A survey found that supernatural horror films are the most popular horror genre. Settings for horror films typically include dark, desolate locations or places people are familiar with like homes. The document discusses setting a horror film trailer in a pub to make it more relatable to the target audience. It also mentions using typical horror film editing techniques like slow initial cuts, changing moods signaled by music and lighting, and faster cuts later to build tension before ending on a cliffhanger.
1. Supernatural Horror Films
I took a survey to see if these
theories were true. More people
voted for supernatural that any of
the other genres.
2. Settings
The pictures on the left are the settings of some
horror films. They are settings that you would
typically find in horror films. They are usually
either dark and desolate, or somewhere where
everyone can relate to, for example a family
home.
For my idea I have decided to break this
conformity of it being set in a home or a desolate
place and I am setting my film trailer in a pub.
This is because the target audience can relate to
it. It is supposed to be a place they can go to
socialise and have fun, but in this movie they
would be seeing a whole new side to that.
The pictures below where I would like to shoot
my film trailer.
3. Editing Techniques
To edit my music video I will be using premier pro.
The trailer will start off with slow cuts
introducing the characters and settings.
Everything will be fine and everyone will be
happy. Then the mood will change suddenly
and something will happen that tells the
audience something bad is happening. The
characters mood changes, the lighting will go
more low key and the music will change. These
are all conventions that need to be included.
When it comes to the editing the cuts will be a
lot quicker, this is to increase the audiences
tension and keep them interested. Then
suddenly on a cliff hanger it will stop and end
on a black screen. Within the trailer I won’t
show the audience what happens, because this
just ruins the whole point of the trailer if they
know what is going to happen.
4. Iconography
Iconography is all the typical codes and
conventions that you will see in any horror movie.
The iconography of any movie is what makes it
what genre it is.
Codes and Conventions
Horror movies are very obvious with
their codes and conventions. We can tell
a horror film by these main things…
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Blood /Gore
Ghosts and the Supernatural
Weapons
Low Key Lighting
Eerie locations
Eerie Music
Death
Binary Opposites of Good and Evil
Characters
In horror movies you will see all the same types of
characters. This is Propps Character type theory. He
said that all movies (not just horror movies) have
these types of characters: Hero, Villain, Princess
(damsel in distress) and a helper.
When it comes to horror films the villain, hero and
princess are the three most typical characters.
For example the 2009 film ‘Drag Me To Hell’ the
princess is the main character her name is Christine
Brown and gets curse put on her by an old gypsy
woman. The old gypsy woman is the villain as she is
the one to put a demonic curse on Christine. Clay
Dalton is her boyfriend who acts as the hero as he
helps her.