Audience Research For Our Horror Movie Trailer

Hi there,

Please take a bit of you time to fill out my 10 Questions about college magazine design

[Tick Which Apply]

What gender are you?

Male [ ] Female [ ]

What age range do you fall into ?

16-18 [ ] 19 – 21[ ] 22+[ ]

Question 1:

How oftend do you go to the cinema?

1 - 5 times a month[ ] 6 – 10 times a month[ ] 10+ [ ]

Question 2:

Do you buy DVD’s?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

Question 3:

Are you a Horror Movie fan?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

Question 4:

What type of Horror movie most likely suits your taste?

Comedy Horror [ ] Romance Horror [ ] Thriller [ ] Slasher Movie [ ] Monster Movie [ ] Japanese [ ] Science Fiction [ ]

Question 5:

What do you mostly prefer your movie to be like?

A True Event Movie [ ] Fictional [ ]

Question 6:

Do you usually watch the Teaser Trailer before you watch the movie

Yes [ ] No [ ]

Question 7:

Do you Judge a movie based on the trailer ?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

Question 8:

Are you attracted to a movie when you see the poster ?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

Question 9:

How do you feel about the teaser trailer of a movie coming out so long before the release of the actual film ?

It’s fine [ ] The wait is annoying [ ] I like the suspense [ ] I don’t watch the film [ ]

Question 10:

What colour looks most appealing for a horror movie trailer?

Red [ ] Blue [ ] Yellow [ ] Orange [ ]

Question 11:

Do you read any Horror books ?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

Question 12:

What colour looks most appealing for a horror movie trailer?

Red [ ] Blue [ ] Yellow [ ] Orange [ ]

Question 13:

What do you look for in a horror film before you watch it?

Setting [ ] Location [ ] Character [ ]

Question 14:

What do you typically like to see in a horror film?

Blood[ ] Deaths [ ] Darkness [ ] Hacks and Slash[ ]

Question 15:

Can you sit through a horror movie all the way?

Yes[ ] No [ ]

Question 16:

How do you usually find out about new/upcoming films?

Film Magazines[ ] Internet[ ] Advertiments [ ] Television[ ] Word of mouth [ ] Other[ ]

Question 17:

How do you watch Horror Movies by yourself or in a group?

Yourself[ ] In a group [ ]

Question 18:

Do you think Horror Movies that are in trilogy’s are good?

Yes[ ] No[ ] There’s No Point [ ]

Question 19:

If there is no point, why ?

........................................................................................................................................................

Question 20:

Can you watch a horror movie by yourself?

Yes[ ] No[ ] Only on some moviesa [ ]

The INITIAL IDEA of The Key's Poster

10

Poster Photoshoot 1st Draft

These two images were our Magazine Photoshoot Photo's. But we decided to try and use them for our photo's

Both images taken on a Canon EOS 400D Digital

Shooting Tests For Horror Movie Trailer

Before filming we did a variety of the same shots testing out the camera and the focus ring. There were also mistakes we did in which helped us take precautions whilst filming for future reference. We also used the location of a corridor; in post production we would colour grade the shot to make it look as dark as possible. We can do this by adding curves and RGB colour correction video effects.

This first video test was to test out the focus ring and the track. This test was a failure because my subject was walking to close to the track, this caused the tripod to bump into the leg of the actor, making the track stop in the middle of filming. This was one precautionary measure we took. The distance of the actor from the camera. We also realised that the coat doesn't suit the setting and the scenary for the horror movie trailer.

After the first test we decided to remove the coat from the actor. And we also decided to make the shot a bit closer. After filming this take, we realised that we need a longer track and the zoom needed to be closer on the subject.
Also to give it a horror effect we decided to add some blood on the actor's hand.

And we proceeded to film this.

I think this test was one of the most successful. The only flaw is towards the end I accidently rotated the focus ring too much to the left, causing the shot to become out of focus. After that experience I learnt not to rotate the focus ring too much. I also learnt to be very soft when dealing with the Canon EOS 7D as the camera is analouge camera and not digital.

This take we zoomed the lens in further. Allowing the shot to only show the keys and hands and a bit of the jeans. For the final shot we decided not to use the same jeans as they are a fancy designer jeans. This test was successful aswell. There was a couple of mistakes during the shot. I realised that the tripod was very smooth and sensitive, so i learnt that when pushing the track forward I needed to be very careful not to raise the stick up on push it down.


This next test was whilst they were putting on the make up. I was testing the Canon EOS 7D and how powerful the zoom and focus can be, and I also sampled how smooth the tripod. Also i was testing out the track and how fast and how slow you can move and still get a smooth track.
I have concluded that the Canon EOS 7D focus ring is most powerful when the camera is zoomed in. When zoomed out completly, if your blur the shot it is not as powerful as when your zoomed in. The tripod is very powerful and gives smooth pans and tilts. It was a bit stiff at first until I realised your able to adjust the tightness of the tripod.

