Horror film trailer analysis

Knocked up (2007)

At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? why is this?

We are not shown the title of the film until the end of the trailer, though we get a sense of what the film is about throughout the audience can roughly guess what the film title is. The film is a comedy and the title is a joke in itself, its light hearted.

Why are we told who is starring in the film?

We do not see any information about who stars in the film, but we do see "From the director of 40 year old virgin" which was a previously successful film, so this information is a selling point for the film.

How is this information given to us and why?

It is shown by being displayed in huge red writing over the screen which is used to shift from one scene to another.

What type of action from the film do we see?

Being a comedy, there is not much action, though we do see much disequilibrium mixed with equilibrium, this is done so it doesn't give much of the plot away, e.g we don't see how the problem is solved.

What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?

The first piece of music is very light, not droning, which shows the light hearted nature of the film, we also hear a clip of Frankie goes to Hollywood's "Relax" which gives a postmodern twist to the film, it is also a piece of music which everybody recognizes which can bring in audiences, after this, we also hear a piece of upbeat music with an acoustic guitar, this tells the audience that despite its depressing plot, the film has a happy nature. Towards the end, we hear a piece of reggae music, which is stereotypically linked to cannabis, which is a big part of the main character, Ben's life.

Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?

The voice is deep but has a positive tone, it sounds exciting and persuasive.

Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?

It has a positive effect which brings a sense of joy to the trailer.

How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? why is this?

The clips we see when actors are having an interview for example are normally a really intense clip of the film, although this helps advertise the film, it doesn't have as big effect than normal film trailers have. Because of the many clips contained in the trailer, it speeds up the pace of it so we see more of the film in a short space of time.

Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?

It stays constant throughout the trailer, the scenes are long enough for the audience to understand the characters, but not long to make the trailer seem boring and roughly cut.

What information are we given about the film?

the audience can see the 2 main characters lives and how they come together, which is a good technique as it makes us want to find out more about the characters.

At what point in the trailer are we given this information?

Throughout the trailer, i think this is because its a comedy which contains little action.

What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? how can you tell?

i think this is aimed at a vast audience, ranging from teenagers, teenage couples through to the more older audience who have been through what the story is about.

Horror film trailer analysis

When a Stranger Calls (2006)

At what point are we told the name of the film? Why is this?

We don't see the name of the film until the end, i think this is because it creates suspense that we don't know the title

Why are we told who is starring in the film?

We are told who is starring in the film as it brings in audiences who are fans of the actors of the film, it can also be used to transition into different scenes.

How is this information given to us? why?

We do not see the information of the actors in this role, i think this is so it doesn't distract us from the action.

What type of action from the film do we see?

The audience see's the tranquil and isolated setting at the start, the audience also see's the build up to the action, but we never see the climax, this is because trailers are advertising to make people watch the film.

What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?

At the start of the trailer there is no music, and as the tension builds we hear a heartbeat like sound which raises tension further and during the "action" scenes we hear violins playing quickly.

Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?

no voice overs.

Why do you think this voice was chosen? what effect does it have?

no voice overs.

How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? why is this?

The speed is increased from the film, which increases tension and excitement for the audience.

It makes the viewers of the trailer want to see the film, which is what trailers are supposed to do.

Does the speed alter though the trailer or does it stay the same?

it builds up from a slow paced introduction through to an increased sense of terror, i think this works well as we can understand part of the story and see some action too.

What information are we given about the film?

We understand the basic plot of the film with some of the action contained in the film, though we don't see the equilibrium.

At what point in the trailer is this information given?

We see the outline of the plot during the first part of the trailer, with the action later on in the trailer, the action also helps us to understand the plot shown in the first part of the trailer.

What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?

I think its aimed at the young adult market, as the main character is a teenage woman, i think the main audience would be young adults, possibly on a date, as this is what i done when i saw this film in the cinema.

Propp's Narrative Theory

Who is the hero in the film?

The hero of the film is "Dan" whom seeks revenge on the group of people who are responsible for his friends murder.
What quest are they on?  

 "Dan" is on a quest for questions and revenge for his late friend.
Are they male or female?

 Male.
Who is the helper/s in the film?

"Dan" uses his games console to help him discover who these killers are and how they operate.
Are they male or female?

Neither
Who is/are the villain/s in the film? Are they male/female/human?

 The main Villain is the leader of these obsessed gamers, only known as "ipwnn00bs"
Who is the donor?  

 The donor is "Katie" who was previously involved with the group and has seen the errors of her ways.
What are they donating?  

