Moodboard

The purpose of producing this moodboard as it reflects the groups ideas as a whole as to which aspects and components we would like to incorporate into our trailer. The images that you can see on this moodboard give an overview as to what to expect from our trailer, and gives an insight in to the our groups pre-planning. After extensive research on the horror movie genre, I've recognised the fundamental aspects which make a horror movie successful,for example traditional conventions such as knifes and blood, which I've incorporated into the moodboard to show that these traditional aspects will be expected in the film.

Character Analysis

Character Analysis on Prezi

Purpose of a Trailer

The Purpose of a Trailer on Prezi

Trailer Analysis 3 - Final Destination

The film I’ve decided to analyse is the horror film ‘Final Destination’ released in the year 2000. The first shot of the trailer tells a lot to the audience, as it shows the protagonist viewing the large aeroplane through the glass window. Both the protagonist and aeroplane are facing one another, which gives the sense of a stand off between the two, almost as if the two are going to be in conflict. We immediately realise from this scene that the aeroplane is significant in relation the events which occur in the movie.

Camera angles and shots are significant in creating a tense atmosphere. The audience is shown the camera zooming into the protagonist’s hands as he clutches onto his seat, which is able to emphasise to the viewer of that there is a possibility of danger for him.

By watching the trailer, it also able to implicitly convey to the reader what target audience the movie is intended for. The majority of the characters in the trailer are shown to be teenagers aged 18 or over.

Music is used from the onset of the trailer to create a scary atmosphere. The music is tense, and the tempo increases at certain points where the tension is at its highest, and this is also accompanied by the use of quick shot transitions in sync with the music to create a fast paced atmosphere. The advantage of having fast paced shot transitions is that it is able to mimic the viewer’s reaction the trailer, and could also reflect the pace of their heartbeat as what they are seeing is scary.

The trailer is unconventional to traditional horror trailers, as there is a moment of anti climax due to a comical moment in the trailer. When the character says ‘I knew I should of hit on Tammy in the pool that time’ it switches from the previous scary atmosphere, suddenly to a moment of humour and laughter. This is very unconventional for a horror film, as most horror films do not incorporate comical elements within the film, as horror films are generally known to scare people, however this film ventures beyond the norm in an attempt to be different.

The trailer uses techniques such as pathetic fallacy to enhance the feelings and emotions of the characters. This is a powerful effect, and the director uses lightening to reflect the readers emotions. When there is lightening, there generally means there is a storm in the midst; and the storm is able to denote a sense of danger, which perfectly mirrors the situation of the characters in the film.

Trailer Analysis 2 - The Strangers

The second trailer I’ve decided to analyse is the 2008 psychological horror film ‘The Strangers’. The trailer begins by lulling the audience into a false sense of security by showing a young couple in a suburban home being affectionate with one another, which is able to bring the audience at ease. However there is a sudden change through a non diegetic sound of something being dropped which disturbs the previous content and harmonious mood, and suddenly changes to a tense, scary atmosphere. This sudden alternation between calm and tense is used effectively by the director, as it somewhat deceives the audience and creates a sense of shock and surprise amongst the viewers, which in turn increases the tension making them want to see more.

The music used is also able to create a scary atmosphere, as it first starts with a content soft music, with a piano playing the background as we see the young couple being affectionate with one another. However, when the audience hears something being dropped, it changes the mood completely, and the music plays a major part in this, as the previous content music played by the piano suddenly stops, and changes to eerie music which represents the change from a content mood to a scary atmosphere. The diegetic sound of a swing slowly moving is also able to create a tense and scary atmosphere, as the audience is shown the shot of the swing moving which adds to the enigma, and raises the question of what caused it to move, resulting in an increase of suspense.

Camera shots are used effectively in this trailer to add to the horror element of the trailer. In frequent shots throughout, we almost see the camera somewhat shaking as if it were being held by somebody, which in turn creates a first person perspective. This is done effectively by the director, as shots such as these are predominately shown when showing a clip of the outside of the house, which gives the audience the impression that someone is stalking the couple and that they are in danger.

