Evaluation

1)In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
After doing a lot of research on the horror genre I was able to expand my knowledge on the typical conventions featured within this genre, which I then used to create a film trailer, film poster and magazine cover following these conventions. I feel that I have achieved making a successful trailer by following these conventions. For example by using captions instead of a voice over. I also think that our trailer will attract the right audience as the slow editing used helps to build up tension and suspense for the climax at the end of the trailer. It also doesn’t give away too much of the plot which I have also found to by quite typical. The music also followed these conventions as it begins with a slow eerie tempo, which then speeds up as the editing does, helping add to the effect. The magazine cover consists of 3 photos, both of the actors (ryan and stacy) and the location of the film. This is very typical in movie magazines as they have to draw in the desired audience, making them want to know more. By using interesting stories and including other upcoming films this helps to achieve this, however it also helps to bring in a wider audience. For the poster it has one large photo covering the background. I have found this to be typical in horror film posters as this makes it the main focus of the page. The text and logos used are placed at the bottom which doesn’t interfere with the main image. As the caption is at the top the audience will automatically be drawn to this making them want to know more. By having a website on the poster this allows the audience to find out more about the film. This is a typical convention with any film poster. The position of the title is more towards the bottom not distracting the main image however the audience will be drawn to this as the blod font stands out against the background

2)How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
By being consistent throughout our products we was able to create a ‘synergy’. This gave the audience a strong recognisable link between each text. For example: we used the same font for the captions and the title of the film. We also featured the house on each of our products. It is important for an audience to notice these links as this will help reinforce the idea of a synergy. Helping to gain a wider audience and reminding them which film this is. I think that we have been success to link our ancillary texts with our trailer and create a strong synergy throughout.

3)What have you learned from your audience feedback?
After showing the film trailer, along with the poster and magazine cover, to my target audience, they had given me some feedback on what they thought worked and what didn’t. By making a horror film trailer it was vital that my target audience could immediately identify the genre of the trailer. Most of them pick up on this right away because of the music although some had commented that i could have been a thriller. By using dull colours also helped to reinforce the idea that it was a horror trailer. By using a fast paced song towards the end of the trailer, it helped keep the target audience intrigued and on edge, which would help attract in the particular audience. By using the music to help build suspense my target audience had told me that this was very well done as it did give them a warning that something was about to happen, but they didn’t know what. From making a horror film trailer and asking my target audience for their views I was able to identify which worked well and which didn’t. However as I didn’t show a draft trailer to my audience i wasn’t able to improve on some of the comments made. But by learning from my mistakes I know that i will be able to produce a more successful trailer by consulting my target audience more often.


4)How did you use media technologies in construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
By taking media as an Alevel option I have been introduced to a variety of technologies and the skills required. For my research and analysis I used youtube. This easily allowed me to upload the trailers and my analysis to my blog. This helped give me more of an insight on what is typical within the horror convention. As I have much experience on youtube i had found it very easy to use especially when it came to upload my own trailer to publish on my blog.




By using google i was able to find film posters and magazine covers which helped me to find out the more conventions of the horror genre, but through posters and magazine covers. Again as i use google quite frequently i found it really easy to find what i needed.







The construction of our film trailer we used a video camera and tripod, which was provided by the school. As I have had some experience using a video camera I was able to improve my skills in some areas of filming. By using the macs, we was able to upload our footage onto the relevant computer ready for editing. To take the pictures for the magazine and poster we used a still camera. As I have my own one, I found this was quite easy to use.



For the editing we used adobe premier pro. As I have had more experience with imovie i found it quite difficult to edit, however after a couple of lessons it soon became more clearer on how to use it and i was soon fascinated on how much could be done eg. Changing the lightness of a clip. To create our film poster and magazine cover we used photoshop. I have used photoshop since GCSE media so i was able to produce these quite quickly. Although i have had alot of experience with photoshop I feel that my skills are still improving in this particular area.

(Me using premier pro)
For the planning we was introduced to using a blog. Because I am used to planning through a folder i found this area very interesting. I haven’t had much experience with blog, I wasn’t really sure what i was doing but after publishing a few posts i quickly caught up on how to use them. As we had easy access to them, it allowed us to do anything we wanted pretty quickly. I prefer them to folders as i find that they fit in more with media, as you can easily use various technologies (eg. Google and youtube), they are easy to use and I was able to clearly see each stage of my planning.

