Trailer Planning

Trailer Planning

What are horror trailers used for?

The purpose behind trailers in general is to make the target audience want to see the film, so different techniques are shown in order to capture the viewer all in a matter of two and a half minutes. This is achieved by using camera shots, lighting, editing and most of all music.



Common Conventions







Different horror sub-genres



Before I start planning my horror trailer,  I need look at previous horror trailers from real films and analyse them to spot the key concepts including common conventions, sound, camera angles, costumes and much more.


The Woman In Black Trailer - Supernatural Horror



Where horror films are concerned there is always a male and a female and some sort of dull setting. The house in this trailer is clearly isolated and away from society, this has kept to conventions.

Eel Marsh House.

Eel Marsh House.

However when we see the protagonist, which is a male, it shows that the film makers were not scared of breaking conventions. As the trailer carries out it is clear to the audience that the antagonist is a woman. This is different to other horror trailers as it puts the male in a vulnerable place and the woman in power.

The protagonist is clearly in the unknown as the antagonist creeps up behind him.

At the beginning of the trailer there is diegetic sound of the wind, the toys from what could be seen as a nursery join the wind and create a diegetic sound that runs throughout the trailer; the use of diegetic sound is clever as it makes the audience believe the film could be based on true events and is happening in real life. A child then begins to talk to the audience, this text is however not in the actual film, in time with the noise form the toys, The language is simple and clear.  This would normally be because of a nursery rhyme. The diegetic sound at the beginning (the toys) moves the different scenes along, when a chime is heard the scene changes. The scenes start to slow down once the music changes and the non-diegetic begins when the audience is shown a photograph of the woman. The toys then begin to increase their speed and the scenes continue to move. The non-diegetic sound then enhances when the woman is seen behind the protagonist. The scenes then start transitioning by a black out at the end of the trailer.

Judging from the look of the dolls at the beginning of the trailer, the film is set in early 1990.
When the young girl begins to talk the audience is shown a photograph of the family. They are all dressed in Victorian clothing. Along with the costumes used there is also a horse and carriage which is key in identifying the date in which the film is set.

China doll.

Horse and Trap.

Victorian family.

Later in the trailer the audience catches a glimpse of the woman that is haunting the protagonist; she is dressed all in black and the only thing that is visible is the outline of her face. This costume choice was important so that the woman is seen as a deadly figure, I believe that the costume is black so that she can blend in with the dark backgrounds and the darkness of the town and the house. The veil is light enough just to show the outlines of her face, but not all of it. This keeps the woman's mystery.

The antagonist is seen behind the protagonist, her dark figure makes the
audience feel as vulnerable as Arthur.

At the end of the trailer, just when you think that the suspense is over, there is a scene that shows the woman's face next to the protagonist in the window. This is a good cliff hanger to leave the audience in.

Makes the audience question, what is going to happen next?

The Boy Trailer - Psychological Horror



Instantly there is non-diegetic sound of a piano playing when the woman first arrives at the house. The audience can see the house from an establishing shot. The protagonist is immediately shown the audience at a high angled camera shot. This shows the audience that she has no power what as she looks up to the mysterious house and suggest that she may be put in a vulnerable position.

An establishing shot, showing the setting for this trailer. 

The protagonist seen from a high angled camera shot.

The protagonist is then introduced to the antagonist the diegetic sound turns to dramatic music while the camera zooms into the dolls face.

Close up of the anatagonist's countenance

The use of an inanimate object is clever, as it is what the audience least expect, causing them to feel unease. This makes the trailer more powerful and superior to it's viewers. This is also breaking conventions having the antagonist as a doll. Audience's wouldn't suspect the woman to be more fragile over a doll.

The protagonist is wearing casual wear throughout the trailer. When the woman meets the owners of the house they are dressed smart. This shows that different types of classes are used. 

Long shot showing every one in the room.

After the protagonist and antagonist have met, the title screens are shown, changing in the rhythm of the diegetic sound coming from the record player. This makes the scene more effective and realistic as the audience can hear one of the characters dialogue. 'Music gives him so much joy' the audience could then start to question how could an inanimate object feel or show emotions.

Record Player

A list of rules are seen through a close up camera shot. These are imperatives; meaning that the protagonist must follow the rules. A close up and dialogue 'be good to him and he'll be good to you' emphasise the fact that something bad is going to happen if the rules are not followed.