(This Video Was Converted On Sony Vegas Platinum 10 - Using A Windows Media Video/Audio, 1080p, 25 frames per second , 6.7Megabits per second Conversion, So There May Be Loss Of Quality. The original file was too large for upload)

Overall the shooting equipment we are going to be using for the horror movie trailer is very powerful.

Makeup Testing For Horror Movie Trailer

Before filming We had to wash our hands for hygienic purposes. Germs and virus can be easily transferred when using products on a number people. We did a Skin Test; applying the product on the wrist of the person. We chose the wrist because it is a sensitive area of skin on the body and it reacts quickly to anything that is not compatible with the skin.

We performed a variety of experiments, involving applying the makeup and also testing out different shapes and sizes to make the "cut up skin" look different. The person in our group who was applying the makeup was Ife.

During the process of this experiment, a number of photo's were taken to show the final outcome and the tools that were used to create the "cut up skin" effect.

The makeup set consisted of many products that give many different effects which can be used to create a horror movie trailer:

To create a bruised skin effect we sampled the 'Ben Nye Extreme Exposure Colour Wheel'. We used the darker shade of terracotta red. We applied the product using an Artists Brush.

The product we used is called 'Ben Nye EW1 Bruise Wheel'. This product is very similar to the previous product, this too was used to create a bruised and tarnished effect. However this "Bruise wheel" gave us different darker colours to choose from, which allowed us to have more choice and experiment with a variety of colours and end up with our preferred image.

The wax we used is called 'Nose & Scar wax'. we used it as a mould to create the shape of the wounds we wanted. The texture of the wax was firm which resulted in it being hard to remove and apply. It was sticky, making it harder to shape with our hands. In addition to that, the wax gets damaged easily and degrades easily.

This was the set of the movie make up kit provided by the teacher.

The contents of the bowl consisted of the product "Ben Nye - Stage Blood (Zesty Mint Flavour)".

This is what we used to apply the blood around the hand giving the cut a gory and realistic effect.

This product is the "Casual CFX Blood". This shade of blood red is darker giving the scar effect a dryer look. It makes it look like the cut has been there for a while.

This is a close up of the final outcome of the make up test.

Positive Points:

- The 'wound' looked good because from a far distance it looks realistic, and the detail is obvious.

- The 'Ben Nye EW1 Bruise Wheel' allowed us to add to the realism by creating a bruised effect.

Negative Points: ,

- When you get closer to the 'wound' the wax is noticeable; looking at the beginning of the structure, you can see the wax peeling off. This is bad for close up shots as the camera (Canon 7D) , as it makes the cut look less genuine defeating the whole purpose of horror movie makeup.

How We Setup The Equipment For The Shoot.

Here are some pictures from the way we setup the equipment on the set ! This is a close up of the camera from the view finder on the Canon EOS 7D.
I personally think it looks rather lush !

Here is a long shot of it. The track was a bit short so we got 2 extra tracks enough to track long enough through the corridor and here is a view from actually through the lens !

This is from the 18 - 135mm Fully Zoomed to 135mm with the track half way down the corridor

Textual Analysis Of A Horror Movie Teaser Trailer - By Harold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wknf4qVQI8k

Pontypool is a psychological thriller distributed bt Maple Picturess. The plot is about a deadly virus that infects a small town in Ontario. The genre of the movie Pontypool is a Fantasy, and is also a Myster Horror. I consider Pontypool to also be a cult film as only a small number of people who are interested in ‘Epidemic Infection’ Movies in small towns. Alot of these movies have popped up overtime ; films such as ‘The Crazies’, ‘The Carriers’ and ’28 Weeks Later’.

This textual analysis will be focusing on the teaser trailer for Pontypool movie directed by Bruce McDonald. The trailer lasts a minute and a half .

The teaser opens up with a quick track in shot of a radio ‘On Air’ sign. We immediately know that the setting of this trailer will mainly be shot in a radio station. We also hear a voiceover of one of the characters in the film telling the viewer the Radio station number and the name of the Radio station.

The scene the cuts to him walking into the room, raising one of the decibel levels on the mixer, popping a bottle of beer , pouring it in a glass and him closing it again. This all proceeds within the first 6 seconds of the trailer, the cuts were all very quick and smooth. This gives the viewer a sense that the Character on screen is a laid back beer drinker. The colour grading in the trailer is very flat and virtually colourless. The colour curves have been reduced so that the bright colours don’t stand out as much as they originally would. There are also a lot of shadows in the cuts.

After that it cuts to a two second preview of the company logo. As it cuts the music turns then turns into a slow paced heavy metal kind of music, and that music continues for another 19 seconds into the trailer. Even though the tempo of the music is slow it has a heavy texture to it. It connotes the movie is going to be something wild, and eventful.