When considering factors which contribute to creating a tense, horror feeling in a film, lighting is always key in achieving this. Throughout this trailer, the director has considered the use of lighting in relation to the horror genre, and how it can be used to make a more tense and scary atmosphere for the audience. Throughout the trailer there is a sense of darkness, as the film is set at night time, and the house lighted with dim lights. Darkness denotes a feeling of insecurity and mystery, which are all key themes of the horror genre and therefore darkness is almost certainly a key feature of horror, which of course is incorporated in this film to add to the enigma, making the audience want to see more.

Editing is used well to create more of a scary atmosphere. The director incorporates text between shots, such as ‘Inspired by True Events’. By telling the audience that the film is based on a true story, this adds to the realism of the film and as a result makes the film more of a scary experience for the audience, as it would make them think that the events which occur in the film could happen to anyone. Towards the end of the trailer, there are quick transitions between the shots to increase the pace of the trailer, which is also in sync with the music which is also increasing its pace. This is very effective, as the increase of pace in both the shots and music can represent the audience’s heartbeat, as the horror elements incorporated in the film can be a scary experience for the viewer, causing the pace of their heartbeat to increase, as they are going through a rollercoaster of emotions whilst watching the film.

Trailer Analysis - Paranormal Activity

The Trailer that I decided to analyse is ‘Paranormal activity’, the American horror movie which was released in 2007. This movie differs from conventional horror films as it is presented as footage found from a video camera filmed by a couple investigating a supernatural presence in their house. This style of filming can be compared to the likes of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ as it shot from a first person perspective. There are several advantages by filming in such a way, for example it gives the audience an insight to what the protagonist is experiencing, making it more of an entertaining and scary experience for the audience as it makes the events which occur in the film more believable as it doesn’t seem like a rehearsed, big budget production.

The trailer firstly starts off with showing real members of the public entering one of the first screenings of ‘Paranormal Activity’, by showing real members of the public watching a real screening, it adds to the realism of the movie, as the director chose to shoot the film in a first person perspective to try and make the film seem as real as possible. Throughout the trailer we’re able to see the audience’s reaction throughout. The director chose to incorporate this feature within the trailer as It reflects how the person viewing the trailer will react to the film. Various shots of the audiences’ reaction show them jumping in fear and covering their eyes. This is a powerful technique used by the director, as it increases the tension and emphasises the fear factor contained within the film, making the viewer of the trailer feel intrigued and want to see more. Also, by showing the audience enter the screening of this film, it implicitly implies what age group the film would appeal to as the majority of the audience are young, generally aged from 18-25.

The choice of music used throughout this trailer is effectively used as it creates a sense of tension and a scary atmosphere. Sounds alternate from fast paced and loud sounds to sudden short periods of complete quiet. The alternation between these two help increase the tension, as a sudden changes in volume can be used powerfully especially in the horror genre to make the audience feel a sense of shock, causing them to jump, overall increasing the fear factor of the trailer, resulting in people wanting to see more. The use of editing is used effectively throughout to create a horror feeling. Quick transitions between shots create a fast paced feeling. The fast paced feeling can reflect the viewers reactions, as they are going through a rollercoaster of emotions whilst watching the trailer, at first they are at ease showing viewing a normal couple making a home video, then there’s a sudden change of atmosphere and music and editing create a scary atmosphere. Comments by critics are also incorporated within the trailer such as ‘Paranormal activity is one of the scariest movies of all time – Bloody Disgusting’. Comments such as these have a powerful effect on the audience as it increases ambiguity, intriguing the audience, thus reeling them in so they are left wanting to see more.

Introduction

Our task for this piece of coursework is to produce a film trailer, a poster and a magazine front cover. Our class chose to explore is the horror genre, as collectively we are all aware of the codes and conventions incorporated within the genre, and thus be able to utilise our skills based upon our awareness of the genre.

Our class was split up into groups, and my group consists of me, Rishi, Anil and Omrick. As a group, we feel its essential to explore the codes and conventions of the horror genre further, so that we can add more to our knowledge of it, so that we can produce the best possible trailer we can. In attempt to understand the nature of the genre, we're going to do some market research such as trailer anylisis' of the horror genre. From this, we can identify similarities between all the trailers we've analysed and see how these common conventions can be fitted into our trailer, so that the conventions we've used in our trailer fit the ones used in today's horror movie market.