Target audience interviews

Findings

Age - There were 3 18 year olds and 1 17 year old and there taste in films was not dramatically different showing that the maturity level is very similar meaning our trailer would appeal to all ages around that area. This would most likely go as far from 15-25.

Preferred Genre - There taste in genre was slightly different and differed away from the horror genre mainly due to the others in choice. Although they may like horror their favourite films in terms of the spectrum caused them to pick something else. This is probably even the case for myself, I am a huge fan of a great horror but it is not my go to genre in terms of other films out there. Furthermore if they went out to see a film within there own sex they are more likely to watch a different genre. If they went out a group they would more likely watch a horror which is not entirely taken into account when we initially ask them the questions.

Why do they watch films? - It seems to be more of a social event in which they can get out of the house and go to the cinema, this is obviously perfect for any film but horrors especially which can be a unique cinema experience.

Judgement - Most judged towards the middle or end of the film which means the same principles may apply to trailers meaning they can stay till the jump scare and actually get gripped and even scared enticing them to watch the film when it comes out.

Elaborated sounds - Most didn't like the use of sounds and said it depended on the movie, in this case for a horror trailer it is key to get them scared and gripped with the non diegetic and even exaggerated diegetic sound being placed.

Target audience data

To get a better understanding of our audience, I complied a questionnaire which I handed around members of our target audience to obtain various data which will be helpful in the construction of our Trailer. The Questionnaire was comprised of the following questions;

1) Gender (Male/Female)
2) Age (15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and over)
3) Favorite Genre of film
4) Do you judge films within the first few minutes
5) Favorite films
6) Do you like the use of special effects
7) How often do you go to the cinema
8) Where do you watch film trailers (T.V, or Internet)

The results, as shown via charts and similar boring maths related diagrams are as follows;

Film company logo (First draft)

Here is the first draft of our company logo for Hyperion Entertainment. We have utilised the macabre image of a guillotine to insinuate the content our company makes, making it more likely to have created a horror movie.

 

The above image was designed and created by Carl Aylett

Target audience brands

For our target audience work, we have to work out exactly who it is we are trying to entice in with our film trailer. From looking at the website UKtribes, which provides detailed notes on all the main youth tribes that can be located in the UK. The website details a number of tribes, including;

• Nerds
• Townies
• Hipsters
• Chavers
• Rahs
• Trendies
• Trackies
• Fan Girls

The list of youth tribes that exist in this country goes on and on. Due to the vast amounts of information given to the user upon visiting the web page, it is fairly easy to narrow down the tribe you wish to focus on. In the end, due to the fact we wish to have our trailer appeal to the most people possible; we will be focusing on the Townies group.



Townies, as described by UKtribes, are "as mainstream as you can get – it’s the default ‘normal’ Tribe and the core of the British youth population…" Due to the fact that this is "the core" of the British youth population, and the fact we want our trailer to appeal to the most people possible, aiming our trailer at this particular group seems obvious. Fortunately, Townies are known for watching a great deal of television, and sticking to things which are popular. It would therefore be easy to attempt to catch this particular group's attention, and due to their media usage (particularly the television), it would be fairly easy to advertise to them.




Below is a small slideshow listing the tribe's top 13 or so brands.

Influences for the trailer (and what we are TOTALLY NOT ripping off)

So, what aspects of the Grave Encounters 2 trailer would we like to plagiari.... be inspired by? Well, the main thing that jumps out at me is, well, the jump scare! The demonic figure that turns up at the end of the trailer, somewhere at the start, and in the thumbnail of the video. More than this, the trailer carries with it a sense of perpetual unease, and lighting is also used to very good effect.




Insidious; one of the "greatest horror films of modern times" actually has a pretty effective trailer. The camera angles and shots used, along with the setting and lighting are very well done, which we shall do our best to copy.... I mean emulate in our trailer.


