Audience Feedback On First Viewing Of Trailer

Draft of Trailer
As the trailer is the most important element of a campaign it is important that it attracts the target audience in order for them to want to see the film. It is important that the audience sees a draft of the trailer so that their opinions are taken into consideration.
I showed our core audience the first version of our trailer and provided them with a short questionaire to answer, in order to collect the feedback and improve the trailer.
I asked a total of twenty people from our target audience to find out their opinions.

Creating a questionnaire was a great form of research as audience feedback can be collected easily and I found this to be very useful. Individually I created it in word and handed it to our target audiences. Once they had completed it I counted up and observed the results.

Questionnaire results

1. Did you immediately know the genre of the trailer?
Yes 16 No 4
This is a good result as the majority of people we asked immediately knew the genre which is what we want. To improve it we could emphasise the conventions of the horror genre in order to make it so every member of the audience can see it is a horror film trailer.

2. What is the most intense part of a horror film trailer? The Music 9 The Characters 3 The Build Up 5 Graphic Images 3
These results are what I expected. I previously knew the music is important to our audience from the feedback i got from them when presenting them with my initial ideas on music and sounds. The build up is also similar to this as the music takes a part in it. From these results i believe there is nothing that vastly needs improving.

3. Did you anticipate what was going to happen?
Yes 5 No 15 Knowing what is going to happen in a horror film is typical because of the build up and music used(as discussed above). I think 15 is a good number as the majority of our audience is on edge and unaware of whats coming.

4. Was the trailer believable?
Yes 17 No 3 I am most impressed with this result as my initial worry was that the horror trail would not be believable and in some way commical.However, knowing that my audience believe in the trailer I am more confident that it is on the way to being a successful trailer.

5. Do you think it met the conventions of the horror genre?
Yes 18 No 2 This results proves that research and planning has proven to work well as we have followed the conventions well and the audience agrees.

6. What is your opinion on the captions?
'Need to be central' - 'Solid Font' - 'Brighter Font' - 'Dark Background works well, captions stand out against them'- 'Font could have some colour'- ' Font needs to be larger'- ' Needs to be in captical letters' - ' Could use alternative white background/black writing'- ' Dots after writing make it look less believable'- 'Black screen to plain'- 'Larger font, in a solid colour' - 'Writing is very good, helps fits the trailer together'- 'Wording adds suspense to trailer' - 'Words are tense doesn't tell to much of the stroy' - ' Captions are positioned into many places' - 'Black and white too plain, maybe use colour such as blue'-' Captions need to be in one place' - 'Could use an image in the background'- 'Words work well along side images'-'Captions dont give too much away'.
All of these comments have been a great help and will be taken into great consideration when re-editing and improving our trailer. I agree with the majority of them and will use the ideas as much as we can.

7. Do you think the locations fit the horror image?
Yes 13 No 7 I think this is a resonably good result and agree with some of the feedback i got. Our initial idea for the house was a abandoned american style house, however we were unable to find this. So the house we did use I tried the best I could in order to make it look as horrific as possible. Taking this into consideration we have another part to film so this could be improved.

8. Does the fast editing build up enough tension?
Yes 16 No 4 I am please with these results as I also agree that the fast editing with short sharp shots adds a great amount of tension, meeting the conventions of the horror genre.

9. Does the music add an intense feeling?
Yes 17 No 3 As I have already discussed above the music is important to our audience and these results show me that they like the music and sounds there are in the trailer.

10. Does this trailer make you want to see the film?
Yes 14 No 6 These results are promising that the trailer can be successful as the majority of our audience would want to see the film. I believe with the above things improved the trailer would be convincing and attract even more of the audience into wanting to see the film.

Editing

Now the filming is completed we can begin to edit and creat the trailer. To create the trailer we are using the programme Adobe Premiere Pro. Previously i have only used I Movie on the MACs so this is a new experience for me. Below is a photo of the programme Adobe Premier Pro.

At first glance of the software I was overwhelmed with the amount that can be done with the footage. However after experimenting I found it relatively easy and enjoyable to use, so I was looking forward to creating the trailer.




















Above is a photograph taken of me whilst editing the trailer. Each time we filmed we transferred the footage on to our assigned computer. I found this quite hard as we had assigned computers but we were not the only people using it, limiting when we can get on them to continue editing.

Now we have begun to edit, and are quite a way through, we have experimented with what works well, what shots are most successful we know the definate locations, characters and propps we are using which are listed below as well as the reasons why.

Locations- Front of house- This includes the shots of the couple walking to the door, opening it and going in. Here the lighting was most difficult however we improvised using car headlights which created effective shadows on the side of the house.

Back of house- Here we used the most interesting shot. It was a hand held unsteady camera running towards the house. Here the lighting was not a problem as we used the light from inside the house.

Inside the house- Here we used the
Bathroom: shots of the hand in the shower and the writing that read 'IM HOME'

Staircase: This location is used for the shots of Stacy and the 'Man in Black' run up the stairs. A door at the top of the stairs is used when someone can be seen being dragged into a bedroom and the door slapped behind them.

Kitchen-Shots filmed in this location were walking with the knife, going through the knife draw franticaly, 'Man in Black' stomping towards screen and the back door where Stacy is banging on the door for help.


Charcters- Man (Ryan)The man out of the couple is not featured in it much. He appears coming into the house and that is the last time we see him. This adds a sense of mistery to the trailer as audiences will want to know what has happened to him.

