Initial ideas, research, experiments

1. FMP
Pre-Production
Millie Smith

2. Initial Ideas
Concept

3. Project Concept
• The concept is a horror film around the idea of being stuck in doors. I want to
follow a similar style of recording to Paranormal Activity as I believe it will fit
with my current limitations of the pandemic. I believe using the same
recording technique will help instil fear and create a sense of the unknown. I
want to follow genre convention and make my film trailer more of a
psychological horror with a sense of mystery and unknown entities. So,
recording in this way will not only make my project be unique but will
also help instil a sense of fear as it allows you to be completely immersed in the
universe. I will need to conduct research into film trailers like Paranormal
Activity and other trailers done in a similar style. Doing this will allow my own
film trailer to follow convention, and I can also analyse the techniques and
conventions used in existing products to adapt them to my own.
• I wish to produce a film trailer but also an accompanying film poster. This will
be on the horror genre, so I hope to follow genre convention with this project:
dark colours, ‘creepy’ imagery, chilling colours etc. My concept for my film
poster is to make a unique yet dark and sinister film poster including many of
the common conventions of horror however also subverting them to create a
unique and interesting product. I will need to do more research into film
posters for horror films. I should analyse how they are structured in terms
of composition; I will also need to know more of the genre conventions when
developing my product. I will also look at film posters for techniques I can
replicate in my own film poster.

4. Project Narrative
• I want the plot of my project to follow a girl who can't go outside, she
supposedly has a condition which means going outside could be fatal for
her. She's grown up with this fact, never leaving the house once, despite
eagerly wanting to. The idea is that she keeps a video diary and has security
cameras around the house, footage was recovered from both after she
mysteriously goes missing. The audience is watching this footage play out,
trying to find out what happened to her.
• Things are normal at first, but a little sad. The girl is clearly alone and
saddened by her constant imprisonment. Paranormal happenings start
occurring around her house, she believes she's hallucinating until a real
sense of danger is established. It is as if she is being hunted at home, and
with not being able to leave the house, she has nowhere to run. How will she
overcome this supernatural power that is dangerously messing with her life?
She records the happenings all the way up to her disappearance, a lot of the
footage shows her in distress, hiding from something the audience can't see.

5. Initial Ideas
Mood Board

7. Mood Board (1)
I wanted to convey the idea of an unknown entity or
being trapped and hunted. I believe my mood board
does this quite well. There's a lot of dark colours and
eerie shadows. This portrays the feeling of fearing the
unknown as well as paranormal and unknown
entities interfering with the real world. There's also a
lot of desaturated and dark colours which helps add
to the horror aspect. The shadowy figures and lack of
detail in their features also helps establish a sense of
fear and mystery, not being able to see someone's
features can be unnerving as they can't be identified.
The ominous figures can give the impression of being
watched or hunted down, which is the sort of idea I
want to go for, being unsafe even in the 'comfort of
your own home'.

8. Mood Board (2)
This part of the mood board is supposed to convey the
idea of lack of freedom ('being so close you can touch
it') through lighting . The lighting is also supposed to
implicate the feeling of loneliness or emptiness, dark
shadows with lots of empty space and nobody around.
The warm colours connote homeliness with the usage
of shadows to make the images look more unsettling.
A lot of the scenery is in darkness which makes this
segment of the mood board feel melancholy. Despite
there being light sources, there's still a lack of light
which makes each of these images more unnerving.
With my product, I want to create a sense of feeling
unsafe, even in the comfort of your own home, so
these images match my intentions well.

9. Mood Board (3)
Finally, with this segment I wanted to emphasise the
idea of being watched, trapped, and being stuck in
your own head. There's images of gazing out the
window in a yearning or saddened manner. I feel this
images perfectly encapture my ideas of feeling
trapped, after all this is the theme I wish to explore
the most within my product. There's also a lot of
usage of dark shadows again as I want the tone and
lighting of my product to be more sinister and
mysterious. Another thing this segment captures well
is strange imagery, like the woman touching the glass
and the 2 people gazing at each other. They both
evoke feelings of mystery or being dazed. Specifically
with the woman touching the glass, her figure and
face being difficult to define, almost in-human like.

10. Mood Board Reflection
• My mood board is supposed to connote the idea of feeling trapped,
being physically able to escape yet somehow in an inescapable situation. I
also wanted to emanate the idea of danger which I think my mood board
does well, there's desaturated colours, shadowy figures etc which all give
an ominous feeling. I also believe my mood board gives the idea of solitary and
loneliness, heightening the sense of danger and idea of horror. A sinister
impression is given from all the mysterious figures and shadows, their physical
attributes are hidden and hard to make out, making them almost in-humanoid
and mysterious. The usage of shadows and emptiness put emphasis on the
idea of being alone. Another thing of note about my mood board is the lighting,
it is consistently dark with a small light source. Darkness is a big horror
convention, it adds to the fear of the unknown, as if there's something lurking
in the shadows. I believe I explained this quite well, alongside feeling trapped.
• My mood board inspires my project as it includes a lot of the themes I am
wanting to explore. There's also usage of a lot of interesting imagery that I
could incorporate into my own project. Things like lighting, pose, atmosphere
all inspire my work, I'd like to follow a similar style and aesthetic in order to
give off the same effect and mood as my mood board. I believe it sets a sinister
tone which is perfect for a product in the genre of horror. I want my product to
instil a sense of fear or be unnerving which I believe my mood board does well.
Things like indescribable figures and emptiness all help give a creepy and
unsettling feeling off which I can adapt to my own project.

