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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The story behind the serial killer is that he is a social outcast and his lack of friends his caused him to resent his fellow students. As a child, his classmates would tease and torment him which made him mentally unstable. So, in return, he plans to get revenge on the people who bullied him and stalks the group and overhears them planning their camping trip that night. So he goes home to prepare for the massacre.
The group of friends are on their summer holidays and decide to spend the night camping in the local woods. They realise something is terribly wrong when they hear a scream from the woods fearing it is one of their friends.. They are unaware that the killer has been stalking them the whole time. The whole mood of the group changes as the killer’s intentions are revealed. They check their phones but they have no signal.
The killers’ rampage begins as one of the group recognises the killer as the kid they used to bully when they were young. The group begin to run out of the woods and down alleyways trying to escape from the axe wielding maniac. The killer catches and killer each member more gruesomely then the last until one member of the group remains. He maims the last and most prolific of the bullies and drags him back to the woods to be tortured.
I am using three different locations to shoot my horror trailer. These different locations all have elements that can be related to scary times in people's lives.
Woods This will be where the majority of the trailer will take place. The reason why I chose the woods as my main location for the film is because plenty of memorable films I have watched e.g. 'Wrong Turn' and 'Cabin Fever' have been filmed in the woods and it seems this is the scariest setting for a horror film in my opinion. The woods can be an eerily quiet place because most people are so used to the hustle and bustle of the inner city life that when they are in the woods they feel uncomfortable because it something they are not used to. Also, the fact that woods are remote with little to no help if you are in danger.
Many films play on the fact that once you're inside the woods everything around you looks similar. You have no sense of direction and your mind starts to play tricks on you. The dense tree canopy means that little to no light reaches the woodland floor which can be disorienting but it also plays on one of our biggest fears - the dark. The pitch black woods creates plenty of hiding places which will make you jump out of your seat. A person's clothing mixed with the dark light can quiet easily camouflage them from sight creating a sense that someone is always watching.
Alleyway A portion of the trailer will feature alleyways because they have always been associated with fear. Alleyways will play an important part of my trailer because it will really make the viewer feel the fear that the victims are feeling. Alleyways can be quite claustrophobic and make you feel that there is no escape. As the killer appears at the end of the alleyway it will make the victims feel helpless as there are trapped and have to find another way out. I will film a few point of view shots to make the viewer feel part of the chase.
School I will also use the Douay Martyrs School as one of my locations because it will feature in the flashback scene. This is an important section of the trailer as it will give the viewers an insight in to the mind of the killer, the motive for his killings. The first shot will be of the playground with the camera stopping at the demented child who is the future killer.
Various forms of clothing will feature in the trailer to match the different environments the characters are in.
School Uniform This will be used for the flashback section of the trailer. School uniform symbolises innocence because children wear it, but to see it being linked to a future serial killer is a very shocking. Young children are seen as playful, fun loving humans but my character will be the opposite. He will not talk, remain despondent and will make him seem almost soulless. This will be a dominant reading as the director will want the audience to view the child in a certain way, one of an evil child, like the devil’s son.
The child will be smartly dressed because as being a social outcast he will not know much about fashion. He will have gelled straight hair to reflect his bland personality. This photo from the 1960’s film the ‘Village of the Damned’ where young child can read the minds of the adults in the village. Their look, being smartly dressed and having straight hair will be the inspiration for my flashback scene where the young boy stands in the corridor all by himself.
Casual Attire Some of the victims will be wearing jeans because they can you warm and are thick to prevent trees and nettles from cutting and stinging them.
Camouflage This costume is for the killer; it will make him much harder to stop and will allow him to blend in with the environment which will allow him to jump out on unsuspecting victims. Fear in the unknown is resonant through his clothing; he will be able to track and spy on them with ease because in the season of autumn the leaves allow him to match the surroundings.
In this section I will be looking at various existing media texts, both still and moving, to get a better sense of what the professional companies manage to produce to pick up tips and tricks to make my film trailer and ancillary tasks the best they can be. I will look at film magazines, trailer and posters to understand the reasons for their decisions including colour, composition and font styles.