Woman(Stacy)-This characters is the main and the one that features in the trailer the most. She was very reliable and acted what we told her to well, in order to make it look as realistic as possible. Audiences also do not see what happens to her adding more mystery and tension.

'Man in Black' (Ryan)- We chose Ryan to act as the 'Man in black' also because he was the perfect build to play a mysterious scary man that has power over the other characters. Altough he was not the best actor it was successful as he had a mask over his face making him look more horrific. His movements however where perfect to represent someone out to kill.

Propps:
Knife and Machette: For the film trailer we included weapons in order to show there will be killings and characters trying to protect them selves. The most ignificant shot for me regarding weapons is when Stacy is franticaly searching through the knife draw showing the panic and how scared she is ading mystery to the trailer as audiences will want to know 'why and what does she need a knife for?' and 'Whst is she protecting herself from?' making them want to see the film.

The machette features in the shot where the 'Man in black' appears sudddenly and is lit up by car lights. It was hard to see the weapon and I was disapointed as it was a real weapon which adds a realistic element to the trailer.

Costumes:The 'Man in black's costume is the most important. We dressed him all in black and in a mask covering his face to add mystery as you never see his face and not knowing who he is or what he wants will scare audiences, which is what we want to achieve as it is a horror film trailer.

Lighting- This was one of the most important propps used. A horror film convention is the mood created in the trailer and lights are included in this. We found it difficult we needed it to be dark but not so dark that we could not see. To solve the problem we had we improvised using car headlights to light up the house. This added an eerie effect creating shadows and a spooky setting. We also used a small torch when an extra light was needed.

Filming

We started filming on Tuesday 10th Nov, using the filming schedule and storybroad, so we had it planned out well. However when we started filming I realised how much planning really needs to be done and that there are so many things that needed to be taken into consideration including, the weather , if locations and actors are available, camera shots whilst following the storyborad and trying to meet the criteria.

As we are filming a horror film trailer, we planned to film when it was getting dark. However as it is winter, it got dark very quickly limiting us as to how much we could film, so once it had got dark we found it hard to film as the lighting was difficult.


Having learnt from our previous attempt of filming, we went out days later ready to film again. We planned to go out earlier to allow ourselves more time to film. Witht the difficulty of lighting we improvised using car headlights to light up the house in that scene. Inside the house we had dim lighting to create the horror genre setting.A tourch was also used when a extra light was needed. We stuck to the filming scheudle and stroyborad and we got a considerable more amount of filming done, ready to start editing on the computer.
Below are photos of some of the propps used for film and the actually equipment.

The most difficult think I found about filming was trying to arrange when people were available to film. The difficulty was when people were unavailable but we had previously arranged to film which then set us back, or one person was available and the other not. However the actors we used were reliable and enabled us to film when and what we wanted, which made it easier to direct and to get a large amount of filming done.

Filming Schedule

Above is the filming schedule. Along with the storyboard we will follow this as much as we can. I believe this will be usefull to us as we have previously planned what and when we will film rather than wasting time desciding then. However in some ways I could find it restricting as it is such a tight schedule and we may come across problems where things may have to change.
Things to take into consideration and prepare for:
Weather
Actors are unavailable
Someone in my group is unavailable
Locations or Propps become unavailable.

Final StoryBoard

After more research(focused analysis), audience feedback and planning this is the final storyboard. Some of my initial storyboard is used in this as I thought it was a good beginning of a horror film trailer.

Plot- There is not too much of a plot in the trailer. If there was it would tell too much of a story which is not what a teaser trailer does. Using Todorov's theory at the beginning of the trailer there is a state of equilibrium. We see a couple returning to their house, there is an indication they have been away as they are pulling a suitcase. They walk up to the house and through the door. The woman walks to the cupboard, opens it and we see a girl dead. From this point on, there is now a state of disequilibrium and things start to get worse. The music and editing show this. From here the man is not seen again. This is too keep audiences interested as they will want to know what has happened to him. Continuing with the disequilibrium, there are now short, sharp shots showing a sequence of events in no particular order

Focused Analysis: Locations

The location is the part of the film trailer I found most difficult. I have done a large amount of research on the typical locations of horror film trailers. They usually consist of places where characters and audiences feel un-easy, dont no where they are or somewhere that is thoguth to be haunted or something previosuly has happpened there. From my research these are typical locations featured in horror films.

















































The orginal location we had in mind was an abandoned, american style house which would have been ideal for a horror trailer. However, we found it extreamely difficult to find this and had to go with another location. The location we have chosen is an ordinary house. As the plot of the trailer, is a couple coming home to an empty, dark house so with the right lighting we thought it could fit this image and would succesfully meet the conventions of the horror genre.

This is the house we are planning to use for the trailer with correct lighting, an empty drive and a dark house it will fit the horror image perfectly.This image has been taken from a range of photos taken for the poster and magazine cover.

Other locations include the inside of the house as well as the backgarden and bathroom. We also plan to use a shot where the camera is purposely shaking with heavy breathing all takin place running towards the house. My worry is that it will be too dark with no source of light to get a sufficient amount of footage.

Focused Analysis: Sound/Music

The sound and music is a vital element of the horror genre. It adds suspense, tension and builds up to the climax of the trailer. The sound also adds to what is going on , on the screen without the music, what is taking place would not have the same effect on audiences. Our trailer needs to have the same effect so music and sounds such as screaming are essential, following the conventions of the horror genre.

