PRE-RESEARCH
These statistics show that 11% of viewers prefer horror films, which is a huge margin of the percentages and this is going to be the genre of our film. We researched many different films and websites such as PEARL AND DEAN and IMDB trying to get as much information on our audience, their interest in horror and original ideas as we could.As we start developing our ideas we researched in to films that had the same and opposing themes to see why and how they are effective and successful.
Analysis on the full length trailer: Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth is a stunning Spanish film by Guillermo Del Toro, who is been made famous for his many fantasy horror films such as BLADE and THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE. But I believe Pan’s Labyrinth is an absolute masterpiece of magical realism, drama and war.
The name of the film is typically shown at the end of a trailer and Pan’s Labyrinth conforms to this because it is the most effective way of advertising it to the viewer, by having the name at the end of the trailer it means it will be the last thing the audience sees therefore being more memorable and sticking in the persons mind causing a stronger desire to go and see it.
The importance of the trailer not introducing the actor’s names is because all the characters are not A list celebrities, this means because they are new it adds more mystery to the film and in some respects makes it more realistic. If they were famously known actors the trailer would attract mostly a specific audience of people who like those actors however without the definition of the actors the audience gap is widened.
In the trailer a vital amount of action must be shown for a fantasy horror, because without it the audience will disengage their attention, trailers need to be fast paced with action and quick cuts or slow and dark creating tension. So Pan’s Labyrinth trailer shows a lot of violence, graphic and gore instantly introduced to the trailer with the sound of gunshots and a war zone which is then contrasted to the serenity of the palace to represent there is in fact two storylines playing at once, the Spanish revolution and the fantasies of a child.
The music represents the film and trailer well as it is a lullaby, this creates a calming effect which descends in to low deep music to portray the drama in the film which then leads to a mixture of haunting choir voices with booming audio to influence the climax of the film. The importance of the lullaby is to symbolise the child which is contrasted to the various harsh tones of war.
The voice over is one of the most interesting aspects of this trailer and one which was an amazing advertising device, The voice over is in English, a calm male voice yet it is a Spanish film, the producers cleverly used this technique to widen their audience margin because if they had the subtitles up or allowed the characters to speak in Spanish there audience percentage would have deteriorated drastically. The content of the voice over itself is used to give a brief but ominous description of the plot, carefully scripted to engage with the audience yet leave them wanting to know more “In death there can be life” The voice is very powerful but deep and calming to keep the tempo of the trailer and lure the audience in to an eerie sense of security which makes the trailer that much more terrifying.
The speed is a lot faster to the film to match the music; this is to show the audience the best parts of the film, introduced with the slow clips but the scenes get faster and so do the edits, increasing tension and anxiety which builds to the climax of the end of the trailer. Pan’s Labyrinth showed a lot of content of the film even though it was played at an increased speed, the purpose of this is to make the film look like it is constantly interesting even though the trailer is only showing the best bits. This compares to the film as only a fraction of each scene was show and it was only the most interesting or dramatic, the trailer is for the drama and the film is for the story.
The speed of the trailer does alter throughout, it follows the generic conventions of most horror trailers the speed starts off slow, letting the view take in as much as possible but picking up speed as the lips become more intense and creating a more powerful effect on the audiences opinion to want to go and see the resolution.
Besides the information given by the voice over we are also given onscreen positive information of the film shown in the form of accolades, reviews and nominations/awards from famous publicist such as official selection at the CANNES FILM FESTIVAL and “beautiful and exhilarating a fairy tale for grownups” CHICAGO SUN TIMES. This information influences the audiences pre view on the film and through this form of word of mouth will feel more compelled to go and see it to make their own judgment. These quotes and awards are given throughout most of the trailer between the voiceover dialogue as not to confuse the viewer. We are also told the studio producers PICTUREHOUSE and TELECINCO plus the reference to the writer GUILLMERO DEL TORRO the vitality of this is to credit the production team and to get their names known.
Finally the trailer has been certified as a R as shown by the opening MPAA (MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION of AMERICA) which is the equivalent of a 15 by the BBFC which entitles the trailer to be shown at any cinema as long as the film is also been certified a 15 or over. However the trailer itself contains no nudity, offensive language or even any traumatic physical violence although there are open scenes where it suggests the acts of vile gore that are cut off and left to the imagination. So the trailer makes it obvious towards the end through the dark mis-en-scene that it is not a children’s film and contains adult themes.
Pan's Labyrinth
release date 24 November '06
what's the storyPan's Labyrinth is a fanciful and chilling story set against the backdrop of a fascist regime in 1944 rural Spain. The film centers on Ofelia, a lonely and dreamy child living with her mother and adoptive father, a military officer tasked with ridding the area of rebels.In her loneliness, Ofelia creates a world filled with fantastical creatures and secret destinies. With post-war repression at its height, Ofelia must come to terms with her world through a fable of her own creation. Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy) directs from his own script. Original title: El Labertino del Fauno.genre(s): Drama, Fantasy director: Guillermo del Toro film cast: Ariadna Gil, Doug Jones, Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdú, Sergi Lopez certificate: 15 distributor: Optimum Rel. running time: 119 Mins official site: visit website
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Analysis on the teaser trailer: Pan's Laybrinth
Pan’s Labyrinth also produced a teaser trailer that I can compare with the original. The purpose of a teaser trailer is to show only the most important parts of the film, they are normally only a minute long and are very fast paced, and teaser trailers are the peak of film advertising campaigns as they are one of the most effective ways of promoting the film. They contain information such as dates of when the film is coming out, they could also contain reviews but most importantly they give a brief and exciting glimpse in to the movie.
