1. Preliminary Trailer Task Analysis<br />For my preliminary task I created a horror trailer entitled ‘Trapped’. From editing to framing, I learnt a range of technical skills, as I completed every stage of creating a theatrical film trailer. In this piece, I will critically analyse how the preliminary trailer task was vital to my skill development.<br />‘Trapped’ is about two students, who are locked in school after their detention, there is no one else there, seemingly however they find a newspaper, with the headline “school killer escapes from prison” and they see the killer, the rest of the film is a dramatic chase, with the victims eventually escaping. We chose the horror genre as it was a genre we were all fascinated about, due to time constraints we also believed it would be easier to represent the genre and narrative as horror films have an easily identifiable set of conventions, for example a killer, baron setting, a victim, suspense and prevalent use of black/darkness, these aspects were better to portray in a short time frame.<br />From making the trailer for ‘Trapped’ I learnt a range of technical skills. A key skill I developed was using the digital camera, as I had the opportunity to learnt basic skills which were a necessity, such as fixing the camera on the tripod and replaying the scenes which had just been shot, this was critical as I would not be able to function when producing the coursework trailer, without these skills. I also learnt more advanced skills like framing, as I realised that the background and props used in a shot was vitally important, and that different visual effects could be created if the shot was filmed from different angles and movements, for example the final shot of the killer carrying the screwdriver, we made sure that nothing distracting was in the background, as we wanted the screwdriver to be the focus as it implies violence, so then to make the shot more eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing we used a tracking shot from a high angle. I learnt that these are the components for an effective shot. Essentially, I learnt how to edit on Adobe Premier Pro, as I learnt how to cut areas of shots that were not good or parts that did not enhance the story line, to do this I used the cut tool. I also improved my capacity for creating montages, as I realised that it was an important tool to add suspense, drama and showcase the best aspects of your film, I believe that our film trailer achieved this, as we cut shots together in no chronological order effectively.<br />Asides from the technical skills I gained, I also learnt how to present genre, narrative and attract my target audience. I realised that the soundtrack is an effective way to reflect genre, as I utilised a sombre and eerie track to clearly show that it was horror film, a consequence of this is that it gives my target audience insight into the style of film and the narrative; this is furthered with Mise en scene. We used a stereotypically horror setting of an empty school, this conveys vulnerability and innocence which are two key components for a typical victim, the costume also followed this convention as a suit seems clinical. Thus through filming I have not just learnt technical skills, but skills of analysing my target audience and realising how to attract them through the use of soundtrack and mise en scene. <br />In conclusion, I have learnt a range of technical and analytical skills through making a preliminary teaser trailer, as I have learnt how to use cameras effectively and attract the audience, thus I believe it has been a vital process which will aid me greatly for my final coursework.<br />