For our music we will not be able to use music where we have to ask for permission so using websites such as www.freeplaymusic.com we are able to download music that can be easily inserted into our film trailer.

The main conventions of music in horror film trailers is that the music begins of with a slow tempo eerie style, fitting with the editing a main event haooens and the whole video becomes more uptempo, meaning the music will become faster louder and more aggressive. This is the type of music we want to include in our trailer.
Below is a link to youtube where i found the perfect example of the music beginning slow and then gaining tempo.



Here are some other examples of music featured in horror film trailers. Using these as an idea we can find our own or even create our own using gargeband on the mac.





Sound effects are also used such as heavy breathing and sounds to exagerate actions. Again i have found some links to examples of these sounds.

Focused Analysis: Characters

Having studied many horror film trailers there is a clear structure of types of character in each of them.(Structurilism) This relates to Vladamir Propp's theory. He believes there are 8 character roles in every media text.In the trailers I have analysed there is always a villian and a victim, and in some even a hero.
Examples of Propp's idea of a Villian

















Propp's idea of a victim




















In our own trailer we have followed this theory and there is a villian(Killer)and victims, which one is already dead. This involves the theory of Diagesis. As the relative has already been killed out of the field of vision this is known as Non-Diagetic event, as it has taken place off screen before the movie has started.

Charcters- Man (Ryan)not featured in it much. He appears coming into the house and that is the last time we see him. Audience will be unaware of what happens to him

Woman(Stacy)-This characters is the main and the one that features in the trailer the most. This charcter is the main focus as well as the killer.Audiences do not see what happens to her in the end adding more mystery and tension.

'Man in Black' (Ryan)- 'Man in black'is the charcters creating all the problems and there would be no film without him. He is a killer having gone into someones house ready to attck.
Ellie- This character dies and this is the main event that cuases the disequilibrium(Todorov's theory). From this point is where things become worse.

The Campaign

For our campaign we will be creating a teaser trailer, film magazine cover and a film poster. However in the media industry they create a synergy in order to advertise and promote the film in the best way possible.
The trailer is the most important element of a film campaign. It is the first exposer of the film in the context and experience of the cinema, this includes the sounds and graphics and how the overall concept of the film, is portrayed.
There are also different types of trailer aiming to have different effects on the audience.


Teaser trailer- This is the type of trailer we will be producing. This can be made before production at the earliest stages, grabbing the audiences' attention.


Full Theatrical trailer- This is the trailer that is shown in the cinema before the film is released. This is the first time the audience has an insight to the film, and it is vital the trailer catches the audience's attention at this point, pursuading them to go and see the film.


Short Trailer- This is a shorter version of the full theatrical trailer. This is usually played in cinemas after the film is released as a reminder to audiences and another attempt to attract audiences to see the film.


There is also occasionally a tv version of the trailer. Again, to attract audiences in a different way via the television rather than the cinema. The producers of the film will buy a spot and the trailer, usually around 30 seconds, will fit in the slot as an advert. To amount to rent a slot is usually around 30,000 pounds, although prices will vary.
Within a campain each element will link to the others, creating a visual images the audience will remember and relate to that film. An example of this is the copy used throughout the campaign. Many producers will create a indivual font so when audiences see the font they will immediately recognise the film.
When creating our products we will create a copy to use on each one that will link them together this is known as a sinergy, making it rememberable to other audiences.These are all examples of fonts that have been created especially for the film campaigns and audiences will recognise these fonts immediately, reminding them of the film and persuading them to see it.


















Depending on genre, the types of copy vary. Usually in comedy film trailers a voice over is used, to create a comical effect. With drama/horror captions are usually used. They act as a bridge gap and the glue of the trailer, creating a mood, such as suspense and tension.

Poster-This is a teaser element of the campaign. This is created before filming in the early stages of the campaign. They are usually simple with a focus point of one image, with the title of the film logos and the release date. They are eye catching and act as a reminder for audiences to look out for the trailer and go to see the film.



Film Magazine Cover- These are used to promote the film. They usually consist of the actors in the film and also some images featured in the film. They advertised release dates and could include interviews and spoilers of the movie as well as the reviews. If people are into the horror genre they will be interested in these things there for buy the magazines.

Audience

When targeting an audience, there are many things that need to be taken into consideration in order to attract them to the film trailer,focusing on age, gender, race, location and income bracket/status. The target audience for our horror film trailer is both genders and people over the age of 18. The audience age range begins at 18 as this is the certificate of the film.

The film must have a USP(unique selling point)in order to attract audiences. Within the film industry the biggest and most frequent audiences are 15-24 or families. Due to the genre of our trailer being horror we are not aiming at families. Our trailer is aiming more at 18-30 maybe higher this is taking into consideration the main demographics. The tabke below shows the status levels of the audience.



Looking at the table,the audience we are aiming at would come under C1, C2 and D. I believe this is because the age ranges would come under these sections and are more likely to go and see the film. It is unlikely that anyone above C1 would visit the cinema so would not be attracted to seeing the film. Any one under the D category will not see the cinema as a priority as they have other needs that are more important. This would then have an effect on them being attracted to the film.

This relates to Abraham Maslowe's Heirachy of needs- if (like a student) we have a limited amount of money to spend, we spend it on the things we need before choosing from a range of luxuries such as cinema tickets - rather than hiring/borrowing DVDs or watching the telly!

