The document discusses a horror trailer the author created and how it follows conventions of real horror trailers. The trailer uses a scary soundtrack and non-chronological editing to build tension without giving away the plot. The plot involves a psychologically disturbed man who lives alone in the woods and feels threatened by visitors. This is an overused plot element but fits horror film conventions. The trailer also uses sound effects to startle viewers and keep them on edge, like real horror trailers. Screenshots from The Blair Witch Project provided inspiration and examples of setting the scene and surprising audiences.

1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
My horror trailer follows many codes and conventions of a real horror trailer, in terms of sequence,
sound effects and plot. Horror trailers commonly include a scary soundtrack to emphasis it’s genre
and to set the scene at the beginning. My trailer isn’t edited to be in chronological order; this is to
make sure not too much of the film is given away in the 90 second showing. The main storyline of
the film is a psychologically deranged man who’s grown up in the woods since a child; he feels it’s his
territory and doesn’t welcome visitors. This is a very unoriginal plot for a horror film, as a lot of
horror films are set in the woods and have a male killer. The sound effects we’ve used for this horror
trailer are used to make the audience “jump” and to feel a sense of tension, which follows
conventions of a typical horror trailer – they get the audience to stay on the edge of their seat.
This is a screenshot taken from The Blair Witch Project; the film which inspired our settings and
ideas of our own horror trailer. The opening scene of walking into a forest sets the scene and makes
it clear to the audience where the film is taking place. It also makes them think why it’s gone from
the home tapes at the beginning of the small child on the swing to 3 teenagers going into the woods
– maybe it’s the same woods as what the child at the start walked into?
The sudden appearance of this symbol surprises the audience as it’s an unexpected event – in my
trailer; it’s the sudden appearance of the psychologically effected villain that surprises the audience.
This is at the beginning of the trailer; it notifies the audience the reason for the group of people
venturing into the woods – without it, there would be many questions unanswered. In my trailer, I
have included text telling the audience there’s a 100 year old legend about the forest; without it,
people wouldn’t know why we were going into the woods in the first place.