Original Brief

For my A2 media coursework I have been asked to create a film trailer with an accompanying film poster and magazine front cover. I decided to make a horror film over other genres of film because I felt that the horror genre is the easiest to portray effectively. The film poster and magazine front cover will complement the trailer which will attract the target market.

It will be a classic slasher film but the trailer will have minimal blood, if any, not to give much away about the film. This will be going against the general conventions of a horror trailer but it will make the trailer seem more sophisticated and mysterious if there is no blood. Most horror films feature a lot of bloodshed and the use of fake blood can make the film seem silly and unprofessional which is why I am avoiding this potential downfall.

I will need to carry out extensive research into the art of making a horror film in order to learn what the key elements are, in order to make my horror trailer a success. Using the codes and conventions as a guideline, I will include to few unique twists to help my trailer stand out from the crowd. The coursework deadline is set for April 30th 2010.

Codes & Conventions of a Horror film

Codes & Conventions are very important as a guideline to the normal procedure when making a horror film. This covers almost everything included in a film from the location to the type of characters used. It makes it easier for the audience to recognise the genre of a film by only seeing a few seconds of a trailer because common traits in films are synonymous with a particular genre of film. They talk about the techniques, angles, language, patterns and colours that go into the making of a trailer.

For example, take this image below from the romantic comedy "You've Got Mail". The image is bright and features a happy couple smiling surrounded by flowers. I very idyllic vision of a the 'perfect' couple.

Now compare this image to one from the horror film "Saw" we there is a large pool of blood on the floor, beside a gun. Located in a rotten old bathroom with a downward spotlight on the culprit. These two genres of film are very different and codes and conventions make sure that there is a clear distinction between film genres so that people can easily identity their preferred type of film.

Questionnaire

My first task was to create and distribute a questionnaire to find out what my core target audience thinks about horror films. Some of the questions were closed (e.g. age and gender) while others where open questions where they had to give reasons for their answers. This would give me a detailed insight into my core target audience and would allow me to accurately create a successful horror trailer based on the findings of the questionnaire. Although I have to remember that these results might be misleading as I am only asking a small number of people and their results might not be what the majority think. Below are all the questions used in my questionnaire.

1. Which age bracket do you fall into?
2. What gender are you?
3. Is horror your favourite genre of film?
4. What type of horror do you prefer?
5. Do you like horror parody films?
6. What is your favourite horror film? Why?
7. Do you think a film is more terrifying in black & white? Why?
8. What is the most effective part of a horror film trailer?
9. Do film posters and trailers persuade you to view a film? Why?

I printed off twenty copies of the questionnaire and asked people to fill them in. I gave half the questionnaires to my sister because she attends Roehampton University, in London, where a lot of the core target audience would be. I also asked my older cousins to fill out a questionnaire each. After collating the results I created pie charts for the closed questions and gave both sides of the answer for the open questions.

Questionnaire Results

Q1) Which age bracket do you fall into?

The average age of the people surveyed was 22/23, with the majority of people aged between 15 to 26. This covers a broad range of people including teenagers, students and adults just starting their careers. There are horror fans over the of 30 but most people who like horror films are under the age of 30.

Q2) What gender are you?

The majority of people surveyed were male, this was intentional because many horror fans are male due to the scary and gory scenes. This will give me a more accurate view on the target audience as they are the core viewers.

Q3) Is horror your favourite type of film?

I then asked them whether horror is their favourite film genre and 40% said it was. The bulk of the people asked said they preferred other genres like Action & Adventure which include popular films like 'James Bond' and 'Indiana Jones'.

Q4) What type of horror do you prefer?

Slasher came out on top as the most popular type of horror as their graphic nature means there is a high death toll, and many gory scenes. In slasher films the killer is relentless in their massacre. Although in my opinion, the scariest films are psychological ones because of their subtle nature that there are hints of the demonic presence and you have to figure out the mystery.

Q5) Do you like horror parody films?

When asked whether they liked horror parody movies to was a split decision. 55% liked parodies of horror movies like 'Scream'. They make fun out of terrifying movies although nearly half surveyed hated parodies because they ruin the original film's impact and meaning. One man said "When I watch the original film all I can think about is where the parody made it a laughing stock!"

Q6) What is your favourite horror movie? Why?

'The Shining' and 'Aliens' were both made in 1980's and 'Saw' and 'Jeepers Creepers' were both made in the 21st Century representing the demographics of this survey. The younger people interview preferred recent films whereas the older people interviewed liked the classic horrors that shaped this genre.

Q7) Do you think a film is more terrifying in black & white? Why?

The origins of horror films began in the era when only black and white video cameras were available. Films that pioneered the horror genre included 'Psycho' and 'Birds' which cemented the feeling that black and white films are the scariest. Their reasons for believing a film is more terrifying in black and white is that it gives the film a sense that it's dead inside, the film is cold and unforgiving. You don't get this with colour films. Even in the film 'The Ring' it had a video of a little girl with her black hair covering her white face which created a very scary character.

Q8) What is the most effective part of a horror trailer?

Sound came out on top for the most effective part of a horror trailer followed by gore. The sorts of sounds heard in a horror trailer include screaming, stabbing sounds and heavy breathing. These sounds create a realistic and creepy atmosphere and show that the audience are more terrified by the sounds of a trailer compared to the visuals.

Q9) Do film posters and trailers persuade you to view a film? Why?

Slightly more people thought that film posters and trailers persuaded them to go and watch a film. These advertisements are sometimes sub-conscience thoughts and feelings and can make us watch the film without us knowing. The graphic nature of a poster or a horrifying clip in a trailer can be the crucial factor that determines whether you want to watch the film or not.