Close up of list

The trailer then shows where things begin to go wrong. After every rule a clip is shown of the protagonist going against it. This is building up to something paranormal. The Doll then moves from the chair in the kitchen to the corner of the room. When this happens a child's laugh is heard and the music changes. Presenting the change in emotions the protagonist is experiencing.

Close up of Bram's side face which is in focus, compared
 to the protagonist's full face blurred.

After the dramatic music a low camera angle shows the house. The house is always seen from a low angle, portraying that viewers are inferior.

Low angle of the house

The next few clips are based from one scene, however the camera angle changes in time with the non-diegetic music. This helps keep a trailer moving without missing vital information. When discovering the true identity of the antagonist the trailer is still moving in time with the sound. A blue filter has also been added on top. This is a common convention for horror films, it is called digital colour correction which is made with simple computer editing.

Digital colour correction

A low angle shot is used again, perhaps the director is trying to make the audience members feel more and more vulnerable as the trailer goes on.

Stairs shown from a low angle

The non-diegetic music stops when the protagonist and another male character are looking at the stairs leading to the loft. This builds suspense as the audience knows something is going to happen. Once the climax has been reached the non-diegetic sound starts again,

There is no music at this point as he two characters glance up at the
stairs and the open loft.

The non-diegetic sound starts again as the stairs
asend back up into the loft, causing the two characters
to jump.

The non-diegetic noise continues to enhance throughout the next part of the trailer. The scene changes every time the music does. There are also title sequences involved so that slogans and catch phrases can be seen as the trailer continues.

Finally at the end of the trailer there is a brief moment where the non-diegetic sound stops again to build tension as the protagonist gazes back at the camera. The painting behind her then moves and the non-diegetic sound is very loud. This is to build up emotions within the audience members and the final outburst sends them shivering in their seats.

Protagonist glances back at the camera.

Climax of the trailer.

Don't Breathe Trailer - Thriller Horror





Instantly the audience is faced with an establishing shot of the neighbourhood which this story is set in. Diegetic sounds of police alarms can also be heard, implying that this is more of a lower class town.

Establishing shot of the town.

The camera angles then move to medium close ups, a shot reverse shot is used whilst the protagonist and another character are having a conversation. This helps the audience know who is talking and they are aware of their surroundings.

Shot reverse shot camera angle.

Shot reverse shot camera angle.

Immediately after the two characters have spoken, the camera focuses on their hands, the editors have also made this short clip slow motions so that the audience can see the reasoning for the near future events in the trailer.

Editors have made this footage slow motion.

This trailer contains many voice overs, this is significant because the audience can see important parts which match the characters dialogue, instead of using their imagination. The voice over then stops as the scene shows the character speaking. Shortly after the camera is zoomed in on the antagonist's prop, a walking stick. This is to emphasise, and show the audience, that the man is blind. The protagonist also confirms this when the camera angle changes and her dialogue is 'wait, is he blind?' The camera angle the constantly changes bouncing back and forth from the car and the blind man. There is non-diegetic sound throughout this scene to make it more dramatic.

Close up camera angle of the prop, a walking stick.

The non-diegetic sound is still there but has reduced in volume, the diegetic noise of nightlife and breaking the window is more enhanced. The protagonist tells the other two characters to be quiet, as she does the non-diegetic sound of dramatic music continues to become quieter. Again there is a slow motion clip when a character breaks the lock on one of the doors. All of a sudden the antagonist appears and the non-diegetic noise is now louder than anything else. This was to cause tension in the audience, they were expecting something but did not know what.

The next camera angle shown is a close up, this is so that the audience can see the emotions the character is going through. The protagonist is almost crying portraying that they have a sense of fear and are perhaps about to face something dangerous.

Close up of protagonist.

Shortly after a pan has been used as an editing technique. The character has just told the antagonist that he is the only one there, hence why the pan has been used, so that audience knows about who and what is going on.

Pan around the room.

The non-diegetic music then stops again, according to the research I have done so far, whenever this happens it is only to build tension. That is exactly what this scene has done, only resulting in the death of the character. The audience should now fear the antagonist, the two remaining characters try to escape without being harmed. However a close up of the floor board and a shoe, and the enhanced diegetic sound of a floor board creaking gets them noticed. Building up even more tension.