Subsequent to that, we now see a series of ‘Call and Response’ cut. The trailer introduces a new character into the trailer. This character is a woman who somewhat seems to be the radio producer/director, directing the host in what he should do during the show. Most of these shots are tracked to the left. This implies that these two character will be working side by side and they are ‘partners in crime’ We see many reaction shots from the woman, giving a lot of body language and facial expressions. The audience are immediately attracted to think she is the happy, light spirited person within the radio station. This lets us know there are two characters now that have a relationship as ‘work buddies’.

At 0:23 seconds there is a change in the vibe of the whole trailer when we are given a black screen with what looks like a wave form flashing from either a monitor or some sort of sound program. This links us back to the radio station theme of the whole film. Radio stations are based on sounds and speech so wave levels are usually a prime factor.

The music also changes from 0:23, and it becomes more of an eerie, dark, sinister sounds. Clips of a phone call to the radio station are also overlaid; muffled vehicles and screams coming from a telephone call.

We then proceed to more Medium Close Up Reaction shots from the other workers in the room. We now know that everything is not alright. We also see quick cuts of body’s and peoples pictures flashing in and out of the scene until 0:37. This connotes that there are some sort of secrets to be revealed as to why such pictures were taken. At this point fear becomes an emotion as to what is happening in the trailer.

At 0:36 we see a title giving us information on an event in which is occurring within the movie. We see the use of the waveform in the title transitions sticking to the theme of the movie. More informational shots corresponding with the title.

The title says “6.00am IT WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT” ; By them being able to give us an exact time this means that things develop very quickly in this film and we will quickly see changes in the film. Then we see a corresponding shot of a television and news reporter stating that “Police have blocked off roads”. This shows us its starting to get serious

The proceeding title then says 7:00AM IT BECAME A MINOR EPICDEMIC”. Then we see a corresponding shot after that of the lady character saying “Everybody has to stay inside at all times”. This shows the serverity of the situation. We see alot of gloomy, shadowy shots. These are conventions in horror movies. And the colour grading is like a tint of blue and more flat colours.

After a few more of those shots by the last one which says by “10:00AM IT COULD NOT BE STOPPED” , the audience now know it is a full blown outbreak.

All the while this is happening the music is shady and very hollow. At the end of the montage of shots (0:58) We also hear echoed voices shouting into what sounds like a phone, because we hear the distortion in the voice of the person. The mood we are now put in is a helpless one. We hear this voice in the distant but we are not able to do anything to help him. These are trademark techniques used within Horror movie trailers. The audience is always made to feel like they wish they could save the characters on screen.

So far the pace of the trailer has been very steady. It has also been informative letting us know where, when and what’s happening without giving away too much. (Convention)

Between 1:03 – 1:09 we hear no music. We just hear the fear in the voices of the characters on screen. Silence is usually tense in horror movies and we know that something bad is about to happen. After 1:09 the pace of the trailer begins to pick up and more outtakes from the moves are included in between titles. Until the end of the trailer.

To conclude, I have discovered that Horror movie trailers are very tedious to edit. There are alot of quick and abrupt cuts within one. Some of them not even up to half a second long. Also when editing , I realise that you can not give away to much within the trailer. Also the pace of the trailer needs to pick up towards the end, in sound and in video clips. The music towards the end becomes more and more horrifying and the shots become alot lot quicker cut.

Textual Analysis of a Magazine Front Cover

‘Empire’ is a British film magazine published once a month by Bauer Consumer Media. It was first published in July 1989 and has gone on to become the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, never failing to out sell its nearest market rival, Total film. Although it is a British film magazine, it is also published outside of the UK, in Australia, Russia and Turkey. Empire organises the annual Empire Awards which are sponsored by Jameson, previously sponsored by Sony Ericsson up until 2009.

The denotation of the front cover is a high angled close up of ‘The Joker’ played by heath Ledgers in the film ‘The Dark Knight’, directed and written by Christopher Nolan. It is typical for film magazines like Empire to feature one of the main characters on the front page as the main purpose is to advertise the film to its demographic audience and create a sense of awareness about the characters. The picture consists of The Jokers full face and cuts off just above his forehead where some hair is revealed. His head is slightly tilting down towards the floor, possibly connoting that he thinks he is better than everyone and must look down on people. The lighting on the poster is mainly high key apart from a dark patch situated in the bottom right corner. This connotes The Joker may have a dark background or a bad side to him, which contradicts the smile on his face connoting he is a happy person. The left side of his face seems slightly darker than the right side, this backs up the suggestion that the joker has a bad side to him as this is a common technique used to create a sense of wonder about the character. At a glimpse the average person would just assume he is just a clown; however the lighting allows the joker, at a closer look to reveal his true identity.