It has significant differences to the original trailer; such as there is no longer a voice over, instead the trailer relies on the titles appearing; “what happens when make believe... believes it’s real.” The importance of adding these titles is to give information to the viewer, without them and without the voice over the audience would find it hard to analyse what the film is about because all the clips are not in chronological order. Another difference is that it uses the original sound track but it has been edited to only play the best parts of the music to match the teaser; it uses the slowest bit for the start of the trailer, the loudest and deepest for the most dramatic clips and the fastest for the climax, music is a fantastic way to entertain the audience because it dramatizes the clips and gives them more connotation.
However it also is similar to the original trailer like the position of titles; the name of the film is still shown at the end to keep the same effects of being the last thing the audience sees therefore remembering it easier, although the title is also complimented but final quotes and comments of magazines and writers “dark, twisted and beautiful” EMPIRE - 5 Stars- this strengthens the audience desire to see the film. And again the actors are still not referred in the titles to keep the mystery and anonymity of the film.
Even though the trailer is significantly shorter we can still tell the genre of the film through its many devices, such as the pathetic fallacy is dark and ambiguous, the props are antique and gothic and the location foreshadows death. But the clips are the same ones although they have been filtered to the ones that are most influential and meaningful to the viewer, they are also sped up trying to entice the curiosity and get the attention of the audience as much as possible in a short period of time.
Analysis on the full length trailer: Dinner for Schmucks
- We also wanted to look at other popular films that were a different genre of film to compare and contrast the conventions and why they are so successful. Dinner for Schmucks is a very popular recent comedy film starring Steve Carrel and Paul Rudd and it is hilarious.We are told the name of the film at the end of the trailer at 2:19 this links to the horror trailers that we researched which shows that no matter what genre of film the most effective way to portray the name of the film is at the end so it sticks in the audiences mind.We are told the names of the characters at the very start of the trailer compared to the names of the actors which we are not told till near the end of the trailer at 2:11. This is because they are A list actors which means people will recognize them actors from starring in other popular comedies which eliminates the need to reference them right at the beginning, however because of the use of typography and story, the trailer must introduce the characters first, the purpose of this is for the audience to grasp who the characters are and their personality. We are given the important information such as from the makers of and the actors names in black cuts however the rest of the information such as the brief story line and the characters names are shown on top of the image. This is to separate the important information such as who is to be credited and the information on the plot.The action in the film isn’t as obvious as that in a horror, because it’s a comedy the film makers rely heavily on the content of the dialogue rather than fast paced action however it does feature a lot of slapstick action like when he gets hit by a car and gets stuck in the lift, also there are a few dramatic crashes. The importance of having some action is to give the trailer some variety; audiences may find it boring if it just focused on the dialogue.The music is very important in the trailer much like it is in the horror trailers, the music is chosen to replicate the clips and create a specific atmosphere. For this comedy trailer the music is light and instrumental, it has character and is quirky to try and mirror the light heartedness of the film. They also use the great technique of silence, in horror trailers silence is used to build anxiety and drama however in the comedy trailers the music is silenced to let the characters say something important or to note the important typography. Another benefit of music if it is catchy is that it is memorable which means the audience will remember the film because of the music.Unlike the horror trailers there is no voice over in this trailer because it is not needed. The point of a voice over is to give an insight to what the trailer is about, however the dialogue being used represents the story line and is solidified by the typography. So using the characters to show what the film is about is useful because it allows the audience to meet the main characters and understand a bit more about their personalities.In comparison to the horror trailers these clips are not sped up however they are edited so that only the best parts of the scenes are shown to portray that the film is amazing and constantly funny. The producers could not speed the clips up because audience needs focus on the dialogue rather than just the visual.We are given a lot more information contrasted to the horror film; right at the start we are given the studios names: PARAMOUNT, DREAMWORKS and SPYGLASS. Then we are given the main characters names and why they are in the film which is given to us at different points in the trailer when it links to the dialogue and clips.Dinner for Schmucks has an obvious target audience of people who love that type of comedy which is linked to the actors, however the trailer is approved for all audiences yet the film is rated a 15. The problem with this is that although they get to advertise for a longer period of the day and at any other film they want the audience could be misled by the content and therefore who it is suitable for. You can tell by the language that that there is no swearing or physical violence or drugs or sex, nothing that would be inappropriate for a younger audience yet it is given a 15 rating.
- At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
Much like the actual trailer the teaser trailer shows the name of the film right at the end to keep it in the audiences minds.
- Why are we told who is starring in the film? How is this information given to us? Why?
We are not told, this is because it is supposed to be a documentary, therefore it is all new actors and in not giving the names make it seem realistic.
- What type of action from the film do we see?
The clips are so fast paced that a lot of action is shown but not long enough to
- What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?
There is no music, how ever their is a lot of use of sound effects such as banging and the metronome to create a sense of dark, booming music to emphasize the clips.
- Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?
Their is one point where one of the characters voices over different clips to give the audience an insight about what the clips mean “it’s not your house that’s haunted, it’s your son.”
- Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?
The voice was chosen so that the audience can understand the random placement of the clips and also it is lines taken from the film and she is the mother.
- How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? Why is this?
The speed of the teaser trailer is extremely fast and the clips are shown faster than the actual trailer. This is because the
- Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?
The speed follows the same pattern as the long trailer where the dramatic parts are sped up like at the beginning and the end but the bits to create suspense are slowed down or just show a black screen.
- What information are we given about the film?
In the teaser trailer, we are given more information then the actual trailer, this is because the audience may not be able to tell the story line from the fast paced clips. We are still told from the makers of Saw and paranormal activity but we are also told catch-lines such as: comes a phenomenon for a new generation, to build tension. We are also told the release date and name of the film.
