Adam created a mind map to plan a trailer for a horror film or TV show. Some of his initial ideas were to incorporate themes from 1970s Italian giallo films through visual style and sound design. He wanted the trailer to start slowly and increase in pace to intrigue viewers. Key elements he considered were missing posters to convey a theme of disappearances and paranoia. He also planned to film in locations around his home like alleys and parks to double as other settings. Adam intended to make posters alongside the trailer to promote the project more fully.

1. Initial Plans
Adam Lepard

2. Mind map: Film
From the start of my initial thoughts I knew that I wanted to use film so I created a mind map to explore what exactly I wanted to film. When I was thinking
about music videos I was mainly focused on music that I have been listening to recently and how this could be adapted into a music video thinking of how
imagery and story should tie into the themes and narrative of the actual song. I thought of some basic things that would need to be in my trailer such as how
it would need a purpose and emotion it would be targeting in the viewer to grab the attention. I began thinking of how sound design and music would link
into the purpose of a trailer. In my mind map I wanted to explore what themes I could explore while also deciding that I wanted a horror theme for my
trailer as I thought that this was the genre I knew the most about so I would be able to explore this in more detail later in my planning. I had some thoughts
about making a short film but I realized that the main flaw in this idea was that it would probably take too long to edit unless I made the film really short so
while making the mind map that I would probably be better off making either a trailer or a music video.

3. Pre-proposal
Tell me in no more than 30 words your initial thoughts about your FMP? E.g. what would you like to do, etc…
• I’m excited but slightly nervous to make a trailer for a horror themed TV show/film as I want to show my potential in filming,
editing and uses of the horror genre.
Why have you chosen this as your potential project?
• I think that this would give me plenty of ideas to work with and I could use different forms of media for advertisements such
as graphic design for the posters of the cover art. I have more freedom and time to plan and produce this project so I
decided to film a trailer as it could be filmed fairly easily if I use an idea that only requires a few actors. I would need to
decide on a concept for the film that could be shortened down into an easily filmable trailer and the themes of the film
would need to have a concept that could be advertised in both a poster and a trailer. I want to emulate the surreal style of
Dario Argento’s slasher films as I have watched and enjoyed a lot of his work recently and as it’s still fresh in my memory I
think it’s a genre and style that I know I can take in my own direction and make into an intriguing and horrifying trailer. A big
influencer for my music video was David Lynch due to the surreal direction of his films and in my trailer I want to also set up
a mystery similar to Twin Peaks but as I think that by having a mystery with a surreal element to it can be compelling I don’t
plan to explore the mystery much in my trailer, I only want to set one up in it.
Who is the project for? Think about the intended audience…basically, what’s the point of it/what is it’s purpose?
• The project is intended for an older teenage demographic as it’s horror I wouldn’t want to aim it at a younger audience as I
want to be able to include gore and disturbing imagery in my trailer. I want to appeal to both genders with my trailer so this
would be as simple as including both male and female characters in my trailer as I want my film to reach a wider audience.
What about your project makes it personal and important to you?
• I have a good understanding of horror as I’ve already explored the genre in my print project and I think that I could make a
compelling trailer out of the ideas that I have. I watch horror films really often so I’m always getting new ideas of themes
and aesthetic choices for horror films as I takes small details from films and think about how I can use it in my own way.
Although taking influence from films is fine it also means that I can write a lot about what has influenced my decisions and
where I want to take these ideas to make my project better. I don’t think I gave a good impression about my understanding
of the horror genre in my music video so I want this project to be able to show my ambition towards this genre as I feel
strongly about making sure the trailer
Describe the tone/mood/style of your potential product[s] [which techniques/characteristics are you employing?]
• I want to use the trailer, posters and cover design to advertise a horror film/TV show with surreal elements similar to Twin
Peaks, Suspiria, and Atlanta where strange/ horrifying things are happening in a seemingly normal place. I think that it would
be interesting to try and recreate the overall style of retro horror films in a modern day setting as there would be loads of
visual elements and stylistic choices I could make to set a retro tone to my trailer.
Why have you decided to work in this style/genre?
• As a fan of the horror genre I think that I’d be confident trying to make a trailer that show clear themes of horror while
hinting at the story of the film/ TV show. I want to prove that I can create a trailer that’s exciting both technically and visually
and I there’s a lot of potential in the horror genre to experiment with these techniques to create a great style in my trailer.

