For the idea of using a brand as a torture weapon we took inspiration from a number of outlets, such as looking at biblical references (Timothy 4:2 "Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.") and from internet sources - particularly usinghttp://www.medievalwarfare.info/torture.htm as a reference website.
It was said that "human branding or stigmatising is the process in which a mark, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living person, with the intention that the resulting scar makes it permanent. This is achieved using a very hot or very cold branding iron.
In criminal law, branding with a hot iron was a mode of punishment by which marking the subject as if goods or animals, sometimes concurrently with a reduction of status.
Brand marks have also been used as a punishment for convicted criminals, combining physical punishment, as burns are very painful, with public humiliation, especially if marked on a normally visible part of the body, providing an indelible criminal record.The practice of branding as a punishment was widespread in Christendom. It was also used on slaves and animals to indicate ownership."
We therefore decided to use the branding procedure as a form of torture in our trailer, as we wanted to indicate ownership of the victim and ownership of the mask.
Two possible actresses aged 12/13 were considered. The first had blonde hair and was an average height and the second was a petite brunette. We decided to film both females and then choose who to cast after the filming had been done. Both portrayed the given role extremely well, however we decided to choose the blonde girl as the sounds of her whimpering and crying were louder than the other actress, and her hair colour picked up the light slightly more than the brunette. 
We started by painting PVA glue to the victims original finger nail and dabbing cotton wool onto the surface to create texture to the supposed nail bed.
Next we added a mixture of red lipstick and darked coloured ink and acrylic paint to the nail, adding darker colours around the cuticle, to emphasise the blood around the nail. We used ink to give the nail a 'wet look' rather than matt finish, to further emulate a look of fresh blood.
Once we had filmed our scene, we proceeded to upload it onto the Mac and incorporated it into our trailer, editing the brightness and contrast of the moving image and thus darkening the subject so that it connoted further to the codes and conventions of a Horror film with dim lit lighting.
Our scene was complete and answered the criteria suggested by our audiences: A torture scene with a high element of gore, fully complying to the codes and conventions of the Horror genre.