Close up camera angle.

There is no diegetic noise at this point, once the antagonist hears the floor creak, he pans the room, the focus is on the two characters, however the audience can still see the blurred image of a gun.

Just after the camera angle has panned around the room.

The camera angle changes to a close up, so the audience can see the emotions of the character. This is a recurring theme in this trailer. The director has made sure that the audience experience all the emotions which the protagonist is feeling.

Close up of protagonist's face.

The camera then changes from a close up to a long shot. This is so that the audience can see everything in the room. Another prop is used here for a dramatic purpose. The sound of the mobile phone vibrating causes the non-diegetic noise to begin again and the antagonist fires his gun.

Long shot showing the prop, a mobile phone.

The non-diegetic music then increases in volume and pace. A montage of different clips throughout the film are showed followed by title sequences providing the audience with information on who it is directed by and what else they have produced. The camera angles also change from long shots, medium close ups and close ups. This then starts to set the plot in further detail and how it is about two characters in which are 'trapped' in a man's house, who's they tried to burgle.

Title sequence.

After the mobile phone scene, the audience can see a title sequence. This informs the viewer of the creator's background and other films which they have produced. The audience will expect the same standard, if not higher, of this production. The music also increases during and after this title sequence, it is non-diegetic music. The music moves along the scenes which helps the trailer flow. 

1:27 - 1:36

Heavy breathing can be heard from 1:27 - 1:36. It has been enhanced so that it is heard over the non-diegetic music, this emphases the struggle from the protagonist. 

jump scare.

Once the heavy breathing stops, the music begins to decrease until it is silent. Silence is very effective as builds tension, the audience know to expect a jump scare at this point but have no idea to what it could be. A woman jumping out from behind the protagonists is something the audience wouldn't expect, creating a more terrifying atmosphere. 

Panning shot.

Directly after the jump scare, the audience can hear the footsteps of the antagonist running across the floor boards. This is an example of a panning shot, which is effective as it follows the antagonist, giving the impression he is getting closer.

Black and white scene.

Scenes from 2:00 onwards are all edited in black and white. This is to portray to the audience what the antagonist sees. Again there is no sound, creating even more tensions as the protagonists cannot see and are breathing loudly again.

Ending scene.

Just like before, the tension building silence is followed up with a jump scare. The antagonist grabs hold of one of the protagonists. The non-diegetic dramatic sound is heard, this is a cliff hanger which could intrigue the audience more as they are unaware of what is going to happen. Therefore more people will want to watch the film.

Story board for my pitch

My idea for my trailer is the daughter moves out of her childhood home to move in with her partner, they buy what they think is their dream house, only to discover there is something freighting within the neighbour which makes way into their new home. The film will be shot as if it was a documentary, however it will be seen from the antagonists point of view. I have used common conventions within the fact that there is a woman in distress, but I have also added a man. The couple will be terrorised by the antagonist, which is also a male.
Below shows a story board of my idea.

I have added the camera angles (blue writing) and the sound (green writing) which I want to include in the trailer. While wanting to use non-diegetic sound I also believe that no sound is sometimes more effective, so I will try to find a balance between the two. Below are some YouTube videos of the type of sound I would like.







The piano piece that I have linked above (starting at 53:46) is what I would want for the start of my trailer, although I wrote I wanted happy music, I didn't want music that would confuse the audience in thinking this was not a horror film. The piece I have chosen above does not do this.













Below I have included the sound of a clock ticking, this would be very effective when using diegetic sound in my trailer. This would work best when there is no other sound.







My media pitch

Below is my media pitch that I will need to present to my media group, it contains my plot and mise-en-scene ideas, all of my ideas pull into this, I hope you enjoy viewing.

My media pitch from beckdavies10

Spider Diagram

To help put all my ideas together, I thought it would be a good idea to note them down on to a piece of paper next to each other. This gave me an image of what the finish product would be, giving me more of an idea of how everything will work together.

The picture above shows I have written about Editing, Camera Angles, Characters and their costumes, Props, The plot, Sound and Voice overs. Below I have included zoomed in pictures of each section to be able to read.

