For my A2 media coursework we were given the task to create a horror trailer along with creating a horror poster and a magazine cover for the film. I had to start the project by doing some research on horror trailers and look at magazine covers and horror posters. i did this to obtain an understanding of horror trailers and the common elements that occur in each of them. We had as a group, wrote up a treatment for the film so that we knew what to include in the horror trailer. The original plot included five friends but due to there being a shortage of actors, we reduced the group to three instead. The horror genre for our horror trailer is teen thriller.
The horror trailer that we created as a group did include many conventions of real media products as we used our understanding of existing horror films to give us an idea of what we were going to base our horror trailer on. As I had done some analysis on exisintg horror trailers, I found that close ups, extreme close ups and medium shots were the most frequently used camera shots in horror trailers. Within our horror trailer, we used extreme close ups and close ups to show anxiety. Moreover we used a birds eye view of when a character was fending off an unknown being which gave the impression that he was being watched but was unaware of where the theat was. As the plot of our film revolves around the idea of isolation, we used medium shots which created a sense of that. We didn't use many camera movements within our horror trailer and this is where we challenged commin conventions of media products. There was little camera movemnt at times. For example where the blood stain of the hand was shown, a panning shot was used. The transition we used were very typical of horror trailers. There was a lot of text, fades and cuts.
With the horror trailers I had researched and watched, I found that the most common horror theory to occur was 'the final girl theory'. So as a group, we thought we would play with this theory and have a man being the 'last person standing' which is very rare to occur in horror films and this also challenges conventions of real media products. Furthermore, by having a man the last person standing, it challenges the male gaze theory. The male gaze theory explains that horror films have been created for the entertainment of men. The male gaze theory has been challenged as we had used a man for the last person standing who had gone through this pain and struggle. We done this with the thought that in the 21st century, many women have also come to enjoy watching horror films, therefore with this in mind, I believe the male gaze theory is a little out dated. We had made the character quite logical and someone who did most things correctly and someone who a male audience could relate to. We edited our horror trailer in a way so that the trailer would show some of the exciting parts of the film. This leaves the audience wanting more which is the objective of all film trailers. The majority of our horror trailer includes common conventions of horror trailers. We didn't want our horror trailer to be too unconventional, otherwise it would not be recognised as a horror trailer.
One other part of my project was as a group we needed to combine a magazine cover and a horror poster with the horror trailer which I think we had acomplished successfully. The existing posters I had looked at showed that all of the victims had a pure white glow around them. I think this was created so that the audience is able to see who the victim or victims are. Our poster that we created showed the victims in a frightenining situation even though the whole situation isn't clear, the character's expressions are. This is how the victims are recognised by the audience. The villain is also shown in the horror poster we have created but as a shilouette figure. The villian is never identified in either the horror trailer or the poster to keep the audience intriuged. The magazine cover we had produced was a complete and utter contrast to the horror trailer and poster we had created. It was a photo of one of the actors in the film as himself, the actor in person rather than as the character. We as a group decided to do this as looking at existing magazine covers, we noticed that male actors are usually presented in their acting rold if they are on the front of magazine covers. As the villain hadn't been exposed in either the poster nor the horror trailer, it inserts the question into the audience's mind as to 'is this man the villain in the film or not?', which then again draws in the audience as the identity of the villain is disguised. I think that even though the magazine cover is very different from the other two media products, it allows a balance and lets the audience see another side to the actor.
Technology was significant in this project as it was used in every single stage of this production. It was used in the research stage where sites such as youtube, wikipeida and imdb had to be used to research and find out about existing horror films and the similarities in horror films. As well as that, I also used microsoft excel to create bar charts when i was analysis horror trailers. This was helpful when I was looking at the similarities in horror trailers and how to challenge those similarities to make our trailer less formulaic. Imovie was much easier to use as I am already fond with it as are other people in my group. We used many transitions, fade to black, quick cuts, slowing down certain parts of the trailer and speeding up some parts. Adding sound and music and syncing it to the fast pace of the trailer was also some editing that was done. We had also inserted a scream for when there was a blackout in the trailer to emphasise the blackout. The trailer was not in linear order, but was actually jumbled up in accordance to our storyboard. I found this technique to occur in many horror trailers so we did the same and gave the audience a quick bit of excitement before having the trailer quite calm and then excelling it again. we wanted our trailer to be quite clear and look fairly professional but due to the camera we were given, some scenes were quite blurry, for example when the party scene occured. Although it was slighty hazyfor the party scene, it did give the impression that every there was slightly drunk or not in their right mind which worked well with what was going on in the scene and the fact it is a teen horror/thriller.
In order to improve our trailer, I think we could have firstly used less text and I gathered that fom my audience feedback. Rather than sending out my questionnaire online, I did so by hand by printing it off on microsoft word and later collecting the completed questionnaires. The reason for this is because I did not have sufficient access to the internet so I had to use an alternative to obtain my results. Uploading the trailer on Youtube has allowed people to look at it worldwide and comment on it too.
In conclusion, I believe that our horror trailer was quite successful,. Some scenes did have to be cut out due to the lack of recources but i think we had overcome this efficiently and still produce a good project. Me and my group were quite please with out magazine cover, horror poster and our horror trailer.