11. Mood Board Reflection
• My mood board's images share several similarities with one another. A
common relation between the images with people is where they are
looking, there is never direct eye contact with the camera. It's as if they are
looking into the distance, I believe this helps establish a melancholy
theme. This is amplified by the usage of lighting and how they are gazing
out a window and into the 'light' from the darkness. Another shared
similarity is the setting, all the images appear to be set inside or around
the basis of a house. This fits my narrative and project concept well as I
want to explore the idea of being trapped in doors.
• There's differences in colouring throughout my mood board, some images
portray warmer colours as others are darker and desaturated. I believe
this could be replicated in my project as in my film trailer, I want the tone
to start off more light-hearted and build-up to something darker and
disturbing. So, I believe this difference is quite effective. Another notable
difference is the content. Some images show a more sinister scene with
dark shadows and mysterious figures as others show a 'victim', lonely and
vulnerable. Hunter VS the hunted.

12. Initial Ideas
Key Influences

13. Paranormal Activity
• Paranormal Activity was a major influence for my project. My initial ideas consist around being
trapped inside, not only this but adapting to the current limitations.
• I took a lot of inspiration from Paranormal Activity's recording style as it adapts well with my
current limitations of the pandemic. Not only this but I believe the recording style is very effective
in the horror genre. It immerses the audience very well with what's happening, almost as if they
were there themselves. Using this recording style can help build mystery and also instil fear as it
gives the effect of watching actual recordings. It's scary because it feels as if it could take place in
our world easily. This was a major key influence for me as it inspired my initial ideas and
influenced my film concept. I took a lot of inspiration from how it gives a strong sense of realism
and is quite unique compared to most horror films due to its recording style. I also want to make
my film trailer feel as if the audience is watching back real footage to better immerse them into
the trailer. I want to give my horror film trailer and poster a VHS feeling and aesthetic.

14. The Blair Witch Project
• Another influence of my project is the film The Blair Witch Project.
• The recording style shares similarities with Paranormal Activity, due to this
style being close to the one I'd like to use TBWP was another key influence
for my project. I'd like to follow a similar theme with recording style yet
again, like watching footage and being directly immersed in the universe that
way. There's also a lot of techniques such as colouring and camera movement
which I can take direct inspiration from. I believe replicating similar
techniques in my own project will assist me when creating and effective film
trailer. The film poster was also inspiring to me, I believe analysing both the
film trailer and film poster will allow me to better understand genre
convention, but also have an idea for possible techniques I can use in my own
products.

15. Cam
• Another influence for my work was the Cam film poster,
this is due to the subversion of genre convention and
interesting effects.
• The film poster inspired me a lot as it shows lots of colours
being used in a VHS and glitchy esc manner, successfully
portraying a sense of fear despite there being bright
colours. The poster is unique and stands out from normal
horror film posters which inspired me a lot, I also want to
make a product that's unique yet still feels like a horror
film poster and instils fear. I believe the Cam film poster
does this perfectly so I should analyse it in order to pick up
any techniques that make the film poster effective. I would
like to possibly try replicating the glitch effect in
my experiments as it would fit my projects concept well.

16. Key Influences Reflection
• I was inspired by certain media like the ones I looked at here when
considering my own project. I believe taking these influences into
account and using similar techniques to these products will help me
replicate the tone I was going for.
• To do this I should look at my key influences critically and
analytically in my research. I believe looking at these products in
detail will assist me with my own project. I can identify the common
conventions used and also techniques that I could try myself. For
example, I'd like to try replicate the effect shown in the Cam film
poster. In my research not only will I look into each key influence in
detail, but I will also compare them to one another. I can identify the
similarities and differences, identifying the genre conventions
followed too. I believe comparing each product will assist me with my
research.

17. Initial Ideas
Skill Audit

18. Photoshop
• For my project I'll need to be able to use photoshop confidently in order to
produce a fitting film poster for my concept.
• Currently I am quite confident with photoshop as I have had chance
to experiment with it in previous projects. In my Adventure project I had a
chance to create a thriller film poster, trying out different effects to give
an ominous tone. Due to my practice, I can confidently use photo-manipulation
in order to create a certain atmosphere. I have experience with filters and
effects, masking images, and using different brushes like smoke brushes.
• Despite having confidence in the software, I still need to practice with certain
tools and effects. I should experiment with achieving different effects I haven't
yet in order to increase my confidence using the program. Learning different
techniques through tutorials should help me create a much
more effective product that not only looks more professional but also utilises
photoshops tools.

19. Premiere Pro/After Affects
• Since I will also be creating a film trailer, I need to be confident with using
Premiere Pro. Learning effects with After Affects could also be useful as it will
allow for more complicated effects.
• I have good knowledge with how to basically use premiere and applying different
effects. I can also use keyframes, change velocity of clips and import parts of an
edit to After Effects in order to achieve better effects. I have learnt how to use
Premiere Pro well through my music video project and game project as I used
Premiere to edit both. This has strengthened my knowledge in the software as I
have experience with it from previous projects.
• Despite this I am not as confident with After Affects, I haven't used it much, so I
lack experience and confidence with the software. So, if I am wanting to use After
Affects to create specific effects in this project, I should practice with it in my
experiments and utilise tutorials when in production. I'd like to experiment with
special effects in After Affects. I also could improve my knowledge in premiere
specifically with typography and sound as I haven't practiced much with it.

