Audience Research

It was vital that we gained some audience research before starting our main product. For this me and my group devised a survey with a variety of questions on it which we hosted on a website called 'monkey survey' from here we could post it on varies websites, such as Facebook as that is what our demographic use a lot in order gather vital information.

Below is a list of the questions we asked both quantitative and qualitative:

Are you male or female? - 15 boys:15 girls

What sub-genre of horror do you like? - Top answer was Phycological Horror followed by paranormal and zombie type films.

What is your favorite horror film and why? - Top answer was a toss up between the Saw films, Paranormal Activity and The Shining

What is your least favorite horror film and what made it so bad? - Top answer was the Saw films

Are you influenced by actors, directors, franchise or companies? - 21 people said no - 9 people said yes.

What setting do you find most scary? - Old buildings gained the most votes followed by hospitals and rural settings.

What makes you want to see a horror film? - The most popular response to this was a film that made people jump or had shocking moments in it.

What do you like in a horror trailer? - A lot of answers links back to scary and shocking moments as well as some suggestion of a well developed plot.

What have you seen in other horror trailers that make them so bad? - Answers for this included giving away to much of the plot and spoiling the main film by showing the best bits in the trailer.

This set of questions provided us with a good basis of knowledge to apply to our product making. We got 30 responses to the survey 15 of which were girls and 15 boys.

Looking at sub-genre it was clear that it would be advisable to do a film similar to one of the top answers as clearly that is what our demographic wants.

The top films were more a matter of choice but did link to the suggestion of physiological horror such as Paranormal Activity which shows some constancy in data.

Oddly on the next question Saw films were the most popular answer although the appeared as being one of the more positive types of film people tend to watch. This could suggest that even popular films still are at risk of being rejected by audiences, or in Saw's case it could be argued that as there are simply so many of them, people have become bored of them.

There was a majority of 21:9 on influence from directors etc. This is a good thing for horror, as generally people involved in this genre are very unknown and it is the horror people go to see not the actors.

Setting revealed that older places or areas that didn't have a lot of things in were popular. This gives our group great advise as to where we should set our trailer.

It was very clear that what audiences want from our information findings was a film that provided some shock factor and areas that would make them jump.

This was then supported by the next question suggested that they equally wanted this within a trailer which is something we would have to answer to. As well as that they suggested a developed plot to be mentioned without giving away all detail. Something else we would have to include.

The last question once again supported the previous two responses and suggested that what put people off in trailers was seeing all the good bits and having the plot given away. This could suggest a want for mystery, although as suggested by the previous answer it is important to get the balance of plot given and given to much.

Overall our findings provided my group with strong ideas as to where to start. There were clear majorities on certain elements of horror, although there were some that disagreed. This is inevitable in a survey as not everyone is going to agree. However, the majority is enough to want to follow into our product and try to fulfill the criteria set by our demographic.

Link to survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WQR6RQR


(The link above goes to a survey myself and my respective group made to gather information on our demographic. It includes a range of quantitative and qualitative questions to ensure maximum information about horror in relation to target audiences preferences.)
 

Functions of a film distribution company

After completion of the movie product a distribution company will take on the role of giving out the film across a wide spectrum of potential buyers i.e. cinemas etc. The company will work closely with the film makers and discuss issues over demographics and potential competition from other competitors such as other film makers or people resorting to illegal downloading of films, naturally having a negative impact on the industry. In order to captivate audiences elements such as 3D was brought back to entice people into coming back into the cinema. As well as the main product to be distributed, the film company will release trailers and other extras that the distributor will send round to cinemas to create a 'buzz' etc.

A market plan is drawn up between the two companies and focuses mainly on three things: advertising, publicity and promotion. As previously mentioned trailers and such are used as part of an effect advertisement scheme for targeting their specific audience, publicity is generally drawn up by a non-film company such as having the movie reviewed in magazines or quite commonly in modern society, having a relationship with food retailers (such as KFC etc) to further advertise through toys etc given in meals. As well as these two, interviews with the stars of the film will give the demographic more reason to go see it as there are familiar faces in it.

Marketing plans are essential to the success of a film, it doesn't matter how good the film is, if it is not effectively marketed no one will know off it, resulting in a detrimental effect on takings at the cinema. However, if they are stuck to well and pushed though public media, generally the outcome will be financially rewarding.

On the right (Click to enlarge), there is a flow chart about the role of the distributor in relation to the film industry. It is a simple break down of where the products go and where the money flows.

Representation of women in horror

Horror, unlike many genres around it, generally identifies the audience with a protagonist of female gender. Considering the target audience for this genre is young males (only just in front of young couples), this is a rather strange perspective for that audience to view from.

                Continuing on form this point, not only are men placed into an opposite gender throughout the entirety of the film but also, they are placed in a position of weakness as they are hunted or tormented by the evil that shall inevitably kill off companions. Perhaps what film makers within this genre do to make up for the fact that the audience are in an opposite sight of gender, is to make that lead protagonist androgynous. This meaning that the lead female will have male characteristics etc. An example of which is within ‘Halloween’ (1978), the lead female: Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) had many characteristics about her that linked in with this theory. Even the character’s name herself could quite easily be given to a man. In conjunction with this she was matched with a heavy, un-sexual manly attire and in the climax, the ability to face and conquer the evil faced before her.

                In relation to the previous point, Jeremy Tunstall (The Media in Britain 1983) conducted a lot of research into the representation of women within the media. He concluded that there were four main types of females shown within the media. He explained that the media emphasised there: domestic, sexual, consumer and martial nature. This is expressed in the Horror genre particularly, as within some texts I have studied, such as the ‘The Shining’, ‘Eden Lake’ and ‘Halloween’. All lead females have matched at least 3 of the 4 criteria set out in this research. For example in ‘Eden Lake’ (2008), the lead female: Jenny (played by Kelly Reilley), fitted the sexual, domestic and martial characteristics. She worked in a play-school (domestic), was newly engaged to her boyfriend and was looked upon sexually by the youths that then did torment her. 