- At what point in the trailer is this information given?
We are told
- What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?
Although all audiences would be able to watch it as you don’t see any violence or sexual themes or swearing, however you can tell from the dark ambience that the actual film will contain mature themes and would only be suitable for an older audience.
Insidiousrelease date 29 April '11what's the story Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) have a happy family with their three young children. When tragedy strikes their young son, Josh and Renai begin to experience things that science cannot explain. James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the co-creators of Saw, join forces with the producers of Paranormal Activity to take you on a mind-bending journey into the world of the unknown. INSIDIOUS is produced by Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, and Oren Peli and executive produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. genre(s): Horror director: James Wan film cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne certificate: 15 distributor: Momentum Pictures running time: 102 Mins official site: visit website | |
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- At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
At the very end of the film so that the audience can first watch the trailer and decide whether or not they like it and then they will become aware of the film tittle and they will remember it.
- Why are we told who is starring in the film?
If there are major celebrities in movies those celebrities will have fans that will want to see the film just because their favourite actress/actor os in that film.
- How is this information given to us? Why?
The Tittles are shown on a black screen in red and blue writing so that the audience can clearly see the tittles.
- What type of action from the film do we see?
we see a large amount of action in the movie trailer.
- What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?
There is both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The music used is rock music which gives us a clue that the movie will be a action/horror film.
- Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?
The trailer does not come with a voice over.
- Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?
There is no voice over.
- How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? Why is this?
The speed of the trailer is fast paced so that the audience can see many different clips of the film so that they will want to go to see the film.
- Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?
The speed stays the same throughout the trailer.
- What information are we given about the film?
We are given the name of the film and the names of some of the big celebrities who are in the film.
- At what point in the trailer is this information given?
At the end of the trailer.
- What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?
Analysis on the teaser trailer: Resident Evil Apocalypse- At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
The audience are told the name of the film at the end of the teaser trailer so that the audience can remember what the film is called.
- Why are we told who is starring in the film?
The audience is not told who is starring in the film during the teaser trailer.
- How is this information given to us? Why?
The name of the film is given to us at the end of the teaser trailer and is presented to us on a dark screen, however, the writing is in white so that the audience can clearly see the tittle and so that it stands out from the background.
- What type of action from the film do we see?
There is not much action in the teaser trailer. However, in the teaser trailer, the audience can see some action such as the main character holding a gun which suggests that this film is going to have action in it. The audience can also see a woman interacting with a dog in the teaser trailer.
- What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?
The music used in the teaser trailer is calm and slow at first as the start of the teaser trailer has been made to look like an advert. However, the music then changes to deep sounding music that becomes faster as some clips from the film are shown. The music used suggests that this film is going to be a action/horror film.
- Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?
The teaser trailer does come with a voice over of a woman who speaks calmly and slowly as the start of the teaser trailer has been made to look like an advert.
- Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?
I think this voice was chosen as the start of the teaser trailer has been made to look like an advert and adverts have voice overs that are calm and slow paced.
- How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? Why is this?
The speed of the teaser trailer is slow paced compared to a film so that the audience can think about the film and so that they can think about whether or not they want to see the film.
- Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?
The speed of the teaser trailer stays the same throughout the trailer.
- What information are we given about the film?
The audience is given the name of the film in the teaser trailer.
- At what point in the trailer is this information given?
The name of the film is given to audience at the end of the trailer so that the audience can remember the name of the film.
- What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?
Analysis on the full length trailer: Clive Barker's Book Of Blood
- At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
We are told the name of the film at the end of the trailer so that the audience can remember the name of the film.
- Why are we told who is starring in the film?
The film trailer does not show the names of the celebrities that are in the film.
- How is this information given to us? Why?
- What type of action from the film do we see?
In the movie trailer we see a young woman getting attacked by something. The characters also interact with each other throughout the trailer. We also see a man fall from a height onto the floor.
- What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?
In the movie trailer, diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used. The music used in the trailer is slow and deep which may suggest that the film is a horror film.
- Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?
There is no voice over used on the trailer, however, there is slow music throughout the trailer and dialogue from the characters.
- How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? Why is this?
The speed of the trailer is slow but the scenes shown are still faster than a clip from the film so that the audience can see more parts of the film in the trailer so that they can decide if they want to go to see the film.
- Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?
The speed does alter throughout the trailer as some scenes are slow but others are fast paced.
- What information are we given about the film?
The audience is given the name of the writer and the name of the movie.
- At what point in the trailer is this information given?
The writers name is given to us quite early on in the trailer but the name of the film is given to us at the end of the trailer.
- What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?
Analysis on the teaser trailer: REC
- At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
- The audience is told the name of the film at the end of the teaser trailer so that the audience can watch the teaser trailer first and then remember the name of the film.
- Why are we told who is starring in the film?
The audience is not told who will be staring in the film during the teaser trailer.
- How is this information given to us? Why?
The name of the film is given to the audience at the end of the teaser trailer and it is presented to look like the REC sign on a camera.
- What type of action from the film do we see?
In the teaser trailer the audience is shown two Spanish firemen running up the stairs in the dark, in a block of flats. The audience can then see a child standing in the dark and then runs towards the firemen.
- What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?
There is no music used in the teaser trailer. However, there is a small amount of dialogue used which is in Spanish. This could be why the teaser trailer does not have hardly any dialogue from the characters.
- Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?
The teaser trailer does not come with a voice over.
- Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?
- How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? Why is this?
The teaser trailer has a clip from the film which lasts for 1 minute 20 seconds and is played at the same speed as the film would be.
- Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?
The speed of the clip in the teaser trailer stays the same throughout the trailer.
- What information are we given about the film?
The only information that the audience is given about the film is the film name which is shown at the end of the teaser trailer.
- At what point in the trailer is this information given?
The film name is given to the audience at the end of the trailer so that the audience can remember the name of the film and so that it is clear in their minds.
- What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?
The teaser trailer is aimed at people aged 15+ as there are scenes of violence which may be inappropriate for children under the age of 15. However the film has been rated an 18. 
Analysis on the full length trailer: The Hangover
- At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
We are told the name of the film at the end of the trailer so that the audience can remember what the film is called as it will be the last thing that they see.
- Why are we told who is starring in the film?
We are not told who is in the movie.
- How is this information given to us? Why?
The name of the movie is shown in bright orange writing on a black screen so that it stands out and the audience can clearly see it.
- What type of action from the film do we see?
In the film trailer we see police officers storming into the room and a car crash. throughout the trailer the characters interact with each other.
- What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?
In the movie, diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used as there is dialogue from the characters and music has been added to the trailer. The music that is used in the trailer is rock music which may suggest to the audience that there will be some action in the film.
- Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?
There is no voice over used in the movie trailer. However, music is played during the trailer.
- Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?
- How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? Why is this?
In the movie trailer, some of the clips that are shown to the audience are fast paced so that the audience can see many different clips of the film. However, some clips from the movie trailer are slow and last longer.
- Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?
The speed does alter through the trailer as some clips from the film are fast paced so that the audience can see many different clips from the trailer. however, some clips from the movie trailer are slow and last longer.
- What information are we given about the film?
We are given the name of the film towards the end of the movie trailer.
- At what point in the trailer is this information given?
The film name is given to us towards the end of the trailer at 2:07.
- What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?
The film trailer will be aimed at audiences that enjoy comedies as this film is a comedy. This film trailer could be shown to audiences aged 12 and above as there is no offensive language used in the film trailer. However, there is a scene in the trailer in which a stun gun is used on a characters face which parents may find inappropriate for children under the age of 15. However, the film The Hangover is rated as a 15.
The Hangoverrelease date 11 June '09what's the story
Two days before his wedding, Doug and his three buddies drive to Vegas for a blow-out night they'll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they can't remember a thing. Their posh hotel suite is beyond trashed and the groom is nowhere to be found. With no clue of what happened and little time to space, the trio must attempt to retrace their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to LA in time for his wedding. However, the more they begin to uncover, the more they realize just how much trouble they're in. With Bradley ("YES MAN") Cooper, Ed (TV's "The Office") Helms and Heather ("AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER") Graham. Todd ("STARSKY & HUTCH") Phillips directs from a spec script by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. genre(s): Comedy director: Todd Phillips film cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha,Zach Galifianakis certificate: 15 distributor: Warner Bros. running time: 99 Mins official site: visit website | |
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Analysis on the teaser trailer: The Hangover 2
- At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
The audience is told the name of the film near the end of the teaser trailer so that the audience will remember what the film is called.
- Why are we told who is starring in the film?
The audience is not told who will be starring in the film in the teaser trailer.
- How is this information given to us? Why?
The name of the film is in white, large writing so that the audience can clearly see it and so that the writing stands out from the background.
- What type of action from the film do we see?
The only action that we see from the teaser trailer is the interaction between the characters.
- What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?
The teaser trailer uses both diegetic and non-diegetic sound as there is music and dialogue from the characters. The music used in the trailer is RnB which may suggest that there will be some action in the film.
- Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?
There is no voice over used in the teaser trailer, however, music is used.
- Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?
- How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? Why is this?
The clips shown in the teaser trailer are slow so that the audience can think about the film and decide if they want to go to see the film. This also makes the audience want to see more.
- Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?
The speed stays the same throughout the teaser trailer.
- What information are we given about the film?
The audience is shown quotations from newspapers and magazines and the audience is also shown the name of the film.
- At what point in the trailer is this information given?
The audience is shown the quotations from the newspapers and magazines at the start of the teaser trailer but the name of the film is shown near the en of the teaser trailer.
- What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?
The teaser trailer is aimed at audiences who like comedies. The teaser trailer is appropriate for all audiences as there is no violence or swearing in the trailer. However, the film The Hangover part 2 is rated as a 15.
THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THEATICAL AND TEASER TRIALERS
TRAILER CONVENTIONS
TARGET AUDIENCE- ACTORS RESEARCH
Through all our findings of previous films and trailers we have discovered that we should focus our target audience on ages 15 and above and that the higher percentage of our viewers would be male, however through our plan of featuring mostly female characters we hope that we will attract an audience with an even percentage of both male and female. We chose the BBFC rating 15 because although our trailer has no graphic adult themes we do hint there are in the film so although this limits our advertisement being shown after watershed and only before films at cinemas that have a rating at 15 or up we believe that keeping it at a 15 would attract a wider audience then having limited as an 18.
