost-hunters, with jump scares such as glimpses of a hooded figure carrying an axe.

The same drone shots were also used in the 30 second to give the audience a sense of place and time - colour corrected to visualise time passing.

 The trailer again offers a sense of wide-open speculation.  It hints and it teases with short shots and soundbites to suggest menace and the unknown.  Music plays a powerful part in the trailer as I underpinned certain soundbites and graphics with dramatic sound effects.   The 60 second trailers use a combination of graphics and soundbites to narrate the trailer.  The teaser trailer uses soundbites and film critic reviews to drive the trailer

My film genre is horror; I found that pace and music are the two most important factors in a trailer. In my opinion, in a horror film, pace is important as it is easy to identify the genre instantly. I utilised depth of focus which made it easy for viewers to experience a horror trailer by changing what they are looking at while remaining in the same shot. The lighting is dark and many of the shots contain vignettes which adds a darker theme to the film and reveals less of the film. Enigma is created within the trailer with an element of it being resolved. The main character: Charlotte is exposed at the end of the teaser trailer as well as during the main trailer. My target audience is very clear. Horror fans predominantly aimed between the ages (15-30). Furthermore, my trailers demonstrate continuity which is essential for the creation of a horror trailer.