Initial StoryBoard

This is the rough story board I have individauly created. Our plan is to create a rough story board each with our own ideas and combine the two to produce a final Storyboard. I have produced rough sketches of each shot with discriptions of Camera angles. Narrative, Mise-en-scene, Sound, Dialogue and the editing i will do.

Plot- The initial plot for our trailer is a couple arriving home from an unknown location but have been away a while. A relative has checked on the house and the couple believe she has been and gone. The lights are not working and the man goes to the cupboard to check the fuse box and the relative is found there to be dead!. (Propp's theory- 31 functions moving the story along) The editing from this point becomes very fast. Here with the use of the Proairetic Code tension is built with short sharp shots indicating something else is going to happen but we are unaware as to what and this makes audiences interested and wanting to see what happens.From now on we see shots of the killer and victims in various moments with all the elements of a horror film trailer.

This plot also follows Todorov's theory of disruptive equilibrium. The trailer begins in a state of equilibrium(things are as they should be) when a distruption takes place, this is now disequilibrium. His theory follows the pattern of Equilibrium-Disequilibrium-Equilibrium. However, our trailer follows his theory but does not end in a state of equilibrium as it is a teaser trailer and if the distruption was resolved it would tell a story rather than tease the audience and pursuading them to see the film.

1.
Narrative- Establishing shot sets the main location of the film. A couple ariving home after a long trip away.They arrive home and walk up the drive expecting the house to be empty.A family member has been round to check on the house previously.
Camera angles-Long shot of a empty looking house all in darkness.
Mise-en-scene - At this time it is just getting dark.Preferably it would be raining heavily to add effect.
Sound - There will be diagetic sound at this point, eerie music starting of at a slow tempo. Sound of rain if possible.
Dialogue- At this point there is no dialogue.
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

2. Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "IMAGINE COMING HOME......."
Fade into couple opening the door and walking in.

3.
Narrative- Couple unlocking the door and going into the house.
Camera angles-Medium close up of door and couple opening the front door and walking in.
Mise-en-scene - Rain if possible. It has just got dark outside, however is even darker inside the house.
Sound -Sound of rain if possible.Diagetic sound faded whilst there is dialogue.
Dialogue - Woman "....(name of family member that checked the house)could have left a light on"
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

4. Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption-"TO WHAT YOU THINK......"
Fade into high angle shot with man and woman coming through the door.

5.
Narrative-Couple walking in through the door, different angle from previous shot as is coming from inside the house rather than outside.
Camera angles-High angle shot, long shot from top of staris as the couple walk through the door.
Mise-en-scene - Walking in through door little light as house is in complete darkness.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded as there is dialogue.
Dialogue- Man- "It's so good to be home, lets get some lights on"
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

6.Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "IS AN EMPTY HOUSE......."
Fade into close up of man flicking the light switch.

7.
Narrative- Man tries to switch on a light realises there not working. Flicks the switch 3 or 4 times.
Camera angles-Close up on light switch and mans hand flicking the switch.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the switch
Sound -Diagetic sound faded
Dialogue - There is no dialogue at this point.
Editing - Jump Cut to medium close up of man and woman.Man still flicking switch.

8.
Narrative- Man tries the switch 3 or 4 times.
Camera angles - Medium Close up of man and woman.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue - Man-"That's strange, its probably just the fuse, i'll go check the cupboard"
Editing - Fade into dark screen with caption

9.Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "BUT SOMETHING PURE EVIL......"
Fade into man walking down the hallway towards door.

10.
Narrative- Man walking down hallway towards cupboard to check the fuse.
Camera angles - Medium long shot of man walking toward the camera(Cupboard)
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue- No dialogue
Editing - Fade Into dark screen with caption

11. Dark screen with caption fading in.
Caption- "IS LURKING IN THE DARKNESS."
Jump cut to family member in the cupboard

12.
Narrative- Man opens cupboard. Family member that checked on the house is in the cupboard and is dead.
Camera angles - High angle, point of view shot looking into the cupboard.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue- Screaming
Editing - Cut into dark screen with caption

13. Dark screen with caption.
Caption-"AND YOU REALISE......."
Still hear screaming. Cut into shot of mysterious man behind the him.

14.
Narrative- Man is still in shock and looking in the cupboard. Mysterious man in costume is standind directly behind him.
Camera angles - Medium longshot from down the hallway, both people in shot.
Mise-en-scene - Dark but enough light to see the focused objects.Musterious man lit up more.
Sound - Diagetic sound faded still at a slow tempo
Dialogue- Screaming
Editing - Cut into dark screen with caption

15. Dark Screen with caption.
Caption-"YOU'RE NOT ALONE."
Cut to complete black shot with screaming still there.

The black screen will last for a few seconds whilst there is still screaming.
The music from this point becomes louder and faster. Editing will also become faster, with quick and snappy shots.This builds up tension, suspense towards the climax of the trailer.

Film Poster Analysis

Analysis of Film Posters
Whilst looking at film posters i came across the website below. It was a great source of research and whilst look at the posters and their ratings i have used the plot summary and then continued with my own analysis.
http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_posters

The Fourth Kind
The 4th Kind is a fact-based thriller involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover up.

The colours in the background are very dark and give the sense of mystery. The light shining through the window highlights the person who is levitating. This immediately catches the audiences attention and they want to know more about what is happening to this person.