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Horror Trailer Magazine Cover and Poster
Horror Magazine Cover
Horror Poster
Above are the magazine cover and the poster that I created with my group. We all put in ideas togethe and collaborated them to come to a decision of how we wanted the poster and magazine cover to look.
Horror Poster
Above are the magazine cover and the poster that I created with my group. We all put in ideas togethe and collaborated them to come to a decision of how we wanted the poster and magazine cover to look.
Audience Feedback
I had created a questionnaire on microsoft word and gave it out to my friends to complete regarding my horror trailer. The answers to the questions which they had given are shown below. Five students had taken part in this questionnaire.
1) What gender are you? Male: 4 Female: 1
2) Do you enjoy watching horror movies? Yes: 3 No: 2
3) Does the horror trailer give away too much? Yes: 1 No: 4
4) Does the horror trailer give you an insight as to what the film could be about or include?
Yes: 5 No: 0
5) Does the horror trailer make you want to go and watch the film? Yes: 3 No: 2
6) Do you think that the horror trailer was effective? Yes: 3 No: 2
7) What did you think was effective or good about the horror trailer?
Answer One: Gave the outline of the story but did not give away too much.
Answer Two: There was a variety of different shot types and camera angles.
Answer Three: The music and sounds.
Answer Four: The rapid change of scenes.
Answer Five: There was just enough included in the horror trailer and it didn't give away too much.
8) If you think something in the horror trailer could be improved, what would it be?
Answer One: The quality of the sound could be improved to be more clear.
Answer Two: The quality of the sound.
Answer Three: Less use of text on screen
Answer Four: The acting could be improved.
Answer Five: Better lighting could be used in the trailer. It was too dark at too many times.
Audience Feedback Evaluation
From the answers I received, I gathered that people didn't think the horror trailer gave too much away but still let them know what the film is about or what it includes, which is the initial idea of a horror trailer. I do think that in this sense, my group's horror trailer was definately successful. Three out of five students said they would go to watch the film which suggests that some improvements could be made to grasp the rest of the target audience. Improvements were suggested, such as "improve the sound quality" and for there to be "more use of lghting as the majority of the horror trailer was quite dark". Despite this, three out of five students still believed the horror trailer was effective. However, this statistic does tell me that the horror trailer didn't give the excitement or thrill that it should do, otherwise that statistic should be higher if it did.
Students generally beleived that the horror trailer was good and effective according to question 7 on the questionnaire. The most common answer was that "the horror trailer gave away just the right amount which is neither too much nor too less". By those who like to watch horror films, they said they would go to watch this film as the trailer generally inticed them and gave away just the right amount for them wanting to see more.
1) What gender are you? Male: 4 Female: 1
2) Do you enjoy watching horror movies? Yes: 3 No: 2
3) Does the horror trailer give away too much? Yes: 1 No: 4
4) Does the horror trailer give you an insight as to what the film could be about or include?
Yes: 5 No: 0
5) Does the horror trailer make you want to go and watch the film? Yes: 3 No: 2
6) Do you think that the horror trailer was effective? Yes: 3 No: 2
7) What did you think was effective or good about the horror trailer?
Answer One: Gave the outline of the story but did not give away too much.
Answer Two: There was a variety of different shot types and camera angles.
Answer Three: The music and sounds.
Answer Four: The rapid change of scenes.
Answer Five: There was just enough included in the horror trailer and it didn't give away too much.
8) If you think something in the horror trailer could be improved, what would it be?
Answer One: The quality of the sound could be improved to be more clear.
Answer Two: The quality of the sound.
Answer Three: Less use of text on screen
Answer Four: The acting could be improved.
Answer Five: Better lighting could be used in the trailer. It was too dark at too many times.
Audience Feedback Evaluation
From the answers I received, I gathered that people didn't think the horror trailer gave too much away but still let them know what the film is about or what it includes, which is the initial idea of a horror trailer. I do think that in this sense, my group's horror trailer was definately successful. Three out of five students said they would go to watch the film which suggests that some improvements could be made to grasp the rest of the target audience. Improvements were suggested, such as "improve the sound quality" and for there to be "more use of lghting as the majority of the horror trailer was quite dark". Despite this, three out of five students still believed the horror trailer was effective. However, this statistic does tell me that the horror trailer didn't give the excitement or thrill that it should do, otherwise that statistic should be higher if it did.
Students generally beleived that the horror trailer was good and effective according to question 7 on the questionnaire. The most common answer was that "the horror trailer gave away just the right amount which is neither too much nor too less". By those who like to watch horror films, they said they would go to watch this film as the trailer generally inticed them and gave away just the right amount for them wanting to see more.
Horror Poster Ideas
Horror Poster Idea 1
Horror Poster Idea 2
Horror Poster Idea 1:
I beleive this poster to be quite effective as it presents all three main charatcers in the film and also has the possesed characters silhouette or shadow in the doorway. Like the horror posters I had looked at, this one also give elements of the film away but not too much which intices and attracts the audience.