                Looking at more detail into the sexual characteristic, it is a largely argued on point that horror films incorporate this value hugely into the films. Looking at ‘Halloween’ as an example, it is shown that all the female characters that die, are doing something sexual, whether that be the process of sex or the sexual teasing of the audience. Both of Laurie’s friends seem to fit with this as they both die during a sexual act. In fact this value is presented even at the very beginning of the film where the first female is brutally murdered with her top off after engaging in sex. This relationship between death and sex seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout the genre and largely it is the females that die because of it. Perhaps this is a conservative viewpoint, that the females that engage in sexual activities shouldn’t and therefore are punished and the ones that are seen as more virginal, such as Laurie – therefore she survives. It could be suggested that females within Horror and indeed all media have two perspectives to them: Virginal or Sexual, Sexual leading to their death. 

                In contrast to the way that women are viewed (stereotypically), men are seen in much higher positions of power within the media. However, within the Horror genre, they are seen to be somewhat useless and lumber some in helping the victims. Within ‘Halloween’ the police fail to track down the killer, to the point where the audience begin to mock them for their pathetic attempts. As well as this, research into the media suggests that men are shown to be dominant, strong, active, independent etc. This once again is absent in the Horror genre and in many cases they are killed off early (Eden Lake) or reduced to the threat itself (The Shining).          

                Research also suggested that men outnumber women on the screen 2:1, but once again within the Horror genre and following research on the three texts I have studied, women and men over all texts are shown equally and take over the roles mentioned in the previous paragraph. Horror seems to be going against all the conventions of usual media (stereotypes), but in retrospect to all the Horror films that have been made, it seems to have worked as it is one of the most successful genres in the cinemas to date.

                Linking on from previous points made, ‘The Male Gaze’, is a theory supported heavily by theorists such as: Laura Mulvey in her famous essay: “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”.  Where it is suggested that cinema puts the audience into the position of an ‘appraising heterosexual male’ by adopting technical camera strategies which present women as objects to be looked at and men as subjects who do the looking. The camerawork used ranges from POV (point of view shots) to the use of long shots etc. to fragment the body into parts to be looked at. But once again, horror seems to take this convention or theory and turn it on its head. As referred to before, the audience are being placed into a female protagonist viewpoint, which raises many issues over what the actual viewpoint in horror is.

                Horror represents gender in a variety of ways and is argued upon hugely between theorists. One the one hand they could be seen as stereotypical, matching 4 core values and dying if they go against them, this could be seen as a somewhat conservative view point of Horror. In counter argument to this, some theorists suggest that Horror is the more progressive of all the genres and shows gender in a completely different light, as it is twisted by placing the audience in a strange viewpoint or by playing against normal stereotypes. The Horror genre has the capacity and ability to go against other genres conventions as it itself is so different and the audience expect to be put in these different positions, which raises the question of why, if the target audience is young males, do they enjoy being put in a female viewpoint that is subjected to torment?

Analysis of film magazine covers.

NOTE: Due to technical issues I was unable to upload my images to Flickr and annotate them that way, so I shall do a written break down here.

Looking at all three of these covers (Click on images to enlarge) it is clear that although they don't cover horror particularly in these editions they always follow an iconic house style. I felt the clear header, even with a large main image, would be very important in grabbed readers attention. As well as the header all writing is clear, concise and bold, standing out from the page meaning that readers will find it easier to know what is inside.

Looking at all of these covers it is clear that the photo for my magazine cover would need to be a close up or medium shot so the audience can identify with them and see an array of detail. I felt at this point that I should either have an image of a main character or have someone related to the film. As I had already intended to use the main character in my poster I decided against being repetitive and using a picture of Theo as the Director.

Another element I liked was the vibrancy of the colours used. Generally red as it stood out. I wanted to utilise colour in my own magazine as clearly it is an important element. The use of pretend stickers was a nice touch also as it makes it seem interesting, fresh and inviting for audiences.

Overall these magazine cover images were important in establishing what I wanted to do for my own and equally giving me an in sight into the conventions of a mainstream film magazine.

Drafts of poster and magazine cover

 I decided the easiest way to structure how I was going to make m products was if I drafted up my ideas on Photoshop so i could keep my ideas fresh in my head and get on. It wasn't so much in terms of what pictures I wanted it was more a matter of deciding where things were going to go. (Click on the images to enlarge)

NOTE: The top image is a draft for my magazine cover, the lower is for my poster.

Applying narrative theory to ‘The Shining’

‘The Shining’ was a very popular 1980’s horror film that raises debate. One argument is over narrative theory. There are 4 types of narrative theory and theorists.

The first is by Propp; his theory was based around functions of the characters within the film. Although there is some merit in his system of identifying stages of the narrative in relation to the shining such as the family’s original travel away from their home, there are difficulties when it comes to the functions, such as identification of the villain or antagonist in the film. The audience could be left with an array of candidates that could be considered the ‘bad guy’, such as Jack to even the hotel itself. A similar situation happens upon identifying a hero as Wendy may take on the main role or protagonist but doesn’t really fulfil the criteria of a hero. These issues raised shows that although some narrative elements can be applied to ‘The Shining’ there a some big flaws in functions, this theory does help in making the audience think about narrative structure, but doesn’t seem to provide answers for everything.

Todorov suggests a theory that seems to have more applicability to that of Propp’s. His theory was that at the start of all narratives there is a equilibrium that is disrupted and eventually resolved through the course of the story. In application to ‘The Shining’ it some fit somewhat well. For example, at the begining things seem fine as Jack has a new job for his family. However, soon things begin to go wrong and as Jack loses his sanity the equilibrium is disrupted which in turn leads to Wendy having to escape in order to find solution and go back to equilibrium. Although this narrative theory fits very well it seems, it could be argued that it’s simplistic ‘start, middle, end’ basis is undeveloped and vague, meaning it is easy to apply but doesn’t actually reveal too much.

   

A third theory is by Claude Levi-Strauss; it talks of binary opposites and looks at texts in a vertical sense, rather than a horizontal. The ways in which this can be applied to ‘The Shining’ is that film raises the issue of fear and horror derived from the family itself (i.e. Jack), this is a suggested binary opposite as the family is something that should normally provide security, not danger. This theory can be quite effective and is more specific to other theories mentioned.

Finally a theory by Bordwell and Thompson; this theory is about ‘cause and effect’. It can be applied in situations such as understanding that Jack’s family have followed him and his career about even though we don’t actually see it, that results in Danny talking to ‘Tony’ for comfort. This theory can be applied in some sense, but once again it doesn’t help a great deal in identifying issues and overall seems rather vague.