Final Film Trailer!

Finished Magazine Front Cover & Poster

Overall i am very pleased on how these have turned out. I feel that we have had a huge success in making these final products. As the title font for the magazine cover was specially made, it contrasts against the dark background becuase of the red font used. As this also looks like smeared blood it again fits in with the horor genre. We also put in two interesting features on the cover to help draw the target audience in. This was also achieved by including other films on the cover to help attract more of a variety of people. For the film poster we have tried to keep the same font as what we used for the captions. This helps link both the texts (trailer & poster) together. We also added in some credits, website and logos. This helps make the poster seem more realistic.

Making The Poster

This is the image we have decided to use for our poster. We have decided on an image of the house as this is the main location in our film trailer.

These are the stages in making our poster:

1. Making the background darker and uploading the picture. By using the magic lasso we was able to cut out the house and postion it in the center of the page. Then i enlarged the photo making it the main focus of the page.

2. Then we played around with the saturation and opacity to try and create a 'scary/eerie' effect.

3. I then decided that the saturation and opacity should be restored and then added in the background by using the clone tool to clone a section of the bushes at the side of the house. I also added in the title of the film in the same style font as the captions used in our trailer.

4. Next i added in logos (reelfarm and fox) in order to state which companies would produce and distribute our film. Some text at the bottom, which features who is starring in it, directed by etc and also a website. We also decided to change the layout slightly by adding in a caption as the top of the page seemed slightly bare.

Making TheMagazine Cover

These are the images we have selected to use for our magazine cover. We chose this picture of the 'killer' because we felt that by using a low angle shot he would be seen as being the more powerful and dominent one, however as stacy will be placed over the top of him it will give the audience an idea that she has some power over him. Also below are the stages of making our poster, with an explanation.

This is the stages in which we produced our magazine cover.

1. We uploaded the photo of the house and used the clone tool to select an area of the bushes (featured at the side of the house) and used it to cover in the background.

2. Here you can see the covered background. We also added in the the house again but only used the side to get a repeated effect on the side. I think this is quite effective as it has a mysterious eerie sense to it.

3. Here we have cut out the killer and placed him in the centre of the page.

4. Next we added stacy in to the picture. And by using the blur tool we was able to soften the outlines of stacy and the killer as the outlines appeared very harsh against the background.

5. Next the title of the magazine was added in. We decided to change the style of the font, making it to appear like writing in blood. this was achieved by using the clone and blur tool.

6. We added in the last bit of detail, for example the barcode,date and an interesting story that will attract the readers to but this magazine. We also featured other films on the front cover which is also very typical when making a front cover as this allows that magazine to appeal to a wider variety of people.

The Campaign

When creating a film trailer, film makers and producers create a synergy to ensure that it is advertised in the best way. When creating a film campaign, the most important part is of course the film trailer itself. The way in which this is portrayed to an audience is crucial as this is the first experience they will have when viewing the trailer. There are also more types of trailers than just the full theatrical trailer –which is shown in the cinema before the final film is released. It is vital that this should immediately attract their specific audience into seeing that particular film. The other types of trailers include:

- A teaser trailer: when the film is currently being produced in the early stages, this type of trailer will be made as they will most likely have limited footage of that film. This is the kind of trailer we will hopefully be able to produce.

- Short trailer: this is shorter than the theatrical trailer as this is usually played after the film’s release date, acting as a type of reminder to the audience.

- TV version: this is another attempt to attract the audience through the TV as they see more TV than they do films at the cinema. They usually last around 30seconds as they have to fit in the space of an advert, this is what the producers call a spot. The usual cost for one these can vary from £30,000 +

Each type of trailer can have a different effect on the audience. Each element of the film links with each other, for example the copy used in a campaign. This helps to create a visual image in which the audience can relate each elements together. By using the same font throughout the audience will be able to automatically recognise which film it is for.

Examples of this can be seen below ...

The copy in each film can vary. In horror trailers captions are most likely to be used over a voice over, which are used more for comedy films. They act as a bridge gap holding the trailer together. The film poster can also act as a teaser element of the campaign, this is made before filming starts.

Props, Characters, Locations & Equipment

Props-Knife, Machette, Black Mask, Dark Coloured Costume (for the 'killer')

Characters - Stacy Fletcher ... Women
Ryan Hussey ... Man/'The Killer'

Location- Outside the front of Jess' house, Inside the house (The Kitchen, Bathroom, Hallway etc.) and the Backgarden.

