Here are the storyboards that we created for the initial ideas for our horror trailer. When we have shot all of the footage and begin to edit, we probably wont stick to exactly what we have planned in these storyboards but we thought it was important to start with storyboards to get our original ideas down so we know where to start when it comes down to filming.
We have included details about camera angles, music, position of characters in shots and movement. Jo and myself planned these storyboards together so both equally contributed to ideas and while i wrote down the directions, Jo drew the pictures.
When watching a horror film I think that one of the most important things, when trying to create suspense is the music being played. So I think that in a horror trailer this factor is even more important. A trailer is trying to sell the film to the audience so you want to create as much suspense as possible and this is done by music and sound effects.
We are going to use a combination of music and sound effects in our horror film. After watching many trailers we got an idea of they type of music we would like to use in our horror trailer. We liked the use of violins as they create an awkward suspense and have a spooky connotation. We want to use the slow sound of violins at the beginning of the trailer to build up the anticipation and then when the action picks up pace we want the music to mimic this and get faster and also louder.
We are also going to include sound effects to make the audience jump at the climax of the action. Some ideas we have already came up with are loud bangs, a suspicious ringing of the door bell, screams, a mysterious swing swinging in the garden and also scratching on a chalk board.
The song ‘Don’t Go’ by Bring Me the Horizon was a huge inspiration to us so therefore we are going include parts of this song in our trailer to create the suspense needed. We like the violin part at the beginning (0.00 – 0.25) and also the more upbeat fast pace part more towards the end (3.04 – 3.31), so these are the parts we are most likely to use in our trailer.
Bring Me The Horizon - Dont Go
We also liked the idea of using a nursery rhyme in our trailer. The main character is our trailer is a little girl who haunts the girls living in the house so we thought a good idea would be to put a spooky twist on a nursery rhyme. We thought this would be a good idea because nursery rhymes have connotations of innocent sweet children so we want to make the contrast of this to show the little girl being far from innocent. We thought that ‘A teddy’s bear picnic’ would work or the ‘Freddie’s coming for you’ tune.
We are going to feature three main characters in our horror trailer; a little girl and two young students. The little girl is going to be played by Jo’ neighbour Evie Watkins and the young adults are going to be played by our friends Chloe Davis and Libby Akroyd. We chose these people to play the parts because we feel that they will take the task seriously and work well with us to successfully achieve what we want and will fit the parts well.
Little Girl (Evie Watkins) - This is the little girl that haunts the other characters in the house. She was murdered in her house, along with her mother, and is very protective of her house as she doesn't like it when intruders enter her house, as the last intruder in her house ended up killing her.
Young students (Chloe and Libby) - two young students who are house sitting while the family are away and have the job of watching the cat. While in the house strange things start happening and soon realise they are being haunted by a strange little girl.
Location
Location is one of the most important things to think about in a Horror film. We discussed a range of typical horror venues that we could possibly use for our trailer: the woods, a spooky house, a school, a forest but we thought we should go for a location that would be more realistic and achievable. The main location for our horror trailer is going to be in a house. The house we are going to use is Jo’s house. We thought this would be appropriate and achievable because all actors live near to Jo so they will be able to get to the location easily and we there are features in Jo's house which we thought would make a good horror atmosphere and create suspense.
Focusing on the mis-en-scene of our film trailer, here is a collage of images/ideas that relate to the style that we want to create. Jo and myself sat down together at a computer searching for particular images that link with the ideas that we had talked about. We included images of costume, setting and props. Doing this has enabled us to gather further ideas which we can then include in our teaser trailer.
For my coursework task, creating a film teaser trailer, I have decided to work in a group with my friend Jo Penney. We originally arranged to work in a group with two other friends but shortly realised that this wouldn’t work as it was too big of a group and would be difficult to distribute and split work equally. We therefore decided to split into two smaller groups. I decided to work with Jo because we are both committed to our work, and are determined to work hard and achieve the best possible outcome that we can. We get along well and each bring a variety of different ideas which will benefit our work at the end.
This film poster is very eye catching as it has a mysterious and spooky feel to it. The edges of the poster are very dark with the light focusing on the centre of the image, making the image the direct focus of the poster; your eyes are automatically drawn to the image.
Like many other posters that I have looked at the image of the poster gets the audience thinking. You can see that the character is a human, but they are wearing what looks like a metal mask and carrying a sword and along with the fact that the lighting is dim, the audience are intrigued to find out more about the character and want to know his purpose in the film. The character in the image has very neutral body language and this is unsettling to the audience because it creates fear as you don’t know the full extent of his evilness.
The woods in the background of the image is a typical setting for a horror film, so this instantly getting the audience scared as the woods have connotations of fear with unknown creatures and terrible events occurring. The woods are also in dim lighting with the effect of fog or smoke around, this is adding to the suspense of the unexpected.
