A2 MEDIA EVALUATION JAMES PEMBERTON

A promotion package for a new film, to include a new teaser trailer, together with two of the three following three options.

• A website homepage for a film.

• A film magazine front cover, featuring the film.

• A poster for the film.

What are the conventions of a horror teaser trailer?

The trailer usually lasts 1.30-2minuets. The idea of a teaser trailer is to make you aware of the new film. The audience get the idea that there will be a film released soon. The reason it is called teaser is because, it doesn’t give anything

from the film away. The pace usually starts slow and then picks up. The teaser trailer is usually made when editing the final

production, this means some parts of the teaser trailer might not be included in the final film.

Uses similar editing techniques all the way through, for example dip to black, that creates suspension as well as leaving the audience in anxiety.

Diegetic and Non diegetic sound, fit the piece and you have both included within your trailer.

ResearchLooking through many different horror trailers, made me start analyzing them and I found many similarities between all of the trailers. First of all at the start of the trailers there is the green band sign as well as film companies, the green band sign which intends that the trailer has been approved for all audiences by MPAA’s standards. I wanted to include the green band on my trailer to make it look professional. I also created my own film production company trademark which was JLA productions, I used Photoshop to create this picture, which I think gave my film its own identity at the start of the film. I also inserted some well known film companies at the start of the film, BBC films and Trademark films, this is to create a professional look to my film trailer with all three film companies.

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

Whilst doing research on horror trailers, it became clear the conventions of a horror trailer, is that you have to start your trailer with an establishing shot of where the film is set. There needs to be a calm tone and a slow pace build up, to a fast pace scary edited together, what I would call the middle section of the trailer. Then at the end of the trailer, the pace slows right the way down and something shocking happens. Here is how I have tried to recreate the same conventions, structure and pass to create my horror trailer. First of all I have created an opening in which it sets the story for my trailer, (calm tone and slow place build up). I then move into an establishing of where the trailer is set, but in a spooky manor with the mist. As well as the change in music.

Before we started filming whilst looking through different horror trailers, it wasn’t just the footage that had the effect on the viewer, but it was the lighting, sound mise en scene, camera angles and shots. Some of these can be added during the editing stage, or before and when you and the team are filming.

Mise-en scene We wanted to get the mise-en scene exactly right for the two characters, Daisy the Babysitter as well as the stalker played bye myself. We wanted daisy in casual cloths, which I thought we portrayed very well, as she was wearing a zipped up hoody and jeans, on the other hand we wanted myself in all black cloths to conceal my identity. Before there is any horror points daisy is sat on the settee watching the news, in a family home. This brings the pace of the film down until the horror starts to happen. Another scene which was really important for mise-en scene was 0.32 seconds, where you were able to see Josie asleep in her bed and Daisy checking she was ok. This was important because we wanted to make sure the room looked like a child's room, but it also needed to look professional. The light when the Josie is sleeping I think was a really nice touch to add to the scene. On the other hand the Mise-en scene had to be right for the scary parts as well, for example at the end of the film 1.22 with daisy tied to the chair, we looked through the chairs I have in my house and picked the wooden one; as well as selecting the rope, gag, and knife.

Sound

I used many different sound clips in my trailer, some diegetic but to give the creepy and spooky effect a lot of the sound was also non diegetic. To edit the sounds I was used for my trailer I used a program called logic, I used logic cut up my music, as well as increase the bass on some of the horror tracks and the treble on others using the EQ master, as well as the mixer. I also added compression to the tracks reverb and other plug ins, to create the effects I wanted for my teaser trailer.

Sound To continue I used logic to piece all of the music together and the, bounced it all down into the format that worked on Adobe Premiere Pro which was MP3. Finally I used automation as well as using the master on premiere pro, this allowed me to have smooth but changing music between, my audio clips to create a piece of music that fitted with my footage. At the start of the piece there is a childlike piano playing, to create the scary and suspicious atmosphere, which then develops into an ambient horror noise, I used this music because when there is dialogue, you can still hear it above of the music. There is then a heartbeat which I used, I added a bass boost to it and fiddled with the timing so the beat got faster and changed the grand master so the beat got louder. Finally there is a fast paced music which constantly is clipped on the master, for the reason that the music does not sound nice at all and as well as the video is trying to make the audience jump. The music then goes back to the original childlike piano. This is effect is used in many horror trailers and is a convention I used used in my trailer as well.

Heartbeat Automation

LightingDuring filming we had to film each scene with a different mind set, first of all during filming you need to take into consideration not just the shot angle and movement, but also the lighting mise-en scene and sound. All of these different conventions contribute to the final trailer. For many scenes in my trailer we used different lighting effects, the first establishing shot is set in the mist, which with the music sets the rest of the trailer in a unnerving and apprehensive tone. Furthermore for my ending scene we placed the chair in the middle of the room, with four different sets of lights on all of the walls, we picked this room because of the lighting as well as the space to create the right effect. Lighting for myself proved to be a very useful tool which I used to my advantage, to create the best atmosphere for my trailer.