Through our target audience research it lead us to studying actors who would be suitable for that audience. As our trailer will only feature two women
Ramona Marquez
Ramona Marquez is a rising star, known mostly for her role in the series OUTNUMBERED but now recently appearing in films such as THE KINGS SPEECH, although she is quite young she has proven her self on OUTNUMBERED as a lot of her script is improvised by her, this would add value and spontaneity and also authenticity to our production. We are concerned about her mental stability and have to consider how she would react to the adult themes Ruby Jerins
Ruby Jerins is slightly older then Ramona and therefore would probably be easier to work with, she would be able to comprehend the directions and work with the emotions she is supposed to be feeling. She is also a lesser known star appearing in mostly in NURSE JACKIE but again merging in to the film industry in SHUTTER ISLAND. We think ruby would be suitable as the youngest sister in our film because she is young and still has that child link innocence around her which makes it that more creepy when she gets possessed, but also through her previous roles we can tell she is mature enough to handle adult scenes while filming e.g. blood and violence. We think she would be a positive influence to our target audience because she is young enough for people to feel compassion and empathy and should attract the right age group of 15's and over.Lauren Socha
Lauren Socha is an amazing actress made famous by her role as Kelly in MISFITS, she is able to play a character completely different to her own personality which shows flexibility and the ability to adapt to different situations which would be perfect as our role as the older sister. However with her role as Kelly she brings along a lot of controversy when she acts, as she is know for a program that is certified an 18 which contains a significant amount of sex, drugs and killing which may turn off some of our audience if they see that she is the main character. Kate Lane Johnson
Kate Lane Johnson would also be a good choice as our older sister because she is a unknown actress only appearing as extras in films. The purpose of having a unknown actress is to make the film seem more realistic like PARANOMAL ACTIVITY did and also she has the audiences appeal because she is young and attractive which would widen our audience to the males.BRAINSTORM
PLANNING OUR TRAILER
Genre- the genre of the film is torture horror hybrid with supernatural horror. However it will be filmed as a documentary through the use of handi-cam and point of view shots.
Narrative- The narrative will be introduced by the older sister telling the audience about what is coming up, which is followed by the clips of her horrific and supernatural experiences with her sister
Location- The location as brainstormed will take place in Kerry McGranaghan's house as there is a lot of mirrors we can use and the family home solidifies the documentary task.
Characters- The characters will be played by my sister Rachel McGranaghan as the youngest child who gets possessed and the older sister will be played by Kerry McGranaghan who will be filming the documentary on the family.
Voice Over- On pre production we will initially record a voice over by Patrick McGranaghan who has a deep booming voice, famous for horror film trailers, but there is a possibility it will not be needed when editing.
Theme- Some of the running themes that will be shown in the trailer is family-shown by the concern by the sisters, death- although no deaths are shown a lot of cliffhangers and questions are left for the audience, and the theme of madness- do we know whether the youngest sister is really possessed or is she just crazy?
Mood - The mood as most trailers is dark and ominous which creates a sense of tension and apprehension for the viewer.
Pacing- The speed of the trailer will vary in accordance with the music, the trailer will start off quite slowly and then pick up the pace as the cuts get quicker and more dramatic.
On-screen graphics- The on screen graphics will have to be up to experimentation, we hope that we will able to film all of our own effects ourselves however if we need to then we have the opportunity to create some digital effects like reflecting her in the mirror. We will also need to use the graphics for the title sequence and if the voice over needs to be backed up by onscreen text so we will have to play with TEXTLIVE too.
Editing and post production - The main editing softwear we will be using is FINAL CUT PRO for the film and PHOTOSHOP for the magazine cover and poster, the use of FINAL CUT PRO will allow us to cut our trailer in to only the clips we need. The main transitions we will be using is the fade, we need quick fades to link the scenes so the run more smoothly, we are also hoping to overlap some of our clips to see what effect the overlay gives and whether it enhances our production.
Music and other sound effects- The role of the music is very important as it creates a specific atmosphere to the clips and if we do not choose suitable auido the trailer will have no meaning. We will experiment with the use of silence and the contrast between speeds and we will be using GARAGE BAND and YOUTUBE to experiment with our sound. We will also be concentrating on the diegetic sound whether we want to include the voices of the characters such as screaming, and also non-diegetic sound such as and glass smashing that might add more of a dramatic effect.
We found it much easier to research this year in compassion to AS because we widened our view on films studying different genres and cultures, we used other extensions of researching rather then just Google, we used specific sites like IMDB and used other methods like the library and word of mouth used in statistics.
Through both our research on trailers and teaser trailers we were able to establish that there are so many different sub genres of horror it is difficult to come up with your own original idea, but hopefully we did.
AUDIENCE RESEARCHThe purpose of our auidence research is to get the highest rating as possible, this means we need to know who our trailer is going to be targeted at and make sure it has the right and suitable conventions and themes.
We resarched a lot in to mainstream and independent broadcasters and companies who would promote our trailer and if the BBFC would approve of your established age certificate.
INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH
We resarched a lot in to mainstream and independent broadcasters and companies who would promote our trailer and if the BBFC would approve of your established age certificate.
Magazine cover
Questionnaire
Questionnaire On Horror Trailers
Are you more likely to watch a horror film when the trailer shows the actors to be a similar age group to you? not likely preferred very likely
no importance 
depends 
very important
No 
Yes 
Sometimes
30seconds-1:30min 
1:30min- 2:30mins 
2:30mins-3:30mins
Fast 
Slowed 
Varied
Yes 
No 
new idea 
based on facts
a lot of content 
not a lot
Psychological 
Gore 
Supernatural 
Fiction 
Historical
Social Networking sites 
Youtube 
Radio 
Magazine 
Word of mouth
Directors name 
Actors names 
Plot brief 
Film name 
Release date 
From the makers of
teaser 
full length
Are you more likely to watch a horror film when the trailer shows the actors to be a similar age group to you? not likely preferred very likely
- How important is music in a horror trailer?
- Do you think voice overs are effective in horror trailers?
- How long should the duration of the film trailer be?
- Are trailers that are fast paced more effective then slow paced clips
- Would you prefer actors in the trailer you recognize rather than new actors?
- Would you prefer a story line that was original or based on facts?