Although The Jokers head is tilting towards the ground, he is making full eye contact with the camera and has a slight grin on his face. The non-verbal communication staring eyes connotes that he wants or is after something and there is a great deal of determination involved. The smile on his face denotes he is calm about the situation, or seems to have control. His full face of makeup denotes he is a clown, however also connotes he may have something mysterious about him or something to hide. Due to the close up camera shot, we are not able to tell the setting of the photo, however the calm look on his face could suggest he in a place of comfort, possibly his hideout.

The main colour scheme of the front cover is black and green with a hint of purple, despite The Jokers bright white face. The slightly saturated colours are used well as they create a large amount of contrast which attracts attention.

The masthead which is normal bold sans serif font attracts the reader’s eye as it is very bold and large. The use of neon green to highlight it again adds to the awareness of the poster and makes the masthead stand out. The three chosen colours used on the writing of the front cover are white, black and green, which I believe are three colours which complement each other very well. The chosen colour scheme also acts as a direct link to Heath Ledgers character as The Joker had a white face, black makeup and green hair They also work well with the front cover as there is a fair mixture of colours among front cover. The selling line above the masthead reads, “Two covers to collect” which is used with intentions of increasing sales, as readers will want to buy the other Empire magazine featuring The Joker. The cover lines are also highlighted in neon green, again making a direct link to the film and also used to make them stand out.

Overall the front cover does a good job of catching the reader’s eye and the colour contrast helps to make the magazine stand out. I believe the shot used and the composition of the front cover both help to signify the main character, helping the reader to understand the characters importance which could then result in them buying the magazine to find out more about the character

Textual Analysis Of A Horror Movie Poster - By Harold

Pontypool is a psychological thriller distributed by Maple Pictures. The plot is about a deadly virus that infects a small town in Ontario. The film is also based in around a radio station within the small town. The film was released on March 6, 2009, it was a 2010 Genie awards Nominee as the Best Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay.

A film poster is a firm of advertisement habitually displayed in obvious places such as billboards, film theatres, in magazines, the internet and most commonly of the side of buses. The intentions lf a movie poster is to draw the attention of the person and to sell the film to them. It usually is made for the viewer to go and see the film. Sometimes film posters are nit what the film looks like. Like they say, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’.

The main colour scheme for this poster is white and dark red. Red is usually a typical colour within the themes of horror movie poster. The foremost colour in which seems to be standing out is the dark red. The features of this colour signify feeling of rage, wild, blood, death. The white colour represents a feeling of blankness, emptiness, and no feelings at all. Considering the movie is about a virus attacking a town, the people turn in to zombies. Maybe they turn into zombies losing all sense of emotion and feeling of a normal human being, and maybe there’s a lot of blood. The red seems to be in the shape of a blood splatter; this to me indicates that the movie is going to be very bloody or there will be scenes in which contain a lot of blood and gore.

There is a low angle shot of the main character of the film as seen in the movie trailer looking mainly startled or in shock with the headphones round his neck. The expression on his face looks is like a ‘I can’t believe what I’ve just seen’ look. This expression connotes that during the movie a lot of the audience will be having this reaction towards the film. The effect that has been added to the photo is a Threshold. Used on Adobe Photoshop to give a photo a two colour tone.

The tag line ‘Shutup or Die!’ is especially significant within the poster. This is a major twist in the movie’s storyline. Through research of the film i was able to discover that in the movie the virus is transferred via speech. A certain phrase that is infected; if it is said by an uninfected person they become infected. Understanding is what allows the virus to be transferred. So if any infected phrase is understood the person becomes infected, if they can make themselves not understand it then they are fine. By placing this scene right above the guys expression connotes that he may have been trying to keep quiet. But it keeps us guessing until we actually watch the movie.

By adding a 4 star review is a form of persuasive advertising attracting the audience to go and see the film. By saying the film is ‘intelligent and original’ Its persuading the audience to believe that a lot of time and effort has been put in to creating this film and viewers should take their time to watch and understand it.

The poster title also stands out. Also there is a phrase on top stating the film was made from the ‘Best Selling Book’. This is more persuasive technique to engross an audience. By stating the film was created from a BEST SELLING book, it is implying the film will also be a best seller. This does not always work because sometimes the film is not always as good as the book. This is a very convincing way to get an audience drawn in. It is also noticeable that the word ‘PONTYPOOL’ the ‘N’ has been placed backwards. We don’t know why this has been done, but it keeps us guessing wondering why these things have been done.

Overall, this movie poster does a good job of catching the viewer’s eye. But I’m not quite sure it does justice trying to get the viewer to come to the cinema and pay to watch the film. The poster is very vague and does not do much in revealing anything about the films plot character or even any major scene within the film