Jeepers Creepers Film Poster
The tag line reads ‘What’s eating you?’ This hints at the horror that the monster eats it victims, which is different from some horrors which just killed their victims this monster goes one step further. The tag line also relates to the monster’s truck number plate (pictured below). This clever number plate confuses the audience at the start because the way most people read the number plate makes no sense. You have to read it in a specific way to understand the monsters evil intentions.In the first scene of the film
the two main protagonists are driving down a long straight road. The monsters truck begins to catch the up and after it passes them they are confused by the number plate. They believe it reads ‘BEAT N GU’ but at the end of the film they realise it actually reads ‘B EATNG U’ This sinister personalised number plate tells the story of the monsters terror as he feeds on human flesh to improve himself.
The monster is looking through what first appears to be a tear in a piece of leather when in actual fact he is looking through the corpse of one of his victims, which he had stitched up after he had taken the desired piece of the victim's anatomy.Some people might not even notice another sinister about the poster and that he is just looking through some sort of material.
Anyone looking at the poster should be able to tell the figure in the poster isn’t a human and is probably the killer because his skin is dark and is hairy like a werewolf. The way his eye is starring makes you think he is evil with a menacing look on his face; maybe scoping out his next victim. His eye looks like a human eye which people would realise after the film that, that eye was taken from one of his victims.
The composition of the poster has the monster's eye located centrally with a hole through the skin of his victim. People who see this poster will be intrigued by the motive of the killer. The strap line is located in the upper third of the poster although it is quite hard to read. The messy font leads you to believe this is a horror film. Even the words 'Jeepers Creepers' are a catchphrase said when one is surprised by the sight of something shocking.
The general colours in the poster are brown and black with white used for the font. These dark colours indicate the genre of the film but more importantly signal the mood of the film. Full of gruesome, upsetting scenes that will most likely be rated as a certificate 18.
The codes and conventions of this poster is the use of a non-human killer. A grotesque creature that you can't reason with and is unrelenting. Their scary appearance means people will jump of out their seats if he suddenly appears. The type of font use, it looks like the text has been stamped on because there are bits of the words that are missing. This is a common font associated with horror films. This is the font I will use for my magazine front cover.
Halloween II Film Poster
The tag line is ‘Family Is Forever’, this relates to the fact that as a young boy, Michael Myers murdered his older sister. Fans of the series will understand this strap and realize the irony of it.
The poster is very dark, raining heavily with ominous clouds stirring in the background which is imagery for the tragedy that unfolds in the film. Weather is a popular source to show the audience the mood of the film without actually saying it. A common convention of horror films is to use the weather as a signal to the audience that the killer is about to strike.
He is camouflaged by the dark clouds which could mean he will kill his victims by surprise.
The only bright words in the poster is the title of the film; this helps people who see the poster to remember the name of the film if they forget everything else. The colour is blood red indicating that the film is full of blood and gore. The director of the film, Rob Zombie, may be recognised by some film fans which will remind them of Rob's previous work. This could persuade them to see the film if they liked a past film he directed.
The font is again rough with parts of the words not in red but scratched; this gives the words a masculine feeling because it looks like the title has been scarred maybe signalling the fate of the people in the film. The colour of the film's title looks like dried blood, indicating the bloodshed in the film.
The tag line's font appear to be riddled with bullets or infected by disease, either way it makes this a clear horror film poster that some people will find too scary or gruesome to watch.
Michal Myers, the serial killer, is pictured centrally with a knife in the air about to strike down upon his victim. The letter "Y" in the tag line is reflecting onto the killer's knife making the shot look realistic. He is also grabbing the hair of his victim among a field of long grass. This is quite subtle but the direction of the killer's eyes indicate something of importance in his sight.
Michael Myer's head is located in the second third, directly in the middle of the poster and is always the first thing my eyes are drawn towards. It is quite clear he is wearing a mask as it has been damaged, maybe from the first Halloween film. He is wearing a dark jumpsuit which could show that he works as a mechanic as his disguise.
Finally, the release date is in white bold in the lower third clearly visible to remind people when it is released.