Originally I had already done a spider diagram with all of mine and my partner's, Jenny, ideas. Unfortunately due to different circumstances I am unable to complete my project with her. Therefore I drew up some new ideas and noted them down. I will now be doing the whole project by myself. This made it even more important that I had an idea of what I wanted to do, which camera angles I wanted to use, how I was going to edit them and make smooth transitions, create costumes, sort props and make sure everything goes to plan.

Changes I have made to the plot.

The pitch above shows my original ideas for my horror trailer. However these unfortunately did not go to plan. I have kept the female protagonist and the male antagonist but have removed the other male character, as I feel he wasn't important in the plot I was trying to produce. The plot is still similar to the original. A male antagonist follows/stalks a young women, the protagonist, and places video recorders throughout her home. He then watches her every move and plans her murder from his car, which is based right outside the protagonist's house. Unaware the protagonist still goes on with day to day things, until she realises, although by this point it is too late. The antagonist has already made his way through to her home.


Now that I have gone through previous horror trailers, I will talk through my ideas and what I want in my horror trailer.


Target age

To find out which age groups were interested in the horror genre, I ask 'What is your favourite movie genre?' on Facebook and ran a poll on Twitter.



Facebook Results

Twitter Results

Both results show that the majority of people don't enjoy horror films anymore, those that do still class the 'Horror' genre as their favourite were mainly teenaged girls. This led me to believe that maybe my question was too broad and I should focus on asking the public questions within the Horror genre; because of this I created a questionnaire for a selection of people to answer.






After the results of my questionnaires; I have decided to do a sub-genre of slasher horror for my trailer. Below I will analyse three slasher trailers.

Scream 4 Trailer - Slasher Horror




Set in a small town this horror trailer follows all conventions.

The town can be seen in the background of this image.

The antagonist is unknown however they are seen terrorising females, one in particular which is the protagonist. This follows Propp's theory about different types of characters.

The protagonist.

The protagonist and those around her are all seen in casual clothes, this gives the audience the impression that the events going on could happen in real life.

The protagonist and those around her.

The close ups present the different emotions during the trailer, which include; fear and distress as the characters struggle to get away from the antagonist. The directors want the audience to see how the characters react to the haunting as they hope they will react the same. 

The lighting throughout the trailer is dark. Looking at the three point lighting rule it is obvious that low-key lighting has been used to create more of a dramatic look. The audience can also see a red filter when the antagonist is murdering. This could reflect the colour of blood. 

Red lighting.

As this is a slasher horror props are very important throughout the film. The trailer shows the phone, which the antagonist contacts the protagonist on, and the knife, which is the antagonist's weapon.

The protagonist on the phone to the killer.

The protagonist being threatened by the killer with
a knife.

The main camera angle used throughout the trailer is medium close up. However there are many close ups to show the character's emotions. An establishing shot is used to show the audience just where the film is taking place, which is a small town. Horror films are known for making the protagonist and audience feel vulnerable, they do this by having the antagonist higher than the protagonist.

This photo is also an example of the antagonist
on a higher angle than the protagonist.

Looking at the way scenes move from one to another is very important as everything must flow. Fading in and out is used at the beginning of the trailer when diegetic sound is used. However when the non-diegetic sound starts to begin, it's tension builds resulting in the scenes changing so smoothly that the audience doesn't question it. One thing that I will include in my final production is the title sequences as it is also a good way to cut from one scene to a completely different one.

Finally the most important thing in a movie trailer is the sound. Nothing works without the sound. When the trailer begins the audience can instantly hear the diegetic noise of a phone ringing. This enhances the importance of the mobile phone as the antagonist uses it to contact his pray.

Mobile phone.

As soon as the antagonist begins to talk the dramatic non-diegetic music begins; emphasising the danger to the audience. The non-diegetic music does not come to an end it only increases its speed and intensity which also helps move the scenes along.


Texas Chainsaw Massacre Trailer - Slasher Horror

 


The mise-en-scene in this trailer includes the setting of a house in the middle of nowhere, which follows common conventions of a horror film. However this puts the audience in less of a vulnerable position as the majority of them will live in a town so that there is more of a sociable environment; making the events in this trailer less likely to happen in real life. My horror film will be more postmodern. 