The title is in a ‘blood’ red colour. The colour red alone has connotations of danger, fear and blood so using this colour as the main colour on the poster of a horror film is very effective. The title stands out as the rest of the colours on the page are dull and dark colours so your eyes are drawn to the title, making it memorable.
I chose to analyse this film trailer because It is different from trailer I have previously looked at. The trailer doesn’t start with the common horror theme and I think this is effective. The trailer starts by creating that perfect Prom scene that every girl wants, with no connotations of horror included until the lights go out in the prom. From this moment on the audience are shocked as they have been waiting for that turning point in the film, the audience are now engaged with the trailer.
The music at the beginning is upbeat and energetic, which relates to the fun that should take place at prom, but this gets the audience thinking that its not going to stay so fun for long, and something is going to happen. The music then cuts out and a loud sound is used when the lights go out, this is the point of shock where the horror begins. The music then changes to a slower sound, which is quite high pitched.
When the music changes the screen repeatedly flashes black, in between which you see action of the characters all in shock and scared. After this a man feet appear at the top of the stairs. This is effective as the audience know this is going to be the ‘killer’ in the film, but gives a sense of mystery as you only see the feet of the man.
Similar to the other trailers I have watched, the trailer then picks up pace and cuts between action become faster making a more intense atmosphere. There are a lot of loud noises and screams that are used to shock the audience and this builds up the tension instead of fast, loud music that other trailers use.
·I think this is an effective film trailer. It is different from all of the other trailers that I have watched and this makes it unique and effective, it means it is memorable. The first 49 seconds of the trailer is a plain black screen, with a simple voice over. The creates suspense as the audience are waiting for something to happen, something to make them jump and the longer it is just the black screen, the more suspense is created. It gets the audience on the edge of their seat, and this is good, it shows they are engaged with what’s happening.
·The voice over is the part that makes the trailer have that uncertainty at the beginning. The words are spoken in a whisper, and the fact that you don’t know where the voice is coming from builds on the mystery of the trailer.
·Having the title of ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’, along with already knowing that the genre is horror, instantly makes the audience feel scared. Many people are scared of the dark because it creates that atmosphere of uncertainty, you cant see very clearly so you don’t know what is there, or what is going to happen, so the audience are just waiting for that thing which makes them jump.
·The darkness is interrupted with a loud bang and the word ‘Don’t’ appears on the screen. This is used to shock the audience and I think it is effective. I think an effective technique used in this trailer is the action happening behind the words of the title. It gives a ‘looking through a key hole’ effect, from the perspective of someoneelse, but you don’t know who or what that someone else is.
·The transitions are fast pace and fade through black quickly into the next shot. This is a common technique used in most horror trailers and one that I am planning to use in my trailer.
The colour scheme for this poster is very effective. Having a black and white colour scheme automatically gives a suspicious feel to the film and initially sets the genre so the audience know to expect a horror film. Black and white colours also give a sense of mystery as you don't know what to expect from the film; a typical convention of horror films.
The bars in the foreground of the shot give the effect of a window shutting something out and linking to the title 'Uninvited' they don't want the mysterious creature to come in. In the background of the shot there is the scene of a haunted woods; a setting which is again typical of horror films. This again links to the creature being 'Uninvited' as it makes the intruder seem as if they are outside maybe being looked at from the victim who is inside on the opposite side of the window.
The image is very central and is what the audience are instantly drawn to. The image is unidentified as you can't clearly see the face of the person/creature and the audience are left wondering what it could be and what things is it capable of.
As I am going to make a film poster and magazine front cover to accompany my film teaser trailer I thought it would be a good idea to analyse some and find out the key conventions included in them.
Scream!
· The main image is very conventional for a horror film poster. It is a close up shot of a victims face looking scared. This type of shot captures emotion and draws the audience into the poster as if the central image is effective they are left wanting to know more about the film. The face of the character is white with no colour and could have connotations of the saying “as white as a ghost” when someone gets scared.
·The title of the film is ‘scream’ and this is clear to the audience as it is the main/biggest writing on the page and is in a distinctive font. The font is spaced out and in a bold white writing. The audience want to know what the characters are ‘screaming’ about. The ‘m’ in the tittle has the effect of a spike coming through the middle; this makes the title attention grabbing and memorable.
·The colour scheme for the poster is dull and dark colours; black, white and a purply/grey. This sets a dark theme and gives a sense of mystery. The poster has little lighting and the only well lit part is the central image making it centre of attention.
·At the bottom of the poster there are names of some of the main actors in the film and also the name of the director. This could be a selling point as if the film includes successful and well known actors and directors then it may have high expectations from the audience making them want to watch it.
·The tag line at the top of a film poster is very important. It gives a slight indication about what the film is about, so the audience can decide if they like the look of the film or not. “Someone has taken their love of scary films to far. Solving this mystery is going to be murder”this leaves the audience interested in the film and wanting to know more so therefore it accomplishes its purpose.