The code and conventions of this poster is the use of the weather to indicate a change of mood in the film. This method is used across many different genres of film, e.g. when a person stands alone in the road and the rain pours on to indicate their sadness. The killers face is again obscured by a mask that is damaged probably from a previous victim who tried to fight back but still died.
28 Days Later Film Poster
The background is coloured a vivid red to represent the sheer amount of blood shed in the film. Red is a very popular colour to use to relate to horror films because there is a lot of blood featured in these films. The colour red can also represent anger, like the anger in the zombies that try and eat the uninfected people still left.
The tag line is small and in the lower third of the poster saying 'The days are numbered' which talks about their fight for survival but also refers to the name of the film which also has numbers in it. This tag line implies that there is no escape and a brings a feeling of helplessness that some viewers may be able to relate to.
Again, this rough, 'scratchy' font which is synonymous with horror films has been used for the emblem behind the film's title and for the picture of Big Ben. The emblem refers to the company that created this disease and then accidentally released it to spread its viscous infection.
The picture in the poster is of the main protagonist, who is all alone in central London at the start of the film for a substantial period as it becomes clear the disease has infected almost everybody. They used a recognisable building like Big Ben to tell people where the film has been shot.
In the upper third they give a very brief outline as to the severity of the outbreak in the film, giving a five day report as the disease spreads and the condition gets worse. People may wish to see this film purely to see what life would be like if a disease would infect or kill the majority of people in the country regardless of the gore in the film. Without this segment people might not understand what the film is about if it just had the film's title, they needed to put this part in to make it clear to people what the film is about.
All the font on the poster is in capital letters, which is more masculine and clearer to read. The title and strap line stand out because it is in white compared to the red and black background.
The codes and conventions of this poster is the heavy use of red to symbolize the bloodshed in the film. Again, the black graphic behind the film's title has a scratchy look to it which can has been present in every example of existing media text so far. They include clues as to the location of the film with Big Ben clearly visible in the bottom right of the poster. The title is the first thing that attracts your attention so that you remember it. The tag line is also written in white highly contrasted by the red background, it describes the outbreak of the disease that sweeps across the country in 28 days. It tells the audience that this film is about zombies.
Empire Magazine Front Cover
On this issue of Empire, it features a new film, 'Sin City', with the main protagonist in the centre of the shot with the four other main characters behind him. It is raining in the shot creating a dark mood for the film's storyline, they probably used the same technique to create the illusion of rain.
The masthead is a vivid red against the dark blue background making it easily visible on the magazine shelf. it has a white outline and has a slight shadow behind it making the text readable.
In the bottom third there is a banner going across the page at a slanted angle. The banner is in the form of a piece of photographic film which links it to the films featured in the banner.
The image of photographic film is synonymous with film fanatics so they know instantly that it is a film magazine. Within the banner there are four different uses of the word 'view' which some readers might find comical.
The female on the right of the main protagonist follows the codes and conventions of a horror film by showing her in a provocative way. There is a light glow around her, exacerbating her figure. She looks almost angelic.
The main protagonist has a visible scar on his forehead in the form of a cross. This shows has been in a fight before and gives him a haunted past but has come out stronger and more determined, this is also a common trait in films.
The title of the film and the main protagonist are the two largest words in the main sell-line. "Sin City" "Bruce Willis". Bruce is a well-known film actor and has many fans around the world.
The main protagonist is looking down at his gun which seems out of proportion to the characters, a symbol of masculinity.
The main image was shot from a low angle giving the characters dominance. This would suggest that this is a action/crime/thriller.
The codes and conventions of this poster is the use of rain to signal the type of mood the film has; a hard-hitting storyline. The guns appear larger than my actually are to make the characters seem powerful and dominant in the frame of the poster. They use the female on the right to lure in the male audience by her attractive body; a common convention of horror and action films.
Wrong Turn Film Trailer
The trailer starts off by showing the production company, '20th century fox' but they adapt it to the film by playing an eerie screech which people might associate as an uninviting sound that makes people unsettled. The image has been edited so that in has that old grainy effect and the clip slightly shakes about and if this was some lost archive footage. This gives the impression that there is a evil secret waiting to be discovered.
