1. Proposal
1
Working Title:
Film name: âChains: The Untold Story of Leatherfaceâ
What is it called? This can change if you think of something better later
Productâs Purpose:
Entertain fans of the horror genre and to reach out to people who enjoy horror films.
I intend to do this by providing content such as terror, gore, violence and scary imagery
into my project as this is the type of content that people look for in horror films. I am
creating a wide range of posters and a trailer which is what people will see, this will then
make them aware of the film and the horror community will see this. Another purpose for
my product is escapism, as a lot of people find watching horror films as a good way to
disengage from outside life, and using it as a form or relaxation, for example, people may
watch a horror film to escape from thoughts of work.
What is the productâs purpose (entertain/educate etc.) and how will you achieve this?
Genre:
My product is a horror film, with three different advertisement posters along with a teaser
trailer to get the name and the film out to the public. The film will be listed in the âviolent /
goryâ styled category of the horror genre, along with the posters which will also highlight
the theme of the violence and gore. My project would specifically fit into the âslasherâ /
âthrillerâ genre because of content such as violence and suspense, as well as the fact that
the film is about a serial killer.
What sort of product is it
Content:
Brief Plot Summary:
âMy film product is about a sadistic killer known as Thomas Hewitt, AKA Leatherface,
causing terror and mass killingsacross the state of Texas USA . Thomas will go on his
massacre until he is stopped, but until then, the state of Texas has been put under crucial
lock down, as the police, detectives and FBI go on a manhunt to stop this killer and putting
an end to his terror across Texas.â
I decided to go for a simple yet interesting plot concept as I think complicated storylines
arenât very appealing to an audience because there is too much information for them to
follow in the film. The film features a wide range of different characters that should appeal
to different members of the audience, as there are different roles and personalities that the
characters have. Also the character Leatherface is widely known in the horror community
and is iconic. This should also appeal to the fans of the Texas Chainsaw franchise, as well
as other fans who know the character âLeatherfaceâ. I believe that this style of a horror film
will greatly appeal to my target audience, asI have used a lot of content that my audience
likes, according to my survey.
What is your product about? Discuss what you would put in it (be specific). Does it have a story? If
so, discuss it here
Research & Planning:
A lot of my research and planning will influence my final product. The content in my
research features very dark, grungy, unpleasant colours, which is what I am going to
implement into my own posters. I think that these styles fit perfectly for the horror genre,
and it is easier for the audience to acknowledge and understand that the film is a part of the
horror genre, for example, one of my interview responses to the question âwhat do you like
about horror moviesâ, was âI think it is important for horror movie posters to look creepy.â
Hence why I am going to make my own posters very creepy and disturbing looking.
2. Proposal
2
In my planning, I decided I would create three posters along with a trailer. I wanted to make
all three of my posters similar in some way, by using colour, lighting etc. This is why I
researched posters that were all similar in some way, because I want all of my posters to be
recognised as a part of one film. One horror franchise that has similar posters are the Saw
movies. Each poster from the Saw franchise all have similar elements, for example, a white
concrete background with a darker main image. This is the style that i want to implement
into my own product, keeping all of my posters in the same continuity, so my audie nce can
recognise that the posters are part of the same film.
I want to make all of my posters look very grungy and unpleasant, much like the items in
my research, as I feel like those kind of items appeal to members of the horror genre / fans,
as they are familiar with these particular materials, even others such as scratchy rotten
fonts and disturbing imagery, when it comes to horror film posters. On one of the questions
for my servey, I asked my audience if they thought minimalism was good for horror movie
posters, and 70% of my audience said yes, which is why I believe that minimalism is an
effective element to implement into a horror movie poster, as well asthe fact that my
audience prefer minimalism in horror movie posters.
Where will you use elements of your research and planning to influence and inform your final idea
(be specific to certain parts)
Audience:
Primary Audience: Aged 17+ Male and Female
Secondary Audience: Aged 30+ Male
Appeal: I feel my primary product will appeal to this audience because of the targeted age
group I have gone for. The most common consumers of horror films are young adults,
specifically those from aged 17, to aged 30. My film will also contain violence, gore and
profanity, which usually appealsto this particular age group, and could be off-putting to
older audiences and inappropriate for younger. As for the gender, the reason why I chose
both male and female for my primary audience is because I feel that both genders can enjoy
a horror movie equally, and the specific content, such as suspense and horror appeal to
both genders. For my secondary audience, the reason I chose male is because I feel that
more males are usually the secondary consumers of horror films, specifically older males,
as the content can also appeal to them, just like it does for younger / young adult
audiences.
Psychographics: My product is aimed at the psychographic group âBelongerâ, as it is a
small project aimed at horror communities that are very loyal to my particular product, they
also often give feedback on the product on what was good and bad about it, which can help
me as the producer expand on my product in the future.
Social Status: My product is targeted at the âBalancedâ group. I chose this group because
these people respond to the product as well as the fact that it is a mixture of different
achievers, so different feedback will be given by different members of the group.
(My original social group was âNeeds Drivenâ & âType Bâ, but I decided to change it to
âBalancedâ, as I thought it was more appropriate for my product.)
Who is your audience? Be very detailed; age, gender, social status, psychographic etc.
Why would your project appeal to this person?
3. Proposal
3
Legal & Ethical Considerations:
Think about any offensive material you will include?
My film does contain gory & mature content, which could perhaps be classed as
inappropriate for audiences such as the young and elderly, as well asbad language which
could offend those that donât like to hear it. My product does contain sce nes of bloody
violence which could be considered offensive towards some groups, which is why my
product meets the ASA code âharm and offenseâ, as the film is rated 18, and specifies that it
will contain mature content.
Will you restrict younger people using/accessing it?
My film is restricted for those under the age of 17, as it does feature mature content, such
as gory scenes and bad language, which is considered inappropriate for younger
audiences. My product also meets the ASA compliance code, and my product is honest and
truthful about its intentions for older audiences and does not promote content towards
children.
Will it offend any social groups/religions/ethnicities?
My product has no religious themes, or references so no religious groups should find it
offensive. Although some religious groups may find the theme of murder offensive.
How will you ensure you do not offend anyone?
I will make sure my film does not contain nor reference any religious themes or teachings,
as this could be considered offensive by different religions.
Are you using characters/names/logos of existing products/IPs?
I will be using an existing companies name & logo (Lionsgate Films) for my trailer and
poster, as well asthe character âLeatherfaceâ from the TexasChainsaw Massacre
Franchise. My product will also easily be identified as a film because for logos and names
etc. Which meets the ASA code recognition of marketing communications, as my product
looks like a film and is easily identified at that.
Will you product be sufficiently different from existing products to not get sued for copyright
infringement?
My posters will have designs similar to existing posters, but I am making sure to change
the designs and add my own little details that should hopefully further them from existing
products. This should hopefully prevent copyright infringement.