Monday, 30 June 2014
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Questionnaires
I have created two questionnaires for people to fill so that I can gather more information on my target demographic, trailers and also horror films in general .
The first questionnaire i have designed is fairly general so that I am able to see what kind of trailer I should produce in general:
1.
What is your gender ?
Male Female
2.
How old are you?
12-16 17-21
22-30
30-45 46+
3.
Do you often see film
trailers?
No,
never Occasionally Yes,
4.
Through what media do you usually see trailers?
TV Social networking sites (Facebook,
Twitter) YouTube or other video sharing sites
5.
How do you think films are
most advertised?
Through
trailers Posters or billboards Online campaigns Magazine/Newspaper adverts
6.
Do you often watch films?
No,
hardly ever Every now and then More often than not All
the time
7.
How long do you think a
film trailer should be?
30
seconds or shorter 31 seconds-1
minute 1 ½ minutes to 2 minutes 2.1 -2 ½ minutes 2 ½ - 3 minutes 3 minutes +
8.
You you think a film
should be promoted through…
Various
mediums Just one mediums to simplify it
The second questionnaire I have designed is so that I can gather more of an idea of what a horror trailer should be like from the perspective of the viewer:
1. What type of
horror film would you rather watch?
Thriller Zombie
Supernatural Gory Comedy
2. How often do you
watch horror films?
Never Every now and then around 4 times a year Once a month maybe All the time maybe once a week
3. What kind of
qualities in horror film trailers make you want to see the film?
The tension, if the trailer scares
me I’ll watch it A scary
villain If its gory and grusome
A good sense of story-line If it leaves me waiting and
wanting to find out more
4. Do you prefer to
see trailers for horror movies that let you know the film is…
Completely fictional Based on a real story It doesn't bother me either way
5. What type of
villain do you find scarier?
An older woman An older man A younger woman A younger man
A masked or unknown villain
6. Do you enjoy
watching horror films or horror trailers?
Yes No It depends on the genre and film
7. How often do you come
across horror film trailers?
Hardly ever Occasionally All the time
8. Where do you most
often see trailers?
TV Online (includes social networks
and YouTube)
9. How much of the
plot would you like to see revealed in a trailer?
None at all Some, I have to see if its worth
watching Majority of the plot
Everything so I know what I'm in for
1. Are trailers the
only thing that inform you of a film?
Yes Yes, with a mixture of other
things No, other online campaigns
and TV (websites and promotions)
No, through posters and adverts in print
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Shutter Trailer Analysis
This trailer for
the remake of the Japanese Horror Thriller is made by Regency, who are famous
for other horror films such as “Mirrors”, this type of information sets up the
audience to realise what kind of film they are about to see. From the very
beginning there is a slow but continuous rumbling sound in the background, this
sound is usually connected with the horror genre.
The establishing
shot of the trailer is of the Tokyo landscape, revealing the setting of the
film immediately. The rumbling sound in the background uses the seemingly
innocent shot of the cityscape to allude to something more dangerous with the
sinister music background.
This next shot zooms in on the camera as wit
takes another picture, the same effect is given on the audience. Due to the
amount of screen time given to the camera the audience will now realise that
this film will revolve around this camera.
Again the screen
cuts to black, therefore slowly increasing the tension in the trailer.
This
is the final shot of the camera it zooms in to an extreme close up, it flashes
and the screen momentarily goes white, in stark contrast to the cutting to
black. After this there is a narrative voice over to introduce the main
storyline, the tone used by the narrator is serious and deep therefore does not
give the impression that the story will be light hearted or happy.
This is followed
by a series of picture, with the voice over then goes on to explain the significance
of the pictures. This sequence uses a transitional cut from one picture to another,
so though flicking through pictures in a photo album, this fast pace and fluency
encourages the audience to continue watching the trailer. Along with the voice
over there is a loud screeching noise in the background to contrast the
rumbling sound and bringing the tension to a climax, and therefore implying to
the audience that this is the part of the film or trailer they should be afraid
of.
After this there
is another flash of light, this time bright red which has connotations of blood
and danger, implying that the camera is the thing that is most dangerous.
The next sequence
on the screen is someone flicking through a series of pictures whilst the voice
over introduces the idea of spirit photography. Through the photographs the audience
can see a spirit crawling along the floor, this image is not only spooky but is
also slow moving, again building up the tension. After this the is a jump cut
back to an extreme close up of the camera lens, again using “the bomb theory”
implying to the audience that the camera is the one that is picking up the spirits
in the photographs.
Directly after
this there is a short and quick sequence of images, the first is a quick zoom
in of a man sat alone in a chair in an empty room and of the skeletal face, the
two linked together give the impression to the audience that the man in the
chair is being haunted. The fast pace of this sequence adds to the tension as
the audience do not quite see what the sequence is and only really see the
skeletal face, this is created to make the audience jump. The background to the
sequence is a loud screaming noise that resembles a scream, again after the sequence
it cuts to black and the screaming sound cuts out with it, this then brings the
tension up again before cutting to black.
