1. IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR
CHANGE FORMS OF REAL MEDIA?
Ryan Bircham

2.  My horror trailer relates and fits into the horror genre in many ways than one. I have included
many aspects from the Horror Genre checklist we compiled after studying Psycho (1960) and
both versions of Dawn of the Dead (1979 & 2004). The first of these generic conventions was
the use of creepy location. We filmed in the local woods in Fritton and the enclosed nature of
the trees created a claustrophobic feeling. An example of a film which uses an enclosed
location is Psycho (1960); the enclosed location in this film is the motel and the dreary looking
old house at the back of the motel. I have also used stereotypical horror parallel music helping
to create pace and suspension throughout my trailer. 99.9% of horror movies use parallel
music for the same reason which I used it for my product. A real life horror trailer which uses
parallel music is Cloverfield (2008), I liked the use of the parallel music in this trailer because
sounded scratchy putting the audience on edge. For my trailer I chose a piece of music which
fits with the mood of the scenes which is emphasised in horror by loud sound effects.
Fritton Woods Bates Motel

3.  The characters and representations I have included for my media product includes archetypal characters,
such as the psycho serial killer who was being portrayed by Jordyn. To further her role as the main
star/villain of The Demented, I also took numerous amounts of photographs which I used for my magazine
cover and for my movie poster. We included the male hero in our trailer who was being portrayed by me.
Although my role is fairly limited in the trailer, it can be assumed I will help the typically powerful “Final
Girl” (played by Libby) survive by sacrificing my own life. In Dawn of the Dead (2004) the “final girl”
representation is shown through the character of Ana, going against the stereotype, because she is blonde.
The main theme throughout my media product would have to be fear of death. The teenagers are seen
avoiding the psycho serial killer and trying to prevent themselves from dying. The film critic Thomas Schatz
believes that “the best way to analyse films is through genre” (in his 1981 book Hollywood Genres)
suggesting the importance of genre and how it is conveyed in different films. Thomas Schatz saw genre as
the most powerful force in films, as it helped sell movies to audiences, and to the target audience. To aid
the pacing of my horror product I used parallel music which clearly set the mood of the trailer.
Ana-Dawn of the Dead (2004) Libby- The Demented (Final Girl)

4.  One of the trailers I reviewed was Insidious (2011) (below), in this trailer pace is created by
the ticking noise of the metronome, for my trailer I added in the sound effect of a heart beat
which again created a sense of suspense and pace. I also cut down the length of the majority
of the shots we filmed to make each scene shorter, but the three second shots still created
suspense throughout the trailer before the final swift montage. At the end of the trailer my
group filmed a scene where the viewer gets a glimpse of one of the teenagers hand (Libby)
over another one of the teenager’s mouths (Frankie). We then moved the camera over
focussing on Libby and then replaced Frankie with Jordyn the Psycho serial killer. By creating
this scene it brought shock to our trailer creating a jump scare at the end to keep the audience
interested in the movie.

5.  For part of my research I looked and reviewed a number of trailers in the same category of
psychological horror films. In my trailer the shot of Jordyn (the psycho serial killer) wiping the
blood on the wall, links to the film Sinister (2012). [[[DO A SIDE-BY-SIDE IMAGE COMPARISON
OF THE BLOOD SMEAR FROM SINISTER AND FROM THE DEMENTED]]] The whole idea of a
group of teenagers entering an enclosed location of the forest links to the two films Evil Dead
(1981) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). Throughout my trailer the primary reference we
also utilised text very similar to Evil Dead (2012). This copyright free After Effects template
proved to be a good use of text because of the broken and uneven lines which go through the
lettering, suggesting a sense of chaos while also connoting the dark branches of the wood
mise-en-scene.
Text Used from Evil Dead Trailer Text used in my trailer

6. Conclusion
 I brought the critic Andrew Sarris and his “auteur theory” as influence for my media product. In
his essay Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962, Sarris argued that the best way to approach
films is to identify the best directors and carry out analyses of their cinematic style and art.
Because of my interest in psychological horror, that led me to look at the director Alfred
Hitchcock and his style of work for influence for my own horror trailer. Two features I thought
where really powerful in Psycho (1960) were the use of expressionist angles to show how a
person’s mood is and the use of collision cutting. The skills I brought to my trailer which reflects
to what I like include the character representations of the male hero and the psychopathic
serial killer. I used low key lighting which I like the use of because it creates very deep
shadows which connotes evil and suggests darkness and mystery. To add to this dark and eerie
mood, I adapted my footage by enhancing the contrast. And, overall, I was very happy with
the results.
The archetypal Psycho Serial Killer in my trailer