The first shot of the trailer might make you jump as a car appears to crash straight into the camera, accompanied by a loud bang. Then the edits show the people in the car crash try to figure out what happened.
Throughout the edits that same eerie screeching sound plays to indicate something sinister is happening although the people in the film don't actually know it yet. There are dead black outs for every cut.
After they realise someone made them crash on purpose a split second shot of one of the killers appears who is spying on the group from within the woods (picture left). As the killer comes into view for the quick shot a high pitch scratch plays to make you realise he is the culprit. You can see he wasn't a normal human being and is deformed in some way.
It then cuts to a strap line saying they were apparently only urban legends and then follows several newspaper reports of mysterious disappearances in the area which people will realise that it is because the deformed humans have killed them and that this group are soon to follow. Basically the audience is being let in on the secret but the people in the film are still unaware of any apparent danger. A repetitive shot of one of the killers with that same sound similar to putting the needle down on an old gramophone, that initial scratching sound or the sound of tuning your radio to a frequency that is only static. A very unpleasant sound which is associated with the killers on purpose because they are out to kill the group in the car crash.
The majority of the trailer so far (45 seconds) has just been flashes of very short edits of newspaper clippings to try and explain to the viewer what the killers are, deformed, inbred creatures. Each strap line has a light that runs along the text which makes it look like they're telling a story.
A long clip using CGI to zoom into a keyhole as one of the group witnesses one of the killers hack apart a person who has died already. You see the killer's knife through the reflection in the persons eye. From then on a collection of very fast edits shows the chaos as the group realise the grave danger they are in. These quick edits come to an abrupt halt as a lengthy dead black out to a clip of one of the group, still unaware of the danger, says "Sweetheart? This isn't funny" as the camera makes a full 360 degree turn around him as he tries to see who it is, the trees shake wildly and the only noise you can hear are crickets chirping which can be very unnerving which people can relate to as complete silence means something is wrong, in the film world. The silence mounts then he is grabbed on the shoulder and then it cuts. This is an interesting clip as you are left unsure whether it was simply one of his friends messing around or if it was actually one of the killers.
The quick edits resume and as the trailer goes on you see more and more of the killers as they become more reckless and desperate to catch and kill the group before they escape. One of the clips is a flashback of the car crash clip at the beginning of the trailer. In the final clip, a female in silhouette is standing beside a tree breathing heavily and trying to hide from the killers and then one of the killers comes into shot from beneath the camera with his axe at the ready although, again, you don't see whether or not the female escapes or dies. Then the dead black out reveals the title of the film and then the release date of the film.
Note that as the title of the film is revealed in a very clever way as they appear the wrong way round but then rotate to the correct way. This relates to the title of the film which is called 'Wrong Turn'. This subtle trick can make all the difference in a film and I will try to be creative and clever when I create my trailer.
The codes and conventions of this trailer is the fact that they have very fast flashes of the killers stalking the group from the woods. These brief encounters tell the audience that they are the killers by the eerie sound clips used when they appear. Using tag lines that hint the storyline and the intentions of the killers. The tag lines are short but meaningful to make the audience feel excited by as they are teased as they want to know more about what happens in the film. They are left with many unanswered questions which can be answered if they go and watch the film.
The Hills Have Eyes Film Trailer
Again, this trailer starts by having the production company in the first clip with the film's speical twist on the original clip to coincide with the film's story. The sound played during the production company's clip is of the blitz warning siren because it relates to the story as to why there are deformed creatures living in the desert. It is due to the testing of several hundred nuclear bombs over the space of thirty years which have caused irregularities in births since. Again, the archive footage shows nuclear bombs being dropped and the huge explosions.
Several strap lines accompany the footage of the bombings to clearly outline the reasons for the mutations in the area. It then cuts to the start of the film as the group drive though the desert whilst the radio plays upbeat music to signify the group being oblivious to the imminent danger they are driving towards.