Equipment- Mac Computers, Abdobe Premire Pro, Abdobe Photoshop, Camera and Tripod

Me and Jess both took it in turns to film and direct each scene. I also acted in the trailer as the 'dead person' as we needed an extra person to do this.

PHOTOS ....

Filming

On our first day of filming (9th november), we used our storyboard as our schedule, to make sure we got each shot we needed. However because we needed to film at a specific time, it was really difficult to take everything into account of what we actually needed to do. Things we had to take into consideration was the location, our actors, weather etc. Because the genre of our trailer is horror, we wanted to film just before it got dark. This fits in with the typical conventions of the horror genre. As we needed to film just before it got dark, it gave us a limited amout of time of how much we could actually film. As our first attempt of filming didn't go exactly to plan we went out a few days after.

The second day of filming went alot better as we had actually worked out roughly how much time we would have before it got too dark. We went out alot earlier to give us more time and we also decided to film the outside scenes first because of this. Once it was dark, we still had some more outside scenes to film and found it quite hard without the correct lighting. Because of this problem, it had resulted in us in improvising. We used: a torch to light up specific objects and the car headlights were used to light up the front of the house (this was particularly tricky as we had to be careful not to create any shadows). I think that our second attempt to film was a vast improvment from the first try because we had followed our plan carefully prioritising each shot.

We used this timetable along with our storyboard to help guide us of what we needed to get done.

Inital Ideas For The Film Poster

These are the 3 layouts we have thought of. From my own knowledge of the horror genre I have found that using a whole image to cover the entire background to be typical. We have taken this into consideration and made up 3 ideas that surround this. In layout number 1 we was thinking of having the actors names across the top, so that the audience will know who is starring in it. However i have noticed this is more typical in the comedy genre and we have decided not to use this layout. The layout we have chosen is layout number 2. I feel that this is the best choice for my film poster as it follows the typical conventions of the horror genre. I am looking forward to seeing the final outcome of this poster.

Final Storyboard

For our final storyboard, me and Jess have decided to combine our own inital ideas together. We have chosen to use the opening sequence of Jess' storyboard and the idea of my montage style ending. However due to some of the difficuties of getting most of the shots we would have needed, we had to go back and rethink some of our orginal ideas. We used the opening of Jess' storyboard as we thought that it will help to add tension and suspense, because of the slow pace, and by using the fast editing and various shots of the 'film' it will help keep our audience interested and give them a slight insight on what to expect without revealing too much.

Theory of Genre

John Fiske develops Barthes semic code:
A representation of a car chase only makes sense in relation to all the others we have seen - after all, we are unlikely to have experienced one in reality, and if we did, we would, according to this model, make sense of it by turning it into another text, which we would also understand intertextually, in terms of what we have seen so often on our screens. There is then a cultural knowledge of the concept 'car chase' that any one text is a prospectus for, and that is used by the viewer to decode it, and by the producer to encode it.
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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 genreless text' (1981)
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Claude-Levi Strauss developed the concept of bricolage.
Levi-Strauss saw any text as constructed out of socially recognisable ‘debris’ from other texts. He saw that writers construct texts from other texts by a process of:
Addition
Deletion
Substitution
Transposition
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Gerard Genette developed the transtextuality and developed five sub-groups, but only 4 apply to film:
-Intertextuality quotation, plagiarism, allusion
-Architextuality designation of the text as part of a genre by the writer or by the audience
-Metatextuality explicit or implicit critical commentary of one text on another text
-Hypotextuality the relation between a text and a preceeding hypotext - a text or genre on whichit is based but which it transforms, modifies, elaborates or extends (including parody, spoof, sequel, translation)

Theories Of Narrative

Vladimir Propp examined hundreds of fairy tales in the generic form 'the folk wonder tale'. He identified: 8 character roles and 31 functions which move the story along. An example of the 31 functions would be, the punishment of the villian (usually at the end of the story) and the ban of action (eg. if sleeping beauty touches a spinning wheel she will die).

8 Character Roles ...

-The Villian

-The Hero: A seeker character motivated by an initial lack.

-The Doner: Who provides an object with some magic property.

-The Helper: Who aids the hero.

-The Princess: A reward for the hero and an object of the villians scheme.