Although there are clear flaws in these theories, I still think it is good to view films such as ‘The Shining’ in this way as it raises a variety of viewpoints and could spark debate. 

Differences between teaser trailers and main trailers

Teaser trailers and theatrical trailers are often confused for each other in although there are clear differences of the two. Teaser trailers are, firstly, a lot shorter than any other type of trailer. They will generally be between 60-90 seconds long and have a much lower amount of information than that of longer trailers. Their purpose and intention is to create a ‘buzz’ around the film and begin popularity to increase eventual sales. A lot of the time it is not uncharacteristic for these types of trailers to use footage that won’t be in the eventual film as generally they are released half a year before the actual movies debut meaning shooting would not have been completed. But this simple gives the creates of the trailers more leverage in how vague they wish to make it as they are not restrained by issues such as plot explanation.

Theatrical trailers are, on the other hand, a lot longer averaging around 3 minutes, that have the clear intention of marking out a developed plot and giving insight to some of the details of the story. As well as this, they would try and create character identification, even at trailer level.  These trailers, unlike teasers are released a lot closer to the film’s release date (around 1-2 months before hand), this shows that it isn’t a practise just to build ‘buzz’ but mainly for a brief explanation of what the movie is.

Note the two trailers below, both are advertising the same film but immediately you can see obvious difference in length as well as a much more vague plot being reviled in the first. The points I previously suggested are backed up by the same or similar conventions displayed in these trailers. 

Pitch of idea for horror movie.

In order to link it to a young demographic my idea for a horror trailer would be focused on a group of teenagers around 16-19. The story would begin with the disappearance of one of the members of the group of friends at a location such as the forest. There will be mystery and a sense of unanswered questions and vagueness around the disappearance that add to the horror and confusion of the case.

At first the teenagers naturally pester the police to help, however the police’s ignorance of the situation or lack of care drives the members to take it upon themselves and go find their friend. The organise camping out in the forest that their friend went missing and decide to videotape it for evidence and to track what is going on. This lead to an idea and development about using POV shots a lot, similar to that of the Blair Witch Project.

After camping for a bit the members slowly fan out in the hope of finding something to explain where their friend is. They find small hints of things such as old police tape and old clothes but can’t explain either and struggle to link them to their friend. After much confusion slowly other members of the group start to go missing in the forest resulting in fear of the un known for the remaining characters and tension in the audience.

The force that is taking them will never truly be unveiled in the film, however there will be suggestions of a variety of things such as shadows and hidden faces to suggest both a supernatural explanation and a human explanation, adding again to the mystery.

The film would conclude with one remaining character (more likely female) trapped and lost after all her friends have been taken or murdered by whatever force is at work in the forest. For this ending, a suitable ‘Blair Witch’ close up could be used to create identification with the audience as well as an interesting way to end a film. 

Mood Board

To the left is my mood board (click on image to enlarge) this image shows personal ideas of what would be nice to include in the main project as well as icon horror imagery that I thought would be something essential to include.

Note that I added blood in a variety of ways, such as the bloody hand to show the many ways that horror can be shown in imagery. Also I added an eaten away effect around the edges of the images to represent old images or just negligence - this linking back to horror conventions.

Finally I incorporated a lot of different sort of images from a range of horror films. I felt the juxtaposition of older images such of that in the top left against new iconic images such as the hockey mask would really add to the suggestion of the diversity of horror as well as potential ideas for my own groups idea.

Original Photos

Click on images to enlarge.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Getting people into the cinema and purchasing tickets for your product is clearly a very important area. Agreement is signed by the distributor, producer and studio that decide important things such as release date and a promotional package. Similar to that of my project these organisations must compile not only the trailer but additional texts such as posters in order to spread the popularity of the release. A market plan is devised for this with the goals of increasing visibility and awareness of the product. This is very difficult as it needs to stand out in not only its own field (film) but also in all leisure activities. In order to achieve this they must market frequently so that interest does not die down, however this raises the issue of cost as the more they repeat and expand the campaign the more they will spend. This is generally why budgets are created at the start of the plan. It is of paramount importance to find a balance between a lot of interest and cost efficiency.

Focusing on the additional media used to advertise the main feature film trailers are the most effective at spreading popularity in products. Teaser trailers are conventionally 30-90 seconds long and show elements of the narrative without revealing too much. Trailers are displayed in a variety of places, most commonly in cinemas (where distributors send out around 3000 copies to the UK), but also on TV, DVD’s and the internet. Considering the internet is such a growing phenomenon marketing has utilised this and used websites such as YouTube in order to post them. A recent example of this would be ‘Paranormal Activity’ which started gained most of its interest via the internet as the marketing campaign targeted users of modern media. This was important to keep in mind as we knew from research that our target audience were avid internet and web 2.0 users so therefore it was important to maximise the viral capacity of our trailer. My group’s trailer its self is 1:42 seconds long. This is around the optimum length for a trailer of this type and fulfils most of the conventional criteria you would expect from horror. We thought it wasn’t too long nor to short so would be ideal for our audience to prevent boredom or confusion of the trailer. We were inspired as a group from the ‘Blair Witch Project’ film and based a lot of our shots off of it. We used POV shooting to create a sense of reality and identification between characters. The complimentary soundtrack with the quick editing of the trailer added to the tension teasing the audience into watching the full feature. In order to reflect our target audience we decided on a certificate of 15 and for the trailer to be shown in cinemas equally as we discovered that our target audience go to the cinema around once a month watching films around this certificate.

My poster, like all posters in real productions, plays a key role in drawing in interest and expanding viewer base. They are displayed months in advance of the film and even the trailers meaning they must be well devised with clear links and references to the genre and narrative of the film. I decided on using David as the main image on mine. I wanted to keep it simplistic so that it provided a mystery as to what the film could offer as well as a reduction in confusion. I used blacks with some degree of red to highlight the horror nature of the film while still displaying production values. However, although I did present these production values I did keep them out of the way to the bottom as I felt they would be to distracting from the image its self. The dark photo not only implies the genre but suggests David as the antagonist of the film, giving admittedly some narrative away, but still withdrawing the reasons behind his evil tendencies. In connection with the internet, I added an official website address at the bottom so that modern audiences would hopefully look into this and try and re-blog or send it to other friends, hopefully leading to the campaign carrying its self.