20. Research
Existing Products

21. Paranormal Activity
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twoWuDy5kys
Length: 1:21
What it tells us about the film: The film trailer reveals some information but not too much,
remaining mysterious and leaving the audience with questions. It shows a couple getting
haunted and documenting it, there's several scenes showing them in distress or investigating
their house. Despite this we as the audience never see what's causing this ourselves, only
casting more mystery. This lack of knowledge helps add to the fear factor, exploiting the fear of
the unknown. It doesn't tell the audience a lot, but enough to understand the basic premise
and leave with several questions.

22. Paranormal Activity
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twoWuDy5kys
The Paranormal Activity trailer has a lot I can learn from in terms
of genre convention and creating a unique film trailer. The film is a
horror, and the trailer conveys a sense of fear perfectly. There's a lot
of distorted noise and footage which not only takes you by surprise,
but also gives a sense of mystery or paranormal interference. It also
fits perfectly with the recording style being as if you were watching
back a video recorded by an actual person. This immerses the
audience well as they can feel that they are in the same universe as
these happenings, also the recording style can convey a sinister
sense of mystery as we only see as much as the characters do.
Another thing of note is the camera angles. Since we are watching
this as a recording the camera angles match this idea. When
something happens, the audience can only see so much which
continues to connote the idea of an unseeable force, even the
audience don't know what it is. No matter what throughout the
trailer you never see the paranormal being causing all the issues
which betters the horror element, fear of the unknown. Something
else of note, the cuts in the trailer. Its unpredictable and rapid,
keeping the audience on their toes at all times. Loud distorted
noises accompany the cuts also which only adds to the fear factor.

23. Paranormal Activity
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twoWuDy5kys
As the trailer continues it only gets more intense, the cuts and
music getting faster and more rapid, the scenes developing to be
more fear induced and ominous. I believe I should follow a similar
idea for my own trailer, building up atmosphere and intensity as the
trailer progresses. This is a common convention for horror film
trailers, starting off rather 'normal' and progressing into something
more horrific. Yet again not seeing the paranormal whatsoever
through this progression and just how it affects the characters helps
add to the sense of fear, whatever is causing the issues can never be
seen. If I do something similar for my own film trailer, I believe it'll
also instil a sense of fear.
The colours within the trailer are dark and tints of green and blue.
These colours convey a sense of cold and dark which contrasts to
warmer colours which portray the opposite of warmth and light.
Using these colours give a sense of loneliness or horror throughout.
Blues and greens are commonly used in horror films as they give a
'chilling' effect unlike reds oranges or pinks. I should also use colder
colours for lighting in order to follow convention and add to the fear
factor. The desaturation also follows genre convention as darker and
less colourful tones gives a sinister and ominous tone.

24. The Blair Witch Project
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBZ-POVsrlI
Length: 1:09
What it tells us about the film: The film trailer, much like Paranormal Activity, doesn't give too
much information and allows a lot of mystery with the happenings. However, from the dialogue
and captions the audience can gather that we are watching the documentary made by 3 people
who vanished, investigating a supposedly haunted area. Yet again much like the Paranormal
Activity trailer the thing hunting these people is never seen by the audience, leaving the
audience with unanswered questions.

25. The Blair Witch Project
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBZ-POVsrlI
The Blair Witch Project trailer shares similarities with the
Paranormal Activity trailer. Both are recorded in the same style, The
Blair Witch Project being more like a documentary of old recordings.
It shares similar techniques like the build-up, the trailer starts off
as 'normal' and light-hearted as it develops into something much
more sinister. Another similarity the trailers share is never seeing
the paranormal being. There's scenes in the trailer of running away
however we as the audience never fully learn what they are running
away from. This is meant to amplify the fear of the unknown. The
recording style also assists with inciting fear as it immerses the
audience in a way that the feel this could happen to them.
There's a lot of rapid cuts and distorted noise to accompany it, fitting
the recording style very well. The camera angles yet again match the
idea that someone in that situation is recording it, we can only see
as much as the characters, if not less, this idea of the unknown help
instils fear. When things get more intense the camera movement
does too which makes it more difficult for the audience to make out
what's happening and can also help build intensity as rapid camera
movement connotes action.

26. The Blair Witch Project
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBZ-POVsrlI
Another thing of note about the film trailer is the use of colours.
There's a mix of black and white as well as normal coloured scenes,
this helps give the impression of watching real recordings, the
inconsistency portraying the usage of multiple cameras being used.
The lighting is another effective technique of this film trailer, to
start with the lighting matches the tone of the trailer, light and
upbeat. However, as the trailers tone darkens so does the lighting,
showing more scenes in the dark when all that can be seen is the
characters. This helps give a sense of mystery and yet again
instilling fear though the unknown. This has a psychological effect
as the audience doesn't know what to expect.
A common convention of film trailers is cuts of text between clips
helping to give the audience a taste of the story. In The Blair Witch
Project's film trailer, the text is in a serif font which is not only
commonly used in horror media but also quite unsettling and creepy.
The background is either completely black or dark and mysterious
which fits the tone of the film perfectly. I feel I should follow a
similar idea for my own trailer, with accompanying distorted sound
effects as each clip cuts. Despite the text adding to the short
storytelling of the trailer, it doesn't reveal too much to get the
audience hooked and wanting more. The mystery about what's going
on leaves the audience with a lot of unanswered questions which is
an effective technique to hook an audience.