- Would you prefer a trailer that keeps you guessing or displays a lot of content?
- What type of sub genre is most appealing to you
- Where are you most likely to see or hear about a horror trailer?
- What information would you like to see in a trailer?
- Do you prefer teaser trailers or full length trailers
MIS-EN-SCENE:
The mis-en-scene is very important in filming as it helps the audience to understand huge factors of the the film eg; the time it is set, where it is taking place ect.
The pre production mis-en-scene consists of PROPS, LOCATION and CLOTHING.
Location
We choses the house as a setting as it is relatable to all audiences which makes it more erie and authentic.
Clothing
Rachel (the child): will be wearing a dark lace dress and bolero- through this the audience can tell that the clothing is modern and can suspect that the period it is in is the 21st century.
Kerry (the sister): will be wearing jeans, black top and cardie - use of this shows an older generation, suggestive to be a sister rather than a parent and is also relateable to the time it is set in.
Props
Mirrors x8: The film is all about the possession through mirrors and it gets a hold of a little girl, therefore we need as many mirrors as possible to enable a variety of shots and angles. If it was shot with just one mirror the audience will get bored so they require a certain amount of variation.Carving Knife: we need a kitchen carving knife for the scene where the girl is standing over the bed watching the other one sleep, it needed to be a kitchen knife because it would be easy access to a child and also a knife is a cliche in horror films yet still manages to strike fear in to an audience and therefore is a valuable horror film prop.
White Board Black Pens x2: We need white board pens to write on the mirrors but still allow it to come off. We are writing scripture and binary along with creepy rhymes and threatening words on the mirror to symbolism the decent in to insanity.
Torch: the purpose of the torch is there will be a lot of dark scenes filmed however we still need a diagetic light source that will allow the characters or objects to be seen. It is also a great effect device, we will use it up against a mirror to reflect to writing on it to someones face.
Equipment needed
Video camera
Tri-pod (+charger, pc connector)
Mac with Final cut pro, Photoshop, Livetype and Garage band
OUR TEAM
Actors/Characters:
Anna played by Rachel McGranaghan-Profile:
Name: Anna Stry
Gender: Female
Age:11
Ethnicity: White British
Occupation: Student
Anna is a typical young pre-teen who stumbles across a cracked, green hand-held mirror and slowly becomes obsessed. She is the focus in the trailer and the subject of her sisters documentary, as the trailer goes on the atmosphere is ominous and dark revealing that there is possibly a demonic possession through that mirror she is obsessed with or she is simply loosing touch with reality.
Emily played by Kerry McGranaghan:
Profile:
Name: Emily Stry
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Ethnicity: White British
Occupation: College Student
Emily is the older sister, she is filming her family for a college project and along the way notices the changes in her sister, she documents Anna's demonic behavior. She is the only other character shown in the trailer and through her body language, filming and facial expressions we experience her fear and worry for her sisters safety and her own.
Producers/ Writers / Editors
 |
Writers/ producers/editors: Hayley Banks and Kerry McGranaghan |
Writers are the team that create the story board and plot enabling the producers to follow a working script and storyboard but formatting some creative changes such as if they think a different camera movement will create a better effect or a change of dialogue or lighting would be more beneficial. Which is then left up to the editors to make an final changes to the trailer and they add titles and music anything to make the trailer leave more of an impression such as speeding up some of the clips. All of these teams are vital to the making of any piece of media production and with out one the product will fail.
Story board
Script
After experimenting with dialogue both on the story board and while filming, we decided that it was more effective to have very little speech, there is the occasional scream and mention of the name to justify the title to the protagonist however we believed that the silence of the characters created tension and fear for the viewers.
Audio
We experimented with a vast amount of audio both digetic and non-digetic. We found through editing it was best to have very little dialogue throughout the trailer especially through the fast paced sequences. We chose to merge and edit some audio together which consisted of a human heart beat, some traditional horror sound effect track and a piece of music. We found this to work really effectively and created the dramatic audio thrill we needed to enhance our filming. The music was so successful because we edited it to play softly and instrumental at the beginning of the trailer to then gather speed, volume and intensity to engage the climax of the clips to scare and entice the audience.
Script for presentation
Hayley: A key selling point of a film is its trailer, although there are other forms of marketing and promotions such as posters and magazine publicity but trailers are the most popular, this is because generally trailers are a primary selling point for the film as it is the first advertisement that the audience sees.
Hayley: A key selling point of a film is its trailer, although there are other forms of marketing and promotions such as posters and magazine publicity but trailers are the most popular, this is because generally trailers are a primary selling point for the film as it is the first advertisement that the audience sees.
Kerry: Trailers are used as an insight to the film by showing the best parts or the climax of the film that will entice the audience but will also finish with an open ending which creates a sense of mystery that practically forces people to want to go to see the film for the resolution.
Hayley: There are certain characteristics in trailers that represents the genre of the film....
Kerry: Devices used in trailers have the purpose of creating a specific atmosphere like in a horror, whether its through (play clip) loud and sudden noises or through (play clip) pauses on black screens to create tension
Hayley: where as a comedy might use the conventions of constant laughter (clip) (clip) or slapstick satire with the inclusions of sterotypes.
Kerry: Romance will include soft lighting and a make out scene
Hayley: thrillers could include (clip) shootings or ominous deaths and car chases
Kerry: Trailers are also a good way of showing the accolades they might introduce with the voice over "nominated for 5 academy awards" or good publicity from the press like a quote from Empire. This solidifies the audience positive view of the film because they know other people like it.
Hayley: Audiences also sub conscienceously analyze the trailer by its technical and symbolic codes
Kerry: Technical codes consist of any obvious signs such as the lighting, camera angles and the frequency or number of cut edits.
