Actor list- Who is being used and reasons for choice

Hansel: John Appleby- We chose John because he is in acting school at the moment and could be realistic in acting out as Hansel. We also think him and Lucy look well together as Hansel and Gretel. He used a lot of emotion in the film which reflected on the horror side of Hansel & Gretel. John also had no problem in doing his own stunts like fighting with the witch which was another bonus as to why we chose him.

Gretel: Lucy Cashman- We chose Lucy to play Gretel because she fits into how we imagined Gretel to look like. We saw Gretel to be very feminine, with long brown hair and having a small height, so Lucy definitely fit the part and cooperated well with John to create that 'brother-sister' relationship that needed to be portrayed. Lucy has worked in similar previous projects like this, which is another reason why we chose her. 

Witch: Ashley Gallagher- It is undecided about who will play the witch but we think that they suit playing this character well and would look realistic. We think that they could both reflect on the horror side of the story. Ashley showed great horror on her close up shots which is shown in our trailer and definitely gave a chilling performance. Ashley's pale skin worked well with her characters image and so the close up shots of her reflected on the horror side. 

Step mother: Elle Loftus- We chose Elle to play the step mother since she has the right costumes and fits into how we imagined this character to look like. The step mother in this film was meant to be evil like the original tale, and Elle definitely was able to play up to this. We wanted to convey the step mother to be quite high maintenance, suggesting that she doesn't really care about Hansel and Gretel which is why she wore stylish clothing and had her hair and make up done up and she looked the part.  

Father: Danny Mcdonald- We chose Danny to play the father since he wanted to reflect on the 'struggling relationship' in the trailer and he also fits into who we want the father to look like. He has been in projects alike this and we thought he and Elle would work great together to convey the 'struggling relationship' that had to come across at the beginning of the film. 

Extra's: Alex Robson- We chose Alex to play as an extra in the film because he looked like a 'typical' teenager and he looked the part for the scene he was to play in. He has also been in previous projects as an extra alike this film so we knew he had the experience. 

Storyboards

Pitch script

Danny: We have decided to base our film on the classic fairy-tale Hansel and Gretel

Becky: However our take on the story will be slightly different with a modern thriller twist. This gives a new take on the story which will appeal to many demographics.

(show poster)

Joe: We have chosen to keep the name of the film the same as the original story as we did not want to detract from the classic title which is known throughout the world.

Alex: The plot for our film does not remove itself from the tale however we have introduced more modern problems to the story a troubled marriage for example between the parents. Also the Witch has been altered to a more realistic character without the gingerbread house etc.

Danny: It starts with the children running away from home due to the step mother who has just moved in with the father after their mother’s death. They come across a house quite different to their own. Intrigued they decide to have a closer look which leads to chilling consequences.

(Take through storyboards)

Becky:  The part of Hansel and Gretel will be played by John Appleby and Lucy Cashman. Two very well-known and professional leads.

Joe: The parts of the step-mother and the Father will be played by Eleanor Loftus and Danny McDonald who have both recently been in big Hollywood films such as “The secret”.

Alex: Ashley Gallagher will play the part of the “Witch” This is her first role in a film as she has been working in the theatre for the past few years.

Danny: This film is a great chance to bring back a classic childrens story into the lime light and get it into the public once again.

Screen title practice

Here is our screen title practice, we decided to go with the similar screen title to 'The Last House on the left' since we felt it went well with our horror/thriller theme. The black and red signifies death, anger and horror which reflects on our film well. The cracks across the text make it seem creepy as it is a modern/horror twist on the fairytale.

Production log

1. Panning shot of train (extreme long shot)
2. Close up of children
3. P.O.V shot of witch looking at children
4. Close up of hands washing up pans upwards to mothers face
5. Medium shot of Father putting tools down
6. Extreme close up of tools focusing on hammer
7. Pans to close up of Dad’s face
8. Medium shot of wife looking out of the window
9. Two shot of the wife and dad in the background
10. Medium shot of dad smoking a cigarette
11. Long shot of Kids running away from mum running through the forest
12. Long shot of the witches house
13. Medium close up of the pie
14. Long shot of door opening
15. Close up of foot on the step
16. Long shot of door closing
17. Medium close up of the kids under the bridge
18. Follow cam long shot of running
19. Extreme long shot of children running through the bridge
20. Medium shot of running
21. Long shot to stranger walking down the lane
22. Close up of knife slash
23. Close up of blood splatter on the wall
24. High angled medium shot of Hansel chained to radiator
25. Medium shot of father looking for the children in the dark
26. Long shot witch shadow behind dad
27. Extreme close up of bloody hammer falling to the floor
28. Medium shot of Hansel being dragged into the house by the witch
29. Medium shot of  hand on the door
30. Fade to black title appears

Characters

Hansel- John Appleby

Gretel- Lucy Cashman

Dad- Danny Mcdonald

Mum-Elle Loftus

Witch- Ashley Gallagher

Stranger-Alex

Locations

Millbank

Danny’s house

A2 blog

In this blog I have to document the process of making a trailer with my group. We have to produce a trailer, a magazine cover and a poster to try to promote it. In this process we have to hire actors, collect our own mis-en-scene and film it ourselves. It has to be a 2 minute trailer and we have to try to adapt the codes and conventions of what trailers normally have today to try and makes ours realistic. 

I will also try to apply some theories to some of the points or analysing I do and say why I think some techniques are effective in the film industry. I will record my time management, and any edits or practices I do to show my involvement and development. 

Analysis of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 poster campaign

The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 poster campaign included a lot of posters. Not that the film needed promoting but that since it was the last instalment the posters would probably be seen as special since it is the last film. Each character had a poster to themselves, this could be because we've followed each of the characters since the first film therefore it makes sense. On some of the billboard posters, there are certain scenes shown like when Harry Potter and Voldemort battle and one of Hermione and Ron. These moments have probably been used as the audience want to know what happens as it has been anticipated from the start. Will Harry survive? And will Hermione and Ron kiss? This teases the audience and therefore makes them want to watch the film. Throughout the campaign process there are a lot of 'freeze frames' which reflect on the action and hype of the film. The main part of the poster campaign are the slogans like 'IT ALL ENDS 7.15', this could reflect on the Harry Potter franchise finishing and what happens to  Harry and Voldemort in the story. There is a definite colour scheme of blues and blacks throughout which I think apply to the semiotic theory of sign>signifier>signified, in that the blues and blacks represent fear, darkness and the unknown of what is to happen. It reflects on Harrys life of battling Voldemort throughout the many films. The posters of Harry and Voldemort battling reflect on red being Gryffindor and green possibly being Slytherin as we have followed them being enemies throughout and how it has played an important role. There are many close up shots of every character which captures the emotion in their faces, Harry's reflects on the unknown of what is to happen, fear, determination and many more. This will capture the audience and reflect on how important this finale really is.



Video of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 poster campaign