The protagonist is a female and she is surrounded by her friends, who all wear causal clothes. Following theorists and common conventions again the antagonist is a male, although so the audience believes so as the countenance is always covered by a mask made from leather. 

The protagonist and her friends.

The antagonist sewing his 'leather face' on.

Unlike most horror films the emotions at the beginning of the trailer are happy as the group feel like they have a new place to call home; these emotions soon become the opposite as they reveal the houses secrets.

Discovering the antagonist's lair. 

Again following the three point lighting rule for a horror film, the lighting is low-key and dark throughout the whole trailer. This creates more of a dramatic look.

The light behind the antagonist helps the character
stand out against the dark background.

Props are also very important in slasher films as they are what reveal the blood; in this case it is a chainsaw. The producers and directors wanted the audience to know the importance of the chainsaw that they included it in the film title.

A chainsaw, the antagonist's weapon.

Camera angles in this trailer include long shots to show the characters on their journey to the house, this give the audience a sense of the different surroundings. Like always the main camera angle is a medium close up, this is because more than one character can be shown at a time, with a good view of the background to show where they are. 

The protagonist's car, the background is also visible
making it clear to the audience where they are.

When the antagonist is introduced to the audience for the first time, they only see the different items on his table. This helps to keep the identity of the antagonist hidden, causing the audience to feel more vulnerable as they are even more unaware of what is going on.

The antagonist can be seen in the mirror, however
not enough to see his countenance. 

When the protagonist hides in the coffin a long shot camera angle is used to show that she is trying to escape the antagonist. The camera angle then changes to a close up of inside the coffin as a chainsaw cuts through, leaving the trailer on a cliff hanger. This is so that the plot line to the story isn't revealed, which is what I will do with my trailer.

Long shot, showing the protagonist and her
surroundings.

Close up of the protagonist, the audience can see her
emotions.

The non-diegetic sound at the beginning of the trailer is pleasant, as if the characters aren't expecting the future events. The voice overs help to move the different scenes along. The non-diegetic pleasant music stops when one of the group discover a door; the sound of the door creaking is enhanced, emphasising the feeling of the unknown to the audience. The non-diegetic sound starts again but with a more intense beat to it, the more intense it gets the more the scenes move along. Towards the end of the trailer is where the audience can hear enhanced diegetic sound, which is the protagonist's breathing. The sound of intense breathing will increase the audiences as they will fear the unknown just as much as the protagonists. 


A Nightmare on Elm Street Trailer - Slasher Horror



It's clear that this film is first set in an abandoned town where things look worse for wear when an elder man is seen being chased by cars.

Abandoned area.

Man being chased by a car.

Later on in the trailer the audience can see an extreme close up of the street sign 'Elm Street'.

Elm Street.

The characters seen in the trailer include the antagonist which is the elder man running at the beginning and a group of students and a protagonist who leads them. Again this also follows Propp's theory around characters and sticks to common conventions as the male haunts the female making her seen as more vulnerable.

The antagonist wears an iconic striped jumper, this is good branding as the antagonist will always be remembered by the audience; even if the colours from the jumper were on a poster.

Striped jumper.

Just like all horror films the emotions which are present are more negative, such as distress fear and upset. The lighting is low-key in terms of three point lighting. This film sticks to common conventions whereas the lighting is masked with a blue filter, this effect makes the audience feel vulnerable as they are not used to it and gives them the sense they are unaware of what will happen.

A subtle blue tint over the footage.

However when the antagonist is seen in their dreams the filter changes to orange allowing the audience to know there is a dangerous presence about. One of the biggest props is the blades on the antagonist's hands. This is also a good way for the audience to recognise the antagonist.

The blue filter changes to an orange, portraying the
difference in the real and dream world.

The main camera angle throughout the trailer, just like every trailer, is medium close ups. Whenever the antagonist is seen he is always surrounded by fire. Extreme close ups allow us to see the fire which emphasises the danger it and the antagonist bring, a warning as such.

The antagonist shown creating a spark with his hands.

At the end of the trailer there is another extreme close up of a character screaming; suggesting to the viewer that the antagonist is causing her pain. This may lead the viewer to think that the whole plot has been revealed in the trailer, leaving no surprises. This is something that I will not do.

Close up camera angle shows the emotions of a
character.