After this the
trailer then goes back to the “spirit photographs” using special effects such
as a flash that goes across the screen, giving the effect of the camera taking
pictures, each is designed to make the audience jump.
The next few
clips are fast paces and show the main on the chair in various circumstances,
the lighting in these clips are contrasting from light to dark, almost as
though in a photography studio to a dark room, in keeping with the photography theme.
After this fast
paced sequence the loud build-up of music cuts to quiet and the name if the
film fades up, similar to the way a photo appears in a dark room, again in
keeping with the photography theme in the film. This last shot is in contrast
to the rest of the trailer, therefore making the trailer seem more frightening and
shocking.
Monday, 16 June 2014
The Blair Witch Project Film Trailer Analysis
The next shot in
the sequence shows a hand filmed section where one of the characters is
describing what they will be doing and therefore outlining the plot of the
film. The only sound that can be heard here is that dialogue of the character
and of the person filming; this shows informality in the filming and therefore
highlights to the audience the unique selling point of the film. The shot is a mid-shot
with a teenage girl in the center of the shot. This highlights that she will be
the main character as she is the one who does most of the talking and is the
only one featured in shot. After this shot the trailer cuts to black again repeating
the thudding sound in sync with the cut.
The next sequence
of shots are the characters filming “members of the public” asking them questions about the Blair Witch,
the camera work here is jolted and a lot of background sound can be heard, this
adds to the realism of the piece and is key in the audiences suspension of
belief. After this the shot cuts to black and the in sync thudding noise is
repeated.
As this shot
appears onscreen there is silence, the camera seems to be traveling so we are given
the impression that the characters are in a car, and the setting is revealed
for the first time in this long shot in black and white giving an eerie feel. This is proceeded by a loud gasp which after
the previous silent shots are designed to make the audience jump, along with a
quick long shot of the girl we previously saw giving the introduction, she is
leading the way of the group, which tells us that she is the leader and in
charge, which challenges normal horror gender conventions where the woman is
usually the victim.
Again after this the boy on
the camera is joking around with the girl and asking questions about the Blair
Witch, from the surrounding and diegetic background noise it is now made
obvious they are in the Blair woods. After this is a filmed argument of the
group about a map to allude to the audience that they are lost in the woods. 
This
is a mid-shot if the girl in the dark, she shouts hello and the boys remain
silent again reinforcing her dominance over the group, apart from this all we can
here is the heavy panicked breathing of the boy holding the camera and rustling
in the distance this is created to try to bring up the pace of the trailer and
to strike fear into the audience watching. This is then followed by the whole
group running and screaming however the sound of the screaming is distant which
allows the audience to question whether or not the screaming is from the group
featured in the film or elsewhere.
After a brief cut
the black and the repeated thudding sound, the trailer then reverts back to day
light signifying a progression of time within the trailer. The shots are no
longer focused on the characters but on their reactions to the surroundings,
above is a long shot of the woods and a mysterious and creepy straw figure
planted in the trees, this denotes to the audience that the noises heard previously
is not just the paranoia of the characters but something supernatural and sinister.
This once again
cuts to black. The shots switch back to night time again so the camera shots
are unclear, we can hear screaming but not clearly see what the characters are
screaming at, as the characters are running and trailer is filmed by hand there
are no formulated camera shots, this adds to the panic of the trailer and
overall leads to a rise in pace ultimately sweeping the audience along with it.
Again this cuts to black with the thudding sound.
The next sequence
of the trailer is made up of solely extreme close ups, this is so the audience
can see the expression of fear on the face of the main character as she does
her piece to camera, due to the extreme close up mainly focused on her eye the audience
can see the fear in her expression and the tear in her eye, due to the trailer being
filmed by a hand held camera we also only see the top left hand corner of the
girls face, this again adds to the realism and panic of the trailer as she apologises
for bringing the group to the woods. The light given off by the camera also
bleaches out part of her face giving her a supernatural look as well, the
inclusion of the background of the shot increases the tension in the trailer as
the audience are expecting at any second for the witch to appear. Once again the thudding sound is used and it cuts
to black, the thudding has connotations of the footsteps getting closer as he
shots in between the thuds are getting shorter.
Once again the
thudding sound is used and it cuts to black, the thudding has connotations of
the footsteps getting closer as he shots in between the thuds are getting
shorter. The next sequence lasts two seconds as then we hear heavy breathing
and footsteps which is left for the audience to assume that the character is
running.
We then hear a loud but distant scream before
the camera is dropped we hear the thud as it hits the ground the same as the synchronous
thuds on the cuts between shots, from this there is then no sound what so ever
for a second.