As well as a market campaign there would also be cover from film magazines that would be sent film packages with posters etc in order to spread interest yet again. I wanted to keep to my idea of a simple design so tried to use limited soft colours that would entice readers but not put them off with rashness. Instead of using a screen shot from our final trailer I decided on using a photo of Theo and take the approach of a young director. This would hopefully lead my target audience to relate and buy the magazine, once again raising interest. The look of the magazine was meant to come across as modern and fresh with non serif font and cooling colours etc. The magazine also provided a website, just like the poster, to emphasise the use of the internet and the want to expand the campaign virally.

In conclusion, I suggest that my two ancillary texts compliment my main trailer well all focusing on my main target audience well, while still upholding a profession finish to them. They all share similar content and style which will make them appear as a unit and not confuse any potential customers as they will see they different products are working together. In saying this however, my magazine cover is somewhat different to the other two products but this is as a result of them being made by different companies. The poster created by a distribution company and the magazine by an editorial team for a magazine company.

Below is a link to the pdf version of a handout on film distribution:
http://www.launchingfilms.tv/pdf/fda_guide_2009.pdf

In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

NOTE: Click on image below to see comparative images from my own trailer and other trailers)
The majority of modern day trailers will share similar conventions; these will include displaying the genre, name and production values of the product. In reflection of my groups own finished product I would say it displays and distinguishes these conventions from the offset. For example the trailer is established with a police report that gives context and suggests the style of film this is. Continually, as the trailer continues the genre is further reinforced by further inter-titles and shots such as the bloody hand shot suggest the horror conventions of our trailer. We aimed to have the title of our film emphasised by having it on screen at the end of the trailer with no other distractions so that the audience remember the name – this is a trait associated with nearly all trailers. Production values generally in horror are not focused on as much. This was similarly found in our trailer as it lacked actor’s names as generally horror films have unknown actors. Although some of the production company’s names were revealed in the inter-titles we did not include the director’s name for similar reasons to that of leaving out the actors names. However, in a lot of modern non-horror trailers these elements we have left out are utilised greatly in advertisement as it draws in the audience as these names provide certainty in the quality of the product.

All trailers must connect with its demographic and include elements that will naturally draw them in to increase sales. As we established our target audience was young at the age of about 15-24 we wanted to use a complete teenage cast and to start the trailer with establishing shots of the teenagers setting out on their journey to, hopefully, maximise identification. We then expanded on the idea of identification with the expansion of characters such as myself and David, the suggested main protagonist and antagonist. This was achieved through shots such as my character crying in close-up shots to allow the audience to sympathise and identity further. This is also heavily capitalised on in other trailers as they try and build a relationship between the audience and the characters in order to urge them to go watch the full feature.

Another aspect that all trailers build on is the sense of creating enigma without full resolution. Like in many modern trailers we tried to capture this technique by building tension and revealing sections of footage that could imply the narrative, however it was important to find the correct balance so not to ruin the climax and reduce the sales of the main feature. We achieved this, like in many modern horror films, by cutting to black before the gore or full terror of shots which equally built up tension.

Linking to tension, the soundtrack of any trailer is very important in providing atmosphere, tension and build up - as well as once again highlighting genre. We followed the conventional ascending beat and pace of trailers soundtracks but did not complete it with a crescendo as this would give a sense of completion as appose to lack of satisfaction in not seeing the conclusion. As well as the music a lot of trailers include voice-overs that partner the inter-titles in order to create mystery and additional information. We decided against the use of this largely because they were conventions of theatrical trailers and ours would be considerably shorter as well as potentially ruining the overall feel of the trailer – possibly slowing down the pace and tension.

Although I have touched upon some of them, horror trailers have their own conventions as well as trailer conventions themselves. One of the clearer conventions is the location and setting of the film as this will generally compliment the genre. In our horror trailer we situated the characters in the forest (as suggested in the title) as we felt this provided the atmosphere a sense of the unknown, a sense of entrapment and a feel of a location that is indefinite and impossible to escape from. We also graded the trailer to be at night time as this is also a typical convention of horror trailers.

Similar to that of normal trailers, horror trailers also have their own technical code – including camera shots, angles etc. An example of this within my groups own trailer was at the start where there is an extreme low angle on my shoes that quickly shifts to a high close up of my face. This sudden switch of shot creates confusion or disorientation in the audience, something associated with the horror genre. The application of extreme close ups also connotes the horror genre. We used them, as mentioned earlier, to create identification between the audience and the characters at points such as the crying at the end. Some of the ambient sounds we used also connote the horror genre – such as the heart beat used during Theo’s running sequence.

The iconography of horror focuses on aspects such as colour, in particular black and red. In our trailer we used black in the inter-titles and red in mise-en-scene for shots such as the bath shot and the bloody hand shot. Victimising teenagers is also something often followed in horror, hence why we did.

Finally the antagonist or “monster” characters have their own set of conventions, these generally focus on the idea of a mystery or something unanswered about them (like the group not knowing what was wrong with David). This links in with not revealing too much of the plot in order to entice more viewers to the full film.

Ancillary texts

Teaser Trailer

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

NOTE: Numbers correspond to the images displayed below, click on the image to enlarge

1. Final Cut Pro – This programme was one of the main bits of software we used throughout our project. It is a piece of editing software that provides a wide range of tools in order to create a modern video. Although our group were mainly unfamiliar with this particular piece of software, only using it in the summer for some trail short films, we found that it was fairly easy to use after seeing past the initial complexities of its interface. It gave us great flexibility in what we wished to create with already pre-existing effects that can be easily applied. As well as this it also made things such as grading a lot more practical without having to export it to another programme such as Adobe After Effects etc. Without the ease of access to this programme the process of making our trailer would have been greatly heightened and would have resulted in a very basic product.