Here is the trailer for one of the oldest horror movies that is still widely regarded as being popular; The Blair Witch project. I do not like much about this trailer, as the lighting is poor, making it difficult to make out what is going on (even if this was intended, it doesn't work.) Next thing I find lacking about this trailer is the actual content, or should I say lack of scares. Nothing in the trailer effectively makes the audience jump, therefore suggesting it isn't an effective trailer. The only thing I like about the trailer is the way it manages to maintain a constant atmosphere of threat.



Here is the trailer for VHS 2, which is an incredibly unnerving trailer due to the strange and frantic nature of the trailer. Nothing is explained, and the trailer does suffer for it for quite a bit. Normally, a trailer should bait the audience by revealing enough information to make a small section of the plot known, but not revealing too much. This trailer focuses solely on keeping the audience in the dark, and thus is very difficult to emulate it.


The Conjuring was a recent horror film, which was pretty well received by critics. The ending of the trailer is particularly interesting, as it ends with someone clapping as opposed to the generic scary face seen in most other trailers. The trailer also has a fairly good build up, which is something I wish to implement in our trailer.  

Film Company Name

Aside from the trailer itself, we also had to design our film company, the name of the company and the logo of said company. Below are photos of the planning we went through to achieve our companies name; Hyperion entertainment.

The list was divided into three categories; titles we liked, titles we thought could potentially work with some reworking, or titles that we thought in no way would be usable. This were colour coded Green, Blue and brown respectively.

The final selection process was whittled down to three;
Hyperion Entertainment
Last Breath
Titan productions

This was further whittled down until we were left with Hyperion Entertainment. We living in a democracy, opted to go for Hyperion Entertainment for fear of riots and violence.

Initial location shots (Test footage)

Here is a video showing our initial shots of our planned location. We plan to set the trailer in this house, as it possesses both modern rooms, such as sleek contemporary bedrooms and a modern kitchen. This contrasts well to the dining room, living room and back room, which all appear aged and could easily appear as though they are from the past.

Prop List

Here is a simple video showing off the props we plan to use in our film trailer.
 

Pitch Mark 2; The Pitch Strikes Back

Horror film trailer pitch mk2 from dgseager

Trailer Ideas part two

After much discussion, my group and I have come closer to an idea. Planning around what we have available to us, we have the use of a house, which contains both old styled rooms, which could be easily modified to look as though they are from the 1920s, along with completely modern and stylized rooms which can be used for scenes relating to the modern day. Due to the stark contrast in the settings we can make use of, we are currently finalizing ideas for a horror film trailer based around the aspect of time travel, and reality not being what it appears.

The main plot thus far, which keeps to the conventions of a horror film trailer by having small plot details revealed, yet having a lot kept from the audience involves the protagonist finding that they have died, or have a date they are to die. From this point onward, they are unable to leave, being trapped in the house by themselves, and thus try to find out the circumstances which surround their unusual death. They also have visions of the past, and begin to turn insane, causing the audience to question their sanity to a great degree.

We will make heavy use of props from both the 1920s, along with modern day, such as mobile phones, a gramophone, pocket watches, a typewriter and so on. A big point will be made of identity, so masquerade masks and similar identity obscuring props will be utilized. A number of scenes have already been planned, including a small scene in a private poker game with all the players being the same person, a 1920s party, and a shot whereby the mirror shows a more beaten version of the protagonist. Alternatively, the mirror could potentially showcase the protagonist's appearance from the opposite time.

Below are some planning sheets used when working out what we had available to us to use for our trailer;

It's a Plan Stan! (Take 2)

After a discussion with our assessor, about our newly revised plan for our trailer, we came across an idea which seemed to spark up a debate. We have, at our disposal, a house with both incredibly modern sections, such as a kitchen, bathroom and bed room, and old, 1920-40s looking rooms, including the living room, the hall and the dining room. This sparked an idea in our minds about time travel, or visions from another time. This lead from one idea to another, and we ended up using a scene from The Shining for inspiration. The idea we have is that the protagonist sees visions of himself in the past, committing heinous acts, yet he is unable to leave, or stop them. The lines between these visions and reality become increasingly blurred until the two cannot be told apart.