All that is then
featured is the thudding sound, which is louder and more prominent than the rest,
which imply to the audience that whatever was tracking them has found them. This
final shot is of an odd shape that doesn't really seem to be of anything except
the white dash across the screen which resembles the myth of “supernatural orbs”
of witches and ghosts, this will be obvious to fans of the horror genre. The only
sound featured in this is a loud scream designed to send chills down the spines
of the audiences.
The
final thing on the screen is this plain image with no sound, this resembles the
first shot in the trailer and is in direct contrast to that of the previous 3
shots. This silent shot with the plain and simple type face makes for a very
dramatic ending to the trailer and therefore will encourage audiences to see
the film.
Thursday, 12 June 2014
The Woman in Black Film Trailer Analysis
The trailer
begins with a warning for the audience about the age restrictions and
limitations of the film, this is indicative of the horror/thriller genre as it
is frequently used to signify and warn of gory or frightening content within
the trailer.
The second shot
to be shown in the trailer is a short 2 second clip of a train pulling away
from a platform to reveal the main character, there is no sound featured in
this clip until the sound of heavy wind and church bells chime in time with the
editing of the next shot which lists the various conglomerates involved in
making the trailer, CBS Films , a company widely recognised for films of the
horror genre such as “The Last Exorcism” and “Afflicted”, along with Cross
Creek Pictures who produced films such as “Black Swan” and other thrillers and
Hammer for films such as “The Quiet Ones. All of the production companies
involved are shown in this shot on a black background to allude to the fact
that this is trailer for a horror movie.
The next 20
seconds consist of showing the audience the setting of the film which is the
dark and creepy looking haunted house, all of which are lit darkly under
darkness or clouded skies, it also reveals a marginal amount of the plot line,
which a small amount of speech from various characters warning the main
character off the house and talking about opening doors to the past.
This proceeded
by this image of a family picture with the eyes of the subjects scratched out –
an eye line match the main character to show the audience from his point of
view what he can see and therefore involving them in the trailer and content of
the film- to the background of the house previously seen in the start of the
trailer revealing a link to the audience, which is edited to the beat of the
deep ringing sound in the background.
The next shot is
a zoomed in version of the above picture to reveal a scary looking foggy image
of a woman as this is again editing in sync with the sound this is created to
put the audience on edge, make them jump but also show the main story line
without giving too much away so that the audience will still want to watch the
film. Directly after this is dialogue from the main character “I think she’s
after me” before revealing a door opening, this all links together after the
same image of the family is cut to again with the eyes of the family scratched
out. All of the shots are becoming increasingly shorted and more jump cuts are
used.
The next
sequence of shots use a change in background music, as each shot cuts to black
there is a thudding noise before cutting to the next shot, its change from a
distant sound of creepy bells chiming to thuds editing in sync to the jump cuts
of the protagonist investigating the house which sound as though they could
coming from within the house , as shown above there is a long shot of a rocking
chair swinging back and forth, the lighting in this sequence is very dark, with
only a small amount of natural light through the window behind the chair, each
of these cuts only lasts a second adding to the overall drama of the trailer
and building up tension.
The next of
these shot is the one above this is the first time that we really see the main
character in any detail. The under lighting from the candle illuminates the
expression of the character and also adds creepy looking shadows into the
background, more is also revealed in this shot by the period clothing, which
tells the audience that this is a period horror movie. After this shot there is
an eye line match back to the rocking chair so the audience can see exactly
what the character is afraid of.
Before the shot
above there is a white flash across the screen to simulate a flash of
lightning, before cutting to a long shot with a new diegetic background sound
of rain to indicate that an outside setting has been introduced. This is again
followed by an eye line match to show the point of view of protagonist.
The nest scene
is of a child’s toy before cutting to a scene where a shadow creeps down the
corridor to show the psychological thriller elements of the film to play with
the audiences expectations and minds.
This text
appears as though it has been written onto the window the=at the character was
looking through in the previous shit, this use of graphics is clear as it looks
as though it is raining. The text also relates to a previous part of the
trailer where one of the character says “If we open the door to suspicion where
does that lead?” implying that the audience are about to find out where “the
door” leads to.
The next series
of shots are fast paced and take place within around 5 seconds; the one above
is one of the first in the sequence it shows another eye line match as the
character looks out of the window and his face quickly fragments into the
haunting woman, after the previously quiet and slower paced parts of the
trailer this comes as a shock to make the audience jump, the sound becomes
sharper and louder, after this the cuts get quicker and quicker as well as
showing more horrifying scenes such as crying children and a room on fire.
After this
dramatic sequence of shots, it falls silent for the final shot of the trailer,
this gives an eerie feel to the whole trailer to summarise the film, it also
relates back to the other text shown in the trailer.
Monday, 9 June 2014
Intoduction
Hello, my name is Laura Mitchell and this will be my blog fror my A2 Media Studies Coursework.
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