The document analyzes the conventions of horror movie trailer formatting that the author's trailer does and does not follow. It discusses conventions around lighting, editing, camera shots, and sound that the author's trailer mainly conforms to, such as using a mixture of light and dark lighting, slow and fast pacing, close-ups, and eerie music with screams and creaks. However, the author also discusses developing some conventions around the release date portrayal and breaking conventions by not lifting images and including actor names.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2. My teaser trailer mainly conforms to the conventions and
forms of existing horror teasers, however there are a couple
of conventions which I have developed and there a couple of
conventions which I have broken.

3. LIGHTING
The lighting of teaser trailers with a genre of horror tend to use a mixture of
bright and dark lighting. Darker lighting is used mainly to build up to suspense
and the climax of any action and brighter lighting is used to create a contrast
before and after the climax of any action.

4. Insidious:
These two images demonstrate how lighting is used in the Insidious teaser.
Throughout the film there is a mixture between bright and dark lighting. The
beginning of the teaser uses brighter lighting but the colour has been made a
bit duller.

5. Paranormal Activity:
These two images demonstrate how lighting is used in the Paranormal Activity
teaser. There is a mixture of brighter and darker lighting however this teaser
trailer uses more brighter lighting and the rest of the lighting is hard to tell as the
screen is blue.

6. The Innkeepers:
These two images demonstrate how lighting is used in The Inkeepers teaser.
This teaser trailer uses mostly bright lighting and the dark lighting is only used
when the actual horror action is shown for example when something comes out
at her in the attic.

7. My teaser trailer:
These two images demonstrate how lighting is used in my teaser trailer. In
terms of lighting, I have followed the conventions because similarly to the three
existing films I have looked at, I have also used a mixture of bright and dark
lighting.

8. EDITING
Quick paced editing with lots of cuts and fades is a popular convention of horror
teasers.

9. The most popular type of editing in horror teaser trailers, is slow paced editing
followed by really fast paced editing which look like flashes of a camera. In my
teaser, I have followed this convention and I although I haven't included lots of
fast paced editing, I have included some. After looking at the Insidious,
Paranormal Activity and The Innkeepers teaser trailers, I also found that they
used quite a few fades to show that some time had passed and this is also a
technique which I have used.

10. CAMERA SHOTS
In terms of camera shots, conventions include:
Close ups to create a sense of discomfort and awkwardness for the audience
A shot of the location or setting of film

11. Screen grab of how all of three of the
teaser trailers I analysed start.
Screen grab of how my teaser trailer starts. I
created this image myself on Microsoft
PowerPoint.

12. The red circles show how I have not lifted
the image from an existing film as I have
said should be approved instead of the
conventional ‘Has been approved’

13. These three images show the shot at the
beginning of all three teaser trailers displaying
the name and logo of the teaser trailers’
production company.

14. I have followed this convention. At the
beginning of my teaser trailer, I have also
included a displaying the name and logo of
the teaser trailers production company
which is one which I created for the
purpose of this task.

15. These three images show how the release date for the three films I analysed have been
portrayed. They have all been positioned at the end of the trailer so that it is the last
thing the audience see. In all three teaser trailers, the only moving element of the shot is
the text.
Paranormal Activity

16. This image shows the portrayal of the release date for my teaser. I have developed the
conventions here. Like the three teasers I analysed, the release date for my teaser
comes at the end however the text doesn’t move and instead I have a moving image in
the background of the actress moving towards the camera with a candle. I have also
included sound effects and a sound track in the background to make it a more stronger
shot.
Paranormal Activity

17. None of the three teasers I analysed included the names of the actors and actresses. I
broke this convention, because my target audience said in the focus group that they
actually would prefer it if the name of the actors and actresses was shown.

18. Insidious and The Innkeepers teaser trailers show a shot of the setting of the film. I have
broken this convention as the film would take place in quite a few locations so I didn’t
want to just show a shot of one location.

19. SOUND

20. In terms of sound, I have followed convention. The following are conventions of
sound in horror teaser trailers:
Eerie sounding music
Sound effects such as doors creaking and wind howling
A high pithed scream
In my teaser trailer, I have included all three of the above. I have added in a
high pitched scream, the door creaking, church bells tolling and eerie sounding
music.