4. Skills Audit
• Name
• Adam Lepard
• Which is your area of interest for your FMP?
• Film
• If you had to choose right now, what would you make? Provide some basic details on the project, style, format, etc
• I want to make a trailer for a film or TV series that has a theme of horror, crime and mystery similar to Italian giallo films or shows like twin peaks. I want my
trailer to show the basic premise of the movie/ TV show while promising scares and mystery and tension.
• The concept of the film would focus on a city where for the last year once every week somebody from the city would go missing with no trace or
explanation the main character in this discovers that they’ve been randomly placed into a game of cat and mouse where they have one week to discover
the identity of the kidnapper or they’ll be the next to go missing however if they are found first or tell the police then they will be killed now nobody the
main character knows can be trusted. I think that with my knowledge of the horror genre I can create a unique visual style for my trailer based on the
aesthetics of Dario Argento’s giallo horror films with colourful lighting and bold colour schemes.
•
• What production techniques most interest you?
• I want to develop my editing on the trailer by cutting to the beat of whatever song I use in the trailer, as this would stylise the trailer and give it tension if
the pace of the song increased. Deconstructing music: I recently watch the trailer for the film Us by Jordan Peele where they had split up the instruments in
the song it used to turn the song into a creepy version of itself. Lot’s of quick cuts are used in trailers to intrigue the viewer however these quick cuts need
to have build up and the trailer needs give a brief description of the film through imagery and audio without spoiling any twists of giving away too much
information. I can make posters and front cover designs for the project by using techniques I learnt in print. I think that learning how to properly colour
grade my trailer would really help my editing process as I believe that the weak part of my music video was that I made the colours too jarring so in my
trailer I want to learn how I can make a colour grade that gives more clarity and style to the colours in my footage.
• What are your inspirations for your project?
• I took inspiration from Twin Peaks and Atlanta because the two shows focus surreal mysteries in places where disturbing things are happening which
basically the premise for the trailer I’m doing however including surreal elements in my trailer wouldn’t be a good idea as this wouldn’t appeal to a larger
audience and it would be difficult to do on practically no budget, Suspiria, Deep Red, Hereditary, The Shining, Us and Nightmare on Elm Street, also inspired
me as they feel like emotional horror which is something I want to try and show in my trailer. I found these previous products interesting in their own ways
as emotional horror comes from both the writing and visual direction of these films to get a sense of fear and tension from these films. I want to be able to
use my visual choices to the same extent where the imagery and aesthetic will be the main focus of the trailer as I think that showing my themes and style is
more effective than telling it in the trailer.

5. Skills Audit

6. Mind map: Trailer

7. Mind map analysis: Trailer
Ideas
• I thought of implementing the themes of a giallo horror film into the trailer so that the trailer had the visual style of a 70’s film
with a film grain and sound design that suited this period- this would be something I would love to explore further especially
due to all the eye-catching aesthetic choices I would be able to make.
• I decided to make a trailer that has an increasing pace as I thought this would be most likely to intrigue the viewer as the
increase in the pace of the cuts would be likely to excite for the viewer.
• When I was thinking of key elements I was already deciding on certain concepts that I wanted in my trailer such as missing
posters, showing that I want a theme of disappearances and paranoia in my trailer. I mentioned suspense as I think that leaving
the viewer think of several questions about the mystery of the trailer would show that I’ve thought about why the audience
should be invested in my product.
Advertisements
• I thought about what adverts I could make for my trailer and I decided that the best option to go for would be to make a poster
for my film as well as a trailer so that it feel more like I’m creating a range of branding for my film.
Setting
• As I was thinking of places that I could actually film in york I came up with such as in my house, alleyways that I lived near and
park areas where there are enough trees to make it seem like a forest.
• I decided on what time of day I’d want to be filming in these areas for lighting purposes such as filming at night in my house to be
able to use coloured/controlled lighting.
• I decided that I might want to film on the streets at night as this could create a nice effect with the lighting similar to that of my
music video as I thought this created a really cool use lighting
Surreal
• I used this section of my mind map to show where I was influenced create my concept and as this was mostly surreal horror films
I decided to think about what directors effected my thought process the most.
• I think Dario Argento has had the most impact on my ideas so far as I have decided to give my trailer elements of a 70’s giallo
horror film in terms of visual design.
• I think I still need to explore what aesthetic choices I can make in my trailer to come up with a solid idea of how the film trailer
will look and what obvious visual influences it will contain.

8. Mind map: Trailer

9. Mind map analysis: aesthetics
Period
• When I was exploring the period that I wanted the film to take aesthetic influence from I mainly thought about this influences I
would take from 70’s horror and what techniques these films typical used such as zooms and how they films had grain in them. I
decided that I liked the influence of 70’s horror for my product as I think it would be fun to replicate and an interesting style that
would stand out.
Lighting
• When talking about writing I tried to explain how modern horror films use pale/dull lighting for a sickly feel however I didn't really
want to use this in my trailer as it would look to different from the retro tone I want to create.
• The coloured lighting of Suspiria work well for the visual style of my film as it would show my influences while giving the viewer
some exciting visuals to look at.
Colour scheme
• I want to use a red and green colour scheme in my trailer as the darker shade of the green in the forest would make red visuals
such as blood or red clothing stand out.
• I may want to use a monochromatic colour scheme by using the same colour for some the shots as this could look visually
stunning however I’m not sure where I would be able to get a shot like this in york.
Compositions
• I explained how I can use compositions to give the sense that the characters are being watched or to show that an object is
important through close ups and framing.
• I think that zooms could link my trailer into the theme of giallo films as this was a commonly used trope.
• I explained how movement keeps the viewer interested.
Grain
• I wanted to use a grain as it distorts the footage creating a subtle sense of paranoia.
• The grain links the trailer to the 70’s aesthetic