They stop at an isolated gas station to fill up and chat to a man working there. As they are about to leave as he smokes his cigar whilst starring at the women as he says "Have a safe trip". This long clip of just him starring at her was intentionally long so that the audience realises the importance of this man, he is likely to be the ring leader for the mutated people in the hills. This clip finishes by mimicking the end of the film reel to signify that their luck is about to change and refers to the 1940's nuclear bombs test clips which where old clips during the war. This is followed by a lengthy dead black out.
After they crash they try and use their mobile phone to call for help but they have no signal. This relates to the fact that we are always reachable and when we lose phone signal or internet connection we feel detached from the world. We feel the need to stay connected and when is luxury is taken away we feel a sense of helplessness which the audience can relate to.
There is then a shot of an attractive blonde female sun-bathing after the crash making the most of the bad situation. Having a good-looking female is a common trait in horror film as the majority of viewers are male making it easier to persuade people to watch a film if it has a beautiful female in it. After a few clues of something watching them, one person looks gingerly through the blinds of her RV as an object is hurled after the window, which may cause some people to flinch.
The identity of the mutated people is not revealed until (1 minute 45 seconds) as again you only a glimpse of the killer who appears to be wearing a mask on his face or this is part of his mutation.
In the final few edits of the trailer a non-diegetic sound plays throughout similar to a generator starting up. Another sound plays as a quick collection of clips flash up, the sound of gun shots ring out and then with another selection of clips, the sound of time slowing down plays as the clips come to an end. It then goes to the title of the film. It then goes back to the final scene which is featured on one of their promotional posters and then cuts to the strap line which says "The lucky ones die first" which really surprised me by how these few words can make you imagine to sort of treatment they were subject to, to want to die quickly.
The codes and conventions of this trailer is that it starts of by using old war footage of the US army testing out nuclear weapons in the desert. This forms part of the story as the fallout of the tests made the people who live in the area to have deformities. They use a care-free song to start off the trailer as the family drive through the desert just like any other normal day. After they meet a man at the gas station the film stutters and the mood of the trailer dramatically changes as the family become paranoid someone is stalking them. They use quick bursts of edits as the tensions rises.
To Recap
This analysis of existing media texts has taught me a lot of valuable lessons about what to do in my trailer to make it interesting so that people will want to watch the full version. What these posters and trailers have shown me is that I have to make the viewer wanting more, I must leave them guessing throughout the trailer and even in the posters. Only showing the killer in short bursts to intensify the viewers desire to want to know more about the killer. Have a long moment of silence after a series of quick edits to heighten the drama making the viewer try and second-guess what is about to happen.
Be clever and creative in the way I show the trailer, be intuitive and think outside the box to produce a unique high quality film trailer. One example of a creative and interesting shot was as the 'Wrong Turn' trailer was coming to an end (1 minute 46 seconds) one of the shots was of the a vehicle's wing mirror as one of the group tried to escape. It showed one of the killers starring at the camera through the mirror's reflection which I found a very haunting image that stayed with me until the end of the trailer. I am very keen to add these types of abstract shots to my trailer to give it an edge and interesting look.
Other techniques I which to use in my trailer is to try and scare people or make them jump somewhere in the trailer. If I don't succeed in making the viewer jump or be startled they may not want to watch the full film if they thought the trailer wasn't scary enough for a horror trailer. After analysing the film trailers it has become apparent to me that the killer is shown and their face is clearly seen although this is kept to a fraction of a second so that the viewer only sees a flash of the killer, may be even just a glimpse of their outline. They do this so that you recognise who the killer actually his and that you get a look at their terrifying face.
This is my shot list for my horror trailer. During the course of the film I made numerous adjusts and additions because when I was filming I found good scenes to shoot. This was the shot list I brought with me when filming the trailer, it is only a rough guide but it gives you an idea as to the direction of the trailer.