Camera angles and shots. Before we started to film as a group we decided not to have

anything to difficult, so instead we used simple shots but executed them well. At the start of the piece I used a medium shot to record the conversation between the characters, the mother and babysitter. I used this to set the trailer so everyone got into there mind sets what the trailer is about. A medium shot is a simple shot which is not shocking at all so the pace at the start of the film is slow and calm. This carries onto the next shot when we look at the child in bed asleep. The mood then changes in the next shot when we do a pan of the outside, when there is mist all around the house and you get the feeling someone is there watching the house. This sets the scene but starts to create a slight scary tone to the trailer. This is proved in the next shot when there is a low angle shot, 0.49 when the stalker is watching the babysitter.

Camera shots I then used the over the shoulder shot to get the reaction, of the babysitter in my trailer of someone smashing on the door 0.55. The reaction looked great and really effective. I then at the door used the over the shoulder shot again to 1.00. This gave the suspense that someone was going to jump out into the babysitters face, but the attacker doesn’t. We then did a close up of the babysitters face and then a side on view of when the attacker, strikes her down 1.05. From this angle you can clearly see her get struck down to the floor. There is then a zoom out from a close up of the babysitter and you can see the legs of the attacker 1.08. This is another establishing shot to show that the attacker is now inside of the cozy house.

Camera Shots For the last section of the trailer the pace sped up dramatically, therefore some close ups and medium shots were used, as well as tilts and other camera shots and angles. The medium shot of the baby sitter outside the house trying to get into the house, this medium shot is distressing for the audience as well as the first time you get a shadow of the killer, which interests the audience because they want to see the face of the killer but don’t 1.10 The drag scene is in time with the music, which gives it more of an effect as well as being extremely fast1.13. We then have a close up of the killers feet scene before the final scene, which is effective because it shows that the killer is now in the house 1.19 which sets up the final scene. In final scene, we see a tilt up from the bottom of the chair to the face, which reveals that daisy is tied and gaged to a chair he raises the knife and there are 5 shocking pictures that quickly appear on screen. This is a distressing and scary image for the audience and leaves them on edge wanting to see more.

Editing Once I had put all of my footage into place there was a lot of editing, to be done to create a decent teaser trailer. To get a sense of continuity during my trailer was extremely difficult to achieve, but the tool dip to black helped me create this. I used the razor tool to cut all of my footage up on premiere pro, as well as the pairing tool in which I took away the audio in some clips and replaced it with my own audio. Furthermore I also used another editing technique for the pictures at the end of the footage, called push which allowed me to quickly bring all the shocking images on, within 2 seconds. To create the titles at the end of the piece, I used the, create a title in Premiere pro, so that the end sequence looks professional to the audience.

TitlesMany horror trailers use intertitles within there trailer to explain the narrative as well as allowing the viewers imagination to increase the tension within the trailer. I found that this convention was a really effective and useful, I created my own intertitles using adobe Photoshop.

To create these two intertitles I used a fire image, then dimmed the brightness and increased the contrast. I then changed the hue and Saturation and increased the red curser, to create the background. I then used DA FONT to find the bold writing on top of the background, which is easy for the reader to read as well as the white color complementing the background.

TitlesFurthermore there are other titles I used to make my trailer look professional.

A teaser trailer is meant to leave the audience wanting to find out more, this title achieves this because it does not give away when this film will be coming out, unlike proper trailers which usually give the release date . I have also clearly given the audience a clear website address so they can keep on checking when the release date is.

In many horror trailers you often see this still intertitle, which is a convention made to shock and alarm the audience.

Finally I created the film title, this is a convention to all trailers, I decided to use the font that is also used on my teaser poster for my ancillary task. The idea is that the audience will start to get the same image title, into there heads and therefore they will want to go and see, THE SENSELESS.

Was your product an effective piece?

From the positive audience feedback that I received, I feel that my trailer has shocked and alarmed the audience, these are the connotations of a teaser trailer. Here are some comments from my blog.

PembersJohn wrote:

“This is really good the conventions of the teaser trailer fit really well, the still images tell the plot. At the end of the trailer the last scene is shot leaving the audience in suspense and then the at the start with the mother it sets the trailer, and the shot in the bed after is nice to show the child is asleep and okay oblivious of what is going to happen. The music is really well put together the transitions are good. Well Done James.”

Thedarkadresss wrote:

This is good - the conventions of the teaser trailer are observed well and there is a clear contrast between the loud and frenzied music and the childlike piano.

From just this feedback as you can see the music works as well as the filming and editing, it has done what a teaser trailer should do shock the audience but it doesn’t give to much away.

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

Teaser PosterMy idea for the teaser poster was to create a successful teaser poster, that would grab the audiences attention. I have created a poster that is shocking as well as alarming. I have brought parts of the picture down as well as bringing the contrast up on daisy herself, to create a feared and scared look in daisy’s face as if someone is watching her. I have then put the tag line someone will be watching, this matches my poster as well as giving a slight hint at what my trailer is going to be about. Furthermore I have put the JLA productions sign in the bottom left hand corner of the poster, as well as the certificate 18 in the bottom right corner to make the poster look professional.