 Her knowledge of the group allows "Dan" to plan out his revenge.
Who is/are they victims? Are they male or female or both?

 There are many different victims under the wrath of "Dans" revenge.

Our Opening Thriller

Kill Cam Final from David Poulton on Vimeo.

Watch in HD with headphones for best viewing.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

Task 1 Evaluation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 

The antagonist of the thriller, played by Joseph Badom, 

is based largely on the character 'Chris Partlow' from 

the HBO series "The Wire." Partlow is shown as a 

ruthless killer throughout the series, we would develop

our antagonist in a similar fashion to the character of Chris Partlow. 

Partlow is also shown to be extremely precise throughout most of the series, another charateristic that would be reflected by our antagonist.

What kind of media institution might distribute our film, and why?

We feel as though an independent U.K film company such as Vertigo Films would be perfect to distribute our film.

Although Vertigo is an independent film company, it has many links with various other film companies, and businesses bared in other media, such as Warner Bros. and Rockstar Games.

By having synergies within various other forms of media, Vertigo have allowed themselves to reach out to a far greater audience, and they have gained the ability to act more like a conglomerate, rather than a small, independent company.

we also considered an art-house film company for our distribution. 20th Century Fox’s branch devoted to art-house films, Fox Searchlight, was considered, if we were to decide on trying to get the film distributed by an art-house company. With Fox Seachlight being directly linked to 20th Century Fox, the commercial appeal for our film would be greatly enhanced.

Although the idea of our thriller being distributed by a company such as Fox Searchlight seemed more lucrative than having the film distributed by a company like Vertigo, we decided to opt for having the film distributed by an independent U.K company. The choice was down to the fact that we believe Vertigo and other such companies are more than capable of gaining a large enough fan base for the film, and also to show support for the U.K industry, which is very much in the shadow of Hollywood.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is what our target audience would look like. Around the age of 18-25 and lives in London.

He/she would dress straight forward, jeans and a top.

He/she enjoys going out on the weekends, clubbing and shopping with pocket money or money earned from a part-time job. He/she would shop in places like Burton, River island, H & M,  and Topshop.

He/she would enjoy films like Snatch, Mean Girls and Mammi Mia.

They would also enjoy watching TV shows such as Friends, One tree hill, Scrubs, Hollyoaks and Eastenders. The main channels would be E4, Comedy central, channel 4 and BBC1.

The music they would listen to would be anything in the charts, with occasional indie music and dubstep.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

We used a tripod to make sure the camera remains still while shooting the footage.

We used Logic Pro as it is far superior to the likes of Garageband.

We shot in HD, although we did not anticipate the quality of the lens, which was grainy in darkness.

We used an Apple Mac for its wide variety of programs.

We used Final Cut to edit the footage.

We also used Vimeo to upload the opening as it much higher quality than other video upload sites.

Looking back at your pre-lim task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

 





The screenshots, taken from our preliminary task as well as our thriller opening, show that we have gained a greater knowledge of the technical aspect of film making. Making the progression from the prelim task to the finished thriller opening we have managed to incorporate a greater number camera shots and angles, while still using the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot, reverse shot.

On top of incorporating more camera shots and angles, we also managed to use editing to greater effect, using cuts at different speeds and using fades to move between the cuts. Special effects were also incorporated in our thriller opening, where there was not room to use them to creative effect in the preliminary task. We feel that the use of special effects helped the enhance the creation of dramatic tension within the thriller opening. The screenshots convey out progression from a technical point of view within the creation of film, throughout the entire production process.

Setting/Location

This is the location we chose for the main action to take place. This is a loft conversion in a semi-detached house in south east london.

IT has enough room to film, and is a typical teenage boys room.

Planning - Final Idea

We decided on using our third idea.

It is based around 2 friends and their love for a very famous online game. They are stalked by a serial killer who hunts for victims through online games. "Tom" is his next victim and gets taken, With "Dan" confused and looking for answers, it leads him to an underworld of obsessed virtual gamers who play their online games in reality.

Our inspiration for this is from a horror "Stay Alive" and a non-thriller "Snatch" for the use of an underworld plot. I also took inspiration from the game-turned-film Final Fantasy which is a sci-fi, i liked the way the characters lived in a different world, and wanted to reflect that into a "gamers world." "The Beach" also gave me inspiration in the way that the characters lived far away from the "normal world" and i wanted to use this in my own plot. As the film is a thriller i wanted to keep the suspense, but i also wanted to show the killer at the start, as he is not the main antogonist.

