1. The feedback that we received from our audience should be fully considered in order for
our work to develop in the future. This feedback is important as it shapes the figures of how
many people will actually go to see the film.
I have studied into the feedback that I received and wrote up my findings considering
suggestions that were made and why I think that they may have worked or may not have
worked with our particular audience. Throughout are improvements that I feel could have
been worked on to make these suggestions happen in comparison to real media products.
The feedback that we received about our camerawork seemed to be quite positive. Two
points that were made were, “Good fast paced shots” and “Good variety of shots”. When
planning our piece we visualised it getting faster as it developed in order to create suspense
and tension. Because of this we used short and snappy shots. I think this works for our
intended audience as they are young and may enjoy contemporary, fast paced work – much
like the Scream Franchise. The car crash sequence in particular uses a variety of shots at
different angles and distances. I feel that we successfully created a believable
representation.
Another element that seemed to receive positive feedback was our work on sound and
editing. Considering our sound choices, our audience commented, “Good sound choices”
and “Diegetic and non-diegetic sound”. We used a range of diegetic and non-diegetic sound
in order for our trailer to guide through a narrative whilst representing real sounds. I feel
that the sound works as it not only creates atmosphere but creates an understood narrative.
The music also works along with the fast paced editing and is recognised in our audience
feedback “Tension was built well”. This is similar to the sound used in the trailer of The
Shining (1980). Both this trailer and our own trailer have more than one dimension and are
easier to follow. I feel that in our own work, this is created through sound effects such as the
laughter.
However, we also received some constructive criticism based on our use of sound, “Music
was good but cuts sometimes”. I am unsure where the music cuts out but this was possibly
misheard due to the overlapping of sound effects. This tells me that next time the volume of
each sound needs to be at a consistent level.
Another element that received constructive criticism was our typography. Our teacher
commented, “Typography could be better”. She told us that it was a disappointing ending
after some good shots that created tension. We created a new text so that we didn’t have to
pick a title that one of us had already created in our ancillary. I think that our typography
looks too plain and could use more colour or even animation much like the typography from
Silent Hill (2006).
Next, we received some feedback based on the mise en scene portrayed within our trailer.
Our audience commented that they were impressed with the ideology and that it created a
horror atmosphere. One group commented “Good locations”, saying that they thought that

2. the locations used were affective and looked professional. We truly thought about the
locations that we used as we wanted our trailer to look like a collection of scenes from a film
rather than one whole video. We tested certain locations and made sure that they looked
professional and creative and when finding that two of the places didn’t look affective we
changed them straight away. It seems that one element of our mise en scene was what let
us down in portraying specific horror conventions. “Could have done with more night
shots” tells me that the lighting that we used may have symbolised peace and happiness
rather than disturbance and the unknown in which we associate with the night. The only
night shots we used were in the car crash sequence and we found it really hard to get the
right light consistency and so avoided using it again. With appropriate lessons and
equipment we could avoid this if we were to do it again. I feel that The Strangers (2008) uses
a good range of night time shots in which characters and setting is still visible yet the
atmosphere is more tense and disturbed.
The final element which I feel was most mis-understood by our audience was our narrative
conventions. I think it is this which was weakest in terms of portraying horror conventions.
Some audience feedback states “No scary element” and “Confused on what’s the main
threat of the film”. Because our theme involved cult it was hard to bring in “scary” elements
such as blood, gore and weapons. We tried to create fear through symbolism such as the
crucifix and the voodoo doll, similar to the trailer of The Wicker Man (1973). We could
improve these by emphasising the negative effect that we used on these symbols through
editing. The main threat of the film was to do with the cult wanting to use Sam Baker as
human sacrifice. Because we had no permission to use a church it was hard to show this. I
feel that next time we should plan this ahead in order to make this narrative convention
clear.
Although I think this idea would work, we also received feedback that the trailer “Gave too
much away”. Because we had looked at the film as a whole, we were enthusiastic to present
all of our creative ideas. However, as a teaser trailer we may have revealed too much in
scenes such as the end scene “why would you want to leave here?”. We could improve this
by ending on a simple question from the protagonist such as “please let me go”, with no
response. This would have left our audience with no ideas of an ending and so they may
have wanted to see the film.
I feel that although the narrative of our trailer may have been too revealing, it made the
story identifiable. Our audience quoted “Narrative was identifiable”. We made sure that
our narrative was made identifiable by using a full scene (the car crash sequence) to set the
scene before using typical horror images.
Overall, It seems that the most anticipated element of our teaser trailer was our use of
camerawork. This was the element that I feel we spent time in perfecting as we used a lot of
our time practicing with the equipment. Changing locations twice also meant that the
footage we got at the previous location acted as a practice for the next location. If we were

3. to do this again then I would ensure that good camera practice was undertook and that
camera angles and shots were experimented with in order for the trailer to look interesting
and original. The varied shots from the film Psycho (1960) could inspire even more creative
work in the future. However, I think that it was the editing of the piece that brought it
together and helped it look professional and engaging. We spent a lot of time experimenting
with the car crash sequence in order for it to be fast paced and believable. Although it is not
a horror franchise, I feel that The Fast and The Furious franchise could have here helped us
further our skills in order for the trailer to look even more thrilling.
I feel that overall, our audience most mis-understood the narrative construction of our film. I
feel this is due to it being a teaser trailer and that we didn’t want to reveal too much story.
However, if we could do this again then we could use the feedback that we have received to
include more horror elements within our mise en scene such as dark lighting and blood/gore
to entice the audience and make them fully aware that it is a horror trailer. I myself think
that it was the typography of our trailer that is not the strongest element. I feel that we
spent more time on the production and editing of our piece and didn’t really consider
grasping a strong font that would in time create a main house style for the film. If we could
create a new typography then I would use influence from Silent Hill (2006) to ensure that it
looked interactive and professional.