2. Blogger – This website is key to the management and presentation of the whole project. It is a free website that allows anyone to set up a make shift website that can be easily updated and labelled. It is a simple lay out that works on a posting structure, where the user can make regular updates of text, picture or video with details displayed along with it. This website provides great flexibility in presenting work as it allows the user to make links to various other websites such as Flickr in order to create this overall experience that utilises modern technology and shifts away from the traditional essay format expected in educational projects. The website allows gives ease of refining the presentation of the work as it gives a wide spectrum of colour, font, style etc. That all help the reader of the blog understand and interpret the work better. I have used this programme in my free time as well as media in AS and at no point, even beginning using it, did I find it complex or difficult to use. I can boast of the success and versatility of this website as a former student of this college now has a blog (refer to unnumbered picture on the right) in which he does reviews of recent football games (www.bencarrfootball.com). And because of this websites simplicity and universal use it is helping him break into a competitive journalist industry from the comfort of his bedroom, which would not have been possible 10 years ago.

3. Freeplaymusic.com – This was a website our group used to gather the additional sound effects and music needed to complete our final product. It provides free public domain music that doesn’t infringe any copy right. The website categorises all the music it has by style, feel and volume. This came in great help as upon searching for music to match a horror trailer, it was easy to look via the ‘feel’ section and look under ‘horror’ or ‘tension’, speeding up efficiency and productivity within our group. Without the simplicity of this website, the overall soundtrack (which was highly complimented) could have been a lot poorer.

4. Sony VX2100 – During filming we used a Sony VXS2100 for the majority of filming. This was the highest standard of camera available to us and provided vivid images as well as a simple user interface meaning multiple members of the group could use it with ease. Although it is a rather large camera it was still reasonably light and easy to manoeuvre for our POV trailer. We also felt that it would give our final piece a balance of not only quality in image but also an authentic look and feel.

5. Flickr – This is an image based website that allows the user to upload images and annotate them with captions that appear if you move your mouse over that area. It was of great use when trying to explain intricate bits of images that would be made unclear from a simple essay style answer. It allows great focus to be given on individual elements of an image without taking away from the image itself. The website also links to Blogger so that once annotations have been made to the piece it can be easily blogged to the users blog making it easier to keep track of work and also display images without long boring segments of text.

6. Photoshop CS5 – This programme takes on a similar role to that of Final Cut Pro in the sense that it is used to break down separate images and bring them together to make something new. I am widely familiar with this programme, using it in my previous year in AS, as well as outside of class. It makes creation of image based products easy and heightens the overall finish to my work. I largely used it in the creation of both my movie poster and my film magazine cover, where it provided simple tools such as the text tool to create text of any font or shade to compel a reader to read further into the magazine. As well as this there are hundreds of other tools to my disposal that can modify any image into something much more interesting. As well as using it for the ancillary texts, it also proved very useful in other things that will improve my overall project, such as the banner heading for my blog etc. It is a professional, simple program that is easy to use and gives a wide range of tools to the user in order to create vivid final texts.

7. YouTube – This website is widely known and very popular among nearly everyone. It is a user-based video sharing site that allows people to comment and subscribe to users that provide regular interesting media. In addition to this, it also makes displaying work a lot easy as it is so universal, as well as giving myself an easy way to embed our final piece into my blog. The comment process and like system in place on YouTube could also open up the possibility of audience feedback in addition to the feedback session with the class.

8. Survey Monkey – This is a free website that allows the user to set up a survey that can be sent via e-mail or on social networking sites. It collects the feedback which speeds up efficiency as we don’t need to constantly go round collating data. In my groups case we made a survey with multiple choice quantitative answers or typed qualitative answers that resulted in valid and in depth data that we could apply to our ideas.

Advances in media technologies are clearly going to have an impact on all stretches of life including education. Traditionally it would be expected to write an essay in response to a question, but with these advances it gives opportunity to individual’s creativity and ability to present their work. Although I personally prefer an essay type format I did however concede to some of the advantages of using internet based websites. Social media or web 2.0 is so influential now it would be absurd not to utilise it. I felt that these leaps in technology were especially apparent in the collection of data and research through the application of Survey Monkey to collect information as well as social networking sites to host a link to it. But not only in the collection of data do I suggest there has been an advance. Upon creation of my groups final piece it was immediately clear that there has been clear improvements in the equipment we were using as we were getting high quality image and versatility from the Sony VX2100 which may not have been available simply 5-10 years ago. Creation of the products also was greatly assisted by programmes such as Photoshop and Final Cut Pro that really broadened the opportunity in which to create something we wanted. As I already suggested earlier in the Blogger section of this response, web 2.0 websites such as blogger really open up prospects for younger aspiring students in the sense that it is so flexible in what you can do with it and so simple to use. But it doesn’t just make it easier for the user to make and develop their work, also, I suggest that the reader of the work on websites such as blogger are given an overall more enjoyable experience upon reviewing peoples work as they are not restricted to just reading and assessing but can follow the developments and links to other websites that improve the overall feel of the individuals work.



Overall I felt that these advances sped up productivity and opened up opportunity previously not available to students. It provides the chance for students to make creative contributions to what would have been a boring essay and to expand their ideas by linking and utilising modern websites. Although I am somewhat a traditionalist in the sense that I enjoy a simple essay structure, I do admit that these new media products definitely improve work and have more prospects that potential cons especially when applying to all stages of my project.

What have you learnt from audience feedback?

NOTE: All images compliment my response and can be enlarged by clicking the image.

Nearing the end of the completion of our main product we had a showing to class. We had our final product shown twice, each time allowing the audience to note down positive and negative aspects as well as personal opinion. They gave suggestions also, of horror conventions followed and trailer conventions followed. The reason we had a class viewing was largely due to the fact that they fitted with our target audience of young adults 15-24 (The largest target audience of the horror genre) as well as gathering general reaction and opinion we can address. We stated upon showing that there were elements we were intending to address and change such as the grading, as we were unable to have it fully completed for this time.

To begin, one of the main criticisms of our finalised piece was after the climatic sequence, where the tempo lowers and the suggested main protagonist (played by myself) cries at the loss of his companions and the inevitable doom of his situation. The collective comment on this scene was that of awkwardness or finding it odd to watch. The class came to conclusion that it was because they knew me and therefore struggled to create a connection between the character and themselves. This theory was then proven correct as members of my group showed the product to external third parties who didn’t know me and this sense of oddness did not arise and the original point of creating an emotional bond between character and viewer was achieved.

Secondly, the class collectively felt that the hand shot, that goes to grab the camera in the closing sequence, came across as staged which naturally took away from the tension and resulting climax. They suggested this was due to the cameras movement in the shot. The camera is pushed into the tree moving away from my face and to the hand; they suggested therefore that this takes away from the ‘shock factor’ as it isn’t a surprise considering the camera is already moving in that direction. From this our group agreed with this criticism and decided upon re-editing to shorten this clip and cut out the camera being moved towards the tree to increase the shock the climax should bring.