• Dimension Films - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOqDBvPx38U • Shot of sky, then the camera pans down as the group meet up • A mid-shot of the group, standing in a circle • Group chuck their rucksacks in the boot, door slams shut • Car drives away • Shot inside the car of group laughing and joking (radio playing) • Long shot to close up as car drives past (Breakspear Road) • Low angle shot as car stops at woods • Establishing shot of playground (menacing music) • Empty swing set • Squeaking roundabout comes to a hault • DBO • Tracking shot of empty playground • Eerie sting as the killer comes into view, standing in playground alone, clenching fist (tracking shot stops) • Killer walks off • DBO • Transition between day and night (fast-forward clock or film a street lamp turning on) FADE OUT • FADE IN Close up of moon • Pans down to forest ♫ (teddy bear’s picnic music - If you go down in the woods tonight, you're sure of a big surprise)♫ • 1st strap line – Revenge is a dish best served dead • Group seen entering forest • Group trek through the woods • 2nd strap line – To silence their taunts • POV of killer stalking group • Group set up tent etc. • They notice their phones have no signal (Close up of a phone) • One goes to collect firewood • Killer closes in on lone victim • Close up of killer’s weapon, moonlight reflecting off weapon • Crash zoom as victims recognise killer • Time stops, sound effects • Flashback to when he used to bully him (Light, blurry screen, voices echo) • Screams echo out, birds seen flying away • Complete silence as group hear distant screaming and realise something’s not right • Everyone starts running to help victim, found in a pool of blood, his dying words are “He’s come back for revenge” • Group run out of forest out onto residential roads • “The ultimate revenge movie” – The Sun • “Quick! Down here” (pointing down an alley on Brixham Crescent) • Killer appears at the end of the alleyway in silhouette • CLOSE UP Long edit one victim hides under a car and covers mouth to mask heavy breathing. Killers feet walk past, then stop. (Suspense music) • Eyes quickly shift left and right. killer swings at victim ♫ (increasing loud breathing/heartbeat) ♫ • “A true brutal British film” - EMPIRE • Strapline – Justice is coming sooner than you think (fade to only show coming soon, fading to red) Coming Soon
For my trailer I have carefully selected suitable music that will add tension to the trailer. In some scenes there will be the original sound, but it will be mainly music edited in. Below is a list of the ideas of possible songs or sound effects I could use. Beside some songs I have indicated what part of the song I would use.
• Burial – Untitled 24 - 38 seconds • Jamie Woon – Wayfaring Stranger (Burial Remix) 30 – 42 seconds • B Complex – Winter 0 – 21 seconds • Chase & Status - Pieces - This song will be used in the latter part of my trailer when the group run from the killer who is hell bent on revenge. The lyrics are suitable for this section of the trailer because the song talks about feeling cold inside, like having no soul relating to the killer. This is a drum & bass song and so will match the fast paced part of the trailer with quick cuts and fast movements in the clips. Here's a segment from the song:
"You don't care, About me, Anymore, Thats why you, you wanna break my heart.
I remember when i used to feel sutin, i remember when i used to feel sutin. I remember when i used to feel sutin, i remember when i used to feel sutin. I remember when i used to feel sutin, i remember when i used to feel sutin. I remember when i used to feel sutin, now-o-ow-o-ow i'm just cold inside."
Listen to "Pieces" below:
• A heart beating
• Squeaky sound
• High pitch sound for the duration of the flashback • Footsteps • Heavy breathing
- Heavy Rain
- Radio Static
- Henry Hill - Teddy Bear's Picnic - I have carefully selected two verses that will hint of the terrible tragedy about to unfold. This contrapuntal music will send shivers down the spines of the audience because this playful song's meaning has been reversed to portray an evil meaning. This clever use of contrapuntal music is often more effective than regular scary music. The lyrics are :
One week before I was due to shoot my horror trailer I visited possible locations to check its suitability. When planning the trailer I thought that Ruislip Woods would be the perfect location for my horror trailer because it's a large woodland area and because of its close proximity to my house. After travelling there by bicycle I was able to ride around most of the woods to find an isolated part of the woods that could be used as the camp site. After roughly one hour of searching I found the perfect spot. There was a clearing and there was a few large logs that could be used as seats around the camp site.
During my search I also found an uprooted tree that was now sitting at a 30 degree angle which enabled me to climb up its trunk to get a better vantage point. This spot would be perfect if I wanted to shoot a high angle shot as I was about fifteen feet up in the air.