Hayley: where as Symbolic codes are more subtle as they involve any mis-en-scene effects such as body language, weather and props.
Hayley: this weeks topic is the evolution of horror.
Kerry: the traditional view of horror films have evolved over the years as have their conventions.
Hayley: kids have grown to be so immune to horror due to the traumatic and gruesome video games that now they are harder to scare.
Kerry: and they view traditional horror conventions as humorous rather than terrifying (show frankenstein)
Hayley: Frankenstein used to be the face of fear conveying the common conventions of a horror film.
Kerry: such as the ominous weather e.g thunder, lightning , the eerie surroundings e.g flickering lights, machinery and the classic monster and mad scientist.
Hayley: yet the 21st century craves the thrill of watching horror films with the excitement of fear but with the comfort of knowing it isn't real, thats why directors have made more drastic films. ( show paranormal activity)
Kerry: as you can see the traditional features of a horror film have changed dramatically.
Hayley: they use handy cam to make it more personal and realistic to the viewers because it is more like a documentary so it deletes the sense of 'its not real'.
Kerry: there are many different types of horror today and each appeal to a specific audience, such as; gore and torture (show saw)
Hayley: psychological (show blaire witch)
Kerry: zombie (show 28 weeks later)
Hayley: sci-fi horror ( show fourth kind)
Kerry: supernatural horror (show legion)
Hayley: monster (show the mist)
Kerry: and even a hybrid of slasher comedy (show scary movie)
Hayley: and as you can see by these statistics, that supernatural is the most popular sub-genre, mostly because they are the films that create the most suspense.
Kerry: however, we are going to focus on the 13% margin which is torture and horror.
Kerry: Clive Barker's book of blood, released on the 8th of May 2008 made $6,000,000 in its opening weekend and stars Jonas Armstrong and Sophie Ward and written and directed by John Harrison although the film is based on Clive Barker's novel.
Genre
Hayley: We chose this trailer for our presentation because we have decided that our trailer will share the similar genre and generic conventions. "Book of blood" is a horror but is also a sub hybrid of psychological, supernatural and gore.
Kerry: The movie itself is a fantastic piece of media production with many traumatic and exciting twists and the trailer is there to try and portray this with out giving too much information away, yet at the same time leave the audience wanting more.
Hayley: Trailers are vitally important to promote the film and for the audience to establish its genre, this is important today because they must appeal to the right audience in order to make a profit through positive word of mouth and advertisement.
Sound
Hayley: The structure of Clive Barker's Book Of Blood's trailer is based around the voice over which consists of both an anonymous dialogue and the perspective of the protagonist.
Kerry: The start of the trailer is influenced by the mix of the dialogue from the 'hunter' combined with the non-diagetic sound of the surroundings, e.g, tools and the beginnings of the music.
Hayley: The diegetic sound of the music begins when the production company logo appears "Lightning home entertainment". The music is contrapuntal with the dialogue to create a certain uneasy ambience and maintains the dark genre of the trailer. The importance of a voice over or in this case multiple voices is to link the random clips together so that the audience can make sense of it.
Kerry: The director also enhanced this taking 'key' words and writing them on the screen, this is effective because it shows the importance of the part of the speech and it is more likely to stick in the viewers mind.
Hayley: Using 3 different characters voices as well as the anonymous voice over is unique and effective because it highlights who the main characters are in the film and gives a quick insight into their persona.
Kerry: The diegetic and non-diagetic sound is definitely the most essential factor in the trailer whether it is the silence to create tension and suspense or the sudden bangs and changes to enhance the viewers fear.
Editing and Camera Shots
Hayley: The use of camera angles, shots and movement is the second most crucial part of the trailer and combined with the right mise-en-scene it is able to make the audience feel included as exampled by the opening low angle shot, making the audience feel intimidated because you are seeing it through the eyes of someone who is threatened.
Kerry: This is enhanced by the quick cut editing to an over the shoulder shot, this insignificant edit is vital because it is the first gruesome shot of the protagonist and his mangled skin. The importance of this shot immediately informs the viewer that this is a blood thirst film as shown by the close up of the tools and not suitable for people who do not appreciate horrors.
Hayley: The second considerable shot is a crane shot zooming out, this creates two effects because it is also an establishing shot as well as combining the voice over. The imperative of an establishing shot illustrates the genre further as the mise-en-scene is grey and wooded, plus combined the crane angle we also feel a sense of insignificance.
Kerry: The speed of the trailer is relatively slow however, some of the edits are fast cuts but the majority of the edits are slow fades, the effect created is more realistic and so the audience feels more uncomfortable.
Hayley: The content of the shots mostly consist of mid shots to close-ups, this is to express the emotions on the characters faces and their body language. The use of this makes it more personal and a stronger desire to go to see the film to discover why there is so much pain and anguish inflicting them, such as the shot behind the bars representing being trapped.
Kerry: The structure of the trailer is short but effective, being only 1 minute and 48 seconds, it indulges a lot of well put together context that the director believes represents the film accurately and captures the right audience.
Hayley: The clips are not shown in accurate order of the film but have been edited to show scenes from all parts of the movie, which enhances the trailer as, in only showing the climax the audience expect that the film will live up to that standard and expectations.
Legal Requirements
Kerry: The order of the tittles and information is a key element in trailers and Clive Barker's book of Blood conforms to the legal requirements of the BBFC as it shows, before the trailer is shown, the rating that the film has been certified. Clive Barker's Book of Blood has been given a certificate 18, which means, by law the trailer can not be shown before watershed or in cinemas that are showing films that have been given a certificate of below 18 so that trailer could not be shown before a film that has been rated as 15.
