2. Through the website survey monkey, I
collected both qualitive and quantative
data regarding the outcome of both my
trailer and the ancillary products.
I received data from boys and girls from
ages 16-19, within the target market for
my film.
Every teenager answered a brief
questionnaire about which features of
each product contributed to either the
success or downfall of the project, in
their opinion.
3. Here, I can see that 100% of all participants
chose ‘horror’ for the most relevant egnre that
my trailer would fit into.
This successful information to receive, as the
genre of a trailer should be made clear through
every aspect of production and is not directly
told through the audience.
Knowing that everyone was able to identify the
genre of the trailer means my partner and I were
able to implement pointers and connotations
throughout the trailer that were conventional to
the horror genre
Trailer
The participants also were able to understand
the plot of the film through the trailer alone
This means we were able to convey a storyline
using only 1 minute 30 seconds of footage,
successfully meeting conventions of trailers.
However, they may have understood too much,
as the plot is revealed to an extent where the
ending is predicable.
4. Here, 1/3 participants each voted that shot types,
lighting/setting and editing were the most effective
part of the trailer when conveying the horror genre.
Editing
The use of a montage to establish equilibrium, then to jump cuts to
disturb the equilibrium may have been key to understanding both
the genre and the plot of the film, thus making it an effective
aspect of our production
Shot types
Using a variation of high angle, low and close up shots (along with many
others). These three shot types are indicative of the horror genre.
The feedback here has allowed for us to understand that these shots do in
fact reflect the horror genre.
Lighting/Setting
We used a lot of low key lighting with highlights focused on the characters’ faces. The
use of low key lighting is a major connotation of the horror genre and is recognised as
effective to our target market.
The setting of a forest is also used frequently throughout the genre and so our choice
of mis en scene seems to be conventional and successful in determining the trailer’s
genre.
5. An example of
feedback feedback
that influenced our
use of shots and
angles that led to
audience feedback
suggesting that
angles and shot
types were the most
effective part of our
trailer
6. Costume/props
Our audience feedback shows that the lack
of costumes and props were a downfall in
resembling the horror genre. The characters
did not wear particularly stylised clothing
for the trailer, as they are all in every day
situations.
There was a lack of props shown
throughout the trailer and this was
identified through the audience feedback.
If we were to improve our trailer we would
add in props that are suggestive of the
genre, such as knives, fake blood and
costumes
7. 70% of the participants decided that our film
was suitable for people aged 12 and upward,
with 30% thinking it was suitable for parental
guidance.
Our horror trailer was made with the intention
to be aimed at an 18+ audience, as seen in our
audience research.
The choice of a PG rating for our trailer is not
something we wanted back from our target
audience as horror films are generally at a 15-
18 rating.
If we were to improve our trailer in regards to
the rating, many more scenes of suspense,
more graphic images and explicit content
should be used in order to evoke a scarier and
more adult theme throughout the trailer.
8. “The colour scheme of red and white makes me think of horror as
red is associated with blood. The bruise on her face also makes
me think she got hurt so it could be a horror”
23/03/18
“The cover lines. They show that the character has a bloody battle
and this means that there will be danger within the film.”
23/03/18
“The use of makeup (or photoshop) on the girls face shows that
she is in trouble or has been hurt. She has a scared expression
and is backing away from the camera so she looks frightened”
24/03/18
Here I can see written feedback from some of the participants
regarding the most effective part of the magazine showing
horror genre. From their feedback I have learnt that the use of
photoshop on her bruises and the expression used has
definitely impacted the effectiveness of this magazine. The use
of red throughout the cover lines also hints towards the typical
colour scheme of horror and the use of alliteration ‘bloody
battle’ also helped people recognise this.
9. From this feedback I have learnt that the font I used is not effective and the layout
of the text is neither.
The font for the cover lines is a bold sans serif font with a gradient detail on the
title of the film.
If I were to improve the font choice I would have picked a serif font that either was
the same or at least mimics the font used on my film poster. This would have
increased continuity between my ancillary tasks.
The layout of the text was inspired by other ‘Entertainment weekly’ magazines and
maybe was not effective as I only included one story on the main body of the
magazine, the rest in the skyline.
I would try not to mimic a magazine exactly next time and follow conventions from
a broader range of magazines
10. “They have used a red colour scheme in the title and clothing
which is always in horror films”
23/03/18
“There is a lot of forest shown in the pictures which links to the
title and horror films are often set in the forest. The girl on the
top of the poster also looks very scared”
22/03/18
“The images of the girls show them in a wooded area with scared
expressions in their faces”
22/02/18
Here I can see written feedback from some of the participants
regarding the most effective part of the poster showing horror
genre. From their feedback I have learnt that the use of a red
detail in the title has helped recognise the horror genre and
changing the colour of the girls jumper from red to pink also
helped with this.
The use of a forest background both on the top image and the
bottom helps the audience place the setting of the film in an
ominous setting
11. From this feedback I have learnt that the tag line is not effective. The tagline
placement is in a staggered design and upon reflection, is quite a simple tag line
that could apply to many films.
If I were to improve the tagline I would stagger it in a more stragic way using rulers
to ensure a proportioned design, I would also tweak it to be much more specific to
my own trailer, perhaps using a character name.
The layout of this poster is a banner in the middle with the title and release date
with a top and bottom image of the main cast. This is an uncommon way to
present a film poster, yet it separates the main character and victim from the other
characters.
I would next time follow a more conventional layout for a film poster with one
main image and a prop used to signify the genre of horror.