Horror Poster Idea 2:
This poster idea includes only two characters, one character who is the central image and the other character being the possesed one covering the victims mouth with cloth. This is very simple horror poster but it also very effective as it discloses less than the one above it and gives a larger sense of the unknown. I do think that upon looking at this poster, the audience wouldnt be able to grasp what the film could be about meaning that as the poster has no structure, the film could be the same and therefore doesn't attract the audience as much.
Horror Poster Idea 2
Horror Poster Idea 1:
I beleive this poster to be quite effective as it presents all three main charatcers in the film and also has the possesed characters silhouette or shadow in the doorway. Like the horror posters I had looked at, this one also give elements of the film away but not too much which intices and attracts the audience.
Horror Poster Idea 2:
This poster idea includes only two characters, one character who is the central image and the other character being the possesed one covering the victims mouth with cloth. This is very simple horror poster but it also very effective as it discloses less than the one above it and gives a larger sense of the unknown. I do think that upon looking at this poster, the audience wouldnt be able to grasp what the film could be about meaning that as the poster has no structure, the film could be the same and therefore doesn't attract the audience as much.
My Group's Horror Trailer
This is the horror trailer that myself and my group have created.We followed a stroyboard to create this horror trailer but did change some elements of the storyboard and added in some new parts to make this horror trailer for the better. I think that we were quite successful in including many obvious elements of horror films within this horror trailer.
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Existing Horror Magazine Covers and Posters
As part of my A2 media studies coursework, I had to design a magazine cover and a poster for the horror trailer that me and my group created. I have found a few similarities in horror film posters and horror film magazine cover, having looked and researched a few. I did find that men and women are both portrayed in very different ways and this is explained below.
Magazine Covers
Within the two magazine covers above, both actors are presented in different ways. The role that Halle Berry takes part in is a strong character and so is the role that Christian Bale takes on. The difference is on the cover that Christian Bale is on, he is presented as the character he plays and on the cover that Halle Berry is on, she is presented as an actress. I beleive that when a women is on the front of a magazine cover promoting a film, sex appeal is usually used to attract audiences. Looking at the dark knight cover, Chrisitan Bale is his character that he plays. As seen from the above examples, it is clear that magazines user men and women in very different ways to attract their audiences.
Horror Posters
Both of the horror posters above have many simliraities. Both of the posters have women as the main or central image and they also have a glow around them. This could suggest some kind of purity, specifically for the women holding the child in the orphanage posters. Looking at both posters, the impression of the unknown is given. I came to this thought as on the Eden Lake poster there are figures in the background approaching the women and on the Orphanage poster, there are arms reaching for the women coming from behind the curtains. I think both posters are effective in inticing the audience and give elements as to what the films are about or what could be about and at the same time do not give too much away.
Within the two magazine covers above, both actors are presented in different ways. The role that Halle Berry takes part in is a strong character and so is the role that Christian Bale takes on. The difference is on the cover that Christian Bale is on, he is presented as the character he plays and on the cover that Halle Berry is on, she is presented as an actress. I beleive that when a women is on the front of a magazine cover promoting a film, sex appeal is usually used to attract audiences. Looking at the dark knight cover, Chrisitan Bale is his character that he plays. As seen from the above examples, it is clear that magazines user men and women in very different ways to attract their audiences.
Horror Posters
Both of the horror posters above have many simliraities. Both of the posters have women as the main or central image and they also have a glow around them. This could suggest some kind of purity, specifically for the women holding the child in the orphanage posters. Looking at both posters, the impression of the unknown is given. I came to this thought as on the Eden Lake poster there are figures in the background approaching the women and on the Orphanage poster, there are arms reaching for the women coming from behind the curtains. I think both posters are effective in inticing the audience and give elements as to what the films are about or what could be about and at the same time do not give too much away.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Horror Film Theories
Final Girl Theory
The final girl theory is present in many horror films. This theory suggests that a female always survives. This theory came from Carol J.Clover. The final female surviver has ordinarially has got some sort of connection with the killer from the beginning of the film and the female usually has a unisex name. A unisex name for the female gives the impression that the female has a bit of a masculine side. Within horror films the 'final girl theory' explains that the final girl is a quick thinker, recourseful and become a person who is willing to kill to survive. With a horror film using the 'final girl theory', male viewers are much more likely to empathise with a female and want her to succeed. If a male was left last, then I beleive a male would be more competitive and would feel as if the male should be able to defeat villain or killer with ease. Feminists will argue that many horror films, if not all horror films have an element of sexism as a women is always being terrorised or brutally slaughtered in horror films. All horror films give off the impression that the women is initially being blamed for the villains rage, so therefore, I shall also be using an element of this in my horror film trailer. Although it will look like the female is being punished or blamed for the deaths of the other victims, she will not be the last girl 'standing' if you like so we as a group have tried to subvert from the typical final girl theory which is present in a lot of horror films. More frequently, the last person 'standing' in horror films are becoming to be male, which is occuring more in the 21st century. In my groups horror trailer, the last person standing is male and therefore doesnt follow the final girl theory.
