1. The document provides an evaluation of a student film project that created a horror/thriller movie trailer. 2. It describes the characters, camera work, music, and lighting used to establish genre conventions and create suspense. 3. Audience feedback was influential and led to changes like shortening text overlays and cutting the music earlier for more impact.

1. EVALUATION

2. Introduction When we started this project we knew we would have to use some of the common genre concepts of a real media product to create a realistic horror/thriller movie. We did this by using common conventions and developing upon a few of them to make our trailer unique. The common concepts we where following, are using fast, edgy editing along with a high tempo back track to create a atmosphere the audience can relate to.

3. Characters We thought we would challenge the modern hegemony of a horror victim by using a elder business class male. We did this as we our film is all about fate, and it isn’t just females who can be vulnerable in times of crisis. He is dressed in smart fitted clothes, with shoes on. To try a represent the 21st century office worker. Due to budget cuts there was a small problem with the vehicle he was driving which was a 1999 ford fiesta which would not be conventional for a young businessman to be driving. Our second main character, the serial killer, is more stereotypical. A black male, who is wearing baggy clothing and scruffy jeans, to try and fit the modern view of a thug. Victim Villain Unconventional Business Car Conventional Business Car

4. Camera Work In this first shot, we did a half loop around the car from distance this was to help establish the narrative, by showing the audience how secluded the setting is and how the character is so vulnerable in the big open in the big open space. It also helps set the genre, using the typical location, of an dark secluded forest. The second shot is the last thing you see before it cuts to the title. It is from the view of the victim. He previously thought he has saw something in the rear view mirror but could not figure out what happening, then a split second afterwards he looks out his drivers side window and see’s a crazed man throwing a furious punch. Before you see how it unfolds it cuts to the title, we hoped this was a good way to build suspense and use the back ground music to help build the tension before, frightening them with the fast editing along with the action which is happening onscreen. This also helps set the genre and narrative. Shot 1 Shot 2

5. Mise en scene We used the mise en scene to help establish the victim in the trailer. In this shot it shows a big solid expensive double oak bed, with a expensive oak side draws. Also there is a lamp which is looks more grown up, there is also a statue in the window which also shows that the victim is artistic and has a more mature taste which links to the more mature looking lamp. Although you see this, you can also see a big stereo beside the bedside draws, this shows his young side, as the stereo looks designed for the younger market.

6. Music and Lighting Music We used the typical music convention in our film. We created a back track, which was mostly orchestral to build a high tempo but edgy atmosphere. So that the audience can get the feeling of both the rush of the trailer with anxiety building up inside them, but also the back track setting the genre of a horror/thriller using the conventional instruments which are used throughout the out the movie industries in relation to horrors and thriller. This also helps set the narrative. The only diagetic sound in our trailer comes from the victim, there are two main reasons for this, the first being that we wanted the audience to get involved with the character and build up sympathy with the character, so they have a relation to him later on in the trailer. The reason that the second main character (the villain) did not speak was keep an air of mystery about him. Lighting We also used convention lighting in our film. We used natural open light in the victims house, this was to help bring his house alive, to look clean and fresh to help portray the characters background. When then went to the forest a little later on in the afternoon. This was not to portray that it was late afternoon but to help darken the atmosphere of the trailer. To introduce the second character in an environment which the audience can more easily relate to.

7. Ancillary Texts We did several things to help our self get the best start possible. To begin with me and James discussed which genre we thought we could portray the best and after an in-depth conversation we thought with our back ground knowledge and experience that a horror/thriller would be the best genre to chose. Now we knew what genre we wanted to campaign, we had to chose on a audience and as being young adults and the older generation of teenagers of a well educated back ground we would target this audience back ground as we would be able to relate to them. So we created a audience questionnaire so we had a bigger idea basket, as have more knowledge in what our audience would be looking for in our trailer. This gave us a strong base to move on from We now had the foundation to create a storyboard we could put our ideas onto and see how they would flow and put a base down to create an animatic. Our animatic gave us the possibility to see how our story would flow in a more visual way. We would be able to create different angle, we where then able to what was working and what had to be changed. After filming our trailer and going through the editing stage we where able to get our class mates together to give use there feedback, and at that stage they where able to give us feed back into whether the editing flowed. Whether we establishing the genre well and the overall opinions which was very useful. Our overall idea was to create a amazing horror/thriller which was based around an idea of fate. Although it was relatively easy to do this in the trailer, it was quite the bit more difficult to establish this in the poster and on the magazine cover. So therefore we wanted the poster and magazine to establish the genre powerfully, that is why the poster is a very dark image of the forest and a silhouette of a man which is very mysterious. We then wanted to use the same sort of image of the magazine cover, this was because we wanted the target audience to relate the to images together, making them want to buy the magazine. The use of colour, text and font through out are campaign are all very similar. We wanted the font to be big and bold to draw in the audiences attention, we knew that the font had to flow with the narrative, which is why we made it very simple and not give to much away with its style and colouring, just using the simple colour white.

8. Audience Feedback Audience feedback was very influential in all areas of our campaign. It began with the audience questionnaire which gave us the very fist base to build our ideas upon so we could relate to them as best as possible. We then needed our class peers to give us feedback on our trailer which was in the process of being edited. The output was very important as it gave an outside opinion, which we may not have seen. They did suggest that we change several things, which included changing the timing of the clips which contained texts, we didn’t just change the timing so that the audience had more of chance to read the text, but we shortened the text itself so it became more powerful and flowed with the narrative. We then asked a group which where third party to view the trailer and give us there feedback, they had one positive comment and one negative. The positive being how we represented the villain and victim through out the trailer and how the transitions between the villain and the victim portrayed the two characters really well and drew them into the story. The negative was how the music ended in comparison to the trailer. They suggested that we should cut the back track sooner, so we decided to cut the track just before the climax, this made the climax very effective and really helped set the genre.

9. Media Technology Research & Planning In our research and planning, we thought the best piece of equipment to use would be the internet. This gave us the possibilities to go onto websites such as YouTube. YouTube gave us the chance to view and analysis different trailers, and to research into trailers with the similar genre. We where able to see how the professionals created trailers, what the included into there trailers and how they established, the genre, narrative and the main characters. Fast forward a little as well YouTube gave us the chance to upload our trailer, it gave us the chance to present out trailer on a international known websites, with the bonus of blocking comments, so it would not be bombarded with spam and nonsense comments. The internet gave us the chance to view images of film posters and magazine covers, this also gave us the chance to see how they where set out and what was essential in the poster and magazine cover to look as professional as possible. Construction In the construction of our animatic the most useful tool was the iMac, it runs a programme called iMovie. This programme gave us the chance to upload our images and see how they flowed one after another. In the construction of our film we started by using a HD video recorder. The definition on these new HD cameras where very essential as part of filming was taking place in a dark dingy forest which had low lighting. We then uploaded the footage onto the iMovie on the iMac. This programme was very useful, it gave us the chance to cut and edit the footage exactly how we wanted to. The change to add in text and titles and later on a back track. We created the back track on a programme called garage band. We where able to compose a back track with a huge range of instrumental possibilities.

10. Media Technology Evaluation To create this evaluation I used Microsoft PowerPoint. Which enables me to add images. So I can personalise the PowerPoint how ever I see fit. Once I created this PowerPoint I uploaded it onto a website called slideshare, this website gives you the chance to share you PowerPoint with the rest of the world. Blogger Blogger has been a great website and tool to use. It means we have been able to present and store our work. It gave us the chance to present our work in unique personal way. Being able to input our own images, videos and hyperlinks to create a blog unique and interactive.