30.10.09 – Initial Script Drafted

Following further development of our ideas, a first draft of the script was created which I was responsible for. Although we were unable to see the Highgate Cemetery tour in action, it was quite straightforward to guess the tour guides mode of adress however I looked at a number of online videos to make sure our guess was accurate. The first script consists of dialogue mainly spoken by the tour guide, explaining the tragic story of Maria Sweet. I have also included some other information about the cemetery to fit before this while the camera focuses on the students.

Although this script provides information on the killer, personality and character traits are less evident. One convention of a teaser trailer is that the characters are introduced e.g. their relationships and personalities. Although it would be good to use this convention, we would not have time to include it and if we were to include it, we would be giving too much away, especially if we were to present them coming into contact with the grave. Nevertheless, I have typed up the script in two parts; the tour and the student’s contact with the grave and can be reviewed with my peers to make any necessary changes.

29.10.09 – Initial Plot Summary

After drawing together our ideas so far, we formulated an initial story that could be used as a basis for our synopsis after future development:

“Lady Maria Sweet liked to visit Hampstead Heath. On one of these visits, she and a few others were spotted entering an area of the Heath which was said to be forbidden. The others died instantly, but she survived. Her survival led to suspision that she was a witch and was hung shortly after. She was buried at Highgate cemetery however each visitor was found hung following their visit. This resulted in the grave being established as forbidden. No one has visited since – until now.

Liam Frasier and Jackie Obali are friends at La Swap, and their History coursework is due tomorrow. They take a tour of Highgate Cemetery but during their trip, they discover Maria Sweet’s forbidden grave. Accompanied by their classmates they venture inside but despite being warned of its history, they step on the grave...”

NOTE: Although the names of my peer members Liam and Jackie have been used, the characters will not necessarily be played by them.

29.10.09 – Visit to Highgate Cemetery

We took a visit to Highgate cemetery for more inspiration and to boost our ideas on the plot, characters, setting and the killer. From our research into plot lines, we discovered that the settings more frequently used in slasher-horror were more desolate, suburban areas and we thought a cemetery with its emptiness and graves suggesting themes of death, would be a good setting for our trailer.

 Although we were not able to take part in a tour, we were able to pay a visit to the cemetery itself. During our visit, we disscused our ideas further and decided that our trailer will serve as a back story, explaining the killers death and her motive for killing. The film itself would then be about how a group of students come to her attention and are killed of one by one.

 We discovered a grave with the name ‘Mary Sweet’ from which we decided that our killers name will be ‘Maria Sweet’ and felt that it suited the character. We changed the name to Maria to remove any association with the villain ‘Bloody Mary’ and to give relevance to a modern era. The name ‘sweet’ reminds us of her innocence before she was killed as well as having a sense of irony. Photographs were also taken at the visit to use as location research and possibly for use in the poster. A large number of photos were taken to document this research and can be viewed on 

23.10.09 - Work Begins

After creating a concept for our slasher horror film, we put together a short schedule of tasks which need to be completed before the trailer is shot. This includes a pre-production questionnaire which we will use to find out more about what our target audience want to see in a slasher horror film as well as research on the BBFC to find out exactly what we can include and what we cannot. We are aiming to visit Highgate cemetery for more information and to see if we can go on a tour to find our more about the mode of address of a tour guide to enable us to produce a script.

22.10.09 - Creating a Concept

To begin creating a concept for a new slasher horror film, we sat down in our team and produced a brainstorm containing ideas on what we wanted to include based on our research so far e.g. what conventions could we use, develop or challenge. The brainstorm is split into five areas: location, plot, victims, killer and technical aspects, organizing our ideas more effectively. Our initial idea was that our killer could be a female getting revenge for a rape case that happened to her in the past. We then were reminded that the brief asks the plot to be suitable for 15 and over therefore this subject would be too strong for the target audience. The film also needs to be appealing to ‘creative and aspiring’ adults therefore we looked towards more intelligent historical themes such as iconic deaths in history. Execution and hanging came to our attention and thought the killer could a woman who was hung on a London location e.g. Hampstead Heath which will also be a close location to film. We can also use the local colleges as a base for our main characters, attracting a teenage audience.

 Eventually, we decided that the killer would be a woman who was hung on the heath after being accused of being a witch and the victims would be college students at one of the local schools and somehow get involved with the witch. The film’s USP is that it takes place on Hampstead Heath and the characters are from London colleges unlike the vast majority of slasher horror which are made and set in the US.

 Following this, we decided that the teaser trailer would provide a back-story, providing information on the witch in the form of a tour on Highgate Cemetery. This initial idea as well as plot and characters will be finalised in more detail at a later date.