The document discusses strategies for editing a horror film trailer, including setting the scene with text before showing any footage, editing some footage to look like home videos to show life before a character's death, and using common horror film settings and iconography. It recommends including a graveyard setting to imply a character's recent death and using a house setting, though typically safe, is often featured in horror films. Common horror film iconography that could be depicted includes symbols of death, blood, screaming female victims, murder weapons, dark places, and themes of good versus evil.

1. In the opening sequence of the horror film trailer I want to set the
scene before any footage is seen. By doing this it will help the
audience to picture the storyline better through the use of text.
This is something that you see a lot in handheld styled horror film
trailers even though I am not doing this style of horror film.
An example of this was taken from the horror film, The Blair Witch Project.

2. When it comes to editing my horror film trailer I want to
change some footage. I want to make some of my footage
look like home videos. Doing this will show the audience
what life was like before Alice’s best friend died.
I have shown and example of this from the horror film, Paranormal
Activity 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90r3CnPI0AM

3. I have chosen a graveyard to be one of
the settings in my horror film trailer.
This setting is seen as a typical
convention in this genre. Therefore the
audience will be expecting to see this
type of setting. It also links to how the
main characters best friend has just
died.
Night of the Living Dead
Another setting that I am going to
use a lot in my film trailer is going to
be a house. This is the type of place
you would feel the safest especially
when you’re alone therefore it’s not
typically seen as a scary place. Even
though this is a setting that gets
used a lot in horror films.
House at the End
of the Street

4. Iconography in a horror film is the typical codes and conventions that you see in every possible
type of horror film. This can be from the type of characters to the way lighting is being used.
Through doing research into horror film trailers here are some of the types of
iconography that you would see:
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Symbols of death
Blood
Screaming victim (normally a female character)
Murder weapon – knife, chainsaw and axe
Dark places – woods, graveyards and cellars
Binary opposites of good and evil