My first task was to research different trailers to get to know them, this task made me realise how much information you can fit into a trailer with so little time.
Inter titles‘IN 1979 THE U.S. AIRFORCE CLOSED A SECTION OF AREA 51’
‘ALL MATERIALS WERE TO BE TRANSPORTED TO A SECURE FACILITY IN OHIO’
‘IN 2011’
‘IT ARRIVES’
‘SUPER 8’
‘ALL MATERIALS WERE TO BE TRANSPORTED TO A SECURE FACILITY IN OHIO’
‘IN 2011’
‘IT ARRIVES’
‘SUPER 8’
1) What information do we get about the narrative?
There is no narrative in the trailer which builds the suspense and makes the viewer interested and wanting to know more.
someone is talking on a radio saying 'train on schedule' and mainly saying what time the train will be arriving.
someone shouts 'OH MY GOD' we then see a train crash.
because there are hardly any voices the trailer feels very eerie.
someone is talking on a radio saying 'train on schedule' and mainly saying what time the train will be arriving.
someone shouts 'OH MY GOD' we then see a train crash.
because there are hardly any voices the trailer feels very eerie.
2) Names that sell the film? e.g stars, directors, writers, previous films?
PRODUCER - Steven Spielberg
DIRECTOR - J.J. Abrams
3) What questions is that audience left with?
They are left in suspense, what is this film really about? what will happen next?
4) Shot breakdown, list every shot in the trailer.
1 | ‘Paramount’, birds chirping |
2 | Camera in a field with trees either side, we see a light and hear the noise of a train. |
3 | Skips to the train going at a fast speed and you hear it close up. |
4 | ‘AREA 51’ |
5 | Hear the radio, jump cuts to signals and the noise of them, car lights hear car screeching. |
6 | ‘FACILITY IN OHIO’ |
7 | Car crashes through the barrier cannot see who is driving the car, hear the train approaching the car. |
8 | ‘STEVEN SPIELBERG’ (radio starts again). |
9 | ‘OH MY GOD’ car crashes into train, car goes off the rails, sparks. |
10 | Train goes off the rails. |
11 | The train buckles up and parts of it explode. |
12 | ‘J.J. ABRAMS’. |
13 | Skip to the carriage of the train, balls of fire, dark and eerie. |
14 | Fade to different angle of more rubble, something inside one of the carriages bashing on the walls. |
15 | ‘NEXT SUMMER’ |
16 | Telegraph pole moving as the carriage is being bashed on, sparks come from the pole. |
17 | ‘IT ARRIVES’ |
18 | Carriage again, something denting it trying to get it open, wheel starts spinning. |
19 | Picture of a camera |
20 | ‘SUPER 8’ |
This trailer has very obvious differences to Super 8, we can tell this as soon as the trailer starts by the bouncy music throughout the trailer (with lyrics), there is a lot more talking making it seem a lively girly film.
The trailer includes the funniest bits of the film however it does not spoil the end.
The trailer includes the funniest bits of the film however it does not spoil the end.
You get the impression that the film is about the maid of honor rather than the bride.
The title of the film immediately makes us aware of what the film will be about.
and as soon as the trailer begins you can also tell that it will be a girly film about a wedding with the music, and the way the two girls are reacting to the opening line... 'I'M ENGAGED!'
and as soon as the trailer begins you can also tell that it will be a girly film about a wedding with the music, and the way the two girls are reacting to the opening line... 'I'M ENGAGED!'
The things that primarily sell the film are the inter titles
FROM THE PRODUCER OF 'KNOCKED UP' AND 'THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN'
so you know that the film will be comical and girly and those two film have had good reviews.
so you know that the film will be comical and girly and those two film have had good reviews.
Another good thing about this trailer is that we don't find out the name of the film until 2:05 meaning that you have to watch the whole trailer just to find out the name.
At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this? | The name of the film is only presented at the very end of the trailer. This makes the audience intrigued into what the film is and means that they have to watch the whole of the trailer just to find out what it is. |
Why are we told who the director is for the film? How is this information given to us? | We are told who the director of the film is because it reassures the audience that it will be a good film. J.J. Abrams directed this Star Trek film and he is a well known director so people trust that his films will be good. |
What type of action from the film do we see? Are there different sorts of action throughout the trailer? | As soon as the trailer begins we see a man on a motorbike, which is a typically boyish sport. And then immediately after that there is a scene in a bar and they are having a fight. And then later on there appears to be a war |
Does the trailer tell us the story? | Yes the trailer gives us an idea of what the film will be about and that it is much different to previous Star Trek films however it does not tell us the full story. |
Why do you think that these scenes were included in the trailer? | These scenes were included in the trailer to make the audience want to watch it. It looks exciting and dangerous. |
What clues does the music give us as to what the film the trailer is advertising? | The music gives the film and the audience a buzz, it is dramatic with the high pitch voices and the low pitch drumming. |
What can you say about the voices of the people that we hear speaking? What do they say? How does this help to build up an idea of what the story might be about? | Below is the transcript of the trailer. It tells us about the main character and what he will come up against in this film. |
Captain Pike (CP): I couldn’t believe it when the bartender told me who you were.
