2. During the focus group screening there were several positive
points made by the majority of the class. Many enjoyed the throat
cut with one person stating that it was “realistic” which was great
as we were concerned that it may look comedic. The majority
also agreed the narrative was “unique” and “interesting”. This
led to one mark of 10/10 from one of my fellow students. Others
liked the amount of close ups that were included whereas nearly
everyone on their comments sheet enjoyed the psychiatric shots.
Negative points that I strongly agree with are that the trailer was
too long (at around 2.40 in this cut) with emphasis on the needing
to build tension more quickly, then kicking into the action. The
music was also flawed with it being slightly out of sync towards
the jump scare where, also, frame transitions could be smoother.
3. The mean average came to 8/10 which I was very happy with as
we still had time to make small changes. The “focus group” was
actually very heartening as we were worried the slower pace of
our trailer would put off audiences. Fortunately they seemed to
understand we wanted to create a slower scene trailer (such as
the ones for Cloverfield [youtube.com/watch?v=IqQzvfn_s30] and
The Grudge [youtube.com/watch?v=foZ6aKuf4gU]) that would
lead into a main film featuring three psychopaths.
To make these last minute changes we began by editing the
length of the trailer to make it a lot shorter, especially the
beginning which became less concerned with continuity and more
about a pacy montage reminiscent of the trailer for REC
[youtube.com/watch?v=YGJ_jPKOj1c]. We also ensured that the
shots flowed correctly, however, and used sound to focus the
attention on Anna having the “fit” and myself and Sophie taking
the experimental pills.
To deal with these problems, we used Adobe Premiere which is
also how we edited the music score to correct syncing issues. We
also shot some more close ups and shots that would help the
action of the trailer, as well as avoid any jolty movements. An
example of one of these close ups is a reactionary extreme close
up of Anna’s face as she gets dragged away. I believe these little
changes were very effective and solved all the little problems
mentioned during the focus group training.
4. Here is a still image from a class evaluation screening video on
YouTube:
I was very happy with the feedback we got from the evaluation
screening. Many of my peers left the “to be improved” section of the
feedback sheet empty as they could not think of anything. The few
that did just commented that the beginning montage could be quicker
with one stating that that was if they “had to mention something”.
I believe that my trailer would appeal to my target audience as it
hasn’t got too much gore. As a psychological horror genre trailer it
would be right to assume that the majority of the audience will be
female. Body horror (and gory horror films in general such as Saw or
Cabin Fever) appeal to a mainly male audience. By including the
throat slit in the trailer we have appealed to the male audience also
creating a more even balance. Also, because the characters are
teenagers and it begins in a college setting younger (mid-teen-late
twenty) audiences would find the characters and the context (drug
culture rising and cheap, faulty versions of drugs often sold to teens
which sometimes results in hospitalisation or death) relatable.
My favourite aspect of the trailer is the quick montage and how the
trailer has a double jump scare right at the end, which many people
may not expect. This ensures the trailer is memorable. A few trailers
for 30 Days of Night also included two jump scares. Although our two
jump scares weren’t placed so close together it was still effective.