A third critical point links with the last shot. Members of the class felt that the hand didn’t provide a sizable enough ‘jolt’ for the ending of a trailer and decided this was down to the impact noise we had used either being the wrong noise or simply too quiet. We reviewed this again as a group and decided that we could improve this by increasing the decibels of the impact sound and cutting to black a little bit earlier and more in time with the noise, hopefully resulting in a sharper and ultimately more frightening ending scene.

The class then addressed the theme of our trailer itself. Some members suggested that our trailer seemed a bit generic in the sense that it was very similar to ‘The Blair Witch Project’. They argued that it was too similar as it was a film set in a forest which capitalised on the use of the Point of View (POV) shot and this therefore gave it no unique selling point (USP), which is essential in a modern competitive film market. However, our group defending that fact that our film, although similar to films such as ‘The Blair Witch Project’, did in fact focus on fear derived from the internal workings of a friendship group and the horror was as a result of a member of the group losing his sanity and hunting his friends, which is dissimilar to other POV films as they all focus on an external source of horror.

Although we stated upon showing our trailer that we had yet to address grading, the issue of lighting did come up. Class members rightly suggested that as the trailer was in the daylight the fear is diminished as horror is associated with the night. Naturally we agreed as we wished to darken the shots in grading, although surprisingly some class members liked the light and said it provided a twist on modern horror. However, in our final edit we did darken the shots to add to the fear factor.

Another point saw a divide in both the feedback group and our own group. Some people suggested that the ‘glitches’ or interference we used in our inter-titles should have been used more throughout the entirety of our piece as the POV convention is renowned for having them. However, it was also suggested that an increase in the interference could become irritating and repetitive. As a group we decided not to add anymore in as we felt we had already over used them as it was.

Continuing from this, some of the feedback suggested that the bleeps that accompanied the interference could also get irritating. We understood this point, but felt that if these ‘glitches’ were silent this would take away from the point of them, as we felt the noise added to the sense of supernatural interference.



A further critical interpretation was regarding that of a shot of police tap about half way through our product. A lot of people wished for an expansion on this shot in order to emphasise the suggestion that this was somewhere not to go or somewhere something bad had previously happened. This would have also linked in with the idea of the ‘Return of the Repressed’ theory of the ‘past’ coming back to haunt and torment. Although the points suggested were all very valid we did suggest that these were in fact our intentions. We deliberately only included a single shot of the police tape to entice the audience and to hopefully urge them into watching the film (the purpose of a trailer). As well as stating it was our intention we also argued the fact that the trailer is meant to be that of a teaser trailer, so therefore is not required to go too in-depth with story line as well as the fact that the trailer opens with a police report which clearly reinforces the horror convention of the ‘past’ anyway.

Linking again with the previous point, some feedback suggested a lack of narrative explained. Although we understood this criticism, not only did we suggest that the trailer does offer some narrative such as the police report at the start, but that there is no need for a trailer of this length to go into too much detail and they are designed to entice and leave questions in the minds of the audience.

The final point was a discussion also held within our group. It was over the suggestion of a camera effect that had a recording symbol on the screen at all times to add to the POV effect. We did explain we were in debate as to whether or not to put one in and during re-edits after putting the effect in as a trail decided against it as we felt it was clear it was a POV film and unnecessary to reinforce it to that extent.
As well as the critical points explained, the class also provided us with positive opinion on aspects of our completed product:

One thing they did like was the use of static and the static noises to add to the POV feel of the piece as well as the font we used with it for our inter-titles. They thought it was a clean crisp font that complimented our sub-genre well.

As well as this, they suggested that the sequence of running shots mixed with cuts to black and the heart beat noise built up tension well and allowed them to relate to the characters as they felt they were thrown into their position. Continuing from this, they felt the overall tension of the piece was well thought out and the steady build-up of tension through the application of music resulted in the audience feeling on edge.
Some particular shots they liked were the shots of David’s eye opening and the shot of the camera being dropped to the floor before David’s foot stomped in front of it. They said these shots were supported well by the application of the stings in the music as well as the use of the bad TV effect. They also suggested the overall composition of the shots was good and that it was nice to see a variety in shot even with the restricting of only POV.

In relation to POV, they largely enjoyed the continuous POV trailer and thought it was applied well and was effective as it linked to horror convention as well as gaining empathy and sympathy from the audience. As well as this, they suggested that as it was solely POV this could add to the marketability of the piece in advertising as it grabs the attention of the audience.

Linking back to the build-up of tension, the soundtrack was complimented as one of the trailers stronger aspects as it provided not only tension but the indication of fear and connection to the horror genre making it clear what the trailers intentions were.

In conclusion, as a group we gathered a lot of important criticisms and opinions that we based the changed of our final product on. I felt that a feedback session opened up a variety of view on something I had grown used to and therefore made it easier to see what changes needed making. However, although the information gained was beneficial, I did feel that a lot of it was things we already knew we were going to address, or things that would be unnecessary to change. Also I felt some feedback did come across as somewhat contradictory as different people disagreed with each other which ultimately didn’t always assist improvement. In saying this however, I do feel the process did help refine my group’s final piece for the better.

Use of make up

On shown on the left, our group utilised make up to add to the horror genre and compliment some of our shots in our final product. In this example we used a fake blood product with a thick viscosity and dark, rich red colour that looked good on film. This is one example of ways to increase the fear and horror conventions of our final peice.

Click the image to enlarge.

Shot List

On the left hand side is my groups original shot list. It gives a rough idea of the shots we wanted to include. As displayed we ticked off the shots as we transferred them onto the storyboard.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Story Board

On the right is my groups story board for our trailer: 'Braeden Forest'. These were our initial shot ideas with boxes indicating shot length and characters involved etc. Some of the shots were changed during filming so don't necessarily correspond with our finished product.

Click on the image to go to a Flickr analysis focusing on the key features of the storyboard. 

Blair Witch Project Poster

Click on the image to go to a Flickr analysis of the 'Blair Witch Project' poster.

'REC 2' Poster

Click on the image to go to a Flickr analysis of the 'REC 2' poster.