-Her Father: Who validates the hero.

-The Dispatcher: Who sends the hero on his way.

-The False Hero: The one who gets credited at first and then found out.

Propps theory is a form of structuralism, which is a view that all media is inevitably in the form of certain fixed structures. Propps theory can be applied to generic sturctures is western cultures, such as popular film genres- Thus genre structures form expectation in the mind of an audience, that certain rules apply to the narrative. However, cultural change can force structures to change. For example, the hero can now be a women.

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Tzvetan Todorov was a bulgarian structuralist in the 1960's. He developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium. He identified that stories follow a typical pattern of:

-Equilibrium: The 'status quo'. Where things are as they should be.

-Disequilibrium: The status quo is disrupted by an event

-Equilibrium: Is restored at the end of the story, by the actions of the hero.

There can be several moments in the plot where resolution of equilibrium takes place. For example, the pieces of the detectives puzzle fall into place. Todorov later developed his theory into a five stage pattern:

1) A state of equilibrium at the outset.

2)A disruption of the equilibrium by some action.

3)A recognition that there has been a disruption.

4)An attempt to respair the disruption.

5)A reinstatement of the equilibrium.

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Roland Barthes believes that there are 5 action codes, that enable an audience to make sense of a narrative.

-Hermeneutic (narrative turning-points) - We know where the story will go next.

-Proairetic (basic narrative actions) - Eg. The detective interviews suspect or femme fetale seduces the hero.

-Cultural (prior social knowledge) - Eg. our attitudes to gender or racial stereotypes.

-Semic (medium-related codes) - intertextuality.

- Symbolic (themes) - iconagraphy or a theme such as 'image vs reality'.

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Claude Levi-Strauss was a french structuralist in the 1970's. He is most noted for his theory of Binary Oppositions. In order to find those oppositions, Levi-Strauss was less interested in:

-Syntagmatic relations i.e.how events line up in the narrative structure to develop the plot.

-Paradigmatic relations i.e. those events and features that belong to the theme of the piece, especially within genre based texts.

Levi-Strauss used the 'western' film genre to develop his theory of Binary Oppositions.

Homesteaders ---> Native Americans

Christian ---> Pagan

Domsetic ---> Savage

Weak ---> Strong

Garden ---> Wilderness

Inside Society ---> Outside Society

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The theory of Diegesis applies to narrative events, just as it does to sounds. Diegetic narrative events take place before the audience, within the field of vision. Non diegetic narrative events take place off-screen- before the movie started, between scenes, simultaneously but in another room. Diegesis is the Greek for the ‘narrative world’. However, to understand this term, we need to know the difference between the plot, the story and screen time.

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Victor Shklovsky was a russian theorist in the 1920s. 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 typically difficult names:

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

Hearsyuzhet = only the events that we see or hear within the field of vision.

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David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson are american Film Studies theorists from 1990. Bordwell and Thompson gives three different time zones for film narratives in their book 'Film Art (1997)'.

Story ‘the set of all the events in the narrative, both the ones explicitly presented and those the viewer infers, compose the story’.

Plot ‘the term plot is used to describe everything visibly and audibly present in the film before us’.

Screen Time ‘the time taken to broadcast the film’.

Diegesis is therefore the Greek for the ‘narrative world’ of the plot during the screen time.

Audience Feedback On My Initail Ideas

Before creating our film trailer I decided to sit down with a couple of people from my target audience and see what they thought about some of my own ideas. Overall I had some very postive feedback and I will try and alter somethings which they thought would be needed. I think that I will need to get some more feedback once a first draft of out trailer has been made. Some comments were:

1.'Very good ideas, although it seems as if the begining scene would drag'
2. 'Interesting storyboard, nothing much needs to be changed'
3.'Would like to see more action and drama going on'
4.'Liked the short captions, I think they would be very effective'

Audience

Before releasing any film, there is many things that need to be taken into consideration when targeting an audience. For example their age, gender, race and income etc. As we are making a horror trailer it will be aimed at people 18 and over, both male and female of any race. We have chosen to make the certificate of our film trailer an 18. This is because some scenes may not be suitable for all viewers.Each film has a Unique Selling Point or USP, this helps to attract an audience. The most common audience is between the ages of 15 - 30, however familes are also becoming more of a frequent audience within the film industry.