27. Horror Film Posters
In these horror posters there's certain techniques that are
present in all advertisements. For example, they all follow
the common horror convention of dark surroundings,
desaturation to suggest a darker theme, red text (connoting
danger), hidden identities etc. These conventions all help
create a sinister sense of mystery. The usage of dark
atmospheres is common so you cannot properly interpret
the surroundings. This helps instil fear as the fear of the
unknown is often played on in horror media. The use of
serif fonts is another common convention with not only
horror film posters but also film trailers (as explored
earlier), it helps give a creepy or unsettling feeling as it has
the opposite effect of thick bubbly fonts which are more
friendly and light-hearted. Finer fonts and serif fonts tend
to have a much more serious connotation as presented here.
Another similarity between the posters is colour usage.
There's a heavy usage of blues and greens as they tend to
give a chilling effect to the posters, cold and sinister.
However, it’s common to mix in reds or oranges to suggest
danger, especially red as it is commonly associated with
danger even in the everyday (warning signs, blood etc).
Theres lots of usage of unsettling imagery, specifically with
concealing facial features. Overshadowing faces, having
characters face away or masking a character's face fits
genre convention and also adds to the fear factor. This is
due to the fact that the characters are unidentifiable, you
also can't read their facial expression to tell how they’re
feeling. This makes it easy to dehumanise these characters
and separate them from ourselves.

28. Horror Film Posters
Another thing of note about these posters is the
composition. The title is always the largest as it's
what the audience is supposed to be drawn to first.
Afterall, the title of the film is the most significant
piece of information. Taglines tend to be the second
largest as it accompanies the title, and taglines tend
to be iconic and memorable. Release dates are
sometimes displayed on film posters, when they are
they tend to be large as well as it's considered a
significant piece of information. It'll often be smaller
than the title and tagline, but still big so if someone
were interested in seeing the film on release it'd be a
piece of information to remember. Finally, the billing
block will be displayed quite small below the title
and tagline as it isn't to take away from the main
focus.
Despite most of these film posters following the
common composition structure, the IT film poster
subverts the structure slightly. The poster doesn't
include a billing block, and also has the text to the
right-hand side instead of the bottom. Despite this it
works quite well for the IT poster as there's a lot of
empty space around the characters and the title is
only 2 letters. It is important to adapt the
composition differently in order to make a unique
poster.

29. TBWP Film Poster
This film poster fits genre convention quite well with dark
surroundings, desaturated colours etc. However, this film poster
is quite unique and different with the silhouettes of the trees
above and a quotation from the film in the centre in the dark.
This helps give an idea of the narrative, setting and tone of the
film as the quotation introduces you to the concept and the use
of imagery tells us about where its set (dark forestry). Not only
this but the characters expression gives the audience a sense of
fear.
Despite being able to see the eyes, half of the face is concealed.
Being able to see their expression helps humanise the character
and allows the audience to relate to them. There's also shadows
concealing the face and mouth, it portrays the idea of being
consumed by darkness or being in an inescapable situation,
trapped. The composition fits common convention, however the
film quotation in the middle is more unique and different to
usual film posters. Despite this it works quite well, mixing in
some red in the symbol in order to help connote a sense of
danger.

30. TBWP Film
Poster
(comparisons)
These are multiple TBWP film
posters. Here the film posters
all remain to follow horror
genre convention with usage of
dark imagery, serif font,
desaturated, dark colours etc.
Despite this there is some
subversion, for example the
inverted film poster. Compared
to the other posters it is a lot
brighter yet mantains a horror
vibe. This is due to the use of
unnerving imagery. Most of
these film posters are quite
similar with some differences,
one thing they all have in
common is the forest imagery.

31. Cam Film Poster
The Cam film poster follows genre convention however it also
subverts it. This makes the film poster effective and conveys
what is needed. There is a lot of colour and a VHS effect, this
gives the poster a distorted feeling. The almost melting effect
between the two faces helps exaggerate this idea. Another
thing of note is the 2 faces, it portrays an interesting narrative
to the audience of possibly 2 sides to one person, identity theft
etc. Due the VHS effect, it can be gathered that the story may
be related to the internet. Alongside the interesting and
colourful dual lighting, there's also an aberration effect on half
the face which adds to the glitchy feeling being portrayed.
The film poster manages to remain fairly creepy with the
effects and almost sinister facial expression. Following horror
genre convention, the background is completely dark. This
helps frame the character in a sinister manner and also makes
all the colours stand out. The film title is in the bottom right
corner with a pink drop shadow, this gives the text an almost
glowing effect which matches well with the glitchy VHS theme
at hand. The composition is also unconventional, alongside
usage of fonts not being serif. However, this works perfectly for
the film poster and makes it more memorable and unique.