Paranormal Activity Poster

Click on the image to go to a Flickr analysis of  the 'Paranormal Activity' poster.

Return of the Reppressed Theory

Sigmund Freud was the founder of the 'Return of the Reppressed' theory which suggests the idea of repressed elements from the past (often preserved in the unconscious) reappearing - often displayed through consciousness or actions in behavior.


In 'The Interpretation of Dreams', published in the early 1900s, Freud suggested that the reason we have no memories from the first few years of life is because they are repressed. He said that all memories can be retained through various means. 'What is forgotten is not extinguished but only repressed; its memory traces are present in all their freshness... they are unconscious - inaccessible to consciousness'.


In application, if someone has a feeling or idea thought of as 'forbidden' then the mind must work against the idea as it tries to surface (often trying to through appearing as a symptom). In this situation a 'Reaction Formulation' can occur when the person does the exact opposite to what the forbidden feeling is trying to achieve. For example hate could turn into love or adoration, however the repressed feeling may surface and turn the good will of the individual against them and try and harm the other person through the positive action. Usually the persons will power can overcome these urges but they often the forbidden emotion can arise and reveal itself.


In relation to horror, this idea can be applied when looking at the background of serial killers. There are many theories around serial killers and their upbringing and socialisation and this one is very central as it suggests the killer actions are causal of their upbringing and feelings and events that have been oppressed that arise to cause the bad actions they carry through. This theory can be applied to the 1978 slasher horror: 'Halloween'. The main protagonist and serial killer Mike Myers has murderous intentions that are supposed to be from oppressed urges. This can be backed up by the fact that at the start of the film the audience are presented with a young boy who murders his sister for performing sexual acts. This boy grows up to be Mike Myers and a serial killer and it is suggested in reference to this theory that it is derived from the initial traumatic experience her went through as a child. 


Bellow is the opening of 'Halloween' (1978) which shows the murder of Mike Myers sister as a young boy.

Groups initial idea for horror teaser trailer

After group discussion, my group and I came to the conclusion of a teaser horror trailer that utilised the POV horror convention. We found it would bring a sense of reality to the trailer as well as making it easier to shoot in production. We found an example of a amateur POV style horror short (below) that we thought was a good specimen of what we aim to achieve.

Our on going story line is set in a forest following a group of teens around the age of 17-19 (similar to our target audiences age). One of the members of the group gets bitten or attacked and events unfold from this point to the trailers climax. We have developed this idea through our audience research and is highlighted in my mood board.

Horror trailer analysis

(Above: 'SAW 3D' 2010)

All trailers need to indicate a range of information within them in order for the respective target audience to understand what it is about and in turn persuade them to go watch it.

GENRE -
It is a necessity that trailers specify the genre of the film. This will categorise the film and will draw in their target audience, if this is done poorly it could lead to a loss in sales and a sense of confusion from the audience.
Within 'SAW 3D' the trailer sets out the intentions and genre from an early off set. As it is a teaser trailer it has a lack of time in which to get across the films values. In this example it is shown within the first 10 seconds with a clever use of colour and effects ( Red and static/ broken effects) that this film falls in the horror or thriller category.
Linking this with Horror Conventions, the use of red symbolises blood and pain etc. Whereas the static and use of heavy base adds to the trailers sense of atmosphere. Furthermore, as the trailer continues the audience are met with a variety in horror conventions in relation to genre. The use of overlaying titles in conjunction with the voice over focusing and emphasising words such as: 'fear','suffering' and 'death' (0.17-0.20), equally reinforces the horror conventions.

NAME -
The name of the film is going to be key to the sales and to the publicity of the film. If there is no title specified the audience will be left in disarray and will feel no need to see something they don't know about. However, in some cases there is no title announced to add to the films over all mysterious nature. This technique is mainly used within viral advertising, in an attempt to create this 'buzz'.
'SAW 3D' has a large build up until the title is released at 0.47 seconds, because there is such a large build up with the use of voice over and overlaying titles the audience are in suspense as to what it is about. On the other hand, as this film is part of such a large franchise the audience recognise it's conventions and follow the build up as it teases with phrases such as: 'Witness the final saw', this used as a method of enticement for the audience.

PRODUCTION VALUES -
Similar to many horror trailers 'SAW 3D' mentions no names within it's advertisement. As the characters are generally poorly developed and seen as 'throw away' characters, there is little need to use big names in the film and trailer, as that is not why people watch the films. This is an equally similar reason for the lack of directors name within it and to an extent the producers studios are quickly rushed, giving the sense that this film is eager to show action and excitement, giving the audience another reason to go see it.
The title does however show some production values. Looking at the overlaying titles there is an incorporation of special effects as the trailer is trying to highlight the fact that this new film is in 3D, as this is  a teaser trailer it is missed out, but in longer renditions of this trailer it is heavily capitalised on.

ADDITIONAL CONVENTIONS -
Linking back to genre, this film highlights that it is a torture film as most if not all of the footage shown is of a torture disposition, the snippets of film shown are at the climax of fear which entices the audience further.
As this franchise of film is famous for it's gore rather than it's character development and narrative, these aspects are then ignored in the trailer. The audience see a variety of character all leading to a similar fate. the basic narrative is some what outlined, but this is nothing more than it being a torture film. This tells the audience to expect excitement and horror as appose to narrative and in depth plot.
Although the audience see the dilemma which is the threat of torture, there is no resolution or no indication to how it is resolved. This only pushes the interested target audience to want to go see it more so.
In terms of the mood presented, it is fairly obvious to the audience what it is about and how it shall remain throughout the films entirety.
Finally, the trailers use of quick shots and dramatic CGI in the over lay titles, adds to the audiences anticipation and leaves them hugely interested but alas unsatisfied. Because of this emotion, they will feel the need to go and see it to film this emptiness the trailer has left.

MUSIC -
The music used in the trailer is heavy in base and could even reflect the heart beat of the characters in peril and indeed the audience. It increases in pace but has no definitive crescendo and leaves the audience unsatisfied. The music doesn't play through the whole trailer and actually begins about half way through, at the point of danger. This immerses the audience further and further into the trailer adding to there want to see it. As mentioned earlier, the voice over is a large part in this film, not only does it give some degree of description to the trailer but also plays a fundamental part in the film as the voice is that of the main 'evil' in the film. This adds another sense of mystery to the trailer and leaves the audience wanting to know more about the narrative.