10. Mood Board-settings/environments

11. Settings Mood Board Analysis
How does your mood board inspire your project?
How will your mood board influence your final product?
I needed to get an idea of how I could film shots of the environments that I wanted to film
in. I began by gathering pictures of forests from the show Twin Peaks as the use of dark
lighting to create a sense of mystery and horror I thought that this could influence my final
product as it shows an interesting way of creating a sense of danger in the environment. To
create this effect I will need to plan the lighting in the forest shots or try to edit the footage
to make the forest look more sinister.
I used images of yellow street lights in my mood boards as when I used them as lighting for
my music video It created an interesting colour scheme of black and yellow for those shots
so I decided I could use it in the trailer if I want to have night time shots in the trailer.
The pictures of alleyways create an interesting effect which I would like to include in my
trailer as the walls on each side create a claustrophobic effect and the walls look like they’re
stretch because of how they are shot. I think that by setting some of the shot’s for my
trailer in similar environments I would be able to give the trailer a theme of horror and
danger as the settings are mainly associated with the unseen which suits the mystery
element of my horror trailer.

12. Colour design: basic colour schemes
• Forest
• Night time
• Alley
• Day time streets
• Alley

13. Colour designContrast I can
use
• I like this colour scheme as the blue and red
lighting creates contrast which makes the shot
look appealing while also making what would
be a regular close up look more visually
interesting. Although this colour design
through lighting lends itself to the sci-fi genre I
think that it could suit the horror genre if I use
it sparingly in my trailer
• I think that a red and green colour scheme could
work with the setting and tone of my film if I use
darker variants of these colours. It would give the
trailer a great aesthetic through the colour
scheme. The green would come from the forest
areas I plan to film in and the red could come from
the clothes of the characters and shots of gore if I
want to include gore in my trailer.

14. Film grainI decided that I want to include the use of a grain to my trailer as it would the aesthetic
of horror that I’m aiming to create. I think that the grain would works well in my
concept for the trailer as I’m taking inspiration from Italian giallo horror films I want to
imitate the style by using film grain to make the film look like it’s of the time that these
slasher films were made.
I think the grain would also add an element of horror to the trailer as it reminds me of
static on TV screens which feels unnatural and is often used in horror films to show a
supernatural entity is present in films like Poltergeist where the static of the tv shows
that the ghost is present. I think viewers could get a subtle sense of unease from the
distortion created by the grain however I will need to test how grain makes my video
look while I’m researching for my project.
The use of a grain in the film could appeal to a target audience that enjoys older horror
films but film grain is in newer horror films to appeal to an audience that watches
older/surreal horror films as this has been used in films such as Mandy and Suspiria
(2018) to replicate the retro style of 70’s/80’s films. If I use grains in my trailer I do
think that my target audience would understand that I’m also trying to create a retro
aesthetic.

15. Mood Board
Serial killer
Missing people Mystery
Remains
Mask
Body horror
Suspense
Fear

16. Mood Board Analysis
How does your mood board inspire your project?
For this mood board I focused on how the horror element of my project would work in the concept for
the trailer so I planned each element that makes a serial killer scary in a horror film. I took examples of
body horror from manga by Junji Ito, giallo film and horror films as I decided that the main horror that
comes from a serial killer is the threat of violence/mutilation which heavily relates to body horror,
although I may not include this in my trailer because it would be difficult to make look convincing and it
might not be suitable for the trailer as it could make the viewer disturbed and not want to watch the
film. I included words such as mask and mystery as I believe that the horror of a serial killer can come
from the idea that the killer could be anybody that the character knows or even just a random person
that blends in with the crowd. I used a picture of a box above the word suspense as I think that by
showing something like a box where the viewer doesn’t know what’s inside would create intrigue. I
used an image of a brain in my mind map as a large part of how a serial killer works in a horror film is
their psychology and motivation for their crimes which is something I could hint at in my trailer.
My main aim for my mood board was to get an understanding of how serial killers work as a horror
antagonist, I believed that I achieved this by showing the graphic threat of body horror, the suspense of
the mystery surrounding a killer and how they can look extremely normal and blend into a crowd and
how missing people can be more scary that a body remaining in horror film as it would make the
audience question whether the missing people are alive or dead.