From looking at the table below, the audience we will be aiming towards will be C1 and under, this is because i feel that the age range of our audience would fit into these catagories and are more likely to visit the cinema than those in the higher catagories.

Focused Analysis: Mise-en Scene

The mise-en scene for the trailer of The Strangers is very dark and gloomy. Alot of dull colour tones such as beiges and blacks have been used. This helps the audience to identify the genre of this trailer. Using dark colours is a typical convention of the horror genre as it adds a sense of mystery and gives it a whole dark and scary atmosphere. By using the correct location aswell can also help to add to this effect. As they are in the middle of nowhere, its gives the audience an illusion that they may not survive until the end of the film, becuase it reinforces the idea that no one would be able to help them. This should hopefully help draw in and keep the target audience on the egde of their seat.

Story Board

1. Establishing long shot of an empty house, a couple have returned from a trip. This helps set the location of the film. Pleasant music will be added in to the background, suggesting a calm atmosphere. The shot will last around 3-4 seconds, before fading to a black screen with a caption.




2. Caption will fade in to a black background reading: 'HOW WOULD YOU FEEL, COMING HOME...'
The next shot will fade in around 2 seconds after.

3. Medium long shot of a couple walking away from the car, up to the house. The weather should be sunny to tie in with the music. Shot ends by fading into black to reveal the next caption.






4. Caption will fade into a black background reading: 'TO AN EMPTY HOUSE? ' ('empty house should be in a bolder font to emphasise a sense of danger to the audience). Next shot will fade in around 2 seconds after.

5. Close up, showing a note left by a friend, who had came by to check the house. The note reading 'Everthings fine' is ironic because the audience is expecting something to happen. I have found this to be very typical within my chosen genre. Pleasant music slowly fades out, and the shot then fades to black with the next caption.

6. Captions fades onto the black background reading: 'THEN REALISING ....' The next shot should fade in around 2 seconds after.



7. Medium low angle shot of one of the main characters (the man) putting his jacket in the closet. The music should then changes to have a more eerie tone, as the 'killer' is seen roughly out of focus holding some sort of a weapon. By seeing the killer out of focus it helps to hide his identity, so that it doesn't give too much of the plot away. Fades to black with the next caption.


8. Caption fades into the black background reading: 'YOUR NOT ALONE' (Not alone should be seen in a bolder font, to again emphasise the sense of danger, and to draw the audience further into the trailer). The next shot will fade in around 2 seconds after.


9. This is a the start of a montage, with different shots from the 'film'. The first shot is a long shot of the women running through the lounge of the house. The music will have changed to a fast paced more thrilling song, to fit in with the rapid editing.





10. An extreme close up of the 'killers' knife, seen with blood on. The audience at this point doesn't know whos blood this is. Again there will be quick editing and fast paced music.







11. Close up of the man tuning his head quickly with a shocked expression on his face. The audience will automatically know something shocking has happened. This will draw them in to see the film.





12. Long shot of the girl running up stairs, with the killer walking behind her. The lighting should be quite dark, but still light enough to both actors clearly.






13. A medium long shot of the girl, leaning up against a door, breathing heavily. The killer can be seen at the side of the screen. Again the lighting should be dark, but light enough to see both the actors.









14. Medium close up of the killer walking and then he stops. The music will slowly starts to fade as the shot fades to black.










15.The title and the release date will then fade onto the black screen in a red coloured font. This will then fade out around 2-3 seconds after.

Focused Analysis: Sound/Music

The music in the begging of the trailer starts of with a peacful tone setting the scene of an ordinary life. The birds that can be heard could emphasise the point that they alone, with no one around. However when they hear the bang outside, the entire mood changes. This again links to Todorovs theory. The bang is the start to the equlibrium being disrupted by a sudden start of events. The creaking swings again add to the eerie effect. The music starts to get more dramatic towards the end on of the trailer. When the record player starts playing it starts repeating they same section of a song. When this is combined with the right atmosphere it can also help create the 'creepy' and eerie kind of atmosphere.