Male Gaze Theory
It is said that horror films are made for male entertainment. There is evidence of this statement which is that in a horror film, there is always a terrorfied woman and it is thought that it is not what the woman represents but what the woman provokes in the villain. The theorist name for the male gaze theory is Laura Mulvey. She states that the audience view the horror film from a heterosexual point of view and that women are objectified in horror films for pleasure of the male viewer. This theory is less obvious in horror films now and an example of this the film Eden Lake. In Eden Lake it is true that the woman is very scared and frightened, but near the end of the film she is also very brave and couragous and attempts to tactfully get out of the situation she is in which presents her as a heroine.
The final girl theory is present in many horror films. This theory suggests that a female always survives. This theory came from Carol J.Clover. The final female surviver has ordinarially has got some sort of connection with the killer from the beginning of the film and the female usually has a unisex name. A unisex name for the female gives the impression that the female has a bit of a masculine side. Within horror films the 'final girl theory' explains that the final girl is a quick thinker, recourseful and become a person who is willing to kill to survive. With a horror film using the 'final girl theory', male viewers are much more likely to empathise with a female and want her to succeed. If a male was left last, then I beleive a male would be more competitive and would feel as if the male should be able to defeat villain or killer with ease. Feminists will argue that many horror films, if not all horror films have an element of sexism as a women is always being terrorised or brutally slaughtered in horror films. All horror films give off the impression that the women is initially being blamed for the villains rage, so therefore, I shall also be using an element of this in my horror film trailer. Although it will look like the female is being punished or blamed for the deaths of the other victims, she will not be the last girl 'standing' if you like so we as a group have tried to subvert from the typical final girl theory which is present in a lot of horror films. More frequently, the last person 'standing' in horror films are becoming to be male, which is occuring more in the 21st century. In my groups horror trailer, the last person standing is male and therefore doesnt follow the final girl theory.
Male Gaze Theory
It is said that horror films are made for male entertainment. There is evidence of this statement which is that in a horror film, there is always a terrorfied woman and it is thought that it is not what the woman represents but what the woman provokes in the villain. The theorist name for the male gaze theory is Laura Mulvey. She states that the audience view the horror film from a heterosexual point of view and that women are objectified in horror films for pleasure of the male viewer. This theory is less obvious in horror films now and an example of this the film Eden Lake. In Eden Lake it is true that the woman is very scared and frightened, but near the end of the film she is also very brave and couragous and attempts to tactfully get out of the situation she is in which presents her as a heroine.
Monday 25 April 2011
Horror Trailer Analysis
Whilst watching a few horror trailers I was able to tally the camera movement and the various types of camera shots involved in the horror trailers. i have represented them as bar charts and I also commented on the use of sound, issues of representation and horror iconography. I looked at four horror trailers which include 'nightmare on Elm Street', 'The Crazies', 'The fourth kind' and 'The anti-Christ'. The information I discovered has been displayed below:
The Crazies
The Crazies
Sound: A drum beat which gets faster. A soft song is played in the movie which is 'Mad World' by Gary Jules.
Horror Iconography: Blood trail, no signal on mobile phones. All connection with the outside world has been cut off. A community event turned out badly, fire, a mysterious character walking into a feild.
Issues of Representation: Male characters are dominant. The husband turns on his family (male gaze).
Nightmare on Elm Street
Horror Iconography: Blood trail, no signal on mobile phones. All connection with the outside world has been cut off. A community event turned out badly, fire, a mysterious character walking into a feild.
Issues of Representation: Male characters are dominant. The husband turns on his family (male gaze).
Nightmare on Elm Street
Sound: Charaters talking about nightmare and capture. Casual talking between characters and also significant dialouge "anyone here!?"
Horror Iconography: Unknown hallucinations, child, hospitals, phallus shaped objects, unknown person and isolation.
Issues of Representation: Screaming girl, men cope with it better (male gaze).
The Fourth Kind
Sound: There is dislouge included in the trailer - "what you're about to see is extremely disturbing", "staring at me", "an owl" actress speaks as actress. The music includes airy soft sounds, high pitched screeching, and loud drum beats. Other sounds included were camera turning on and off, scratching and screaming.
Horror Iconography: A true story which has been recreated with real footage shown, isolated area, aliens and abductions, cabin in mountins.
Issues of Representation: Strong female, curious female, male victims (final girl theory).
The Anti-Christ
Sound: Important dialouge included in the trailer - "what are you most afraid of?" In response "the woods". The music included is a choir, and opera music. Other significant noises include snapping sticks, animal cries and panting.
Horror Iconography: Woods, darkness, girl in toilets, an isolated house in the middle of the woods, Satan, anti-christ and screaming.
Issues of representation: Vunerable women, man has authority, baby crying and sex.
I have noticed that there are many similar traits within horror films after having analysed a few horror film trailers. The most common type of camera movement was the movement where the camera moved away, moved nearer and moved down. In my opinion, these camera movements are the most common to be found in horror movies as they create more intensity in the horror film trailer. The camera movement which involves the camera to be moved nearer encourages the view to notice something they wouldn't have noticed from a distance. The camera movement which involves the camera to be moved away encourages the viewer to notice the surroundings and the mise en scene. The camera movement which involves the camera to be moved down may be used to show how far away the characters are from contact and this what I discovered these camera movements were used for in the horror trailers I had watched.
Horror Iconography: Woods, darkness, girl in toilets, an isolated house in the middle of the woods, Satan, anti-christ and screaming.
