An average looking girl to give the feeling that nothing will happen to her. From my research, it is clear a lot of horror movies use this technique.
Also, we will be sometimes showing the ghost (like in The Haunting In Connecticut trailer), but we want the identity to not be clear. For example, like The Grudge character, using hair to cover the face giving more of a mysterious feel. Below is an example of what we could use:
In our film we will be centering it around one character at home, so the costume of that character is the most important.
We have not decided if we want the character to be male or female, but they will be young (a teenager) and so therefore vulnerable.
The clothing will be casual, to show that the character is just at home and no where else. Also the clothing will be casual so that it does not distract from happenings in the film.
Examples of this type of costume are shown below: The Haunting In Connecticut
We have conducted a questionnaire to determine the types of people who will be watching our horror film and what will appeal to them. This will help us decide what sorts of things to include in our teaser trailer so it specifically targets them.
How often do you go to the cinema?
1] Once a week - 20%
2] Once a month - 50%
3] Once a year -25%
4] Never - 5%
A] Once a month (50%) is the highest percentage. This shows the audience are interested in film, and will go to the cinema occasionally. This means if a trailer stands out they will probably go and see it, so ours will have to.
Are you male or female?
1] Male - 60%
2] Female - 40%
A] As these results are quite near to one another, this reflects all of my other audience profiling research on specific horror films. This shows there is not a specific gender which prefers horror films, as the results are so close to one another.
In which age group are you?
1] 4-11 - 0%
2] 12-14 - 0%
3] 15-24 - 41%
4] 25-34 - 35%
5] 35-44 - 19%
6] 44+ - 5%
A] 15-24 (41%) is the highest percentage.
What type of 'scary' character would you like to see included in a horror film?
1] Zombies - 25%
2] Supernatural (Not including ghosts) - 35%
3] Ghosts - 35%
4] Other - 5%
A] Supernatural (Not including ghosts) and Ghosts are both 35%, showing this is the preferred type of 'scary character' which relates to our type of film, as it is ghosts.
In a horror trailer, do you expect dialogue to be included?
1] Yes, a lot - 19%
2] Some - 56%
3] No - 25%
A] Some (56%) is the highest percentage, which gives as an idea as to how much dialogue to include.
What age certificate do you think a horror film should be?
1] U - 0%
2] PG - 0%
3] 12 - 5%
4] 15 - 60%
5] 18 - 35%
A] 15 (60%) is the highest percentage, which shows to us which certificate to give our horror film. If we had the certificate as 18, we would not have as big of an audience but if the certificate was any lower, this would not be suitable as they are a younger audience.
What type of lighting would you want to see in a horror film trailer?
1] Dark
2] Light
3] Doesn't matter
A] Doesn't matter is the highest percentage.
Conclusion
In conclusion this questionnaire has helped decide some factors to contribute to our film trailer. We will be using a 15 age certificate, as this will suit our type of film the best and also widens the audience that can view this, therefore making more money and gaining more popularity. Also, from this questionnaire it's clear we don't have to use much dialogue, as it is not that nessecary in a teaser trailer. Another factor which has become clear from this questionnaire is that we can use any type of lighting for a horror film trailer, which is useful as we wanted to combine night shots with daytime shots, to show the film goes over a number of days.
From our research we have decided to use a house which isn't a typical 'haunted house' in films. This means the viewer will feel comforted by the setting, but then it would be intruded by a supernatural being meaning this film is instantly more scary.
After looking at many different film trailers, it seems a supernatural film can be put in any location as long as the storyline makes sense. For example, Below is filmed on a ship at sea, which isn't like a typical supernatural film.
We need somewhere which is easily accessible (in case we need to re-shoot some parts), so we have chosen inside a house. This is because if someone is being taunted by something in their house, it seems more worrying than if it was out somewhere, as then they would be able to get away.