Focused Analysis: Characters

For my first focused analysis i will be looking at characters. From my own knowledge of horror films, i know that in this genre is that alot of masks are used, to help hide the true identity of the killer. We can clearly see which characters are being portrayed as this, from this simple yet typical convention of the horror genre. The colours of the clothes they are wearing are very dull colours, for example her dark green dress or his dark red jacket. The style of their clothes are very normal, despite them being killers. The man killer, is shown as being the more dominant of the three because of the fact we assume he is a man. This proves Vladimir Propp's theory, that genre stuctures form expectation in the mind of the audience. It also shows that in every media text that there is 8 character roles. Looking back on all of my research I can clearly identify at least three common ones (Victim, Villian & Hero). The Victims in this film can be clearly seen as they are an average american couple. The clothes the women is wearing are very basic, she is perhaps being portrayed as a typical american women, stay at home to cook and clean. And the man is wearing a suit, this gives us an insight on his possible job, or his status in society (important bussiness man). He is shown as the provider, which is the typical sterotype of how men should be.

Mood Board

As the genre of my film trailer is horror, i have selected various images of locations and characters that i have found to be typical, within this genre. As i can see from my mood board a lot make up and and masks have been used, along with dark colours such as blacks and greys. This is going to help give me an insight, on what i will need to include when making my trailer.

Analysis Of Film Posters

The Happening

The Happening is a 2008 American thriller film that follows a man and his family as they try to escape from an inexplicable natural disaster. The plot revolves around a mysterious neurotoxin that causes any person coming into contact with it to commit suicide. The protagonist, a science teacher named Elliot Moore, attempts to escape from the substance with his wife and friends as hysteria grips the East Coast of the United States.

A large photo is used, covering the whole of the background. The image uses a lot of dim and dull colours, such as browns and greys. The rule of thirds is used to draw our attention to the abandoned cars along the side and the town in the distance. The use of the dull colours, stormy sky and empty cars in the image give the audience a sense of danger from some kind of a natural disaster they are incapable of controlling. The font on this poster is white which stands out against the background. It is also aligned in the center.

Vacancy

When David and Amy Fox's car breaks down int he middle of nowhere, they are forced to spend the night at the only motel around with only the tv to entertain them, until they discover that the low budget slasher movies they're watching were all filmed in the very room in which they're sitting. With hidden cameras now aimed at them, trapping them in rooms, crawlspaces, underground tunnels and filming their every move, David and Amy must struggle to get out alive before they end up the next vixtims on tape.

A large photo is used, consuming the whole of the background. The outside of the picture is black fading into the main image. The rule of thirds is also applied to poster because the audience's attention is drawn straight to the center of the poster. The picture has a slight hint of orange/red, which fits in with the colour of the title of the film. The colours that have been used stands out against the black border. The colour red can be used in different ways to portray different meanings such as: a warning, danger, blood within the horror genre or love and passion within the romance genre. In the center of the image is the reflection of the word 'motel' this helps suggest to the audience that there is a 'vacancy' in the motel. The actors in the picture have a scared/shocked expression, suggestin that they are in danger from someone or something.

Orphan

Kate and John Coleman are rebuilding their marriage after a troubled relationship. They decide to adopt a child and when they meet the nine year-old Russian girl Esther at the St. Marina Orphanage, they immediately fall in love for the well-educated orphan. Sooner Kate feels that Esther is manipulative and has some disturbance and she believes it could be hormone or borderline personality disorder but John refuses to listen to his wife and the wounds in their marriage reopen. When Kate goes further in the investigation of the past of Esther, she discovers that the girl is not who she tells she is

A large photo is again covering the whole of the background. The colours used aren't dull for example the light background contrasts with main image. The main image is of a young girl, the audience will be able to tell that she could be 'the villian' in this film because of the caption 'There's something wrong with Esther'. This also helps draw in an audience as this leaves them wanting to know whats wrong with her and what trouble she causes. The main colour for the font on this poster is in white, this doesn't really contrast with the light background, however because it is bolder it stands out more. The colour red is also used for 'Can you keep a secret?' by using the colour red, this highlights to the audience that there is some kind of danger from knowing this 'secrect' and can act as a warning.

After analysing each trailer I have picked up on some things that are vitial in order for a horror film trailer to be a success. I will try and include all of these aspects where possible when making my own film trailer. Some of which incluse:
-Mis-en Scene: must be dark with limited lighting creating a 'scary' atmosphere.

-Music: quiet at the begining building up towards the end of the trailer. This helps to add suspense and tension.

-Editing: slower pace long takes at the begining, and then speeding up into faster, quicker short shots lasting no longer than a couple of seconds.