Kirk: Why are you talking to me, man?
CP: Your father was Captain of the Star Ship for 8 minutes, he saved 800 lives, including yours. I dare you to do better. Enlist in Starfleet.
TEXT: FROM DIRECTOR J. J. ABRAMS
Spock: You will experience fear, fear in the face of certain death.
Kirk: Pull your ‘chute!
Dr. McCoy (DM): No! no! no! no!
TEXT: THIS MAY
Spock: We’ve received a distress call.
Nero: I’m been waiting for this day my whole life…this day of reckoning.
TEXT: PREPARE
DM: I’ve got no Captain and no First Officer to replace him.
Kirk: Yeah we do.
TEXT: FOR THE BEGINNING
Spock’s father VOICE OVER: You are capable of deciding your own destiny…the question is, which path will you choose?
Nyota: I hope you know what you’re doing.
Kirk: So do I.
Nero: James T. Kirk was a great man, but that was another life.
Starfleet Officer 1: They’re locking torpedoes
Starfleet Officer 2: Emergency evasive!
Nero: Fire everything!
Unique selling point:
A curse from beyond the grave.
Use of music:
Very quiet at the beginning and builds up to a climax.
Narrative:
Story line is different from normal horror. You do not know what the film is truly about until 57 seconds in when we see an old woman isn't all that she seems.
Brief description of shot types:
1. high angle shot, soft music to begin with.
2. mid shot of woman in car (main character) looking worried
3. fades out and in to the next scene.
4. talking to manager she has her back to the camera (shows vulnerability)
5. camera cuts to over the shoulder of the manager, so camera is now facing the woman talking to the manager.
6. whilst the conversation is taking place the camera cuts to the main character sat at her desk (mid shot) staring into space.
7. and then cuts back to the conversation after seeing a snapshot of and window and the Assistant Manager sign which the main character is hoping to achieve.
8. camera looks at Stue
9. main woman seems nice but has to show that she can be tough in her job.
10. in her car, close up of face looking worried and innocent.
11. full body shot of her and the demon when she drags her out of the car.
12. extreme close up of demon looking at a button, then looks straight at the camera, making the audience feel uncomfortable.
13. demon looks nastier and more like death as the trailer progresses.
Dialogue:
‘Mr Jacks, I was wondering if you’ve made any decisions regarding the assistant manager’s position?’
‘it’s between Stue and yourself’
‘Stue being the new guy?’
‘Stues someone who not afraid to make the tough decisions’
‘I am perfectly capable of making the tough decisions.’
‘I’ll let you know as soon as I decide, OK?’
‘it’s between Stue and yourself’
‘Stue being the new guy?’
‘Stues someone who not afraid to make the tough decisions’
‘I am perfectly capable of making the tough decisions.’
‘I’ll let you know as soon as I decide, OK?’
‘Will you help me?...Please’
‘OK’
‘OK’
‘we have an elderly woman asking for an extension on her mortgage payment, we would have to throw her out of her house’
‘We’ve already granted her two extensions it’s a tough decision, your call’
‘We’ve already granted her two extensions it’s a tough decision, your call’
‘Another extension is out of the question’
‘where will I live?’
‘I’m really sorry’
‘never have I begged for anything, but now.’
‘Mrs Dennis please’
‘I beg you’
‘please... please let go, please let go, SECURITY!’
‘You shame me’
‘where will I live?’
‘I’m really sorry’
‘never have I begged for anything, but now.’
‘Mrs Dennis please’
‘I beg you’
‘please... please let go, please let go, SECURITY!’
‘You shame me’
(screams)
‘Soon it will be you who comes begging to me’
‘Someone has cursed you, it’s the lamia, the most feared of all demons, for the first 3 days the spirit torments its victims, after that it will come to take you’
‘Take me where’
‘To burn in hell for eternity’
‘Soon it will be you who comes begging to me’
‘Someone has cursed you, it’s the lamia, the most feared of all demons, for the first 3 days the spirit torments its victims, after that it will come to take you’
‘Take me where’
‘To burn in hell for eternity’
‘It’s coming for me’
‘Please listen to me, there is nothing coming for you’
‘Please listen to me, there is nothing coming for you’
‘How do I get rid of this?’
‘You can give the curse away’
(screams)
(screams)
Inter titles:UNIVERSAL
FROM SAM RAIMI
DIRECTOR OF SPIDERMAN
AND THE EVIL DEAD TRILOGY
THIS MAY
UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND GHOST HOUSE PICTURES
PRESENT
THE RETURN
OF TRUE HORROR
DRAG ME TO HELL
IN THEATRES MAY 20th
FROM SAM RAIMI
DIRECTOR OF SPIDERMAN
AND THE EVIL DEAD TRILOGY
THIS MAY
UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND GHOST HOUSE PICTURES
PRESENT
THE RETURN
OF TRUE HORROR
DRAG ME TO HELL
IN THEATRES MAY 20th
UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND GHOST HOUSE PICTURES PRESENT
ALISON LOHMAN
“DRAG ME TO HELL”
JUSTIN LONG
co. Producers
CRISTEN CARR STRUBBE, IVAN RAIMI
ALISON LOHMAN
“DRAG ME TO HELL”
JUSTIN LONG
co. Producers
CRISTEN CARR STRUBBE, IVAN RAIMI
Research into Slasher Films
Some facts about slashers:
- The first true slasher film is said to be Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960).