The four lines of text stand out against the bright light background. This draws attention to it, and the audience will read it rather than just passing over another piece of text. The title is also lit up to make it clear what the title of the film is and to remind audiences they should go and see it. Underneath is the statement 'Based on the actual case studies' this attracts audiences as they want to see a believable film. Finally the overall look of the poster is clearly horror and audiences who see the poster, who are interested in this genre, will immediately see that it is frightening and will be attracted to seeing the film.



Session 9
A hazardous-materials-cleanup company has been hired to eliminate asbestos tiles and other toxic material from a gigantic mental hospital that had been shut down in the 1980s. But as one member of the team starts to nose into old files in the office, he uncovers a series of tape recordings of psychiatric sessions--nine of them--related to a notorious sexual abuse case. Soon, toxic materials and dark spirits start to merge.

This is a poster that immediately caught my eye. Having seen the film, I feel the poster has worked well as it attracts audiences to see it, which is what happened to me, even thought the film is not as good as it is made out to be by the poster. The sky in the background creates a chilling atmosphere in the poster, along with the building that i know to be an old asylum home. Audiences would not know this but can see it is a mysterious and frightening looking building and the size of it also adds to this. Shadows seem to be on the building again creating an eerie atmosphere. In the foreground there is a chair, that audiences can see, that is used by mental patients. Being lit up , it shows it is a critical element of the film (mental people) and is a good image representation of what the film is about. The man to the right of this also adds and element of horror as he appears to be the villain ( Propp's theory) acting mysteriously. The title is lit up against the dark background making it clear to audiences the name of the film. "Fear is a place" is the caption at the bottom of the poster attracting audiences interested in the horror genre to want to know more about what is happening

The Amityville Horror
On November 14, 1974, police received a frantic phone call that led them to a grisly crime scene at the Defeo residence in Amityville, Long Island an entire family had been slaughtered in their beds. In the days that followed, Ronald Defeo confessed to methodically shooting his parents and four siblings while they slept. He claimed "voices" in the house drove him to commit the murders. One year later, George and Kathy Lutz and their children moved into the house thinking it would be their dream home. But shortly after settling in, bizarre and unexplainable events began to occur “ nightmarish visions and haunting voices from an evil presence still lurking within the house. 28 days after moving in, the Lutzes abandoned the home, lucky to escape with their lives. Now, 30 years after the shocking real-life events that inspired one of the most popular horror stories of all time, return to the house that started it all: "The Amityville Horror".

Here are two posters based on the same film and story. The first is from and the second is from 1979. I am going to analyse both and compare to see how posters have changed over time.

Mood Board

Here i have constructed a mood board to represent the genre of my film trailer. As part of my research this has allowed me to learn what represents the horror genre. It gave me an in site into what the characters of the genre look like including masks and costumes.

After analysing, horror film trailers, I have listed a variety of things that appear to be in all horror film trailers and that are essential to have in our own trailer, in order for it to be successful.
These are the main conventions that make up a horror trailer:

Dark atmosphere (Mise-en-scene) The right setting is essential to the horror genre. This includes lighting and also the locations. The setting is a important feauture of a horror trailer as they usually give an indication as to the genre and type of horror it is(e.g ghostly, sci-fi, realistic killings). These locations usually include: forests, mental homes, graveyards, haunted buildings or places where something previously has happened.

Editing is usually sharp with short shots usually no more than a few seconds. This builds up tension and suspense luring the audience in to watch the trailer and want to see the film.
The editing usually increases in speed along with the music, building up to the climax, title and release date of the film trailer.
The music and sounds often begin at a slow tempo until a major event takes place. Now in a state of disequilibrium (Todorov) it now becomes more aggressive and upbeat.

There is usually a villain(Propp's theory) present in the trailer sometimes wearing costume, which is also a significant element of a horror film and can become an image that represents that film which audiences will remember. Other charcters normally wear everyday clothes to show their normality againt the villian. These other charcters include the victims, and any one else featured.

In my group, these things will be taken into consideration whilst creating our film trailer and use them to the best ability possible. In my group there is one other person. I believe this will work more efficiently than a larger group as we can divide the work equally and be entirely sure as to what we are doing.

AMUSEMENT

Target Audience- The target audience of this film trailer is audiences who are into the horror genre. AImed at both genders but more so men as it contains a large amount of gore which men usually prefer to women. AImed at ages all ages but 18 + as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative Style- Tabitha. Shelby. Lisa. Theyre longtime friends on separate life paths. But they share a horrific destination when a seemingly innocent incident from their school days comes back to terrify them. Something someone wants payback: warped vengeance…mind-games vengeance…taunting, shredding, slashing vengeance. Inside a stonewalled chamber of prison cells and mechanisms of doom, the three women and other victims face a fierce fight to survive. Tabitha is the last one and the monster believes he is taking her away in a van however lisa fight her way back and kills him. She then drives of telling audiences how here life will never be the same because of one mans Amusement.

Setting- There are many prison like rooms featured in the film representing the idea of being trapped, which is what the three girls are.Other settings include a normal American street and also it shows the girls in a club. This follows Tzvetan Todorov theory. The normal everyday setting shows a state of equilibrium an event takes place ( the first thing we see is a car crash where the car is on fire) This is now at the stage of Disequilibrium. In Todorov's theory it usually returns to a state of equilibrium however this doesn't tend to happen in a horror film trailer as it would tell a story which is not what a trailer does, the audience must be intrigues and left on suspense wanting to see the film. The state of disequilibrium continues with settings of horrific looking houses (along with rain)rooms closing in on you and a huge mansion surrounded by horrific scenery.