-Camera Angles: Close ups help define the characters expressions and point of view shots

-Costumes: 'killer' should be wearing a dark costume and only be seen for a limited amount of time in the trailer. It helps keep their identity hidden, drawing the audience in.

Analysis Of Silent Hill Film Trailer

Target Audience: Both male and female who enjoy films of the horror genre. The age range is anyone 15 and over, as this is th certificate of the film.

Narrative: A mother takes her troubled daughter to the town she cries out in her sleep 'Silent Hill'. After being knocked unconcious in a car crash just outside of this very town, the mother then awakens to find her missing. Whilst searching for her daughter she faces surreal reality shifts and monstrous creatures while uncovering her daughters connections to the towns dark secrets.

Setting: In an old american town, cut off from the rest of civilisation. This fits in with the horror genre perfectly as it helps to add to the mysterious and dark atmosphere. It also helps to emphasis the point that she is alone. Again Todorov's theory can be applied here as the equilibrium has been disrupted by the dissapearance of her daughter.

Costumes: The characters in this trailer are all wearing normal clothes, apart from when we (the audience) see the flashbacks. The characters in these scenes are all wearing clothes from the time perios they are portraying. However as the enemies in this are not human , alot of makeup and costumes have been used.

Lyrics/Captions: The captions in this trailer hold each scene together. This is very effective as it helps the audience get an idea of what is going on, without revealing too much of the plot. Each caption is quite short keeping the audiences interest for longer. Again by using Captions instead of a voice over, it helps to determine the genre of this film.

1.'What was once an ordinary town'

2.'Has been transformed by evil'

3.'Mysteries without answers'

4.'Secrets without explanation'

5.'Fear without end'

6.'One you enter this world'

7.'There is no turning back'

Special Effects: Special effects can play a huge part in horror film trailers, as they can make them seem more realistic depending on what they are trying to show. For example in this trailer, the little girl ghost. As this is hard to make an actor in the scene an actual 'ghost' they would have been edit in after filming.

Camera Angles: Close ups seem to play a big part in horror film trailers, as they help to show the emotions featured on the actors faces. This is vitail in order to make a successful horror film trailer. There is also alot of tracking shots used, these enable us to see more of what is happening onscreen. Other shots include: 

Editing: Again at the beginning of this trailer the editing has a slower pace to help add tension and suspense towards the ending. However, the editing towards the end of the trailer is in sync with the sound of a heartbeat. This again adds to the effect of trying to build tension for the audience/

Sound/Music: There is a peaceful and calm music at the beginning of the trailer, this helps towards the build up at the end of the trailer. When certain events happen in the trailer the music changes to a more dramatic tone. For example when the creature appears behind her and when there is a flashback to the fire. This helps to emphasize the danger.

Anaysis of Creep Film Trailer

Target Audience-Both male and female who enjoy films of the horror genre. The age range is anyone 18 and over as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative- A women is stranded in a train station late at night. She has missed the last train, and is now stuck. After thinking she was alone she sooner discovers she isn't and is soon trying to escape the horrors that lurk there.

Setting- the setting for this film trailer is a train station late at night. This again links to Todorovs theory as this helps suggest that the equlibrium has been disrupted by an event. Its dark in the station which helps add to the effect and also to help the audience determine the genre of this trailer. Also the fact that the female character is alone there helps to add to this effect as this makes the shock of her finding out shes not alone, that more effective.

Costumes- Each character is wearing normal clothes, to help emphasise that they are the victims. A man is wearing a long black coat and we presume that he is the killer as we only see the bottom half of his legs. This again helps to hide the identity of him to keep the audience interested and wanting to know more.

Lyrics/Captions- The captions seen is this trailer are very effective. The yellow font stands out against the dark background. Because each caption is no longer than 3 words long, they keep the audience's interest for longer, as they are not distracted by them. They also help give them an idea of the plot. I like the style and the way each of these captions fit in with the trailer and feel that they help define the genre of this film.
1.'Missed'
2.'The last train'
3.'Home?'
4.'Don't worry'
5.'you're not alone'

Special Effects- Not many special effects have been used in this trailer, although some effects such as slow motion have been used to possibly make that shot seem more dramatic and also to helop add a sense of confusion to the audience.

Camera Angles- In this trailer alot of point of view shots have been used for example. At the beging when shes walking through the station and when shes running through a corridor. This helps bring the Audience into the film and makes them feel as if they are part of it. Other shots in this trailer include: Close ups -again helps to show the characters facial expressions, medium close ups, medium long shots and low angle shots. Each of these have proven to be effective in the making of this trailer.

