Summer Trailer Evaluation
Our summer trailer had many good, conventional icons of horror in it which made it an effective trailer. However, at times it could have been improved.
At the beginning of the trailer you can see a female running from something and then falling over, this is typical within a horror film as whenever the protagonist is attempting to escape they always trip and fall contributing to the consequences that follow. After this there is a pause and then a loud, piercing scream followed by eery, tense music that builds the suspense. With every new shot there is a loud boom sound effect, this is effective as it allows the audience to question if something scary is about to happen again building up the tension, creating a sense of fear within the viewers.
However, for the trailer to be of a higher standard, it needs to include a montage and a jumpscare at the end. A montage is almost imperative for a trailer to be successful especially if it is a horror trailer because, it again adds to the tension building and mystery. It is a series of quick shots of the film condensed into a small sequence of information, showing you enough about a film to make you want to see it. Furthermore, a jumpscare at the end is another typical convention within the horror industry as it of course gives you one last jump when you least expect it.
The found footage effect of our summer trailer was unique and influenced by The Blair Witch Project. We thought it would be good to mask the shaky camera although it is still noticeable that it was a handheld camera due to the shaking. Found footage is good as it shows the viewers the point of view of the actual characters therefore, putting them in their positions creating a sense of realism.
As well as this, the trailer we produced did not show a clear genre, it could have been confused with both slasher due to the amount of blood shown and supernatural because of the apparent possession/demon theme. To improve on this we should have included a sharp weapon for example a knife. This would also be conventional of the slasher sub-genre as it would appear to have phallic connotations attached to it.
Although, the low key lighting was good as we filmed the entire trailer in the dark and nighttime/darkness have fearful, deathly connotations. We also used effective locations as well, such as a cemetery and the woods/fields. This shows that we understand what helps create a good horror film and what will have the most impact on the viewers.
The muse-en-scene was also very well thought out for our trailer. We used bloody, ripped and torn clothing for our protagonists to wear, to indicate that this should be a slasher and there was some sort of violence or murder going on. Of course blood does not represent happiness or anything good but rather death and the torture that someone may be going through therefore, we know that this film will be a horror that is not supposed to bring us happiness or joy.
Our summer trailer had many good, conventional icons of horror in it which made it an effective trailer. However, at times it could have been improved.
At the beginning of the trailer you can see a female running from something and then falling over, this is typical within a horror film as whenever the protagonist is attempting to escape they always trip and fall contributing to the consequences that follow. After this there is a pause and then a loud, piercing scream followed by eery, tense music that builds the suspense. With every new shot there is a loud boom sound effect, this is effective as it allows the audience to question if something scary is about to happen again building up the tension, creating a sense of fear within the viewers.
However, for the trailer to be of a higher standard, it needs to include a montage and a jumpscare at the end. A montage is almost imperative for a trailer to be successful especially if it is a horror trailer because, it again adds to the tension building and mystery. It is a series of quick shots of the film condensed into a small sequence of information, showing you enough about a film to make you want to see it. Furthermore, a jumpscare at the end is another typical convention within the horror industry as it of course gives you one last jump when you least expect it.
The found footage effect of our summer trailer was unique and influenced by The Blair Witch Project. We thought it would be good to mask the shaky camera although it is still noticeable that it was a handheld camera due to the shaking. Found footage is good as it shows the viewers the point of view of the actual characters therefore, putting them in their positions creating a sense of realism.
As well as this, the trailer we produced did not show a clear genre, it could have been confused with both slasher due to the amount of blood shown and supernatural because of the apparent possession/demon theme. To improve on this we should have included a sharp weapon for example a knife. This would also be conventional of the slasher sub-genre as it would appear to have phallic connotations attached to it.
Although, the low key lighting was good as we filmed the entire trailer in the dark and nighttime/darkness have fearful, deathly connotations. We also used effective locations as well, such as a cemetery and the woods/fields. This shows that we understand what helps create a good horror film and what will have the most impact on the viewers.
The muse-en-scene was also very well thought out for our trailer. We used bloody, ripped and torn clothing for our protagonists to wear, to indicate that this should be a slasher and there was some sort of violence or murder going on. Of course blood does not represent happiness or anything good but rather death and the torture that someone may be going through therefore, we know that this film will be a horror that is not supposed to bring us happiness or joy.