Target Audience

My chosen target audience for my own production will be young adults and teens from ages 18 to around 25/26. This is due to the fact being a horror the age certificate would probably be suitable at 18 therefore it would be pointless aiming the trailer at an age group that are not legally allowed to see it. Also this age group are the typical age that enjoy horror films due the adrenaline rush that the scare factor gives them. The target audience would be both boys and girls due to again the fact that it's scary. However mainly girls will be used in the trailer as it allows the vulnerability to be shown and is more believable if their scared so therefore it may attract more of a female audience in general. By making the girls in the trailer ordinary teens that enjoy fashion and are dressed nice, allows the audience of everyday teens to be targeted. This in affect allows them to relate to the characters as they are of a similar age group and personality. The story me and my group member have decided to use for our video targets an audience that gains enjoyment from mystery and fast paced scenes which make you on the edge of your seat. A typical person who the trailer is targeted at would enjoy quirky music which has a dark twist. This is what generally sparks an interest in the excitement and feeling of anticipation which comes with a horror film/trailer.

Initial Ideas For Own Video

Camera Angles

For our music video me and my group member decided to brainstorm several ideas in which would be effective for our specific horror trailer. By using the techniques used in existing media trailers that i analysed previously i used these ideas to inspire my own below:

Close Ups
Extreme close ups - Show emotion and flashes of scary character
Mid shot - Important to show scary character
long shot
P.O.V shot
Eyeline match
Low angle
High angle
Ariel shot
Over the shoulder
Establishing Shot - Clearly show setting

Editing

Editing is very important in a horror trailer as it tends to go from slow at the beginning to fast at the end following Todorov's theory.

Blunt Cut
Jump Cut
Fade to Black
Flash to Black
Establishing Shots
Ellipsis
Shot-Reverse-Shot
Cut to flashback - shown by a black and white shot to signify the difference ( needed to show the past when the girl is drowning to the present)

Mise En Scene

Props-
A Car
An old newspaper article
A limited amount (emphasises seclusion in forest)

Characters-
Two girls going to the forest and the ghost who drowned
Two boys going to the forest and the ghost who drowned
One boy and one girl and the ghost who drowned

Costumes -
Old fashioned dress for ghost scary character (distinguishes that she is not from the present time)
Normal everyday clothing for the two other characters showing that there ordinary people
Dull colour clothing to fit in with horror genre of trailer

Sound Effects

Screams
Heartbeats
Heavy breathing
none - (to make music sound more dramatic)

Music

Mainly want a song which starts slow, sad and eerie to begin with but turns fast towards middle and end to add that dramatic horror effect.

Wake Me Up Inside - Evanescence
This is going to hut - Hans Zimmer

Special Effects

Slow motion
Speed up shots
special effect such as a swirl to distinguish past from present

Setting

Forest/woodland location
A lake/river
Part set in a house

Dialogue

None
Limited Dialogue
Lots of dialogue (as oppose to captions to be a narrative for the trailer)

Detailed Analysis of Locations - Eden Lake

The first location shown to the audience is an establishing shot of a city, showing that the characters are normal people from a normal everyday place. This introduces a state of equilibrium to the trailer to know that that is the normal. The shot is then contrasted with the following one of the road in which the main protagonists are driving on, but it is surrounded by greenery and trees showing that they are going out of equilibrium and doing something that is not of the norm. The next location shown is where they are going to a forest. A forest location is very typical of a horror film yet very effective due to the fact a forest is a remote location and therefore adds to the tension and drama of the trailer in that the audience feel scared for them. I feel this technique used is very effective for this trailer and therefore i will use it in my own production work, i will show the characters in a location which conveys a state of equilibrium and then contrast it with a secluded location which immediately puts the audience on edge and wonders what is going to happen. Following these shots, the next location shown is a long shot of a lake which is surrounded by countryside. This again enhances the feeling of seclusion and the fact that anything that goes wrong there will be hidden to the normal world, as the audience have already established that the trailer is one of a horror genre by this stage in the video due to music and editing, the fact the location is secluded allows the audience to already feel scared and anticipate what is going to happen. This is an important selling point of a horror trailer as it compels the audience to keep watching. Further more the fact the location is set at a lake again represents scary ideas such as drowning. Again a lake is a typical setting of a horror film, for example it has been used in others such as what lies beneath and is effective of providing that mysterious scary atmosphere to the trailer. Therefore i like the idea of using this locations also in my own trailer as it is guaranteed it will make the trailer scary and therefore attract it's target audience. In this video, with exception of the start of the trailer, the location doesn't change, this is good as it allows the trailer to be easily followed by the audience. The location in which the characters are in just becomes darker as things start to go wrong making everything seem dark and unclear which cleverly reflects how the characters are feeling. It is clear from this trailer that the location is very important in building that suspense and making the audience feel scared for the characters.