The sound and editing transitions go together and are very important. Non-diegetic sound plays throughout the whole trailer, it increases whenever the antagonist is in the scene. However it allows the jump cuts and different angle while tracking characters flow nicely, the more intense the music, the more scenes. Although there is mainly non-diegetic sound, when there is diegetic sound it is enhanced so that it stands out to the viewer. This is so they see significant objects that are important in the story line. One thing that moves the scenes along is the title sequence, which allows the audience to see different information and slogans revolved around the film.




Mood boards

After analysing everything above, I created mood boards in which created imagery for the reader. They show the casual clothes in which the protagonist and her husband will be wearing, the dark clothes in which the antagonist will be wearing, the setting and the different props that will be used.

Protagonist clothing

In recent research in analysing different horror films, it is clear that the protagonist's clothing is always casual, as if they were an ordinary person.

Antagonist's clothing

Antagonist's clothing is always very dark, and as I plan for my antagonist to break into the protagonist's house; black was a good colour to go with. I also plan to hide his face to keep his identity a secret from the audience.

Setting

The setting for my horror trailer will be modern. This will make the audience feel vulnerable as it could happen to them at any time, like they were at home themselves.

Props

Finally the biggest thing to a slasher film is definitely the props involved, as they are the key weapon. I hope that a knife will be the key weapon in my horror film as they will be easy to get hold of and simple. Secondly a handy cam will be very important. Although to keep things postmodern I am thinking of switching the handy cam with and iPhone camera.

Characters linked to theorists and conventions

Before mentioning characters, it is important research different theorists so I can choose to follow or challenge them in my final media product.

Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss believed that what the consumer understands from a word, is not the meaning itself. The consumer doesn't need to know what the meaning actually contains within itself but understand the word and its opposition. This therefore created binary opposition. Binary opposition is especially used in characters in horror films. For example, good vs. evil and the hero vs. the villain.

Todorov

Todorov's theory is that the majority of products will follow the same plot line and pattern. Equilibrium is the first step to Todorov's theory. I shall follow this theory within my final product as equilibrium means a film starts positive like everything is as it should be. The second step to the theory is the disruption which is juxtaposed to the equilibrium as this happens at towards the end of the film ruining the happiness and turning emotions negative.

Propp

Vladimir Propp created a character theory which suggests that there are at least seven broad character types.

Including:

1.  The Hero - a character that seeks something.
2.  The Villain - who opposes or actively blocks the hero's quest.
3.  The Donor - who provides an object with magical properties.
4.  The Dispatcher - who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message.
5.  The False Hero - who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims.
6.  The Helper - who aids the hero.
7.  The Princess - acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain's plots.
8. Her Father - who acts to reward the hero for his effort.

However character types in a horror film are slightly different. Although they contain some of the same roles as the broad types above, they are portrayed differently to the consumer.

The different type of victims include:

The Chatterbox

The chatterbox throughout horror films hardly ever makes it the end, rather than the characters who take the time to listen and figure out who has a better chance of survival. Stereotypical the chatterbox is a female. In this case the 'girls should be seen not heard' applies rather nicely. The chatterbox is also normally popular and thinks she knows more than she does.

The Authority Figure

The authority figure could be anyone, from a hunter who goes out confidently to take down their prey to the president. However when looking danger straight in the eye, they will not be the one who ends up on top.

The Suit

This type of character doesn't have to wear a suit or a business skirt, they are just simply an average person. They usually die in some sort of in-explainable way and they are surely not sad to see go.

The Nerd

The nerd is definitely the person who is most observant. They notice the littlest of noises in a quiet house and are the first to go and investigate. They tend to stay on their own and therefore know how to defend for themselves. However in horror films a character must have a certain amount of coolness to stay alive.

The Know-It-All

Considering the know-it-all in adamant that they really do know everything they are always the first to run away from danger. The know-it-all will always act like everything is fine, and insist that a bump in the night is just part of another individual's imagination.

The Jock

The jock doesn't actually have to play sports, but he is always recognised as wearing a sports jacket. He will be classed as attractive and is usually not as smart as the rest. He believes he is the head of the group, a leader as such. However is usually dies due to his downfall of being dumb. Normally the jock is tolerated by other characters. He is important in horror films due to the fact that he causes a dilemma between the other characters; for the girl he is an object of desire, for the boys he is an object of envy.