Issues of representation: Vunerable women, man has authority, baby crying and sex.
I have noticed that there are many similar traits within horror films after having analysed a few horror film trailers. The most common type of camera movement was the movement where the camera moved away, moved nearer and moved down. In my opinion, these camera movements are the most common to be found in horror movies as they create more intensity in the horror film trailer. The camera movement which involves the camera to be moved nearer encourages the view to notice something they wouldn't have noticed from a distance. The camera movement which involves the camera to be moved away encourages the viewer to notice the surroundings and the mise en scene. The camera movement which involves the camera to be moved down may be used to show how far away the characters are from contact and this what I discovered these camera movements were used for in the horror trailers I had watched.
The types of camera shots that were frequently used in these horror trailers were close ups and medium shots. Within horror trailers close ups are used very often as they create a sense of uncomfertability. In the trailers I had viewed, I had also noticed that the long shot was also used quite a bit. I beleive they were used to show or present isolation.
The sound in the horror film trailers were mostly slow and airy which usually got faster as more of the trailer was revealed. There was also a quite noticeable drumbeat which was repetitive. The iconography used in these horror film trailers were isolation, darkness and blood which are people's usual fears. Intensifying them causes them to become even more frightening. In the horror trailer 'The Fourth Kind' the actress spoke as an actress which ultimately made it seem more realistic in the film.
Tuesday 1 February 2011
Basic Outline Of Horror Film
5 friends get invited to a party at school (they are given a leaflet). They discuss whether or not they should go to the party or stay home and watch scary films. They can't decide so they flip a coin, heads stay home, tails: they go to the party.
The party is on the night 31st october. When the party is in full swing they split into 2 groups (3 and 2) from one of the group, one of their phones go missing and then someone else in the other group gets a phone call from the person who phone goes missing and there is a weird sound on the other side, thinking it's bad reception they try to go outside to find that all the doors are locked. They try all the doors and windows but they are locked in. They try to tell all the party goers but they dont pay them any attention. the lights go out and then everyone disappears and then there are only the five people left. they realise that one of them is missing and go looking for them. they find them dying and they frantically panic. As there is no reception for mobile signals or any communciation to the outside world they try to help the person dying but consequently they die. One of then then go to the bathroom to be sick and when they are washing there face and look onto the mirror they see a figure in the mirror they turn around and nothing is there (the figure is the possession but the person doesn't know it) They decide to split up. One goes looking for other people, another goes tries to go and get reception and the other two stay put because one of them is panicking. The person going to look for other people see something sitting you can only see the back of their head they tap the shoulder and it a person then it grabs its hand and kills them with an axe, the person trying to get signal finds a window finally talks to a friend they saw at the party and ask them where did you go and they have no idea what they are talking about and dont know anything about a party. they some how drop the phone and they find the on their back they have some sought of evidence they have been pushed. The two people who who are together, one of them goes looking for the others because they have been gone for a long time he/she screams from from seeing the dead body. the other two rush to them and find the dead body, they then come to the conclusion that the killer has to be one of them, and then assume that the killer is the person who found the second body, the other two decide to kill the accused killer before he/she tries and kills them. they tie the accused killer to a chair and kill them brutally. Then out of the two left we find out that the killer is not the friend they just killed but one of the two the people left. They two struggle to kill each other and finally the possessed one is killed by the last person left.
THE END
The party is on the night 31st october. When the party is in full swing they split into 2 groups (3 and 2) from one of the group, one of their phones go missing and then someone else in the other group gets a phone call from the person who phone goes missing and there is a weird sound on the other side, thinking it's bad reception they try to go outside to find that all the doors are locked. They try all the doors and windows but they are locked in. They try to tell all the party goers but they dont pay them any attention. the lights go out and then everyone disappears and then there are only the five people left. they realise that one of them is missing and go looking for them. they find them dying and they frantically panic. As there is no reception for mobile signals or any communciation to the outside world they try to help the person dying but consequently they die. One of then then go to the bathroom to be sick and when they are washing there face and look onto the mirror they see a figure in the mirror they turn around and nothing is there (the figure is the possession but the person doesn't know it) They decide to split up. One goes looking for other people, another goes tries to go and get reception and the other two stay put because one of them is panicking. The person going to look for other people see something sitting you can only see the back of their head they tap the shoulder and it a person then it grabs its hand and kills them with an axe, the person trying to get signal finds a window finally talks to a friend they saw at the party and ask them where did you go and they have no idea what they are talking about and dont know anything about a party. they some how drop the phone and they find the on their back they have some sought of evidence they have been pushed. The two people who who are together, one of them goes looking for the others because they have been gone for a long time he/she screams from from seeing the dead body. the other two rush to them and find the dead body, they then come to the conclusion that the killer has to be one of them, and then assume that the killer is the person who found the second body, the other two decide to kill the accused killer before he/she tries and kills them. they tie the accused killer to a chair and kill them brutally. Then out of the two left we find out that the killer is not the friend they just killed but one of the two the people left. They two struggle to kill each other and finally the possessed one is killed by the last person left.