One Missed Call - Detailed Analysis of Sound/Music

I chose to anaylse this trailer in order to gain an understanding of what sound and music techniques are used and are affective in existing horror trailers.

As soon as the production company logo is shown on the screen the music begins to play and through the use of it being a cold high pitched tone, an eerie atmosphere is created immediately establishing the trailer as one of a horror genre. As captions appear to begin to introduce the story the writing is shown with a dialing sound in the background which is significant as it connects the trailer with the title of the film showing a clear theme. Then the music stops and the ringtone sound is played, with no music playing in the background it allows the ringtone to sound very dramatic and rememberable for the viewers which is important as it is played throughout the trailer and is significant to the film. When the protagonist answers the phone the diegetic sound of a scream is played followed by silence with loud beating noises in the background which sounds as if they are reflecting the characters heartbeats portraying their worry. This is effective as it creates panic within the viewers and adds more intrigue to the trailer. Diegetic sounds such as screams are very common within typical horror trailers and are effective in catching the viewers attention to make them watch more and therefore will be a good idea to incorporate within my own trailer. 37 seconds into the trailer following the silence, the music starts to get a bit faster introducing the beginning of the action, the ring tone is played over and over again but with a drumming sound in the background. At 1:46 the fast paced music begins in time with the quick editing this is very effective as it heightens the drama within the trailer

Detailed Analysis of Characters - The Grudge

The first character that is showing what seems to be a normal Japanese girl yet this character is only shown once in the trailer. This forces the audience to question what happens to her causing the viewer to become inquisitive about the trailer and thus making them want to watch more. Flashes of the 'the grudge' are then shown immediately after, introducing the horror genre into the trailer as the scary character is introduced. This frightening aspect of the character is represented through the use of black long hair and a white face which immediately establishes this character as the scary one as they are both features that are not typical of a normal human being. This representation is a convention of a horror trailer where the gothic look is also used in films such as the ring as it adds an element of mystery as the viewers cannot completely understand what or who the character is, i will use this technique in my trailer to really try and portray a scary feel to it . The make-up , hair and eyes of the character resemble a dead person thus representing death which is something the majority of people fear, this allows the trailer to look scary which is an important selling point. Although the protagonist is not introduced into the trailer until 44 seconds it is clear Sarah Michelle Gellar is the protatgonist as her voice is used as a voice over and she is in shots throughout the rest of the trailer. The protagonist is represented as a stereotypical girl, with blonde hair and normal clothing. This is important as it allows the viewers to relate to her and find the film more believable. This in affect will allow the viewers to feel more scared as they will automatically identify with the main character and the things that happen to her.