32. Research Reflection
• There's lots of common features throughout my research, researching and analysing different
products like horror trailers and posters helped me establish common conventions within the
horror genre as well as get ideas for techniques I can reproduce in my own work.
• There's many similarities between the products I researched despite being in different formats
(film trailer and film poster). One similarity between all the products I looked at was the dark
surroundings. This is a common convention of the horror genre as having dark surroundings helps
build a creepy or sinister atmosphere. Another similarity is colouring and lighting, most of the
products I researched have a dark lighting and the colours mainly consisted of blues and greens.
The reason for this is because it gives a chilling effect which matches horror well. The colours are
mainly quite desaturated and dark, this is another common convention of horror and implies the
dark and sinister themes within the film. There was also some differences, for example the Cam
film poster subverts this convention as there is a lot of usage of bright colours, despite this it still
feels like a horror film poster due to other factors like distortion and facial expression. Therefore,
the film poster is quite effective as well as unique. Another similarity of note is font usage, it is
very common for serif fonts to be used in horror films and trailers, this is due to it having a more
serious tone in comparison to other types of fonts. A lot of the film posters and trailers I looked into
included serif fonts. Another similarity I noticed specifically in the film trailers was the build-up
and cuts. Normally the trailer starts off quite light-hearted, getting darker in tone and mood as the
trailer continues. The cuts are also done in a way that instils fears, both trailers had loud distorted
noises to make the cuts between clips more like a jump-scare, taking the audience by surprise.

33. Research Reflection
• There's several techniques and effects that I would like to incorporate into my own products.
This is as I believe they are quite effective and could help me improve my project.
• In order to adapt to genre convention and create a sense of mystery, I'll be including dark
colours and lighting much like the products I researched. I'll also mainly use greens and blues
in order to create a cold effect as colder colours are harsher in contrast to warmer colours.
Another aspect of my research I'd like to include in my own work is the recording style in the
film trailers. The way these films were recorded has inspired my project heavily and I'd like
to incorporate a similar technique in my own work as I believe it is quite effective and
immerses the audience well in the universe. I'd also like to do similar cuts, with the loud
distorted noise to accompany them. I believe including these will make my product a lot
scarier and therefore fitting the horror genre much more. Another aspect of my research that
I believe I could incorporate into my own work is the glitch and distortion effects in the
Cam film poster. I believe these effects are really effective and unique, I also believe it is
relevant as my recording style will be similar to Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch
Project. So, a VHS-like effect would be quite fitting.

34. Audience
Research
Target Audience Analysis

35. Gender (8/03/21)
From this information I can conclude what genders are more interested in horror and compare them so I can
better decide a target audience.
Male: 9, 7, 9, 6 (7.75)
Female: 8, 9, 4, 5, 1 (6.6)
Other: 1, 8 (4.5)
This connotes that men are more likely to enjoy horror in contrast to females and other genders. Males, on
average, rate horror on a scale from 1 – 10 a 7.75, the results for men is more concentrated in 7 – 9s as female
and other are more scattered across the scale. So, in result men have the highest average. Due to men having the
highest average, these survey results clearly show that my audience is more male oriented. Due to these results,
my product will be targeted more at a male audience. I will appeal to this audience by maintaining horror genre
conventions throughout my product as that’s what appeals to a male audience as displayed by my survey results.
I will also use certain imagery like dark colours, bold text etc. in order to further appeal to my target audience.

36. Gender (9/03/21)
My results changed as I received more responses from the last time I analysed them.
Male: 9, 7, 9, 6, 8, 2 (6.83)
Female: 8, 9, 4, 5, 1, 7, 2, 1, 2, 10,
8, 1, 5, 5, 6, 2, 10, 10 (5.33)
Other: 1, 8 (4.5)
Despite my results receiving more responses, the average still connotes that men enjoy horror films (on average)
more than other genders. Men have an average of 6.83 in contrast to women who have 5.33 and other which has
4.5. This further solidifies my target audience. Therefore, I should use common conventions in horror in order to
appeal to this audience as using codes and conventions of horror will help my target audience also enjoy my film
trailer. Despite getting more responses, the results still back up what I first said. Therefore, I should continue
to target a male audience.

37. Age Groups (8/03/21)
From this information I can conclude what age groups are more interested in horror and compare them so I
can better decide a target audience.
13 – 15: 9, 1, 6, 1 (4.25)
16 – 19: 9, 8, 8, 7, 4 (7.2)
25 – 50: 5, 9 (7)
These results clearly connotes that younger kids/teens are not a target audience for a horror film. The average
of 13 – 15-year old's is 4.25 on a scale of 10, which compared to older audiences of late teens and adults is
considerably less. Older teens and adults are more likely to enjoy a horror film so this will be my target
audience for my products. I can appeal to this audience by including more mature themes as if I were to try to
appeal to a younger audience this wouldn't be appropriate. I will also use desaturated colours and more creepy
aspects as not only is it a common convention of the horror genre but also appeals to adults more so than early
teens and kids.

38. Age Groups (9/03/21)
My results changed as I received more responses from the last time I analysed them.
13 – 15: 9, 1, 6, 1, 8 (5)
16 – 19: 9, 8, 8, 7, 4 (7.2)
20 – 30: 5, 6, 10 (7)
30 – 50+: 9, 7, 2, 1, 2, 8, 1,
5, 2, 5, 2, 10, 10 (4.92)
Yet again, despite gaining more responses the results still validate and support my first points. Once more
younger teens from 13 to 15 have an average rating of 5, this clearly shows that this age group should not be
targeted with my product. Late teens and young adults however are 7.2 and 7, this connotes that I should be
targeting the young adult age group as their averages are considerably higher than the others. Older adults
from ages 30 to 50+ also have a low rating much like young teens at 4.92. Yet again this backs up that I should
target a young adult audience with my product. I will yet again appeal to this audience by mature themes,
desaturated colours etc.