Costume- The costume in this that i find the most horrific is the clown costumes. In a spooky house there is a room full of clowns, which many people find disturbing and could be linked to the conventions of a horror genre. There is a life size clown which is what the killer is wearing and I find this scary and so will audiences, this is a good thing as this is what people who like this genre want.

Lyrics(Captions)-'Your life'
'Your fear'
'Your nightmare'
'Your Panic'
'Your Terror'
'His Amusement'
These are gripping captions that keep the audience interested and on the edge of their sits. They want to know more about what is going to happen therefore will go and see the film.I like the amount of captions there are in this trailer as it is giving an insight to the story but not too much intriguing the audience to go

Special Effects-The most common used special effect in this trailer along with the black screen is flashing. The shot flashes on and off the screen very quickly. This again is building up tension and suspense.

Camera Angles- The most frequent camera shot is the close up. This shot is vital in horror films as it is supposed to be scary, audiences need to see reaction shots in order to scare them also as this all adds to the effect of horror. The other common shot is a high angle shot showing victims are powerless.

Editing- This is the element that I think adds the most effect in the trailer. In between each shot is a black screen. This is an element of the horror genre and adds a mysterious and tension building effect. It also acts a s a jump from shot to shot as they are in no particular order and acts as a glue of the trailer. 

Sound- I have added a sound section to this analysis as it is a specific element of this trailer.The killer's laugh can constantly be heard throughout the trailer and has been referred to as 'A creepy cackle' and adds a real horrific element to the trailer.

ORPHAN

Target Audience-The target audience for this film is similar to all horror films.It is aimed at audiences who enjoy this genre. Aimed at both genders and ages 15 and over, as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative Style-The trailer also follows the theory of Jacques Derrida as it clearly belongs to the horror genre. This trailer follows a family where a devistated Kate and John tragicly loose their unborn child. Struggling to regain normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there’s something wrong with Esther—this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But no body would listen to her and Ester turned out to be a 33 year old woman who is out to seduce fathers in many families and if she fails the whole family dies. Although John rejects her and she kills him kate manages to protect her children and kill the former mental patient.

Setting- The stting of this film is in a typical american home, however there is many occations where hospitals, forests and childrens homes are featured and these could be seen as typical conventions of the horror genre.

Costume- There are no particular costumes unlike in other films the evil is known for their costume. Howver Ester wheres strange clothes that are old fashioned and this could be a hidden clue to her true identity.The rest of the family wear everyday clothes to show there normality against Ester.

Lyrics(Captions)- 'Theres Something Wrong With Esther'
'You'll Never Guess Her Secret'
These are the only two captions in the trailer and i think they are very successful. Along with audio the captions intreague the audience persudaing them to see the film as they will want to no what is wrong with her and what she is hiding.

Special Effects- This movie contains minimal special effects as it is a realistic film. However the one that caught my eye was when Esther was in the school corridor and she goes crazy screaming, the camera moving franticly from side to side keeps Esther in focuse but everything else is blurred.

Camera Angles- Similar to the last house on the left and Deridas theory of fitting into a genre, a horror film contains many reaction shots meaning many close ups are used. There is an aerial shot showing the family car driving to the house.there is an over the shoulder shot showing Ester meeting the children. There is close ups of the swings moving and spinning on their own adding a ghoslty element.There is also a panning and high angle shot of one of Esther's victims showing she is in trouble and has less power.

Editing- Similar to all other horro trailers becuase it is a convention of horror film trialers the editing begins of quite quickly but gets faster and builds up tension towards the end and climax of the trailer. The shots are short and cut quickly from one shot to another. Towards the end there are also black screens with voice overs to add mystery. The music also gets fast to add tension and pase to the editing.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT

Target Audience-The target audience for this film is similar to all horror films.It is aimed at audiences who enjoy this genre. Aimed at both genders and ages 15 and over, as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative Style-The trailer follows the theory of Jacques Derrida as it clearly belongs to the horror genre. The trailer tells the brief story of young girl on vacation with her family at their lake house. Mari, the young girl borrows the family car to visit her friend and a boy, who works at the local store and hang out in a hotel room. They are then visited by prison escapees, who which one of is the boys father. Realising the other two girls are risks, they kidnap them and uses the car to leave town. After killing one of the girls and attacking Mari, a storm forces the escapees to seek refuge in the lake house belonging to her parents. Once their daughter, turns up barely alive, they realise who these people are and decide to get revenge on those responsible. This gripping trailer contains gore, rape and murder, following all the conventions of a typical horror trailer.

Setting- The main setting is at the lake house, where it is dark and raining heavily to add to the effect. We also see shots of the forest, where the murders take place. The woods are a typical setting for a trailer of this genre, as if something were to happen out there, nobody is around to help. I am considering using this as a location for my trailer.
Costume-Unlike some horror trailers there are no particular costumes. The characters are wearing everyday clothes to emphasise it is ordinary people do these things.