Conclusion

After studying the results of the questionnaire it became clear the type of film I would need to create in order to satisfy the target audience. These results will effect my planning because I will need to bear in mind what the target audience want and expect from a horror trailer. For example, in question eight the majority said that the sound was the most significant part of a trailer. I will need to focus on this area in particular to make sure it gives the trailer the right feeling of fear and uncertainty about the fate of the characters.

The questionnaire also made me opt for the slasher sub-genre. This worked to my advantage because slasher films are, in my opinion, the easiest to re-create because most slasher films follow a similar storyline and so would therefore be easy to clearly portray to the audience.

Target Audience Profiling

The majority of people who watch horror movies are male (61%). All the blood, gore and scary scenes appeal more to males because watching a horror movie can give viewers an adrenaline rush as the film reaches its climax. Study shows that people watch horror movies because they want to be scared, “they’re happy to be unhappy” The excitement of watching a scary film, the rush you get from it makes the viewer feel like they’re actually in the movie themselves doing everything in their power to survive.


They are going to be a student with plenty of spare time on their hands to watch films. They may be a film student who would need to view many films. They are likely to be single or in a short-term relationship. They like to watch TV shows like Top Gear and Match of the Day, popular masculine shows that men talk about when they meet up. They like fast food when they are going out for the night or when they can’t be bothered to cook. Their holiday destination of choice is Spain with their mates in the summer. Their hobbies include watching football in the pub with their friends and they use public transport and/or a bicycle.

Study shows that people watch horror films to satisfy their violent side; as a way to release any anger and stress. Horror movies are also said to appeal to our primitive side like cavemen who were aggressive and their hunter-gatherer style of living.

For the slasher sub-genre the target audience will be less intelligent because they will only go to watch the film for its blood and gore and not for the story behind the killings. Slasher films generally have an attractive woman in the film as the target audience is male and are more likely to watch a film that has attractive women in it.

There is a lot of psychology involved in horror movies because violence isn’t accepted in everyday life but when people are pushed to their limits they’re lead to do extreme things; this is why horror is a popular genre for films.

The type of person who watches a horror film will be out-going with a very social life. Meeting up with friends regularly and the core target audience will probably attend university. The cinema has been criticized for being too expensive but with the introduction of 'Orange Wednesdays' people are starting to go to the cinema more often.

Introductory Pitch

Once I had gathered a few ideas for my horror trailer I put them together in an introductory pitch to the rest of the class to get their opinion on my ideas so far. In the pitch I spoke about the following:

• A case study which had a similar story to my horror film
• Locations
• The Narrative
• Sounds
• Types of shots

I created a PowerPoint presentation on my initial ideas for my horror film trailer. After my presentation I answered questions relating to my ideas, some good points and some constructive points. Making this PowerPoint allowed me to see what people thought of my ideas so far. Their opinion on my film was invaluable as it made me realise areas of weakness in my planning and how I could improve my trailer by tweaking a few areas.

After showing them my ideas they said to improve my film trailer there should be a link to the killer’s childhood showing him as an outcast. This will give the audience an understanding of the psychological side of the killer showing his pain and sorrow through his childhood. They didn’t like the fact that the whole trailer was shot in the woods; they wanted the trailer to involve other locations. This is why the flashback will be useful because it is set in his school when he was younger; this will hint at his psychotic side and his resentment towards the group of friends that bully him.

They liked the idea of using contrapuntal music to give the trailer a creepy feel, I would need to compose the music because I want the song to last around a minute start with the beat and then bringing in the lyrics later on when the song can relate to the trailer as the killer attacks the group in the woods.

They thought that the name of the movie ‘What Goes Around…’ already hints the basic direction of the movie because it hints that people get their just desserts. This can connect to the audience as if they were bullies as a child they might now fear that the people they bullied could one day come back to kill them. This could be a powerful reason for seeing the film to see the fate of the bullies.

They also liked the idea of a point of view camera angle to put the viewer in the shoes of the victims; this will make the trailer more frightening.

They didn’t like the fact that I was only using one location, the woods. They said I should include other locations to make the trailer more appealing. This is where I could use the flashback scenario and film part of the trailer at a school in the killer’s childhood.

Now, I have a much more enhanced vision of what my movie trailer should look like, I have the killer’s profile and the audience will see his solitary background and how his loneliness sent him into a deranged killing spree.

Case Study

Pekka-Eric Auvinen was an eighteen year old pupil at Jokela High School in Finland. A media frenzy erupted when he began opening fire at students and teachers at his school. At the time of the shooting he had been taking antidepressants one year prior to his death. These antidepressants are said to cause suicidal tendencies as a side-effect in early ages between 18 and 24. He described himself as, “an antihuman humanist and godlike atheist”.

The police investigation confirmed that Auvinen was frequently bullied at school. According to one of his teachers, he performed above-average academically, and excelled in history, in philosophy and in both right and left wing movements.

This case study is surprisingly similar to the storyline of my horror trailer because Pekka was frequently bullied at school wand wanted to get revenge for his suffering. Being distance from normal social life meant he became resentful of his peers. He was clever which meant he was able to plan his attack and succeed in causing mass panic and carnage.

The mind of my killer was heavily influenced by this case study because it gave my killer a real personality, not some made up character but an actual person who carried out a murderous rampage;which made the killer in the trailer more believable. This made me think more about how the killer felt, which is the reason why I included a flashback of the killer's childhood to explain the reason behind the killer's anger. I wanted to pass on this feeling to the audience through eerie shots of an empty playground and his unstoppable pursuit of the group.