PembersJohn Wrote:

“This is a really well put together poster it looks professional the house looks scary as well as the girl looking scared. The credits as well as the film company sign and the certificate 18 fits really well. It is simple, clean, professional and effective.”

Magazine front coverThe magazine title I chose for my magazine title was “EMPIRE” this is the worlds largest and famous movie magazine. When doing research I found empire has a limited color scheme, but the magazine in the end looks simple but effective. The central image has the conventions of a magazine and I have tried to make it stand out to the audience. I have tried to make the magazine look professional, so that it could go onto shop flaws now the bar code, price, and website emphasizes this point . The tag line gets the audience intrigued, because people trust empires views on films and that is a bold tag line to have at the top of the page.

PembersJohn wrote:

“This magazine front cover fits in with the genre of horror really well, a strong magazine brand like empire automatically makes it look official as well as the date, price and bar code. The image is still has a clear sense of fear behind it as well as being striking to the viewer. The girl looks trapped, scared and if something is coming to get her. The senseless is clear to the audience and shows the title of the film. The tag line at the top of the page is also effective as it shows how good this film actually is if it is the "horror event of the year". Well done James a really good Magazine front cover.”

How would the three texts work as a strategy for marketing ?

Advertising is essential within my product, there is know point in making a product if it is not going to sell. My teaser poster grabs the audiences attention and gives just enough information away, for you to hang on and want to watch the trailer. On the other hand my Empire magazine is has a red title it would stand out on shelves, the audience will want to pick up and read about my movie. Finally my teaser trailer drags people in with the typical conventions of the horror trailer, and then gives the viewer the website so they can look up more about the trailer. All three work really well together as a team and lure people in to watch the film.

What have I learnt from my audience feedback?

As a group we also went round and gathered information from our piers and teachers, about the movie title for our film “The Senseless”.

My audience feedback has been extremely helpful as it has let me been able to pick through my work and let me see, if I have got the right conventions for my teaser trailer, as well as seeing if my two ancillary tasks have been created to a professional standard .

Audience feedback was mainly gathered from blogger but, my work has been shown to friends and family, as well to who have all given me critical feedback.

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

stages?

Construction To construct my film I had to use cameras and recording equipment. This was the first time I had ever picked up a camera so I had to be a fast learner, the camera was a standard video camera. My group and I had problems at the start when we went to our first location. But once we had got used to using it the second time, it was worth it for my final teaser trailer. Although we had a basic video camera we did however have a really good sound kit, which made a massive difference to my teaser trailer. This included the microphone, probe stand, a shotgun stand to hold the microphone dead still, headphones as well as adjusters to pick up where the sound was coming from . We all swapped round and each had a go at using all of the equipment.

Construction Furthermore there was one program I was a complete novice at, this was adobe premiere pro CS5. This was very difficult all of the editing and getting the right effects on the clips, as well as making sure all of the audio was set to play at the right time took hours on end. But in the end I produced a decent teaser trailer.

I have used logic before as I have access to it at home and then I realized, we also have it in school. But this was a learning experience all of the automation, fades all took a lot of time as I have never been that in depth into the program.

The last program I used was Photoshop for my teaser Poster and Empire magazine which took a lot of editing, to get daisy to look like that on the poster. Combined with Photoshop I also used DA FONT which enabled me to access the text I wanted for my ancillary tasks.

Research For all of the horror trailers I have researched I

used YouTube which let me watch countless horror trailers.

Furthermore I used Google as a search engine, for all of the horror posters and magazines I looked through to make sure my own poster and front cover fitted in with the genre.

I used blogger as well to search through previous students blogs, to keep me on the right track, as well as picking different ideas I may like to include in my horror trailer.

Planning

All of the planning and research is stored on blogger, but a lot of it was hand written before. It was then transferred onto my blog. YouTube also let me embed videos onto my blog, so I was able to analyze all of the horror trailers online, which made it a lot easier if you have the video in front of yourself playing.

Evaluation

For my evaluation I used Microsoft PowerPoint 2011, this program allowed me to insert pictures, text, and diagrams to analyze your own work. I intend to upload this slideshow to blogger by using slide share, which will let me embed the slideshow onto a blog post. Slide share makes the format that will be compatible for people to read and flick through.

Conclusion This has been a huge challenge and experience

which I have enjoyed thoroughly. I have picked up new skills as well as using new programs. But I am very happy with my finished project, I think my trailer reaches all of the conventions of a horror trailer. If I had to do the experience again I would check how to work the equipment before I went and filmed, be more organized and to make sure I focused on the little details, as well as the bigger ones. As well as saving my work regularly because when we experienced a power cut, I lost all of my work and had to start again. I can now appreciate, how much work goes into a trailer let alone a full blown production.