Lyrics(Captions)-There are no 'lyrics' in this as it is a film trailer. However in this trailer captions are used to add an element of suspense to the story.
"It was a brutal crime" "It was a place to hide" "It was the wrong house"
"If someone hurt, someone you love" "How far would you go" "To hurt them back"
These are gripping captions from the trailer, they interest the audience and help audience understand what is going on whilst convincing them to go see the film. Two of the captions are merged together on this and i find them difficult to read, however this makes audiences concentrate more on the trailer. These are typical conventions of a horror film trailer and I plan to have them in my trailer to help build up to the climax of the trailer.

Special Effects- There are no specific special effects in this trailer however the captions use fade effects. In one there is two statments that dissolve into each other with the second using the same previous words. 'If Someone hurt' fades away, however the word someone then becomes 'Someone you love'. These captions keeps the audience intreaged and will think this is clever, as they will have to concentrate to read them.

Camera Angles- In this trailer there are interesting camera angles.The establishing shot follows the family in a car going to a holiday house.There is a range of different shots including:
over the shoulder shot
close up ( to show emotions as it is a horror film and reactions are a big part of this genre)
high angle shots- to show the charcters is vunrable or less powerfull
The shot i find most interesting is where the banaster is in view but behind it is a door where the camera is zooming towards the door, showing somene is about to come in. I would like to make our own interpretation of this shot for our trailer.

Editing- Editing is a large part of making a trailer as well as the music fitting with it. In this trailer there are short sharp cuts to the next scene creating suspense and build up to the climax of the trailer.The music also gets faster as it builds towards the end.

After analysing both a music video and a film trailer, I have chosen to create a horror film trailer with my group. I take a bigger interest in films and will enjoy doing this more and believe i could get a higher grade doing so.
I have always enjoyed watching horror films and have seen many. I feel that I have gained enough knowledge from watching these, to create a succesful trailer that will represent the horror genre well.

The skills I gained in my AS coursework will be of an advantage to me at A2. Last year our task was to create a magazine cover, which is one of the three things we have to create for our option. My magazine cover last year was a success and I believe creating one for a horror film will be just as successful. This is another reason as to why we have chosen this option.

'Horror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain." Wikipedia
I thought this quote from wikipedia describes horror films down to the tee and thought this is an outline of what a trailer consists of.

Theory -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In order to complete research effieciently i have started to look at media theories and will include this in my analysis.

"Theory is really nothing more than a way of thinking, that is more systematic and sophisticated than thinking in an everyday sense"

The areas of theory
Behaviourism- uses and gratifications of theory
Structuralism- semioties, signifiers and codes
Narrative and Genre- branches of structuralism
Feminism- gender bias and control
Post-Colonialism- the politics of race and the world order after western military or commercial empires have broken down
Consumerism-what influences people to buy media

Jacques Derrida

proposed that 'a text cannot belong to no genre, it cannot be without a genre. Every text participates in one or several genres , there is no genre-less text'


Levi Strauss

developed the concept of bricolage. Saw any texts as constructed out of socially recognisable 'debris' from other text. He saw the writers construct texts from other texts as a process of: Addition-The use of a rude word, something not typical of a genre.
Deletion- where you might take something typical out
Substitution- something in which is essential the same but something different
Transposition- taking the familiar concept and putting it in a different place,concept
Bricolage assumes that most of the film fits the structures of the genre. But the unique selling point is a slight difference either added, deleted, substituted or transposed.


Vladimir Propp

'The folk wondertale' using the genre form he studied hundreds of fairy tails.
He identified that there is in every fairytale:
8 character roles(or spheres of actions)
31 functions - which move the story along


Propps' 8 characters roles include:
The hero - Character motivated by an initial lack
The Donor- provides the object with some form of magic property
The villian- character portrayed as evil, usually is scheming
The helper- aids the hero
The princess- object of the villians' schemes and reward for hero
Her father- validates the hero
The dispatcher- sends the hero on his way
The false hero- character thought to be the hero


Propp's theory is a form of structurilism.
Structurilism is seen as that all media is inevitably in the form of certain fixed structures, that are often culturally derived and form expectations in the mind of an audience from within that same culture. An example of this would be the Prince and Princess always marrying, living 'happily ever after'.


Todorov

Developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium.
He identified that stories follow a typical pattern of:
Equilibrium -----> Disequilibrium-----> Equilibrium
This theory fits equally well with film texts. It again follows the same pattern.
Normal world- Things are as they should be in the story
->
Disrupted- a key event causes the disruption
->
Normal is restored- resorted at the end of story usually by actions of the hero


After more research and studies Todorov developed his theory even more into a 5 stage pattern.
1. a state of Equilibrium
2. a disruption of the equilibrium by an action
3. a recognition that there has been a disruption
4. an attempt to repair the disruption
5. a rein statement of the equilibrium


Roland Barthes

believes with in a text there are 5 action codes that enable an audience to make sense of a narrative
-Hermeneutic ( Narrative turning points )- we know where the troy will go next
-Proairetic (Basic narrative actions )-detectives interviews suspect or femme fatale seduces hero -Cultural ( Prior social knowledge )- our attitudes to gender or racial stereotypes
-Semic ( medium related codes )- intertextuality- what we have seen before
-Symbolic ( themes )- iconography or a theme such as image vs reality

Diegisis

This theory applies to narrative events, just as it did to sounds.
Diagetic- narrative events that take place before the audience, within the field of vision
Non-diagetic- takes place off screen either before the movie has started, between scenes or simultaneously but in another location.

Victor Shklovsky

Attempted to distinguish between the plot which he defined as the events we actually 'see' in the narrative; and the story which contains all the information or events affecting the characters both on and off screen.