For the alleyway scene I knew that there was a network of alleyways behind my cousin's house, also in Ruislip. So I went there and found an ideal alleyway that was both skinny and scary. It was just wide enough to allow a person to walk down it and had graffiti on the walls.
For the film poster I wanted to find a quite road that could be used as the main picture on the poster and luckily bordering Ruislip Woods is a road called Fore Road, it ran the whole way up the east side of the woods. I found this out on Google Maps so I decide to visit the road and see whether it was quite enough to be used. To my delight, it was the perfect street to shoot an eerie photo. One section of the road had no car parked on it and had several street lamps lighting the dark road. Waiting until night tme to shoot the photo it was able to get two street lamps in as well as a large oak tree in the background creating a very scary photo.
In the opening scene I wanted a few shots of the car's journey to the woods so I had to find a long straight road inwhich I could film the car coming down the road and pass the camera. Breakspear Road just west of Ruislip Woods was the perfect location for this scene although it did take several takes to get the right shot I was happy with the end result.
These are the mock-ups I created to achieve my final design. On each page is a design for the film poster and the magazine front cover. Underneath each design I have written information about the design which will explain my reasoning for each design.
This poster consists of two photos. The first photo is the background shot of the dark road lit by two street lamps. The second photo is located in the foreground and is covering the right third and lower third of the background photo. After altering the foreground image to turn it into a grayscale image it matched the background better.
I planned on having only the title of the film, the strap line and the release date being the only text on the poster. Professional film posters tend to have minimal text on the poster to make sure that only the vital information gets through to the reader and that the image is looked at.
Although it is subtle, the killer is in the foreground photo standing to the left of the tree. This may only become apparent to people after looking at the poster several times.
The font size for the film title increases every word, so that 'around...' become the largest word on the poster. The font that I used was carefully chosen so that it matched the codes and conventions of a horror film.
This is my final design for the magazine front cover. With the help of various photoshop tutorials I was able to make this magazine front cover a cut above the rest. I firstly used a 'pull focus' trick where only the axe is in focus and the rest of the picture is slightly blurred. This means that the readers eyes are drawn towards the axe which is the most important part of the picture because it is the killer's weapon.
The second photoshop tutorial I used was to create fake rain. This clever trick fools the reader into thinking the killer is standing in the heavy rain. I wanted to add the weather factor in because it makes the picture more menacing because people know that when it rains in film it normally means something bad is about to happen and this is the message I wish to portray.
The final photoshop tutorial I used was to create a realistic puff. The puff stands out because of its vibrant colours and shades used. Even the words inside the puff have been adjusted so that they sit in the puff creating a 3D effect.
I also downloaded some free fonts from urbanfonts.com, these fonts were carefully selected to enhance the fear factor in the film poster and magazine cover. These fonts will now instantly tell the reader what genre of film it is just by the type of font used. It is messy with parts of the words missing indicating a horror film.
The main sell line 'Why scream if nobody can hear you?' has been slightly angled to give the impression of a demented side to the killer's mind. The font used is the same as the masthead relating to the horror genre.
Whilst creating the detailed storyboard for my trailer I learnt which transitions were suitable to create the correct effect for my horror film. Studying professional trailers like 'Wrong Turn' and 'Jeepers Creepers' I noticed that the most common type of transition used between shots is the straight cut. This keeps the action fast paced and interesting.
They then used the fade transition when they put a strap line in. These subtle but all important details will make my trailer more professional. The most important thing remember with transitions is that the viewer shouldn't notice the changes, if they notice the transitions the change between the clips is either unsuitable or done deliberately, one example is to use a graphic match to join two clips together.
This is my storyboard which I created to enable me to plan the order of my film clips, where and when sound would be added and the type of transition used between each shot. I also wrote how long each clip would take so I got an idea as to how long the trailer would be.
As I begun drawing my storyboard I thought of extra shots to include so I made annotations along the way to indicate where these changes would be made. Arrows are used in the storyboard to indicate the direction of movement in the film clips.