Detailed Analysis of Mise En Scene

The first shot of the trailer is an establishing shot of a foggy setting showing the house, obviously the place where all the action in the film must take place. Through the use of fog a ghostly and scary feel is portrayed within the trailer which allows the audience to immediately identify the film as one of a horror genre. The dead tree which is also used in the shot represents death which again emphasises the horror genre of the film. The next shot shows an old fashioned large house and focuses on the stair case. By showing an old fashioned big house, the audience will automatically identify it within a horror genre as they are seen in several others such as; the Orphanage, Dracula and Amytiville Horror. It presents a conventional setting for a horror film, as oppose to a new modern one which for this film which is based on ghosts would bot be suitable. The clothing the characters are dressed in are the main evidence in the trailer that shows the time period in which the film is set in. This is important so the audience understand when the setting is and this is portrayed mainly through mise en scene. WIth the film set in the 1940's immediately after the wordl war two

Moodboard

Twilight Grid of 9

Grid of 9 Orphanage

Amytiville Horror Analysis

Grid of Nine

General Analysis of Music Video - Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy

Smack My Bitch Up - Prodigy

Story: Unlike of many dance videos this video has a clear narrative which builds up to a twist at the end. The basic narrative is following a young person throughout a day/night of their life yet with the use of a twist at the end the video is more memorable and unique.

Setting: The main locations used are Soho, clubs and an apartment. These places attract the target audience as they fit in with the style of music being angry and powerful. Also clubbing links with style of music.


Characters: Like many dance videos, the band doesn't appear in this video. The audience thinks it's a man the whole time but the twist is that it is actually a woman. This makes it acceptable about domestic violence referring to 'smack my bitch up'.

Lyrics: Lyrics are minimal which is common for dance songs. The audience is more interested in the actual beat and tune rather than if there is any lyrics. Lyrics include the name of the song 'smack my bitch up' which has a slight link to the narrative.

Special Effects: Special effects are minimal but again this is not important to the target audience. Special effects have to be used to express drunkeness because we can't see the character. This includes blurred and spinning shots.

Camera Angles: Point of view shots are vital in this music video. Firstly, to hide the character as that is the twist which we only find out at the end. The second reason is because it makes it fast, hectic and dynamic and thus fits in with the song and genre.

General Analysis of A Music Video - The Scientist by Coldplay

The Scientist - Coldplay

Story: There is a clear narrative told in reverse. It is a slow, dull song so the plot makes it interesting, it also allows the audience to see Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay and enables him to be portrayed as 'the hero'.

Setting: There are several different settings used in the video, mainly outdoor locations. Again a vary in settings makes the slow song more interesting, whilst also enabling the audience to follow the story.

Characters: The main character is Chris Martin, the main singer of Coldplay which is important as he is very well-known so he sells the band. If the main character was another member of Coldplay, the target audience probably wouldn't recognise them. A girlfriend is used because it's a love story and this therefore appeals the target audience which largely consists of women.

Costumes: Clothes are standard, plain, modern and dull colours which fits in with the band and the story of the video. It wouldn't work if they wore bright, fun clothes as this represents happiness and joy. The song is sad and miserable which is represented through dull grey and black clothes, the ordinary clothes also allow the audience to relate to the story.

Lyrics: The lyrics are based on a sad love story which relates completely to the mood and song in the video.

Special Effects: The entire video was shot in reverse meaning Chris Martin had to learn the song backwards. This provides a ver interesting outlook to the video and compels the audience to want to watch to the end.

Camera Angles: A lot of close ups are used to show the character's emotion. This is very important because a love story involves a lot of emotion, also the editing is slow due to the slow pace of the song.

General Analysis Of A Music Video - Buddy Holly by Weezer

Buddy Holly by Weezer.


Story: A simple story is used as the target audiencee is more focused on that Weezer are appearing in and episode of 'Happy Days' the main selling point of the trailer, therefore a complex story is unnecessary.

Setting: Only one setting is used which is Arnolds bar featured in Happy Days, again allowing the focus to be on the artist as the target audience will be familar with Arnolds bar. Also looking at the technical aspect of it, it is much easier to edit and combine old and new footage.

Characters: The main characters are the band, Weezer this is important as they are the selling point and the audience expects to see them. Characters from Happy Days are also shown to make it clear that it is an episode from happy days. There are extras including people dancing and watching the performance, representing the fans causing the situation to seem more realistic.