- The story may be about an event that commemorates a past action. This happens in Halloween: Resurrection, Michael Myers has finally succeeded in killing Laurie Strode when some new teenagers go searching for the true meaning behind Myers' killings and the story begins again with fresh new victims.
- The victims are usually guilty teenagers who typically take drugs, have sex, drink and smoke.
- A member of some type of force, like a detective, attempts to hunt down the killer.
- The last girl/boy tries to warm their friends but the friends pay no attention.
All Slasher films have;
- A murderer
- A last girl
- A scary location
- At least 1 victim
Characteristics
The killer:
- Usually male
- Concealed by a mask
- Often mute and unstoppable
The Victims
- tend to be young attractive adolescents
- usually punished for indulging in sex, drugs, alcohol and other illegal activities.
The final Girl
- slasher films frequently only have a single survivor this tends to be a female peer of the victims. She does not copy her friends illicit behavior, and is typically a virgin.
- At the end of the film she/he is left to deal with the killer.
Brief
For my Media Studies A2 course I produced a horror film trailer, film poster and film magazine front cover.
I had to create a story for the trailer and then plan, create props, find locations to film in, find actors and the film the trailer. I then designed the magazine front cover and poster about my film to promote it.
ResearchFor my Media Studies A2 course I produced a horror film trailer, film poster and film magazine front cover.
I had to create a story for the trailer and then plan, create props, find locations to film in, find actors and the film the trailer. I then designed the magazine front cover and poster about my film to promote it.
when researching horror films I decided to carry out a short questionnaire on Facebook to find out what teenagers want out of a horror film.
What do you want from a horror film? Most people voted for a clever plot.
Do you think the characters are import or is it more about the story? Most people voted that both characters and the story is important.
What do you get most scared about? The majority of the teenagers I asked this question to answered that the sense of the unknown is what they get most scared about.
Do you like to have to think whilst watching the film or watch something that you don't have to pay much attention to? About 80% of teenagers I asked said that they like to have a puzzle and have to think.
What character would scare you the most? The character that the majority of the teenagers picked was a psychotic human which is why I went down the rout of incorporating humans but the actual reason for them becoming psychotic was due to the mask.
If you could make your perfect horror film what would it include? Most people wanted a twist in the film, lots of suspense and fear.
How would the film end? The public said that they wanted one last person left.
I used several different media products for my research into my trailer, magazine front cover and poster. I looked up lots of trailers on www.traileraddict.com and wrote notes on them, this helped with getting ideas on the construction of my trailer. I used old film magazine’s provided by the media department to find out about general presentation of magazine front covers. And analysed as many posters as I could.
I also organised a focus group where we watched Halloween, the first scene of Scream, and The Unborn, then after each film I asked the focus group how they felt about the films.
Planning Names!
My film trailer follows the traits of a traditional horror film produced by a major film company.
It includes a final girl, vulnerable teenagers, several murderers but one reason (which is the mask), it is mainly set in scary locations and the murder weapon is invariably a knife.
I thoroughly researched film trailers, and the films themselves to try and create a similar trend. I especially liked the beginning scene of Halloween with the young boy and the mask and tried to achieve a similar effect in my trailer.
I included inter titles, which help in explaining parts of the film as I thought they were more effective than a voice over.
The Poster!
The poster is quite simplistic but effective, giving all of the relevant information but not overcrowding the page.
The magazine front cover uses the conventions of a media product as it follows the magazine trend; it includes a barcode, brief information about some of the articles inside the magazine and some photo’s. However of course it has its originalities as well, this is expressed through the different fonts used and format of the front cover.
I needed to create a name for my magazine and I picked the name FILM! Because it stood out and clearly showed what the magazine was about, I felt that people would be drawn to the magazine in a shop if the masthead was across the length of the front cover.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I think the combination of my main product and ancillary texts is very effective as they all promote each other and create a strong image of the film.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
My audience have said that I have achieved a film trailer that makes the audience want to see the rest of my film. They also said that if I were to do this project again to possibly set the trailer in a darker place to make a more dramatic effect. The audience thought that the poster was dramatic.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
I used Adobe Premier Elements to make and edit the trailer, Microsoft Word for my poster and magazine front cover. In my research I used Facebook to do my questionnaire.
My audience have said that I have achieved a film trailer that makes the audience want to see the rest of my film. They also said that if I were to do this project again to possibly set the trailer in a darker place to make a more dramatic effect. The audience thought that the poster was dramatic.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
I used Adobe Premier Elements to make and edit the trailer, Microsoft Word for my poster and magazine front cover. In my research I used Facebook to do my questionnaire.