17. Mood Board- horror theme/aesthetics
surreal
Film grain
Giallo films

18. Mood Board Analysis
How does your mood board inspire your project?
For this mood board I was planning how I wanted to film the style and aesthetics of
the trailer. I included images of film grain on this mood board as I wanted the trailer to
have a vintage style as I’m wanting to try and replicate the style of a giallo film which
would be filmed using film so I could download film grain and add it on to the footage
I get for my trailer so the film could look like a more modern take on the sub-genre.
The giallo films usually feature a killer that wears leather gloves and the protagonist is
usually female, I’m taking inspiration from Dario Argento who mainly focus on the
horror of the genre which is the main reason why I’ve chosen to include the genre in
my planning as I find the horror of films such as Suspiria comes from the style and
surreal lighting of the film.
I included images from the manga Uzumaki in the mood board as it focuses on
horrifying events happening in a small city seen through the eyes of a single
protagonist which is a similar to my concept except due to the fact that I have to film
my trailer without a budget I would need to make my film a lot less surreal than my
other examples (Eraserhead, Twin Peaks, Suspiria and Uzumaki).

19. Pros and cons
Aesthetics/technical
qualities
pros coms
grain My use of grain would look fitting for the
time period my project was inspired by.
The grain could confuse the audience
and make them think the quality taken
away by the grain is unintentional.
Colour design I think that using a red and green colour
scheme would look great and it would
make the colours really stand out.
I need to learn how to grade colours
properly as this would look bad if I had
used the same jarring colours as I did in
my music video.
Body horror I think if done realistically it could look
gory and suit my trailer perfectly
If my attempt at gore fails the shock
factor of the gore would look bad in my
trailer
Coloured lighting Coloured lighting relates to my theme of
giallo horror and my influences. It could
also create an interesting visual style that
could stand out as a highlight of the
trailer for viewers.
If the lighting is too dim or the camera
doesn’t capture the right amount of
colour it could be a waste of time and
money to get this lighting.
Setting I like how I’ll be able to make interesting
decisions through the setting such as
being able to control the lighting I use
and having plenty of space to film in the
forest area so I can film chase scenes and
long shots
I need to use my settings in as many
ways as possible as there aren’t many
suitable places to film york that would fit
in with a horror film

20. Key Influences: Junji Ito
• Junji Ito is a manga writer from japan who mainly works on short stories about inescapable
and surreal horror where characters will experience a creature or event that targets they’re
worst fear, biggest insecurity or worst flaw however rather than characters over coming this
horror they often become become consumed by the horror. Most stories end with a twist or
a page turn that reveals a horrifying image. I find Junji Ito as an inspiration for my horror
trailer as most of his concepts don’t tend to rely on an explanation of whatever monster is
terrorising the characters however the impression is made that the creature just exists for
the sole purpose of attacking a characters flaw which is an emotional type of horror that has
influenced the way that I see horror and the way I would present the genre in my trailer.
• Junji Ito usually tends to show body horror
and creatures in his manga however I would
have to avoid this in my trailer as it would be
extremely complicated to plan this and find
people that could do make up for this.

21. Key Influences: Twin Peaks
• My concept for my trailer takes influence from Twin Peaks and David Lynch as the show
focuses on a town where the death of a local girl becomes linked to surreal/horror
related incidents that take place in the forest of Twin Peaks which is a similar concept to
my film however I plan to have less surreal elements in my trailer as it can be difficult to
film and it could loose interest from the audience.
• I might choose to include supernatural elements in my trailer which would relate to
surreal elements in twin peaks such as the idea of demons surreal beings however I’m
aiming to keep my trailer simple, mysterious and effective so adding more elements to
it could make the trailer look undeceive.
• David Lynch uses music in films like Eraser Head to make the view feel disoriented and sick which
creates an immersive experience when watching the film. I don’t plan to use music in my trailer to
make the viewer feel ill however I have learnt that I can use music in my trailer to immerse the
viewer and have them invested in the concept.

22. Key Influences: Suspiria
• I wanted to take influence from Suspiria (1977) as it’s use of style creates a disturbing
atmosphere with the the use of vivid colourful lighting that invades the screen and an iconic
soundtrack that sounds haunting and loud
• Even though I wouldn’t be able to use as much lighting I can still try and use my lighting in
interesting ways that add to the style of the film by using colour to add to the tone of the
trailer. I can also use sound in the trailer to create a tone for the film, show which era it’s set
or what style of film it’s trying to imitate
• Dario Argento took influence from the giallo genre to increase the violent horror aspects of
the film where a leather gloved killer is introduced into the story which is something that I
would reveal in my trailer as it shows that the film is taking influence from the horror of
films such as Suspiria and Deep Red in terms of a mystery horror. Suspiria has witches as the
enemy in the film which incorporates a supernatural/cult element into the film which is
something I want to incorporate into my film and would hint at in the trailer.