He gave them difficult names:

Fabula- the story i.e the whole world of the story before during and after what we see or hear

Syuzhet- only the event we see or hear in the field of vision



Chiaroscuro

A word meaning 'light and shade' or dark refering to the modelling of volume by depicting light and shade by contrasting them boldly.











All of these theories have helped me gain a wider range of knowledge of media theory and I plan to include these in my research and planning.

INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA COURSEWORK

For the media A2 coursework we have been given two options of what we can do.

1. Music Video together with a CD/DVD cover
a magazine advertisement

2. Film Trailer together with a front cover of a film magazine and
a poster for the film

To help me decide which of the two i will pick for my coursework pick I've started to analysing both a music video and film trailer.
For all of my research invlolving videos(film trailers) I will be using You Tube as seen below.


MUSIC VIDEO

The Beastie Boys : Sabotage




This video was one we looked at in lesson as an example of how to analyse a music video. I have developed the notes we made for a clear analysis of the video.

Target Audience-The core audience the video is aimed at would be fans of the band roughly the same age as the band members. They could also be in their late teens, early twenties and being mainly boys.

Narrative Style-The video is a pastiche of American cop shows. It uses the conventions of a typical American cop show/film. It acts as a spoof as it has typical plots of these types of shows. Plots include a cops vs robbers scenario where drugs, rookie cops, explosions and chases are included.There is no strong lead and is broken up into short,sharp story plots, not following the classic narrative prop structure of a typical video.

Setting-The characters in the video are played by the band members. They do this as they know this is what the audience wants to see. They expect to see them and having the band featured in the video is a typical convention of a music video .Showing the band being cool, funny and exciting attracts audiences into watching their favourite band.

Costume- The costumes show a great deal of intertextuality in the video.The costumes used reflect the 1970s/80s cop shows with moustaches, big glasses, big hair and also the huge sideburns.They are dressed smartly and how we would expect 1970s/80s American cops to dress.

Lyrics- There is a link between the lyrics and the video but it is not a precise match. It is the feeling of the lyrics, and how we interpret them. The lyrics and how they are sung, are powerful, strong and exciting reflecting the story of the video( cops ). However they do not follow each other word by word.

Special Effects-The special effects in this video reflect the ones in the shows. Spike Jones ( the director ) has deliberately made the effects look unrealistic. As it is a spoof of American cop shows it uses the same effects such as random explosions ( looks very unrealistic ) and people being thrown out of cars and off a bridge. For this they use a dummy and we are meant to see it is a dummy to reflect the terrible special features they have in these types of shows.

Camera Angles-The camera angles and editing match the tempo and pace of the song.There are quick, snappy shots that last only one or two seconds. There are also many different shots, distances and movement reflecting the video's spoof element. The tempo of the shots and editing slows down when the songs does.


FILM TRAILER

Halloween




Target Audience-The core audience this film trailer is aimed at people who are into the horror genre and roughly around 15 and over as this is certificated as 15. Film is aimed at both men and women but could be seen as aimed more at men as this is a gory horror.

Narrative Style-This film trailer consist of all the conventions of a horror film trailer. Including the ghostly setting,murders, gore, and the creepy mask the killer is wearing. The plot of the film is the story of Michael Myers having already shown signs of psychopathic tendencies, on the night of Halloween he murders his sister, her boyfriend, a boy at school and his mother's boyfriend, but leaves his baby sister untouched. A main focus in the film is the boy's obsession with paper mache masks. Fifteen years later he escapes!On the night of Halloween he returns home, finds a kitchen knife and an old Halloween mask he hid under the floor boards all those years ago. This mask is now the face of the protagonist, Michael Myers who again is on a killing spree, to find his younger sister again.

Setting- The setting of the film starts of in an ordinary American home until Myers starts to kill everyone in the house. Until his trial he is put into a mental home. This is a typical setting for a horror film as these people show elements that scare audiences. As the murders take place on Halloween this adds an element of an eerie atmosphere as people are already spooked as that is what Halloween is about.

Costume- There are many costumes within the film as it is based on Halloween. However the main costume is Michael Myers mask. The pale white face, dark hair and wrinkled face immediately portrays a protagonist that is out to kill. Other characters are dressed in everyday clothes to emphasise the portrayal of his mask.

Lyrics(Captions)-There are no 'lyrics' in this as it is a film trailer. However in this trailer captions are used to add an element of suspense to the story.
"Inside everyone of us, there exists a dark side"
"Pure Evil"
These are gripping captions from the beginning of the trailer, they interest the audience and convince them to continue watching the trailer and further more to convince them to go see the film. These are typical conventions of a horror film trailer and i plan to have them in my trailer.

Special Effects-The only special effect in this video is when the boy is sitting in the back of the car there is a sudden flash and his face changes into something evil looking,There is then another flash and it cuts to the next shot. This represents the evil side inside him and his obsession with masks.

Camera Angles-There is a variety of camera angles within this trailer. The one i picked up on was when Michael Myers burst in through the door. The camera is shaking here to show the panic of the girl and his point of view.

In this video I notice the editing was crucial when building up towards the end title of the film. The editing starts off slow, whilst it gives an insight to the story. The shots then become quicker and with faster editing it creates tension and builds up to the climax. This seems to be evident in many horror film trailers and is something I will have to consider when creating my trail, in order to follow the conventions.