39. Horror Conventions (9/03/21)
From this information I can clearly see which genre conventions and themes people enjoy and which ones are enjoyed less within
the horror genre. The most popular category by far is plot twists and cliff hangers with 69.2% of peope saying they enjoy this
aspect of horror. Other popular categories consists of the following: pyschological horror (42.3%), the paranormal (42.3%), jump-
scares (38.5%), fear of the unknown (38.5%), and settings and atmosphere (38.5%). This clearly shows that a lot of people prefer
well written plot and storytelling over things like gore, death, and chaos. This effects my product heavily as I will try to
incorporate an entising story into my project as I believe advertising an interesting story will apeal to a larger audience. A lot of
people also enjoy things like pyschological horror, fear of the unknown and settings/atmosphere. These topics suggest that my
audience is more of an active audience. Things such as pyschological horrors and atmosphere tend to entise active audiences as
they can be thought about, contemplated and questioned. My audience also enjoys the paranromal which adds to appealing to an
active audienc as they can question the existence of paranromal beings. A common trait with aspects like plot twists, jump-
scares and pschological horrors is that they all have a shock factor with the unexpected. Catching the audience off guard makes
these aspects the most effective. So, these results will affect my project too. I will try to imply an interesting story that isn't
quite as it seems. I'll also make sure to include jump-scares in my trailer and explore the fear of the unknown in both of my
products. I can incoporate these aspects by using lots of dark lighting to create a sense of mystery. I'll also include unexplained
events in order to explore the paranormal as well as fear of the unknown. I believe using these popular aspects in my products
will assist me when trying to appeal to my target audience.

40. Horror Films (9/03/21)
With this question I can see what people's favourite films are and why it makes
it their favourite. By exploring these results, I can see what films are
reoccurring answers and look for any common reasons too. I can use these results
as inspiration for my film trailer and poster, taking my audience's preferences
into account in order to appeal to them better. One common answer was Blair
Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Both of these films I am taking inspiration
from, I believe adapting similar techniques to both these films will assist me
when appealing to my target audience. One of the reasons was that 'I like films that
can get into your head and feel like they could happen to anyone', therefore I believe
I should emobdy this idea when filming and creating my own products. I
should make my film idea more of a psychological thriller will help me appeal to
my target audience. Relating to the preferred conventions on the last slide,
42.3% chose psychological horrors as an aspect that appeals to them. When looking
at reasonings for people's favourite films, a popular one was the film doing
something unexpected and having the element of surprise, never knowing what's
going to happen next. I should try to incorporate this idea into my products, I can do
this by incorporating the fear of the unknown and keeping the information given by
my advertisements more on the minimal side. Enough to know the idea but leaving
the audiecne with unanswered questions. These results tell me that the
target audience of my product are more of an active audience and enjoy films
that make you think and still have an effect on you even after finishing the film.

41. Poster Example (9/03/21)
These results share people's opinions on the film
poster, what is appealing and what isn't. This will help
me incorporate techniques and aspects that people
enjoy and avoid ones that are more commonly disliked.
The majority of people who liked the film poster
enjoyed the mystery behind the film poster. It was
liked that the atmosphere was dark, and the girls' eyes
added a sense of mystery. The film poster gives enough
information to gather that she may be trapped or
possessed, however it leaves you with questions about
what happened to her. Several people said this is a
good aspect about the film poster. A common critique
was that it seemed a little generic or overdone, seen
many times before. This tells me that most people
enjoy mysterious film posters, ones that leave you with
questions. Despite this, originality and a unique film
poster will attract more people. Due to these results, I
will try to create a similar sense of mystery with my
own product, dark atmosphere, strange
alternations with the human
appearance etc. I'll also try to do
something more original with my film
poster in order to make it more
memorable. I could take inspiration
from the products I researched in order
to make my film poster more eye
catching and different.

42. Trailer Example (9/03/21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twoWuDy5kys
This survey question was similar to the last, however instead of a film poster I asked them
to watch a short film trailer. Much like the last question, these results will help me adapt
what is commonly enjoyed and avoid what people dislike about the film trailer. A very
common answer was the recording style and how the film trailer was made, many enjoyed
the idea of realism and how it feels like it could happen to yourself. The idea of watching
back footage is a concept a lot of people liked and thought the the fact that it was easier to
believe made the trailer a lot more frightening. This tells me that most people enjoy films
that are less generic and have more unique aspects to them, like the recording style of
Paranormal Activity. It also shows the enjoyment in realism and feeling more immersed in
the universe. I'll be using a similar style of recording and also try to make my film trailer
feel more realistic in order to make my trailer more unique and different from the usual.
The buildup and complete sense of mystery created by the film trailer was also liked, so I'll
be including techniques in order to create a similar effect. Not much was disliked about the
film other than it being a horror, as not everyone answering enjoy the genre. Due to this
results were more split; less people were uncertain about if they'd watch the film than the
last question. This shows that those who enjoy horror are more certain on this film. I
believe I should take inspiration from this film when making my own and adapt similar
techniques to make my own film trailer more enjoyable.