Costumes: The characters are wearing old 70s clothing which resembles Happy Days and the period, this again is making the video seem more realistic.

Lyrics: The plot does not follow the lyrics at all yet this isn't important as the Happy Days episode is selling the band's image. The audience does not focus on the lyrics, instead interest is aimed towards the actual band and Happy Days episode.

Special Effects: A skillful process of combining new and old footage is used through special cuts and edits so you cannot tell that Weezer actually didn't appear in Happy Days.

Camera angles: Close ups are used to show emotions and facial expressions of the members of the band as this is what the audience is interested in. There are a lot of close ups of characters from Happy Days which the audience will be familiar with. Wide shots show the band, happy days characters and crowd which establishes the setting and atmosphere.

Detailed Analysis of A Pann's Labyrinth

The first thing that appears on the screen is the company logo it fades in and out, clearly showing the audience the company that has produced the product. The music immediately starts after the logo fades and through the use of the eerie slow tone within the music the audience immediately identify the film as one of a mystery/fantasy genre. After this there are 4/5 quick shots shown which are important as these are setting the story and creating atmosphere. It is important to note that they are not telling the story because that will ruin the mystery and then there will be no point in actually going to see the film,not knowing what happens keeps the audience hooked and interested. After 4/5 seconds into the a trailer a caption appears, a convention of a film trailer. It is printed in small font in a white colour which creates an eerie atmosphere. Already there is another caption. 'what happens'. This blunt caption is thoughtful and again creating a mysterious aspect to the audience, It is again shown in a white font on a blue background. It is a typical convention for scary film trailers to use captions as it is exciting and involves the audience. More captions are shown in the same font and background showing a clear theme to the trailer. Putting all of the captions together actually says 'what happens when make believe believes it's real?' This would be very confusing and mysterious to the audience. However, this is the point to make the audience carry on watching to find out what is going on. There is then a long slower shot of the protagonist standing in-front of a tree as the shot starts to pan up the shot fades out, this indicates that something is going to happen. A long shot with a different type of music is shown which is long and slow and the scary character appears on the screen with loud music to jump the audience and make it more exciting . The middle of the video the editing becomes very fast pace as the music turns into a heavy boom sound in the background, this creates the exciting action part of the film within the trailer.The director cuts shots bluntly as it fits in with the fast hectic pace. There is a repition of shots fading, then cuts, then fade showing different locations and characters. After the fast paced editing there is a long fade into the final shot which is the title of the film, being shown last forces the title to be the first thing the audience will remember which is essential. The music gently fades away at the end showing the action has finished.This is then followed by quotes, release date and the website. Quotes indicate to the audience whether it is worth going to see and if it had good reviews. The background is different to the other captions which clearly distinguishes the seperation between the trailer and credits.

Freytag's Pyramid

Freytag's pyramid is an example of a dramatic structure used in film trailers to appeal to a wide range of audiences and compel them to want to see the product being advertised. The pyramid used represents Gustav Freytag's analysis of ancient Greek and Shakesperea drama. He suggests the start of the trailer begins with the characters in a state of equilibrium and as the trailer progresses risisng action occurs until there is a state of crisis represetned by the point of the triangle. The structure then goes back to equilibirum revealing little about the ending of the film so the viewers interest is maintained.

Introduction

After finishing the media AS course i continued my study of media into A2. For the A2 media coursework i will be producing a film trailer, whilst also creating a promotion package which consists of the trailer, a film magazine front cover and a poster for the film. My planning, research and construction of products will be shown in stages on this blog. After thorough brainstorming I chose to construct a movie trailer as oppose to a film trailer as i feel a film trailer is more exciting to create as you can be far more creative with the story. In order to produce a successful promotion package i will use the skills obtained when producing my AS media coursework such as editing and photoshop skills used on my magazine cover. I also am familiar with camera equipment from my previous project which will also help me for the poster and with previous research i can use my knowledge of camera techniques and angles in order to create a successful final product.