Planning - Opening thriller script

Stage directions:

Dan is sitting on a bed in a barely-lit room playing a fist person shooter on an xbox.

(Talking on headset)

Dan: Awh Ike your shit man, oh hey you alright Tom?

Tom: Alright Dan, yeah im good how are you?

Dan: I'm doing good what you up to?

Tom: Just chillin' got a free house, no-ones in.

Dan: Awh sweet, can i come over later then?

Tom: (unenthusiastically) yeah sure if you want

Dan: Alright cool man, see you soon

(the chair Tom was previously sitting on is empty and  mysteriously moving

(Talking over headset)

Dan: Tom? Tom?! TOM?!?!

(Dan walks down the stairs in a house, his phone rings, he gets to the bottom of the stairs and answers it)

Dan: Hello?

(Heavy breathing is heard down the phone)

Dan: oh it must be the wrong number.

(Dan leaves the house, the camera switches to Toms room showing Tom being dragged out of his room, the camera fades and there's a mysterious man looking at the camera as he closes the door.)

                              End Scene

Thriller Film Title

This is a screenshot of the survey we used to see what various people liked best in a title for a thriller.

The most votes was "Killcan" closely followed by "Virtual Obsession"

We chose these initial names as we wanted the audience to know this film involved online gaming.

Thriller Conventions

.A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).
.A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
.A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
.A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
.Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
.Themes of identity.
.Themes of mirroring.
.Themes of voyeurism.
.Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.
.Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.
.There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
.Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s plight.

Preparation for Thriller opening

Setting/ Location:

We are using two rooms located in different houses, we are using the bedrooms of the two actors appearing in the film, one is very small with limited lighting, and the other is a resonably sized loft conversion with lowered lighting.

Costumes and Props:

The actors are dressed casually in their "home clothes" throughout, apart from "Dan" who appears to change his clothes as he heads to "Tom's" house.

We placed a few bottles of Budweiser on the desk behind to show he is in a relaxed state of mind and shows he is at ease which in turn makes him seem vulnerable.

Editing and Camerawork:

The Eastbalishing shot is a shot of the TV screen where we see a war game being played, we then cut into "Dan" who is speaking over the headset to show he is speaking to a friend online. We then fade into a shot of "Tom" who we see is also playing online, after several cuts to show the conversation, there is a high angle of the chair "Tom" was previously sitting in which is slowly moving, it then cuts into a shot of the door way were we see "Toms" legs being dragged out of his room. It then cuts into opening credits

Story and how the opening sets up:

A Stalker has been tracking 2 friends online who had previously beat him in a game and is seeking to get revenge, with no help from the authorities Tom and Dan have to save themselves from murder.

How characters are introduced

The start is an over the shoulder shot of the 1st character Dan, who we see playing an online game in his room, it is very dasrk and messy.

Special Effects

There will be various fade cuts and a special effect at the end which cuts into a "se7en"

Research - Ideas for our thriller

After analyzing various thriller opening, we came together and discussed ideas we had.

First Idea

Michael 1st suggested a detective-like thriller.

It starts with a panning shot of the tower blocks over looking the Thames at dawn which then cuts into two detectives walking into a house and into the kitchen where a body is leaning against cupboards with a blood covered knife next to them.

It then cuts back using various flashes to a lead up of how the murder happened, much like CSI.

His inspiration for this idea was from a scene in the award winning american series, The Wire.

The credit roll for this would be a shot from inside a car, much like the police camera action shots, with the credits appearing on various buildings as it drives by.

Second Idea

Our second idea was a "se7en" style opening, but with the camera panning to show various newspaper headlines and photographs of murdered women, we would have several action shots of the psychopath but we would not see his face. it was supposed to be about a crazed psychopath that had escaped from an asylum, however we thought this was too unoriginal to do.

Third Idea

I thought about involving something more 21st century and using computer games as a story-line. Someone has been stalking 2 friends in an online game and seeks to murder them both, one of the friends gets murdered, and the other is out to seek revenge.

We went with this idea as it was the most original and would challenge us to create something new and fresh. Only one film is similar to this, Stay Alive, albeit a horror rather than a thriller.

What is a thriller?

We investigated into what a thriller actually is, to get a better understanding into what we have to do, so our film would fit into a thriller sub-genre.

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, television and gaming that often overlaps with other genres.

Thrillers are often overlapped with mysteries but are distinguished by the structure of their plots.

Thrillers are defined not by their subject matter but how the subject is perceived.

Thrillers can be defined by the primary mood they set: To thrill.