43. Audience Research Reflection
• From my research results I can clearly establish a target audience and know how to
appeal to them. I believe my research was effective and now I have a clearer idea on
how to make my products more appealing.
• From my research I have concluded my target audience is men aged from 16 – 25 (late
teens and young adults). I gathered this information from comparing peoples rating on
the horror genre in comparison to their age and gender. This was successful and even
though both results were revisited I had a concrete idea of which gender and age
groups enjoyed horror more. I also managed to analyse which horror conventions were
enjoyed and which ones were less liked. From here I discovered that plot twists was
the most picked as an appealing factor within horror. The paranormal, fear of the
unknown, psychological horrors, jump-scares and atmosphere were other conventions
that were more liked than the other options. Most of these conventions are aspects of
psychological horrors, this tells me my audience is more of an active audience,
thinking and contemplating the media they consume. From the uses and gratifications
theory, my product will mainly be used for entertainment and escapism. My products
will explore paranormal themes which don't happen as often in day-to-day life.
Therefore, I believe my products are more likely to be consumed by the working class
for a sense of escapism. Finally, when looking at psychographics my project appeals to
‘Socially Conscious Type A’, this is due to my target audience enjoying psychological
horror, this allows for deep thinking to take place.

44. Audience Research Reflection
• Since I have established a target audience, I'll also be able to explore how to appeal to
this target audience through looking at my survey results and analysis.
• I'll appeal to my target audience with mature themes and imagery, my target audience
is young adults therefore I should include darker themes and make my film trailer
and poster more mature in order to appeal to them. I won't use too many bright and
contrasting colours, I'll keep my fonts serif as not only does it fit horror convention but
is better suited when targeting an older audience. My target audience is also men, so I
will include lots of strong imagery in my film poster and trailer and emphasise the
creepy and fear inducing aspects. Due to my target audience also being working class I
will try to create a sense of escapism with my products. I'll include lots of paranormal
aspects in order to build a different environment for escapism from the everyday. The
film concept will also be set in a generic house, could be anybody's home, even the
audiences. Since I'll also be targeting an active audience/‘Socially Conscious Type A’,
I'll try to include lots of psychological horror aspects, exploring aspects like the fear of
unknown in order to allow questioning and deep thinking. Not only this but I will also
include a lot of mysterious aspects in both products. For example, I'll use a dark
atmosphere and usage of concealing faces to create a sense of the unknown. Having
lots of unknown aspects and leaving the audience with unanswered questions will
help appeal to the audience but also abides by the answers from the survey, a lot of
people saying they enjoy the mystery provided in the Paranormal Activity trailer and
Haunted poster.

45. Audience
Research
Interviews

46. Interview 1
When watching horror film trailers, what about them grabs your attention the most?
The sounds grab my attention the most. Most horror film trailers are dark and building up for the
scary part in a quite stereotypical way that’s very common for horror trailers. But as soon as I
hear the sounds, I know which feeling I am supposed to get, and I get pulled in almost instantly.
Do you prefer narration or voice overs in horror film trailers?
I prefer voice overs since most of the time, they include voice lines from the movie and the trailer
is for giving a sneak peek into the film. A taste of the story leaving you wanting more.
In your opinion, what makes a good horror film poster advertisement?
A good horror film poster would have the antagonist somewhat revealed, the main characters, the
scary environment in it that gives you a fright before even watching the film. Make me
understand the concept of what I should be afraid of before knowing the context.
When looking at film posters, do you prefer something mysterious and ambiguos or a more
straightforward poster (something you can take at face value)?
I do like mysterious posters with a clear hint of what I’m about to get hit by.

47. Interview 2
When watching horror film trailers, what about them grabs your attention the
most?
The scare factor is really important to me as I want to be psychologically invested
in the trailer. Being on edge when watching a horror trailer is significant to me.
Do you prefer narration or voice overs in horror film trailers?
Voice overs as they are more realistic and immersive.
In your opinion, what makes a good horror film poster advertisement?
Minimalist images with realistic/believable visual aids like a street or house or
persons.
When looking at film posters, do you prefer something mysterious and ambiguos
or a more straightforward poster (something you can take at face value)?
I prefer more mysterious/psychological or intriguing to draw me in.

48. Interview Reflection
• For my interviews I asked more specific questions about film posters and
advertisements then my surveys, this is so I could collect results more attuned to my
idea. I asked 2 members of my target audience as established from my audience
research: teenage and adult men.
• From my first question I gathered that scare factor is really important in film
trailers. There should be abrupt noises and aspects that get you psychologically
invested into a trailer. I can definitely incorporate this into my own film trailer, I can
use sound effects and on-screen glitches in order to create a distorted and
unpredictable feeling. Things like abrupt noises can get the audience on edge, which
I have learnt from my first interview. This can also have a psychological toll on you
which fits well into my genre of choice, psychological horror.
• As for my second question I specifically asked if narration or voice overs were
preferred, what helped with the immersion and build up the narrative. In both
interviews it was stated that voice overs were preferred over narration as it helps
immerse you into the world and only gives a taste of what's happening. It helps
establish mystery, leaving the audience with questions and wanting more. So as a
result, I will also be doing voice overs for my film trailer and skip out on any
narration. This will emphasise the mystery and further the immersion. Afterall, with
my chosen recording style of 'found footage', voice overs are most definitely the route
to go as it won't break immersion and add to the illusion that you're watching over
video recordings.