An alternative idea which branched off this would be if one version of the protagonist was stuck inside this house, moving between the past and the present, with another version of the protagonist attempting to get in to either free them, or kill them due to a discovery made by the person on the outside. A great deal of illusion- based imagery would be utilized, as well as old style objects and possessions, which we have access to. These potential props include;

• An old style telephone
• A Gramophone
• Pocket Watches
• Old porcelain-like dolls
• A Typewriter
• Old Records
• Masquerade masks

We could also make newspapers if the trailer warranted such objects. Aside from this, we also have a wide range of suits and similar costumes which fit in with our chosen time period.

Furthermore, we have also had a few thoughts about potential music that could be utilized if we were able to use such a theme and a setting; 

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPiTrnPVvTM

After You've gone (1912)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA6ulKFXiTA

Midnight with the stars and you- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQmOvngHQk4

From the above we now have a number of new ideas to consider, which we will now take into consideration when working on our idea.

Horror movie: Mood board

Horror Movie Pitch feedback

From our pitch, we received a great deal of feedback regarding our initial idea, our plot and our locations.

During our pitch, we covered the following areas;

• Our choice of film Genre and why.
• The overall story of our trailer.
• Potential actors to star in our trailer.
• Potential locations where we could film our trailer.
• Possible props for our trailer.

Below are photographs of the group giving our Pitch.



From the feedback, we were told the following about our presentation;

• The fact we had chosen to do a horror film trailer about a supernatural creature was an interesting idea, and would probably be possible for us to do with out level of editing and acting practice
• The idea we had of the protagonist witnessing their own death was a good and unique one, which could be used to put a great deal of tension in the audience. This would further unnerve the audience when the protagonist's reaction could be seen.
• The use of the mirror, and similar shots were different, and would be unexpected which would help to scare/shock the audience.

 This raised ideas from our assessor and which we shall act upon for our action plan;

• Firstly, our assessor stated that a clone, or idea which links to this would be far better than the idea we initially had, and that this would allow us to unnerve our audience far more effectively.
• This idea surround the clones shouldn't be introduced in the trailer, or shouldn't be addressed until the end of the trailer if at all.
• This would allow us to show the protagonist's gradual descent into madness, as those around him do not believe him, and his paranoia and fear gradually grow. 
• This would also allow us to show the doubt in the protagonist's mind as to if he is actually committing the crimes without noticing.
• The clone/clones could be differentiated from the protagonist by varying clothes, and that could be it- they are otherwise indistinguishable from each other.
• The protagonist could also begin to act far more like the clones, helping to show their decent into madness, as they begin to doubt even their own actions.

In response to this, we shall look more into horror films about the topic of dual identity, and the idea of clones, such as Godsend or cloned. We shall also look into film trailers where the protagonist isn't trusted by anyone, and so has to act alone, so that we are able to work out how to convey this effectively in our trailer/. 

Horror Movie Pitch

Working title; The Dark Door

Pitch from 07mccarthyarchie

Horror movie trailer planned storyboard

Above is our proposed story board for our second pitch of our horror movie trailer, as our first one wasn't what our assessor was looking for. The first scene would feature the protagonist being home alone, discovering that a murder has happened recently in his general area. He ignores the murder, though finding it's proximity to him a little unusual. The second scene features one of his friends, whom is angry with him for ignoring him/her, despite the fact he has only just met them. Confused, the protagonist carries on into town. In the third scene, he witnesses what he believes to be himself leave a shop he has just entered. Becoming paranoid, he returns home. The fourth scene takes place when it is dark. Washing his face to try and forget the day, he looks up to the mirror, yet what he sees isn't his own reflection. Instead, he sees a twisted version of himself, cut and bruised to the point he is nearly unrecognizable. The next scene involves him trying to call for help, but being unable to get assistance from either his friends or from the police, who think him mad when he describes what he has seen. The final scene, and the point of the trailer will feature the protagonist going into their garden to stop a moving swing, but their hand is stopped at the last second by another hand. The camera then pans back to reveal it is another version of himself who stopped him. These shots and scenes are all linked via fast paced shots of unexplained and mysterious events happening around him.