We thought are thriller best comes under a psychological thriller as there is killings in the film but the viewers do not see it, and one character is going through an emotional rollercoaster which the audience would sense.

Research Questionnaire on the thriller genre

We asked twelve people to give their opinion on these simple questions about the opening of a thriller. We made the questions relatively simple, as this had to be quick and easy so we could gather information on peoples preferences to opening thrillers, so we have an understanding of what potential viewers want to see.

After the surveys were filled out we gathered the information together.

Question 1. How old are you?

The most common answer was 19-24 closely followed by 15-18.

We felt this was good as most thriller audiences are of this age.

Question 2. What type of Thriller appeals to you the most?

Psychological thriller was the most selected with action thriller close behind. We actually presumed these would be the most selected as they are the most common thriller sub-genre.

Question 3. What do you think is the most important element to a thriller?

The 2 answers chosen the most were Plot and Special effects, they also are the most conventional, which it needs to be in order to make an opening with limited tools.

Question 4. For you, what builds suspense in a film?

Music was the most chosen, and thanks to the results we know we would have to spend extra time getting the music right in order to create suspense.

Question 5. In the opening of a thriller, how much of the plot do you think should be revealed?

As little as possible was the most chosen, which says that audiences would rather the story be panned out throughout the film, so we wanted to reflect that in our opening.

Question 8. Do you think an opening to a thriller should conform to the thriller conventions?

The results said more people chose "no" which suggests that an opening could be deceiving, showing little or no thriller conventions in an opening.

Question 9. Do you think the opening to a thriller should include dialogue?

8 out of 12 people said yes, which contradicts question 5, so from the results we can come to a judgement that dialogue in an opening should not reveal too much of the plot.

Opening Sequence Analysis - Sin City

Opening Sequence Analysis
Sin city (2005)

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
There is a long camera angle to show a girl in a red dress on a blacony, it is then cut to show the man walking up to her, and then cuts into speaking to her with a shot/reverse shot, and then a mid double shot, which then cuts into a close up of them kissing, moving back into a mid double shot of them close, which shows the close relationship between the two characters, before the man shoots her, then the camera moves into a high angle shot, with the rain coming down on them, almost like a POV shot of the rain, which then zooms out into an aerial shot of the city.

Sound
There is a composition of trumpets and a big band, which automatically makes us think of the 60s. There is narration from the man, as if he is reading the book in which the film was based.

Editing
It is heavily edited, and the scene is black and white, and only the womans dress is red,
It has an effect that highlights the red dress and makes it bold. It also cuts into a comic strip like cartoon. When the camera zooms out of the high angle shot into a aerial shot of the city, the buildings change into the words, sin city.

Mise en Scene
it is on a balcony with plenty of high rise buildings around,almost like a new york style of buildings. everything is black and white, which allows the audience to follow the two characters in shot. after the man kills the female character, it goes into an aerial shot and we can see that they are in a huge city, which plays a very important part, hence the title.
Characters
The man knows how to speak to the woman, and talks almost poetically, he is well dressed and impresses the woman. The audience does not learn alot about the woman, as she is not an important character, she does not say much, instead the man almost reads her mind, and knows what she is thinking, as if they have been friends or have known each other for a long period of time.
Locations
It is located on a dark n gloomy roof of a building that is in the middle of a dark and grey city.

Narrative/Plot
The man speaks with suave,and talks almost poetically and impresses the woman, the woman tries to be defensive but eventually gives up and goes into his arms before he kills her.

Themes
The opening is mis directed as it looks like the start of a romantic film, which is then turned around by the man killing her. From the male characters narration, the audience gets the sense that he didnt actually want to kill her.

Visual Style
It is black and white and very simple, which shows the relation to the novel it was actually based on, it makes the film almost like reading the book.

Genre
It is a thriller, but very misdirected during the intro to seem like a romantic film.

Opening sequence analysis - Casino Royale

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement

The establishing shot is a long shot of a building, with a car stopping outside, a subtitle reveals that this location is in Prague, Czech Republic. The entire pre-title scene is shot in black and white, this is representative of the the hostile atmosphere between the two characters. When the two characters are talking, shot reverse shot is used frequently. A number of mid shots and close ups are used during the assassination scene, to create a sense of fast paced action.

Sound

The pre-title scenes use a mixture of diegetic and and non-diegetic sound. With strings  added over the scenes of dialogue, to add to the tension and hostility between the two characters already evident from the dialogue. The strings are played in a legato style, to give the impression that the tension is building towards a moment of action. During the assassination scene, brass instruments are added, these are played in a staccato style, to represent the fast paced action. 

