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1. Research
Luke Headland

2. Existing Product #1 – Poster and Video
The poster for the first instalment of the Paranormal Activity
Franchise is very minimalistic, yet still eye catching.
Paranormal Activity, released in 2007, was a film that helped
revolutionise the horror genre, introducing a new style of film
making that was only seen a handful of times in the past, and
would later become even more popular thanks to the success
of the first Paranormal Activity film. Another good example of
this style of filmmaking would be The Blair Witch Project,
1999, which would later go on to inspire the Paranormal
Activity franchise. One noticeable feature about the poster is
how retro / old fashioned it looks, almost inspiring a VHS
cover and old horror movie posters from the 1960s to the 80s.
The key factor to this poster is the main image in the middle.
This image leaves a lot up to the imagination, giving the poster
an overall ambiguous tone. The colours used in the poster
compliment the genre very well. The deep blue colour often
symbolises ghosts / paranormal events and is used frequently
in the horror genre, specifically for films in the paranormal
sub-genre. The deep red title gives a sense of dread and
despair, and is also a good connotation for blood and gore.
The critic quote at the top of the poster also help to bring the
audience in, almost captivating them to want to see the film
with keywords such as 'nightmares' and 'scariest'.

3. Existing Product #1 – Poster and Video
The colour pallet throughout the film remains generally the same.
During daytime scenes the colours resemble reality, as if how we see
things in day to day life, which helps add to the realism of the film. For
the night scenes, aka the scenes where all the paranormal events
actually take place, there is a deep blue colour used throughout. The
colour blue is often associated with the paranormal as it can symbolise
ghosts and a sense of coldness, this pallet was used later in Insidious,
2010, which is another paranormal horror film. The darkness mixed into
this blue colour gives a sense that there is something hiding in plain
sight throughout the whole film. The dark corridors suggest someone
or something could be lurking and could be spotted if looked close
enough. Another interesting factor is the camera positions. During the
night scenes the camera is placed facing the bedroom and the dark
hallway just outside the bedroom. This is a very cleaver technique as it
almost gives the sense that the bedroom is a more safe and secure
location with the added light, and the dark hallway is where all the
dangers are, making the audience feel uncomfortable, as if there is
something stood out in the hallway waiting to scare the characters and
the audience. The lack of camera movement also adds to the realism,
and really gives off the impression that these characters are truly alone,
and have to deal with these paranormal events themselves without the
help or guidance of others. For fans of the paranormal sub-genre,
Paranormal Activity appeals greatly to its target audience by adding
many familiar horror movie details, such as the blue colour pallet and
dark lighting, as well as the title itself, which highlights the sub-genre.

4. Existing Product #2 – Poster and Video
The poster for Se7en, 1995 directed by David Fincher, is a very
popular visual within the 'Horror / Thriller' genre. The poster
features two very popular and well know actors, Brad Pitt and
Morgan Freeman, as they're both the two main characters and
lead actors in the film. Upon first glance, the poster itself is
very simplistic, with not too many visual and key images. The
poster has an overall orange and red colour pattern, which is
very fitting given the genre of the film, and should help to
draw in the appropriate audience. The characters are
surrounded by darkness, which adds a huge sense of mystery
to the poster. The characters faces merge very well with the
darkness that surrounds them which foreshadows what these
characters will experience in the film. There are hidden details
in this poster, that could really only be spotted by a second
glance. Surrounded in the darkness are words & notes, that
we are to assume play a big part in the film, and that are
something we will likely see in the film. This hidden detail
overall adds to the 'crime drama' theme the film has,
suggesting a twisted and murderous plot may be the case for
this film. The title is also a key important factor, as it makes
the genre of the film a lot easier to distinguish, given its
grungy and overall unpleasant look, which further backs up
the 'crime thriller drama' theme the poster has.

5. Existing Product #2 – Poster and Video
The cinematography work in Se7en was one of the most praised
factors of the film in 1995 and still is to this day. Throughout the film,
there is a constant sense of dread and sickness, as though the world
we see is like hell itself but in a more humanised form. In almost every
outdoor scene it is raining, and the colours are very desaturated and
grey, which only adds to the overall unpleasantness of the film, giving
off a really depressing mood which inflicts onto the audience. As for
the indoor scenes, the colours are only darker, even in rooms that are
decently lit. This gives off the sense of never ending dread, highlighting
that there are no good / positive moments in the film, as the
characters are surrounded in darkness and unpleasant environments
throughout. The colours are almost always desaturated, throughout
the entirety of the film, which from a thriller / horror perspective is key
for drawing in the right audience, as just by looking at a screenshot of
the film it's easy to distinguish the genre. There's a lot of close up work
in the film, particularly to convey emotions to the audience, which can
also show the personality of a character, and help give the audience
time to get to know them a little better. These close ups almost always
take up the full frame, highlighting their importance. The camera work
throughout seven is mostly hand held and very still. There isn't a lot of
'shakey cam' and fast movement. The shots are very monotone and
calm, even in unpleasant situations, which highlights to the audience
that these main characters are used to seeing these disturbing things,
and it doesn’t come as a shock to them.

6. Existing Product – Se7en Intro Credits Sequence
The intro credit sequence to 'Se7en', 1995, revolutionised
and started a long line of intro credit trends. Se7en was the
first movie to introduce grungy, disturbing, horror styled
intro credits, which soon after became a staple in the
horror / thriller genre. The Director, David Fincher, uses a
series of disturbing close up images and shots, lasting no
more than around 2-3 seconds, whilst complimented by an
incredibly eerie background track. Everything from the
visual images, to the colours, to the editing style
compliments the tone of Se7en, as it is a very dark and
unpleasant film. There is a deep red colour used throughout
the sequence, mainly to highlight the gory and violent side
to the film. There is also a dim washed out brown colour,
which compliments the grunge and crime drama side to the
film. The sequence lasts no more than around 2 minutes
but is incredibly striking and powerful, with quick close up
shots and dramatic background music. Just from viewing
this sequence you can recognise the genre of the film. The
sequence fits perfectly into the film and doesn’t feel
needless or out of place, as it only adds to the atmosphere.

7. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched
products have?
– All of these products are a part of the horror / thriller genre, and use
suspense and mystery to draw in an audience, making them ask questions
just by looking at the posters or watching the into credit sequence.
• What aspects of the research will you include
within your on work?
– I will be including posters that have a lot of suspense and mystery to them,
which should help draw in my audience. They should hopefully make
people look twice with interesting and' disturbing visuals to capture my
audience's attention, making them want to know more about the film. I
will also be making my intro credit sequence in a very similar style to
Se7en. Using very creepy close up visuals and background music to get my
audience into the right mood as they watch it.

8. Questionnaire Analysis

9. Audience research
• Observation: The main image is the most important focus of a poster.
• What this says about my audience: That the main image is what gets them
interested and motivated to see the film.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Each of my posters will
use one main image to entice and interest my audience.

10. Audience research
• Observation: Suspense is key in the sequence.
• What this says about my audience: This tells me that my audience likes to be
engaged and invested in the product and suspense is a good way to do that.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I am going to try make my
product as suspenseful and as thrilling as possible.

11. Audience research
• Observation: My audience likes minimalism in the marketing of my product.
• What this says about my audience: That my audience doesn’t want a lot to
look at in a poster, more just one main subject or image.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I'll be creating minimalistic
posters for my product that should entice my audience.

12. Audience research
• Observation: A wide arrange of different sub-genre horror films were chosen.
• What this says about my audience: That any horror movie in any sub-genre
can appeal to them.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will make sure my
product looks appropriate for all sub-genres.

13. Audience research
• Observation: Colour is very important in video and marketing.
• What this says about my audience: That my audience appreciates colour in
both video and marketing and expects to see it.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: My product will feature
colour appropriate for the genre.

14. Audience research
• Observation: The sequences are a good form of suspense depending on genre.
• What this says about my audience: That they only like the sequences when
they are used for the right genres of film.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will create my sequence
in a way so that it fits the genre.

15. Audience research
• Observation: A film should have a decent number of posters, more than one.
• What this says about my audience: That they enjoy looking at the marketing
for films.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will be creating more
than one poster for my project.

16. Audience research
• Observation: Orange is a colour that most people would like to see.
• What this says about my audience: This tells me that my audience would like
to see some unfamiliar colours used in the genre.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will be using colours that
aren't seen much in the genre and that look unique.

17. Audience research
• Observation: 2-3 minutes is the appropriate runtime for a sequence.
• What this says about my audience: This tells me that my audience think there
shouldn’t be too much time spent on the credit sequence.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will be making my
product around this runtime.

18. Audience research
• Observation: There are a lot of different and interesting elements.
• What this says about my audience: That my audience like a whole different
range of features and elements in the marketing.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: My posters as well as my
video should be able to stand out on their own with different elements.

19. Interviews

20. Interview 1
• Q: 'What visuals do you personally like to see on horror movie posters?'
• A: 'I like it when horror movie posters have very interesting images that
make people think about the film. Posters that have very creepy images
often stand out more and leave people feeling disturbed. Colours are also
very important. If it is horror, then the colours should be very dark. Often I
think it's good to stick to one or two colours in a poster as it can make it
stand out more when there aren't too many colours'
• Q: 'Are intro credit sequences important? Especially in horror movies?'
• A: 'I think the credits can set up what is to come for a film, and give that
audience a taster before they have even see anything, so they know what
they're getting themselves into. If the credit sequences match the style of
the genre then they can be very effective and add a lot of tension and
suspense.'

21. Interview 1
• Observation: Visuals and Aesthetic are a key importance.
• What this says about my audience: This tells me
that my audience are interested in the key details, such as
colour and lighting, as well as making sure the products feels
like it belongs in the right genre.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I will make sure that all of my products feel like
they belong in the right genre, and that they don’t feel out of
place. Ill also make sure to focus on key details such as colour
and lighting, to make sure I achieve the horror look.

22. Interview 2
• Q: 'What visuals do you personally like to see on horror movie posters?'
• A: 'I believe that the most important factor to a horror movie poster is the
key image. The key image is what draws in the audience and makes them
look at it multiple times, guessing at what the film could be about and if
they would be interested in seeing it or not. The key image gives you a
chance to express your film using only a picture, which is why I believe it is
the most important element.'
• Q: 'Are intro credit sequences important? Especially in horror movies?'
• A: 'Yes, I believe they're very important. Whenever I watch a film with an
intro credit sequence it helps get me in the mood and also holds some
suspense too it, as if you're seeing what the film will be like before you
have even seen it. If it’s a horror film, I believe it only adds to the horror
and suspense, especially if the music is good.'

23. Interview 2
• Observation: Key Images and Music are important.
• What this says about my audience: This tells me
that you need to try and convey the genre to the audience
before they have even seen the film, and try to get them into
the mood, particularly with the intro credits.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I will be using striking key images on my posters
that should hopefully catch my audience's attention and make
them ask questions about the film. I will also make music a
key focus of my credit sequence.

24. Bibliography

25. Bibliography
1. Headland, Luke. (2020) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on
27/04/20)
2. Wetton, George. (2020) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on
29/04/20)
3. Whitley, Georgina. (2020) Target Audience Interviews (conducted
on 29/04/20)