Audience expectations of the trailer

To work out what to put in our horror film trailer, we decided to ask a number of people what they expected when we said the phrase 'Horror Film.' Below is the result of those questions.

A Star's image; The Hollywood studio system.

Existing film comany research

Below find my video on the research I found when looking into existing film production companies. I chose companies especially that produce horror films as horror is the fixation within my coursework.

 
 








The above is by Archie McCarthy

Woman in Black 9 frame analysis

The above work is by Carl Aylett

Sinister 9 frame analysis

The above work is by Carl Aylett

The Conjuring trailer analysis

VHS 2 Trailer analysis

BBFC Research - Certificate Ratings

Below find a hyperlink to my BBFC Certificate Research magazine. Simply click on the picture and it will take you to the .SWF file. Adobe Flash Player needs to be installed: 

The above work is by Archie McCarthy

Grave Encounters analysis

Iconic Soundtracks from Horror Films

The above work is by Carl Aylett

Research into typical synopsis

After looking into the typical synopsis of horror films, I have noticed that the plot is very dependent on the type of horror film. Below is a quiz devised using the different synopsis's to see which horror film you would be most likely to have created.



Quiz can be located here.

Analysis of font

When looking a titles for films, font is often key to portray the nature of the film as a horror trailer. Some use simple, or plain fonts to lure the viewer into the false sense of security, such as the original Halloween film (1987) and other use far more dark and foreboding text to make clear that the film is designed to scare the audience or give them a sense of unrest, such as the title of Se7en (1995).

Horror film titles were mainly written in a plain, relatively normal font up until the 1950s when the titles start to become far more varied and and sinister. The type of horror film also influences the font used for the title greatly.

A slasher film, which generally focuses on a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a number of victims in a particularly violent and graphic nature. The term slasher is characterized due to the frequent use of weapons used to cut/slash the victim including, but not limited to; Knives, Axes, Chainsaws, Scythes and Saws. Famous examples include the Halloween films (1987-2009), The Texas Chain saw Massacre (1974-2013), Scream(1996), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Final destination franchise (2000-2011) and even Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). These films generally have twisted titles which make the audience feel uneasy. Modern day interpretations rely heavily upon distorted titles, which in some way reference the content of the film- Blood, an X-Ray or a Chainsaw.

Splatter films are films which rely heavily upon gore and violence to shock the audience into being scared. These films are often criticized for their use of violence above all else, using the plot as a framing device for the violence rather than try to engage the audience on any level. Notable examples include Hostel (2005-2011), Saw (2004-2010), My Bloody Valentine (2009), The Crazies (2009), The Hills have eyes (2006) and Dawn of the Dead (2004). The fonts used for these titles are very plain, choosing to utilize more distorted text, than a form of text which reflects a particular aspect of the film, such as blood. The texts are generally dark in nature and are normally a strong, stark contrast to the background.

The last kind of horror film which could be realistically used is a supernatural horror film. Supernatural horror films have a strong link to the occult and spirits of those who have passed away. Examples of these include; The Amityvale horror (2005), The Exorcist (1973), Grave Encounters
(2011-2012), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Paranormal Activity (2007-2014) and Drag me to Hell (2009). These titles are often simple, or plain text overlayed upon a single colour background, normally dark in nature. These texts are the simplest, as they rely the least on effects and seem to just create tension by being something ordinary, that isn't quite right.

Clearly, there is a great contrast between modern day Horror film titles and horror film trailers of the past. Modern day titles use darker fonts in an attempt to make the audience feel a sense of unrest, which can be seen across all genres of horror film. These often use dark backgrounds to reflect the nature of the films. From this, our title will have to utilize a fairly plain text, with a dark foreboding background. 

Still Frame analysis

The above work is by Carl Aylett

Histroy of horror trailers

The horror genre has gone through many changes over the years, in similar ways as action and adventure films have due to to advancement in technology. On the other hand horror has mainly changed in the actual content and what is considered as 'scary'.