THE END
Saturday 1 January 2011
Storyboard for Horror Trailer
These are the different shots in consecutive order for my horror trailer which is the storyboard. When I was filming with my group, our aim was to stick to the actual storyboard and follow through with each shot we had planned. At the beginning we did stick to the storyboard but gradually we realised that we had to change most shots we had planned as some things we did storyboard were too ambitious. They were ambitious in the sense that we didn't have enough willing actors to play the various characters which made us replace some of the shots with other shots.
There are many shots which were not included in the storyboard but have been incorporated into the horror trailer. For example, there is a shot of myself with a cork screw in the horror trailer at a birds eye view angle which as a group we thought of including. Initially, we were going to take only one shot of me with the cork screw at one angle but as we were filming, we decided to improvise with three different shots of me with the cork screw which I think significantly improved the trailer.
Treatment for the Horror film Trailer
The film begins on halloween with a shot of the bustling school entrance. We then meet the five main characters Jordan, Alex, Gavin, Nessa and Katie as they walk through the school grounds. It is Friday and Alex produces a leaflet that he has been "given" about a local halloween party taking place that night. The teenagers are indecisive about whether to go so they go to the common room and flip a coin. Katie says "Heads we stay in and watch a movie, tails we go to the party." Alex flips the coin and it lands on tails. The bell goes and they all go home after planning to meet at 9 to go to the party together.
At 9 o'clock they all meet at the corner of a street, it's dark. Katie and Nessa are there first and then Gavin, Alex and Jordan arrive separately. They walk to the party, the front door is open so they walk straight inside, shutting the door behind them.
They all walk into the packed main room and Katie, Jordan and Gavin go straight to the other side of the room to get drinks. Alex and Nessa stand on the other side and mingle. Nessa is holding her phone, she outs it down for a moment to look in her bag. When she looks up again her phone is gone. She just assumes that it has been stolen by someone at the party and isn't too bothered because it was cheap.
Moments later, out of sight and on the other side of the room, Gavin receives a call from Nessa's phone number. Gavin, Jordan and Katie are unaware that Nessa's phone has gone missing at this time. Gavin answers the phone and hears crackling and indistinct whispering. Assuming that it is Nessa and he just doesn't have signal, Gavin goes to the door to get outside. The door is locked, he tries another door, it is also locked, he then tries a window which is also locked.
Gavin tells Jordan and Katie that they are locked in. They feel a little uneasy and try to tell other party-goers. Everyone brushes them off in a trance-like fashion and carries on dancing.
The lights go out. Everyone gasps. There is a state of panic. "What's going on?" Someone feels a cold brush by their arm. A girl screams. Gavin: "Stop messing around guys. Turn the lights on!" A rustling sound. It sounds like Gavin is in pain. "What happened to the lights?" Katie in panic rushes to the light switch and frantically tries to switch it on. "It's not working! It's not working!" The light switch is on the off the button.
And then the lights come on. But the audience can see that the light switch is off. There is dead silence. Katie is still at the light switch. "Hold on! This switch is actually off!" Turns around to see that everyone else has gone and the other four are in a state of shock. Katie: "Where's everyone just cleared to?"
Nessa goes up stairs. "I need to use the bathroom." She opens the bathroom door. She sees Gavin lying face down in the bath with the shower on. "Gavin! Oh my God!" She pulls him slightly over. His face is completely deformed. Blood is dripping from his neck. All of a sudden she notices a large pool of blood in the bath. She screams: "Everyone come upstairs." Everyone attends. He tries to speak but he can't. They pick him up and take him to a bedroom. They lie him on the bed. They try to stop the bleeding with the bedsheets. He still can't speak. "What happened?" Then he dies.
Alex runs to the bathroom and throws up. Then when he looks back up in the mirror he sees a black silhouette behind him. He turns around straight away so it's only there for a split second and there's nothing behind him. He feels scared but he doesn't tell any of the others because he thinks it's all in his head.
They all go back into the living room to discuss what they are going to do next. Alex says that he's going to try to get some signal. And Katie says she's going to see if there's anyone else left in the house. Nessa is having a panic attack so Jordan stays and looks after her.
Cut to Katie walking through the corridor looking into rooms.
Cut to Alex walking into the bedroom. Sees a window a bit open but it's second storey so he can't jump out. He sits on the ledge and leans out of the window and he gets signal. He calls Tom who he saw at the party. "Tom! Where did you go?!".
"What do you mean Alex?" Alex then asks why everyone left the party and why they locked the five in. Tom explains that he was never at any party. Alex feels a sharp pain in his back, he slips and drops the phone out of the window before he can ask for help. He then makes his way back to the others in the living room.
Cut back to Katie looking into rooms. She enters a bedroom and sees someone sitting on a bed with their back to her. They are wearing a hood so it is unclear who they are... She walks towards the person and grabs their shoulder. The person turns around, their face is hidden, and they thrust the blade through her neck. They hold it there for approximately two seconds and then slice to the right out of her throat, leaving her neck dangling to the side half on.
Cut to Alex entering the living room as Nessa gets up to look for Katie as she is worried about her. She leaves the room.
Nessa screams, Alex and Jordan both run into the bedroom to see what has happened, Katie is in a pool of her own blood.
Jordan: OMG
He runs out the room to the living room and the rest follow him. Alex is the last to enter and locks the door without anyone noticing
Alex: Ok what the hell is happening?