Above: ('The Ring' 2002)


Conventions of a movie trailer:

There are  short clips from scenes in the movie, just long enough to entice the viewer, but not so long as to give anything away. These clips are clips the target audience want to see e.g. scary and unusual . By doing this the viewer is made to want to watch more; they want to know what happens to the people in the clips.

There are  inter-titles giving a brief description of the narrative of the film and also helping to identify genre. By cutting up the inter-titles and stretching them over the length of the trailer the viewer is drawn in; kept in anticipation to here the next part of the narrative. By only half describing the narrative the viewer is made to want to know more, much like the short clips from the scenes in the movie do.

The  key characters are identified. This is done by using short close-up shots of them in the trailer. This gives the viewer someone to identify with making the film relatable.

The  music used over this trailer helps to identify genre. Sustained dissonant chords give an uneasy feeling to the viewer, suggesting the film will do the same. The music also builds up nearing the end, putting the viewer on the edge of their seat, but by leaving the end of the music open the viewer is left curious and still with the feeling of uneasiness, making them want to see the movie for closure.

The  voice-over on this trailer is done by taking short clips of sound from the film itself and putting them together. The use of these short clips also leave the viewer questioning the trailer and wanting closure.

Horror conventions within the trailer:

The  settings of this horror trailer are fairly conventional; we are shown clips of dark corridors, large open rural areas and several shots of claustrophobic looking rooms. All of which indicate some sense of fear. The light in most of the shots is motivated and dim, adding to the feeling of isolation and horror.

By using  expressive camera work the viewer is shown a different, scary perspective of what is in the shot. Sped-up establishing shots of open rural areas give great impact to the feeling of isolation, CUs and ECUs of characters help to show extremes of emotion to the viewer.

Conventional character types are shown such as the 'inocent child', 'final woman' and the ' false hero'. This helps the viewer identify with  genre.

I like the quick cuts in this trailer, they create a fast tempo building up the viewers anticipation. I also like the establishing shots of the open fields which are then sped up creating an eerie isolated atmosphere.




This trailer is for the horror film 'One Missed Call'. One of the key conventions a trailer should have is telling the audience the name of the film. The name of this film appears towards the end of the trailer. It is shown in what could be called a 'technological' font to highlight the fact that it is a horror that happens through the medium of technology, specifically mobile phones.

Another convention trailers have is showing the production values, such as the stars, director, budget and special effects. With this trailer there are people who could be considered stars, like Shannyn Sossamon and Edward Burns, however we are only told their names on a slide of inter-titles with a lot of other writing on it, so unless the audience knows there faces they are unlikely to know who they are. The same could be said for the director, Eric Valette, because we don't see his name until the bottom of a second slide of inter-titles. However this is likely to be because he is not famous and mostly directs French films. It is clear this film has a fairly large budget because although we don't see too much in the trailer it is implied several events happen that would require quite expensive special effects.

A third convention of trailers is to introduce the main characters and their relationships. This trailer briefly introduces six characters, five of whom seem to be friends and a sixth who is perhaps a detective investigating their claims. We are able to determine the main protagonist because she is in most of the shots and isn't identified as one of the characters who dies. Indicating to the audience the central narrative enigma, without showing how it is resolved, is another convention. The central narrative enigma is made very clear in this trailer, people are receiving voicemail detailing their deaths and then a few days later they die in the way the voicemail said they would. Whilst we see the main protagonist try to solve this mystery so she can save her own life we don't find out from the trailer how or if she does. It also shows a selection of moments from the "quest" like a trailer is supposed to. We see shots from the beginning of the narrative and then ones from deaths and the main protagonist trying to solve the problem.

Music in trailers is supposed to be emotive, which this trailer has. There isn't much music used in the trailer but when it is it's themed around the strange ring tone used when the phones get the voicemail detailing their deaths. This sounds then becomes associated with a sense of dread and will leave the viewer wanting to know when it will play next. Most trailers have a mixture of dialogue, voice overs and inter-titles. This trailer doesn't have a voice over but it does use inter-titles at the beginning and the end. The ones at the beginning are introducing the concept of mobile phones and how often they are answered and that sometimes they shouldn't be. The ones at the end highlight the theme of death and give us the names of people involved in the film.

This trailer is for a horror film and this is shown through several different conventions. The first of these is settings. The film appears to take place in a town or city because it has a train track however a lot of it also seems to be in people's houses which follows the idea of horror happening in rural/suburban settings. There are some scenes in a place with a "past" in the form of an old burned down hospital, which also ties in with the idea of medical institutions being a prominent setting within horror films. Also some scenes are at night in places that are usually okay like a residential streets.

Another of the conventions is to do with technical code. One of the components of the technical code is camerawork. The camerawork of the trailer uses things like low angles, such as when the main protagonist is holding the phone and the shot is of her friend, as shown with the screen print to the right. It also has cantered angles and makes use of the depth of field, both of which are shown in the screen print to the left. There are also extreme close ups of the main protagonist so we know who we should be identifying with. Towards the end of the trailer the editing speeds up which not only is a convention of horror films but also creates a sense on unease and leaves the viewer wanting to know what happens.

A third convention of horror films involves iconography. There are visual signifies of horror in this trailer such as the colour scheme. There are a lot of dark colours used and also red, such as just after the girl dies with the train the whole screen flashes red, also the round sweets found with the victims are red. The lighting used is very non-naturalistic and often quite dark to build up a sense of disorientation and confusion which goes with the trailer because we don't always know what is happening. In the mise-en-scene there are common objects of horror like masks, icons of the supernatural like people who disappear and things to do with religion such as crucifixes which can be seen in the first screen shot to the left, in the paragraph above.

In terms of narrative structure it is difficult to comment because from the trailer we don't know the whole story. However it does appear there will be a final girl because the main protagonist is a girl and the main character is usually the one who survives or is the last to die. She is also clearly a victim alongside being a hero because her friends are dying and she gets into trouble whilst in the hospital.

I think this is a good trailer because whilst it tells us the basic storyline it only hints at the deaths and what happens to the characters so we don't actually see anything and therefore want to watch the film. I think this would be a good element to use in my own trailer, tell the basic storyline but only hint at what happens.