Editing- The editing in the begining of this trailer is very slow to help add to the element of suspense. Alot of short cuts to which then create a montage. This helps build up a sense of confusion and also to build up the climax towards the end of the trailer. I will definitly consider using this style of editing in my own trailer.

Sound/Music- Heavy breathing is heard at begining as she is walking through the station. There is an eerie kind of music that is playing in the background whilst this is happening, this helps add to the effect and build up the suspense. It then fades out as we hear a man scream. The music then fastens up as there is a monatage. This makes the audience feel more confused and dazed.

Analysis Of Scream Film Trailer

Target Audience- Both male and female who enjoy films of the horror genre. The age range is anyone 18 and over as this is the certificate of the film.

Narrative- A group of friends are left in fear for their lives as they discover a murderer is on the loose in their town. His taken his love of fear, one step too far. As the try and fight for their lives they are constently trying to escape the horrors of his actions.

Setting- The setting for this trailer is a quiet American suburb, from my own knowlodge of horror/thriller films I have noticed that this is a typical convention of this particular genre. By using a suburb as its setting, it is quite ironic as it is usually a peaceful area. This is similar to Tzvetan Todorov's Theory. In the begining the normal setting shows a state of equilibrium however when the girl receives the phone call, the equilibrium is disrupted and is now a state of disequilibrium. As this is a horror film trailer the audience is unable to see weather or not the equilibrium is restored. This leave the audience intrigued and interested in what will happen next.

Costume- Each actor is wearing normal clothes, apart from the killer who is wearing a mask and cloak. As we only see the killer for a short amount of time, this helps keep his identity hidden. Because the Killer is wearing this, it will come across to the audience as creepy and scary - which again helps the audience define the genre of this trailer.

Lyrics/Captions- Rather than using captions throughout this trailer, a voice over has been used. This matches with the fast pace of the trailer.
1.'Someone is playing a deadly game'
2.'Someones whos seen one too many scary movies'
3.'Now his taking his love of fear, one step too far'
4.'He didn't make the rules'
5.'He just kills by them''
6.'Don't answer the phone'
7.'Don't open the door'
8.'Don't try to hide'
9.'From the first name in suspense'
10.'Comes the last word in fear'
Some captions have been used in this trailer, however this could have been used to emphasise what the voice over has said. I think that this is very effective and will consider it when making my own film trailer.

Special Effects- Special effects are not really used in this sort of a trailer as it is intended to be more of a realistic film.

Camera Angles- The opening of this trailer is very different as it shows a close up of the phone ringing, rather than an establishing shot to deterimine the setting of the film. Throughout this trailer I have noticed that there is alot of close up used, weather its focusing on the face of the actors to show there emotion, or on an object to show what they are looking for. This is vitial within this genre. Other shots include: Tracking Shot, Point Of View Shot, Long Shots, Medium Close Ups.

Editing- The fast pace of this trailer emphasises a point of distress and fear for each character. It also helps to move the story in the trailer along, without revealing too much.

Sound- Sound plays a big part in every trailer, especially in horror ones. At the start of the trailer there is the sound from the film, however in the background the music is slowly building up. This helps add to the tension and suspence of the film. The music then starts to pick up a faster pace which helps to make the point that the equilibrium has been disrupted.

Brief

For my Alevel Media Studies we have the choice to make either:
A Music Video, with a CD cover and a magazine front cover
OR
A Film Trailer, along with a film poster and magazine front cover.

I will be working in a small group of two, including myself and Jessica Wilton, to produce a Film Trailer, along with a film poster and a magazine cover. We have decided to make it a fit in within the horror genre. We both find certain areas and aspects of this genre very interesting and would like to explore it further when creating our media product. I will be using this blog to record all my work and findings. To analyse horror film trailers i will be using 'youtube' to find various trailers which will help me when creating our film trailer.


'HORROR'- Horror fiction is a genre of fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle and horrify the audience. Historically, the cause of the "horror" experience has often been the intrusion of a disturbing supernatural element into everyday human experience. Since the 1960s, any work of fiction with a morbid, gruesome, surreal, or exceptionally suspenseful or frightening theme has come to be called "horror". Today horror is one of the most popular categories of film.