Nessa: who is doing this what have we done (crying and hugging Jordan)
Jordan: did you get reception
Alex: yeh i called Tom but dropped the phone
Jordan: (Jordan eyes widen in disbelief) how on earth did you manage that
Alex: look at this (lifts up his shirt to see burn mark) something burned me and made me drop the phone, whoever or whatever is doing this is stopping us from getting in contact with anyone else.
Nessa: How the hell could you drop the phone what's wrong with you?! That was our only way to get out and now we're stuck, you probably did it on purpose
Alex: WHAT are you trying to say? That I’m doing this?
The group start to argue and accuse each other. Jordan finds a bloody hand print on the wall – "Hey guys look at this!"
Alex: it must be the killers, so whoever's hand fits must be the killer
Everyone hesitates as no one wants to go first. Alex goes first, then Jordan, then Nessa. Nessa's hand fits.
Jordan: Nessa??
Alex: it makes sense now, you found the bodies, and you started accusing people
Nessa: it wasn’t me I swear
Alex: she’s lying
Nessa: Jordan you know me, why would I do this, Katie’s my best friend
Jordan: I don’t know, you did find Katie and at the party i got a phone call from you
Nessa: what phone call? I lost my phone at the party
Alex: what did the person say?
Jordan: I didn’t hear it properly, it wasn’t clear, that's when all this stuff started happening
Alex and Jordan gang up on Nessa. Jordan and alex convince themselves that it was Nessa.
Jordan: we've got to kill her
Alex: what?!
Jordan: whatever's or whoever's making her do this, is going to kill us too!
Jordan and alex talk and decide that they have got to kill her.
Nessa: no, please it wasn't me
Jordan: stop lying, your hand fits you found gavin and katie and you made that phone call.
Alex picks up Nessa and ties her to a chair with some cable from the TV. Jordan and alex discuss how they are going to do it, Alex convinces Jordan to do it some how. Nessa still pleads with them to stop and is trying get away. She manages to untangle herself and gets up and picks up and smashes a bottle.
Alex: look she trying to kill us
Jordan walks towards her she stabs him in the arm, Jordan uses a chair to repeatly hit her until she is dead. Jordan goes towards Alex to tell him that Nessa is dead, Alex turns around and his eyes are black, Jordan realises that something is wrong with him.
Alex looks at the hand prints and so does Jordan. The handprint changes shape and Alex puts his hand on it, it fits.
Jordan realises that Alex is the real kill and he is possessed with something, he tries to leave the room but the door is locked. Alex charges at him, he misses and smashes down the door. Jordan runs out the room and Alex chases him.
Jordan picks up a corkscrew to defend himself and alex runs towards him. He jabs him in the eye. Alex grabs his eyes and falls to his knees and Jordan runs out of the room.
Cut back to Alex. Alex gets up. He thinks Jordan has gone outside so he unlocks the front door to look for him. Jordan isn't outside so Alex runs back into the house and runs upstairs. He gets to the top step and Jordan jumps out and pushes Alex down the stairs. He then pushes a chest of draws down and it lands on him. Alex is dead.
Jordan sees the front door open runs out. The film end with a front view of Jordan running down the street.
At 9 o'clock they all meet at the corner of a street, it's dark. Katie and Nessa are there first and then Gavin, Alex and Jordan arrive separately. They walk to the party, the front door is open so they walk straight inside, shutting the door behind them.
They all walk into the packed main room and Katie, Jordan and Gavin go straight to the other side of the room to get drinks. Alex and Nessa stand on the other side and mingle. Nessa is holding her phone, she outs it down for a moment to look in her bag. When she looks up again her phone is gone. She just assumes that it has been stolen by someone at the party and isn't too bothered because it was cheap.
Moments later, out of sight and on the other side of the room, Gavin receives a call from Nessa's phone number. Gavin, Jordan and Katie are unaware that Nessa's phone has gone missing at this time. Gavin answers the phone and hears crackling and indistinct whispering. Assuming that it is Nessa and he just doesn't have signal, Gavin goes to the door to get outside. The door is locked, he tries another door, it is also locked, he then tries a window which is also locked.
Gavin tells Jordan and Katie that they are locked in. They feel a little uneasy and try to tell other party-goers. Everyone brushes them off in a trance-like fashion and carries on dancing.
The lights go out. Everyone gasps. There is a state of panic. "What's going on?" Someone feels a cold brush by their arm. A girl screams. Gavin: "Stop messing around guys. Turn the lights on!" A rustling sound. It sounds like Gavin is in pain. "What happened to the lights?" Katie in panic rushes to the light switch and frantically tries to switch it on. "It's not working! It's not working!" The light switch is on the off the button.
And then the lights come on. But the audience can see that the light switch is off. There is dead silence. Katie is still at the light switch. "Hold on! This switch is actually off!" Turns around to see that everyone else has gone and the other four are in a state of shock. Katie: "Where's everyone just cleared to?"