49. Interview Reflection
• As for my 3rd question, I asked what makes a good horror film poster. The
question is broad, yet I got similar types of answers. It was expressed that
realistic and believable imagery yet one that builds the horror environment.
Characters should also be established, however for my film poster I will not be
showing the 'ghosts'. This is due to my genre choice, and the fear factor being
increased due to the fear of the unknown. Not establishing the thing you're
supposed to be afraid of will leave the audience questioning but also make my film
poster and trailer more frightening. Despite this I will incorporate a somewhat
realistic environment, reiterating the fact that this could happen to anyone. Also,
I will include a dark and sinister environment through variables such as colour.
This will get my audience a little on edge, but not revealing too much about what's
happening.
• For my last question I asked what was preferred, mystery or something that can
be took at face value. In both interviews, it was answered that something
ambiguous and mysterious is preferred. It is much more appealing and intriguing,
drawing the audience in wanting to know more. So, I will follow this idea
when making my product, keeping the film poster mysterious and therefore much
more appealing to my target audience. With psychological horror as my chosen
genre, I should expect to target more of an active audience rather than a passive
one. Those that will question the media they consume for hidden meanings rather
than taking what they see as face value.

50. Bibliography
Sources

51. • Paranormal Activity. 2007. [film] Directed by O. Peli. San Diego: Blumhouse Productions.
• The Blair Witch Project. 1999. [film] Directed by E. Sánchez and D. Myrick. United
Kingdom: Haxan Films.
• Friday the 13th. 2009. [film] Directed by M. Nispel. America: Warner Bros. Pictures.
• The Conjuring 2. 2016. [film] Directed by J. Wan. America: Warner Bros. Pictures.
• Don't Sleep. 2017. [film] Directed by R. Bieber. United States: MiNDS i CiNEMA.
• IT. 2017. [film] Directed by A. Muschietti. United States: New Line Cinema.
• CAM. 2018. [film] Directed by D. Goldhaber. United States: Blumhouse Productions.
Bibliography

52. Experiments
Premiere & Photoshop

53. • For this experiment I did some basic colour correction
using Lumetri Colour on Premiere Pro. I was able to
correct the colours but also make them stand out and
pop! With use of the tools such as: shadows,
highlights, saturation, blacks, whites and temperature
I could successfully make the footage look more
professional and finished. I have developed a good
understanding of the Lumetri colour panel and how to
properly colour correct a video, this will be quite
helpful for my own project as I can now make my
trailer look more refined and finished which will
ultimately improve the quality of my product. With
understanding of the colour panel, I have also learnt
how to read the Lumetri graphs, using them to aid me
when colour correcting. By looking at the graphs I can
clearly evaluate what parameters I need to increase or
decrease to have colour corrected footage.
Colour Correction

54. • Here I practiced changing the colours of lights and also
keyframing them to move with a target. This was quite
successful as I was able to recolour the lights as well as
making the surroundings match. Although my keyframing
was good, I feel the lighting could've gone better for this
experiment as it doesn't look completely refined and
professional. Despite this I believe I successfully
recoloured the image and can use the knowledge and
understanding I've gained to better my own project. Doing
this experiment has helped me gain some confidence using
more of premiere pros features, therefore I can incorporate
some of the techniques I've learnt to improve my product
or create certain effects I couldn't do before this
experiment. This technique can allow me to do improved
colour correction or even create 'shadowy figures' for my
horror film trailer. Either way I believe this experiment
will strengthen my video editing for this project.
Adding Colour

55. • For this experiment I used photoshop to add glitch effects to an image. I
used an aberration effect in order to create a conventionally distorted
image, I believe this technique works really well on its own to clearly
connote a glitchy image. However, in order to emphasise the distortion, I
used square select to nudge parts of the image to the side. I did this a
couple times, also going over parts I'd already done to even further
exaggerate the distortion. This resulted in an effective glitchy almost
footage like effect. I believe this went really well as the image reflected
the idea I was going for! However, I should be careful not to overdo it as
it can look like a little too much if I am not careful with how I select parts
of the image. To finish the edit, I overlayed a 'TV lines' image and
adjusting the opacity until suitable. This gave a nice final touch which
made the image look more like distorted footage, in return was quite
effective with the idea I was going for. I also adjusted the colours and
saturation also to make the image look gloomier. I believe this
experiment was really useful and will have a great impact on my own
product. As I will be going for a 'found footage' feel, I believe learning how
to make effective distorted effects will help a lot when making my own
film poster. This is due to the fact I can now incorporate these techniques
I have learnt.
Glitch Effects

56. • For this experiment I tested high up camera angles for my
security camera shots. My initial idea of where I could put
a camera didn't work as well as I thought (the 1st image).
You could only see my head and overall, the angle wasn't
great and very 'security camera'. I also tried on top of the
cupboard at the same angle of the 1st image however the
ledge of the cupboard covered up too much of the camera.
I finally tried it on top of the opposite cupboard (which
does not have the ledge) and it worked quite well! I
managed to get a good angle and height; it looks like a
realistic angle for a security camera. I now know what
angle I could use for my recording instead of my original
plan. It is important for the recording to look good and
realistic; I have learned a good way of doing this is high
up with lots of coverage.
Camera Angles