Editing

Cuts are used frequently. In the scenes of dialogue the camera alternates between the speaking characters frequently, shot reverse shot. A cut is used to move to the assassination scene, cuts are fast paced and frequent during this scene, this keeps the action fast paced, which in turn shows that James Bond feels no emotion towards killing the contact.

Mise en Scene

Both characters in the scenes of dialogue are well dressed, which suggests high status within MI6. Areas of the office are disorganised, which suggests that the agent Bond has to kill is unreliable.

Characters

Bond is shown in detail, both speaking and in action. The agent Bond has to kill is also shown in a fair amount of detail, he is shown to be unreliable in both the dialogue and mise en scene.

Locations

Prague, Czech Republic. Bond assassinates “The contact” in a public toilet.

Narrative/Plot

The plot from the pre-title sequence shows Bond gaining his “00 status” by carying out two assassinations.

Visual Style

Using no colour as a visual effect is not often used in mainstream cinema today, so in that sense, the visual style is fairly retrospective. 

Genre

Action/Thriller

Opening sequence analysis - Se7en

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement

the director has used extreme close-ups to show what the character is doing, it is mainly focused on his hands. The camera does not move and is always in focus on the characters hand, and is out of focus on the background.

Sound

the film has a non-diegetic sound all the way through, it has a typical horror style type of music, which adds a thrilling effect to the opening scene. it a synthesized piece of music, which is not normally used, but works very well. The music also gets faster gradually.

There is also diegetic sound of a mechanical like device, which again adds effect to the sequence, as this is a typical sound of a horror type film.

Editing

There are quick shots, which are changed after every credit is shown, this makes a thrilling effect that something is about to happen. There is also a red filter, in one of the scenes, which i think it was done as red represents blood.

Mise en Scene

there are shadows, which create a “scary” environment, there are books and photographs of which he is cutting out, and there is also a clip of him shaving off his skin on his thumb, which shows that he is not stable/sane.

Characters

you don’t get to see the characters face which works well, as it gives a mysterious effect, making the viewers curious as to who he is.

Locations

it appears to be in the house of the character that is shown, but the camera does not see much as it is constantly an extreme close-up of the characters hand and what he is doing.

Narrative/Plot

there is no dialogue throughout the sequence, this is done to create suspense and fear towards the viewer.

Themes

Visual Style

it is shot just like a typical horror film, and not at all like a thriller. It uses very different shots and editing, quick, glowing writing is used, and gives an amazingly shocking effect.

Genre

It is a Thriller, but not one with explosions or guns, but shocking violence and murders.

Opening sequence analysis - Panic Room

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement

Long shots from high, aerial angles are used throughout, the title sequence shows a different landmark of the New York skyline with every different name in the credits. All of these shots pan to show some of the area that surrounds the landmarks. The opening sequence shows a great deal of Manhattan, an effect used to contrast the setting of the film being centred around one room.

Sound

Sound is non-diegetic. Strings are used within the two bass octaves to begin with, but move into the mid-range. The composition is in minor throughout, in order to give a ‘dark’ feel to the music. After a minute of the opening sequence, the tempo of the music increases and the strings are played in a staccato style, as opposed to the legato style used earlier in the opening sequence. This style of performance give an effect of heightening fear. 

Editing

There is an interesting use of typography used throughout the opening sequence, which blends the credits to the building. This was successful as this typography was used in a later film “Fringe”

Mise en Scene

New York City is shown in detail, from the skyscrapers to the cars on the road below, so that the audience gets a sense of the events in the film moving in real-time.

Characters

No characters are shown

Locations

It is an ariel view of New York

Narrative/Plot

There is no narrative.

Themes

From the opening sequence, I think it shows a theme of solitude, as the music is repetitive, and has no narrative.

Visual Style

 it is shot to show a “faceless city”

Genre

From the opening sequence it is very hard to predict a genre, but as it had shown a lot of solitude, it would probably lead to a thriller.

Opening thriller questionnaire

Preliminary Task

This is our preliminary task, we had filmed this using various techniques, such as the 180 degree rule, shot/reverse shot and match on action.

I decided to combine the 2 shots of the match on action and the 180 degree rule.

Planning - Preliminary task script

Stage directions:

A man walks along a corridor and up a 3 set stairs. He walks into a room and sits down where another person is waiting for him.

Person 1: You got the stuff?

Person 2: 8 ball, you got the money?

(Person 1 hands over the money and person 2 hands over the bag)

End Scene