Horror has been around for many years and first comes to the screens/movies as early as the 1920's. Movies within this time period all the way up till the 1960's are all fairly similar with the fixation on supernatural beings. This includes the usual horror monsters like zombies, ghosts, frankenstein, vampires, mummies and skeletons etc. 

Films like this include:

• Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920)
• Nosferatu (1922)
• The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
• Dracula (1931)
• Night of Terror (1933)
• Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
• The Walking Dead (1936)

The only differentiation in the typical supernatural horror films within this time period occurred in the 1950's where their was more signs of wars (the cold war) and various communist themes being portrayed. Films like this include:

• The Thing from Another World (1951)
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

In 1960 the Hammer Film Productions became notoriously more known and created the term and string of 'Hammer Horror Films' due to them dominating the genre at the time. The production utilised the actor Christopher Lee a lot and he was present in many of the films, stealing the lead role too. He played the Creature/Frankenstein in the Curse of Frankenstein (1957) The Mummy and even Count Dracular. This shows how  well known actors were re-used to possibly sell the film which follows the same ideas that modern films do with action and adventure films, not necessarily a horror film though. 

Furthermore there was a popular sub-genre which differed to the typical supernatural views on horror which was a psychological take on the horror aspect. Well known films like this include:

• Psycho (1960)
• Hour of the Wolf (1968)
• Night Gallery (1969)

This was taken all the way through 1960 and gained popularity in the 70s too with A Clockwork orange and the Halloween franchise. 

The next horror outlet to gain popularity was the adaptions of Stephen Kings horror books, films like this include:

• The Shining (1980)
• Misery (1990)
• It (1990)
• Pet Sematary (1989)
• Carrie (1976)
• Cujo (1983)

Dawn of the Dead came out in 1978 as George A Romeros second film in his living dead series. It introduced a lot more violence and gore to the horror industry which made films such as My Bloody Valentine (1981) and many more. Furthermore it is now much more popular and frequent in modern films such as the whole Saw and Final Destination franchise which gets it sales due to the mass amount of gore. Moreover classic films have been remade such as Evil Dead (2013) which ridiculously increases the amount of gore shown compare to the original. 

Modern day horror films now steer away from the traditional supernatural beings such as Frankenstein and Vampires and fixate more on the paranormal beings such as ghosts, demons, poltergeists and possession which somehow prove to scary many individuals even in cases where an actual bring isn't present (Paranormal Activity, invisible demons etc) This can be interpreted to follow the old psychological format in which the invisible being plays tricks on the viewers mind and scares them not knowing where the actual demon is. 

The above is by Archie McCarthy

Green Screen test

The above work is by Carl Aylett

Analysis of Titles

Initial Ideas/brainstorming session

Once my group and I had decided we wanted to create a horror film, we began brainstorming ideas. Firstly, we had to decide on which type of horror film we wanted to create. Below is a brainstorm my group and I came up with when trying to figure out which kind of horror film would be the best to do.

After brainstorming these and looking at the respective trailers, we decided that it would be easiest/most viable to create a paranormal or Slasher film, as these rely far less on expensive special effects and sets. Below is another brainstorm which details our initial ideas as to plot, setting, props costume and so on.

Mind Maps by Archie McCarthy

Group Dynamics- Introduction

Horror Genre Iconography

Below is a collage of photos/iconography which has various pictures associated with the horror genre. This helps me to get a good idea of what should be included in our trailer as they are various props/themes which are expected to be seen.

The above is by Archie McCarthy

G324 Advanced Portfolio Brief

Briefs

1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the band;
• a cover for its release as part of the digipak (CD/DVD package);
• a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).

2. A promotion package for a new film, to include a trailer, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the film;
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• a poster for the film.

NOTE: All material for all tasks are to be produced by you yourself with the exception of acknowledged non-original sound or image material used in a limited way in video / radio work.

Formats - Video work must be in DVD format and must be playable on standard domestic DVD players for moderation purposes. Audio work must be in CD format. Print work should be presented as a jpeg or pdf. Games should be either in Flash format or playable on an existing console.