Although we want our location to be a house, we do not want it to be a 'haunted house'. Examples of this can be seen below:
The reason why we do not want to use something like the above images for our location is because its very typical, so typical that it can be seen as not scary in the modern film insdustry, but now it is more of a comic location to choose.
By using a normal looking house, this will create a film which is to be feared more because it's inviting the supernatural into the characters home, somewhere you would think it's safe.
This video above displays testing the new cameras out, as they are different to the old cameras we used shapewise we wanted to ensure we could prevent accidental camera shake.
For this we kept in mind the phrase "What are you doing?" but changed the mood for every scene.
The first is anger, which is displayed through facial expression. In this shot we used the camera hand held, and had it zoomed in. This was an effective testing as we wanted to know if the shot would become pixelated when zommed, but it did not.
The second shot is to display confusion or surprise. This is displayed by facial expression, but also that the camera is further away than the previous shot, showing the camera in a point of view shot could have been following this person. For this shot we used a tripod to ensure the camera was steady for this shot, as it would have been noticeable if the background was moving due to camera shake.
For the third shot we wanted to display happiness. This is displayed by facial expression and body language, but also the tone of voice used for the dialogue. We used a point of view shot for this, and attempted to display walking and then turning, this was affective as it shows how these cameras can be used for this and have a clear image created, they are not completely blurred therefore ruining the video footage.
>Including an aprooval screen at the beginning >Consider including a production company's logo >Quick shots to create tension >Consider using a visible ghost, which is only viewed breifly (like in The Haunting In Connecticut) >OR a quick shot of the supernatural being included (like in Paranormal Activity 3) >Consider 'static' screens in between shots (like in Paranormal Activity 3) >Bright lights creating disorientation >Flashing lights giving a feeling of fast paced tension >Close up shots of eyes showing characters fear >Fade into white or black to next scene (like in Below) >Having the films title included at the end with a black and white/ light blue colour scheme >Consider using a credit screen >Have a 'Coming Soon' screen with again a black and white/ light blue colour scheme >Consider using intertitles throughout the trailer (Although probably not as we are creating a teaser trailer rather than an actual trailer)
All trailers include some sort of release date, wether it be an actual date or just 'Coming Soon'. Below are some examples of this. When editing our film we will have to keep this convention in mind, as including it creates a more authentic film trailer. As we are producing a teaser, rather than a trailer, this means we will have 'Coming Soon' rather than a date. This is because teaser trailers are usually released a long time before the actual film is released, therefore the release date is a mystery at that time.
From looking at the screen shots above and previous research on film trailers of the supernatural horror genre, I have gained the idea of using a black background with a white/ light blue font, as this reflects the feeling of a ghost. I'm not sure if I will have this faded or not, but will test it, as it may not look as noticeable. This will work well instead of having the typical red and black colour scheme of horror films, as it hints at the supernatural qualities included.
The above screen shot shows a feature which is included in many trailers, the aprooval screen. To make our film trailer look authentic, this will be included.
Credits:
The above screen shot displays a feature which is included in film trailers, showing the producers, main actors etc. Again, similarly to including the above screen, by having this feature in our trailer it will ensure a more realistic film teaser trailer.
Production Company: Occasionally the production company of the film is included at the beginning of the films trailer. We may include this, as it adresses which audience it will appeal to straight away.
Straight away the audience can see the religious connotations which will be apparent in this film - reverand and exorism give a lot away to the audience about what this film is about.The very plain and non rounded text doesn't give away what exactly the type of mood is suppose to be created. This type of text can be compared to a font created by a typewriter - very plain, but also giving a feeling maybe this could be an official report of some sort, as this is typically what kind of font is used for this in films.
The type of font changes towards the end of the trailer to a more sharp font and in a red colour. This type of text is very affective to use in a horror trailer as the sharpness and colouring gives a very unfriendly feeling to the film, showing exactly what a horror film is about. This is something we will consider for our film.