Nessa goes up stairs. "I need to use the bathroom." She opens the bathroom door. She sees Gavin lying face down in the bath with the shower on. "Gavin! Oh my God!" She pulls him slightly over. His face is completely deformed. Blood is dripping from his neck. All of a sudden she notices a large pool of blood in the bath. She screams: "Everyone come upstairs." Everyone attends. He tries to speak but he can't. They pick him up and take him to a bedroom. They lie him on the bed. They try to stop the bleeding with the bedsheets. He still can't speak. "What happened?" Then he dies.
Alex runs to the bathroom and throws up. Then when he looks back up in the mirror he sees a black silhouette behind him. He turns around straight away so it's only there for a split second and there's nothing behind him. He feels scared but he doesn't tell any of the others because he thinks it's all in his head.
They all go back into the living room to discuss what they are going to do next. Alex says that he's going to try to get some signal. And Katie says she's going to see if there's anyone else left in the house. Nessa is having a panic attack so Jordan stays and looks after her.
Cut to Katie walking through the corridor looking into rooms.
Cut to Alex walking into the bedroom. Sees a window a bit open but it's second storey so he can't jump out. He sits on the ledge and leans out of the window and he gets signal. He calls Tom who he saw at the party. "Tom! Where did you go?!".
"What do you mean Alex?" Alex then asks why everyone left the party and why they locked the five in. Tom explains that he was never at any party. Alex feels a sharp pain in his back, he slips and drops the phone out of the window before he can ask for help. He then makes his way back to the others in the living room.
Cut back to Katie looking into rooms. She enters a bedroom and sees someone sitting on a bed with their back to her. They are wearing a hood so it is unclear who they are... She walks towards the person and grabs their shoulder. The person turns around, their face is hidden, and they thrust the blade through her neck. They hold it there for approximately two seconds and then slice to the right out of her throat, leaving her neck dangling to the side half on.
Cut to Alex entering the living room as Nessa gets up to look for Katie as she is worried about her. She leaves the room.
Nessa screams, Alex and Jordan both run into the bedroom to see what has happened, Katie is in a pool of her own blood.
Jordan: OMG
He runs out the room to the living room and the rest follow him. Alex is the last to enter and locks the door without anyone noticing
Alex: Ok what the hell is happening?
Nessa: who is doing this what have we done (crying and hugging Jordan)
Jordan: did you get reception
Alex: yeh i called Tom but dropped the phone
Jordan: (Jordan eyes widen in disbelief) how on earth did you manage that
Alex: look at this (lifts up his shirt to see burn mark) something burned me and made me drop the phone, whoever or whatever is doing this is stopping us from getting in contact with anyone else.
Nessa: How the hell could you drop the phone what's wrong with you?! That was our only way to get out and now we're stuck, you probably did it on purpose
Alex: WHAT are you trying to say? That I’m doing this?
The group start to argue and accuse each other. Jordan finds a bloody hand print on the wall – "Hey guys look at this!"
Alex: it must be the killers, so whoever's hand fits must be the killer
Everyone hesitates as no one wants to go first. Alex goes first, then Jordan, then Nessa. Nessa's hand fits.
Jordan: Nessa??
Alex: it makes sense now, you found the bodies, and you started accusing people
Nessa: it wasn’t me I swear
Alex: she’s lying
Nessa: Jordan you know me, why would I do this, Katie’s my best friend
Jordan: I don’t know, you did find Katie and at the party i got a phone call from you
Nessa: what phone call? I lost my phone at the party
Alex: what did the person say?
Jordan: I didn’t hear it properly, it wasn’t clear, that's when all this stuff started happening
Alex and Jordan gang up on Nessa. Jordan and alex convince themselves that it was Nessa.
Jordan: we've got to kill her
Alex: what?!
Jordan: whatever's or whoever's making her do this, is going to kill us too!
Jordan and alex talk and decide that they have got to kill her.
Nessa: no, please it wasn't me
Jordan: stop lying, your hand fits you found gavin and katie and you made that phone call.
Alex picks up Nessa and ties her to a chair with some cable from the TV. Jordan and alex discuss how they are going to do it, Alex convinces Jordan to do it some how. Nessa still pleads with them to stop and is trying get away. She manages to untangle herself and gets up and picks up and smashes a bottle.
Alex: look she trying to kill us
Jordan walks towards her she stabs him in the arm, Jordan uses a chair to repeatly hit her until she is dead. Jordan goes towards Alex to tell him that Nessa is dead, Alex turns around and his eyes are black, Jordan realises that something is wrong with him.
Alex looks at the hand prints and so does Jordan. The handprint changes shape and Alex puts his hand on it, it fits.
Jordan realises that Alex is the real kill and he is possessed with something, he tries to leave the room but the door is locked. Alex charges at him, he misses and smashes down the door. Jordan runs out the room and Alex chases him.
Jordan picks up a corkscrew to defend himself and alex runs towards him. He jabs him in the eye. Alex grabs his eyes and falls to his knees and Jordan runs out of the room.
Cut back to Alex. Alex gets up. He thinks Jordan has gone outside so he unlocks the front door to look for him. Jordan isn't outside so Alex runs back into the house and runs upstairs. He gets to the top step and Jordan jumps out and pushes Alex down the stairs. He then pushes a chest of draws down and it lands on him. Alex is dead.
Jordan sees the front door open runs out. The film end with a front view of Jordan running down the street.
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