Make up

As stated above in my pitch, the antagonist will wear a mask, in which he is covering something gruesome. At the end of the trailer he will begin to remove the mask, exposing some of the horror which is on his countenance, however the full face will not be revealed. This keeps the audience keen to watch the whole film if it was to come out.

As some of the face is going to be seen, I practiced how to create brunt like scars on the face using simple make up. The pictures below show:

Above shows a clean face, before I started
my process to create scarring.

This is halfway through the process, to create this look I have used dark tones and colours of eye shadow around the eye. To create the scarring I have used tissue paper and adhesive glue, covered in red and purple eye shadows.

This is the finished product. Overall it took about 30 - 45 minutes to create. This was probably due to the fact the adhesive glue was of a small sample. To create this look on the actor used for my trailer I would use a bigger amount therefore making it quicker and easier to use. I also only used ketchup for blood on myself until I had a clear image on what everything would look like, this will also change when on the actor.

I focused on the scarring mostly around the eye, this will have to change as it will be hard to reveal a 'sneak peak' rather than the whole thing when the actor takes the mask off to reveal a 'glimpse' at the end of my trailer.

The actor will be male, therefore I believe it will be easier to create as their facial features are more perceptible, making dents and cuts easier to see.

Three point lighting

Three point lighting is used to create many affects. It can be used to differ from night and day and to show the levels of dramatic intensity in productions.

The equipment to the left is what I used to create my own lighting set up. The equipment included black sugar paper to create a dark backdrop, three sources of light, filter paper, camera, camera stand and a movable white board to create reflective light.

The first photograph shows our model in natural lighting. This shows how important lighting really is as the model's make up doesn't look as effective as it would with a key light on it. 

The intense light which can be seen directly on the model's countenance is the key light. A key light is normal used for projects such as interviews. It is important to place the key light to the side of the camera at a 35-45 degree angle. The angle creates a shadow just under the model's eyes. Enhancing the dark make up. A harder smaller light was used as the key light as it creates a more dramatic look; which is what I needed to shoot photographs based around the horror genre.

When I film my final project I will make sure I place my key light so that it links with the surroundings, for example, my idea is that half of the trailer will be filmed on an iPhone, therefore the flash light on my phone could be used as the key light.

The fill light is the main light. The picture to the right shows how we created the fill light by setting up an ordinary lamp to the side of the model. While the key light is good to create shadows on the model's face; the fill light establishes the mood. The photograph shows the fill light is simply just a white board to reflect the key light back onto the model. The brighter the light, the fewer shadows and as I will create a horror trailer, shadows are very important on the model's face.

The different lighting between the fill light and the key light is known as high-key and low-key. High-key lighting is when the fill light is very strong; not something that would typically be used for a horror film; whereas low-key the fill light is very dim, which creates more of a dramatic atmosphere, which I shall use in my project.

The fill light also distinguishes between an indoor scene and a night scene. Daylight scenes would have a strong fill light and reduce the contrast between the fill light and the key light whereas a night scenes would be the opposite, or no fill light at all.

The final step to three point lighting is the back light. The back light helps separate the subject from the background. The photograph to the left shows that the back light had been covered by red filter paper; but it is also visible that the model is some distance away from the background.

The back light is placed behind the model at a higher angle than the key light. The back light, along with the key light, can also be as hard or soft as desired to get the look I wanted to achieve. The more intense the back light, the more glamorous and dramatic the model. However the amount of back light needed always depends on the subject.

Productions logo

Stereo-typically at the beginning of every horror trailer there is a production company and their logo. The text then carries on throughout the remainder of the trailer.

Below are some examples:

 The 'Scream' franchise is known for being a gruesome stab movie. Therefore the text to the left if clever; the 4 and the M have sharp edges creating the illusion of a knife, linking back to the genre of the horror.

 Whereas the scream font had more depth, this text is simple but still eye catching. It is still big enough and clear for the viewers to read.











Paranormal Activity is based around webcams throughout the protagonist's house. Therefore the text is the same font and brightness as it would be on a computer, sticking to the technology idea. This would be good to do in my trailer.

'My Bloody Valentine' is in red large text. Symbolising the blood. Although all trailers have different fonts, it is still big and clear enough for the viewer to read.