Techniques/ ideas for my film:
A zooming shot used to emphasise a scary looking silohuette in a dark room (the darkness of the room and the fact she isn't moving makes the audience feel uncomfortable.)
The close up shot of a cross can be compared to The Devil Inside trailer in which a lot of religious crosses can be used to show the exorcism and attempting to rid of the devil, the whole storyline of the trailer.
This blurred shot is affective in showing the distress of the woman who is possessed by the devil by her hand gestures and facial expression. As the focus is on some plants, it outlines the setting being in the country and away from others, giving a feeling of the characters in this film not being safe.
Close up on the face to display fear.
These two very quick shots above give a feeling of chaos and unease in this film.
Storyline/ narrative & dialogue: The intertitles are affective in showing the basic storyline of this film, basically that a reverand will perform an exorcism and it will be his last. Throughout the films trailer sounds of screaming are overlapped with one another, giving a real feeling of chaos which is again shown by all of the quick shots in the trailer. In our teaser trailer we aim to create the same chaotic feeling, making the film seem very exciting for the audience, though we do not want to give away much of the storyline to the audience as it is only a teaser, so we will consider not using intertitles as they may show too much informaton.
All of the titles used in The Devil Inside trailer have the same background which relates to some of the happenings in the trailer (the posessed woman showing in her mouth some cuts) which is the same type of symbol. Some of the cut marks are crosses showing the religious connotations in this film, which are also shown by the constant use of preists in the trailer.
The title used at the beginning of the film for the 911 call uses a different font and background than the other titles because if the same font and background was used as the other trailers it would give away details of the film too quickly. Also by having the plain black and white it gives the audience nothing to be distracted by, meaning they focus on the text and dialogue used. Maria Rossi states that she has 'killed three people.' This straight away gives a feeling of unease to the audience, also they are not straight away sure what type of film or what genre this is going to be.
Techniques/ Ideas for my film:
Use of 'real' television news footage to give the idea this is a real happening, making the film seem more realistic and scary for the audience. The real news affect is created by slightly pixelated footage and also the television channels symbol and headline being stated on the screen.
Use of still photographs - in this case it establishes the characters in the film and as it is a nonmoving footage gives the audience time to focus upon this. It also gives the idea that something has happened to these characters, meaning there is a cause of change in the film for them.
Establishing shots of the setting to show to the audience clearly where this is. Each setting will give a different affect for the audience e.g. a home will give a friendly feeling for the audience, and as the genre is horror it will create a worrying feeling as it is intrusive into somewhere where they feel safe.
The use of the transistion where it fades the scene to black. This is affective in putting scenes together without just cutting as it makes a smooth transition.
Using religious symbols e.g a cross which is seen here. This shows the point of the film - attempting to rid of the 'devil inside' of the characters. By having the religious symbols included in our film it does show to the audience that devils are included in the film, giving a scary and also a supernatural feeling as the characters will be posessed.
This print screen of the trailer shows a CCTV type shot in which a high angled camera angle is used and also a grainy affect, showing someone is watching over the characters actions. This will give a worrying feeling to the viewer as it shows that something is likely to happen in this room. The setting is very plain and the use of monotone colouring gives a feeling of loneliness and that this is not a friendly feeling room.
Use of a mid shot to show emotion but also the surrounding.
Again the use of a midshot shows the setting and the characters. This is affective in this shot as the woman showing herself as possessed, outlining why she is in this white room alone and why she must be watched by CCTV.
This close up displays the emotion of fear through the body position.
A mid shot again displaying setting. Also the prop of a sharp tool in the background which gives a dangerous feel to the shot.
A quick shot of a woman - unsure who she is as the shot is so quick but as the eyes are glowing this gives a supernatural feel to the woman.
Storyline/Narrative and Dialogue:
The storyline is very straight forward with not many quick shots. As this is a trailer it works well, but as we are producing a teaser trailer we will be using more quick shots and the storyline will not be as obvious.