Hayley: Clive Barker's Book of Blood has been rated an 18 due to the graphic deaths and gore and by the traumatic and distressing scenes, even though their is no swearing in the film.
Graphics and Typography
Kerry: The order of the tittles conform mostly to the traditional arrangement in a trailer as it starts off with the production company "Lightning Entertainment" then to the information from what the film was based on, "from the legendary mind of Clive Barker". However, after this minimal information the director leaves the audience to pick up important quotes from the dialogue, e.g, "you are a book of blood", and "the dead have stories to tell".
Hayley: Then like most trailers the film's name is shown at the very end, "Clive Barker's Book of Blood". This is so common in trailers because it is so effective, as it is the last information read over a black screen and showed slowly so it sticks in the audience's mind.
Kerry: Unlike other trailers the actors names are not highlighted during the trailer, so although star appeal is not targeted a certain audience may be attracted to the film if they recognize the actors, but the only recognition the actors get is the quick flash of credits at the end.
Hayley: The positive of not including A list actors is that there will not be such a negative stigma attached to whether they like they actors or not, this will dictate their choice on seeing the film. Another positive of using new actors is that it creates a sense of reality, so it shows that this could happen to anyone such as paranormal activity did.
Mise-en-Scene
Kerry: The last important factor of the trailer is the use of mise-en-scene which consists of a range of props, costumes and lighting. The atmosphere is created by the grim natural light reflected by the dark, dull location. This follows the conventions of a horror trailer as they are rarely set during mid day with bright lighting.
Hayley: The dismal colour reflects the emotion and this pathetic policy is a very influential technique which helps portray the genre to the audience.
Kerry: The costumes are a brilliant visual tool that benefits the trailer because it suggests the time period they are in and the surrounding environment,in this case clothing are relatively modern but the potragonist displays a lower class compared to some of the other characters like the woman in the suit.
Hayley: Props are vital in a trailer especially in Clive Barker's Book of Blood as it hints towards a torture film as shown when the hunter roles out the tools, other suggestive props were the three different shots of a hand held camera which shows that there is documentary content.
Kerry: There is also shots of the main character on a crucifix which is associated with religion mirrored with the supernatural props, e.g, the writing on the walls.
Hayley: The audience is also exposed to a few shots of blood, e.g, the flowing briefcase and the fountain in which 3 girls are shown made of blood, which is rounded off by the traditional and constant screams of fear.
Vladimir Propp
Kerry: Our research has encouraged a lot of ideas that we can use in our trailer, we have studied a variety of horror films and have concluded that the traditional conventions are sometimes the most terrifying as Vladimir Propp also proves.
Hayley: We researched Vladimir Propp to find that his theories are very similar to ours, he based his theories on the old Russian folk tales and found this to be so effective because they are the *base* of peoples moral values and fears, this is because they have been brought up with them since their childhood, as our generation has with disney.
Kerry: He has created a famous 31 function sequence to a story-line. Here are a few main ones:
1: ABSENTATION: A member of a family leaves the security of the home environment. This may be the hero or some other member of the family that the hero will later need to rescue. This division of the cohesive family injects initial tension into the story-line. The hero may also be introduced here, often being shown as an ordinary person.
Hayley: 12: FIRST FUNCTION OF THE DONOR: Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc., preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor).
Kerry: 30: PUNISHMENT: Villain is punished.
Hayley: 31: WEDDING: Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).
Kerry: This structure is important today because it sets a guide for modern writers especially for children's books and programs. This is going to influence us as producers because even though our ideas are similar we can adapt our story-line so that it doesn't conform to his and the expected template of a story, causing surprises and unexpected twists.
Tzvetan Todrov
Hayley: Tzvetan Todorov was another literary success as his greatest contribution to the literary world was his theories on the fantastic. Todorov defines the fantastic as being any event that happens in our world that seems to be supernatural. Upon the occurrence of the event, we must decide if the event was an illusion or whether it is real and has actually taken place. This is important in horror films and trailers because sometimes the things that are not shown on camera but instead things left to the imagination can be the most terrifying.
Kerry: He is also a Bulgarian philosopher and produced another famous theory which was his ideas on narrative, this consists of 3 main parts:
Hayley: 1. The story begins with a state of equilibrium- this is the calm before the storm, where we see everything as it should be.
Kerry: 2. Which leads to the disequilibrium- this is climax, where there is disruption and chaos
Hayley: 3. Which finally leads back to an equilibrium- which is produced at the end of the narrative because everything is resolved.
Kerry: This circular structure is used in films but also adapted for trailers as well, because people know this order the trailers only show the beginning equilibrium and the disequilibrium leaving the audience to go to and watch the film in order to find out the conclusion to the climax and the restoration on the equilibrium even though it will not be identical to the first equilibrium.
Kerry: This circular structure is used in films but also adapted for trailers as well, because people know this order the trailers only show the beginning equilibrium and the disequilibrium leaving the audience to go to and watch the film in order to find out the conclusion to the climax and the restoration on the equilibrium even though it will not be identical to the first equilibrium.
Hayley: By not having a linear structure it means we get to see the progression of the characters or the situation when they are tested in the disequilibrium.
Claude Levi Strauss
Kerry: Claude Levi Strauss was a social anthropologist who studied myths of tribal cultures. He examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture which are usually expressed in the form of binary opposites, for example, if there is a villain in a story there must also be a hero, or if there is light in a story there must be darkness. Media theorists have adapted Strauss's research to reveal underlying themes and symbolic oppositions in media today.
