Organisation

having researched a number of horror movies and started my storyboard/shot list for my trailer i now know what i will need for my trailer. in this post i am going to make a small list of the items i will need for the filming of my trailer.

Costume:
in horror films the costume will define the character as it will show the audience from the start whether this is a character which will be feared of liked. an example could be Jason's costume from Friday the 13th as his costume is ripped and groggy looking which even without the mask makes him look scary. the villain in my trailer is an axe wielding psychopath so i have want his costume to consist of CAT boots, muddy and worn out jeans with a large muddy and torn coat or hoodie. in my trailer im not going to show the face of the villain as i believe that its what we don't see that is truly terrifying. i think that this costume choice for my villain is a smart  v                                                                                         one as when put together the messy and dark                                                                                           clothing will make him look menacing.

Another prop i will need is an axe. i don't think that a toy axe will look realistic or help in the making of my trailer so i have decided to purchase a real axe but never film fast movement of the axe as it will be a health hazard. this prop will not be used as a toy as it is anything but so the usage of this prop will be handled with the most care. because harsh and fast movements will be dangerous im only going to use the prop for still and slow moving shots to avoid hurting anyone.
the rest the characters in the trailer are hikers/walkers so their costume will be very easy to obtain as it will be walking shoes a shirt and the choice of joggers or shorts.

Drafting and Planning (My Horror Trailer So Far)

For my A2 media project i am going to make a film trailer. I have chosen to make a horror trailer as i believe that it is one of the best genres for trailers as the fast paced editing and sound that can be used in the trailer.
Below is my shot for shot plan of my trailer so far  i think that my plot is big enough for me to be able to make a trailer of at least 2 minuets
Plot summary: Group of walkers get lost whilst walking in the woods and are cut down one by one by an unseen axe wielding man.
Shot Plan:
Establishing shot: The group walking along the path in the woods talking.
From the establishing shot fade into a medium close up of the group and a female member of the group realizing they have strayed from the path and are now lost.
Fade into a close up of a male member of the group saying that its getting too dark let’s stop for the night and look for the path when we have the light.
Quick fade to a long shot of the group around a small fire, cut to a medium shot of a member of the group looking into the flame :shot holds for around 5 seconds: (no sound other than the fire flickering for 5 seconds and then branches are heard breaking)
Quick cut to one of the male members walking towards the noise to investigate whilst yelling "everyone stay by the fire.

Research into Similar products (Genre Crossovers)

 

After looking at my chosen genre for my trailer i am looking into other genres that have crossed over with the horror genre.
alot of films have been released under the genre of horror comedy but none of them have done it better than  Ruben Fleischer 2009 hit Zombie Land. Zombie Land mixed the perfect amount of fear with the perfect amount of comedy by using characters such as Woody Harrelson to be a man that enjoyed killing zombies whilst being with Jesse Eisenberg who is scared of everything that makes a noise. The horror aspect of the film is seen in the trailer at 0:31 to 0:47 where it shows the fear of everyday people as they are chased by bloody and horrific zombies and the comedy shown at 1:40 by Woody Harrelson. the two genre mixed together so well mainly because of the attitude of the characters as most of them make a game out of it and the horror that comes with the hordes of zombies chasing people throughout the film.

Research into similar products (mise-en-scene of the horror genre)

Mise-en-scene:

Setting:
the setting in horror films will typically be a haunted, abandoned or isolated area. these types of locations are used because just by looking at them they will create a large sense of tension or eeriness. typically if the setting is a normal modern day house the majority of the film will be shot at night as that is the best way to make a harmless location seem scary.


Lighting:
the lighting in horror films will mainly be low key. low key lighting will make it easier to make the scene look scary. using low key lighting will make it easier to scare the audience as you can have anything pop out from the shadows which is the case in most slasher films such as Friday the 13th and Scream.

Costume:
the costume in horror films will be something that will hide the villains face. this is because like Steven Spielberg said when making Jaws "its what we don't see that is truly terrifying".

Body Language:
the body language in horror films needs to portray
the villain as power full by having the character
standing up straight shown by a low angle and the
other characters need to be shown as small and
insignificant. this is because the villain will be the
one with the power to kill so he needs to be shown
with the power.

Research into similar products (sound in horror films)

sound in horror films makes the scene either look happy, eerie or extremely scary. the effective use of sound can also help promote the emotions of the characters to the audience. the diegetic sound of the door squeaking as it opens at 0:12 makes the scene as it adds to the effect of the scary location as they are in a creaky old abandoned house which is the typical scene in horror films.
the voices that are used (predominantly by the possessed female) throughout the trailer reflect the fear of the characters the best example would be at 0:11 to 0:55, the tone of the voice shows that she is clearly scared and frightened. compare this to the tone of the same female character at 1:34 where when she talks it is a very deep and strong which is well suited to the part as the character needs to create fear. in the trailer they have to use sound to create fear because the possessed female wouldn't create the same level of fear if her voice was high pitched.

Research into similar products (Editing conventions)

Editing is important in films as it will set the pace of the scene. it is especially important in horror films as a good horror film needs a well set editing pace. in horror films/trailers the most common edit is fast paced editing and quick cuts. the fast paced editing makes the scenes zoom by giving the viewer the exciting feeling of the scene whether someone is running away for a killer or the villain makes an appearance. the quick cuts are the things that make the audience jump as it is easy to scare someone with a quick cut as the viewer wont expect the cut forcing a jump scare. using fast paced editing and quick cuts together makes the audience believe that everything on screen is being performed in haste making them also feel a sense of urgency. using both conventions and a series of close ups and hand held camera work will help to increase the feeling of urgency as the camera is shaking and you are switching to a different shot every few seconds makes it look like the character(s) are rushing to get away from something.

Research into similar products (Horror Camera angles)

Conventions of horror trailers (Camera Angles):

The Establishing shot of horror films is usually to show off the spooky/eerie location that the characters find them self in. this shot could also be a way to put into perspective how desolate the house, town or city is  

Close ups are used to show the emotions of the character in the scene or in this case Jack Torrance's case it shows his insanity and anger. close ups are a good way of capturing the detail of an important scene.

 High angles are used to show the vulnerability of the character and in horror films they are usually seen when the villain is standing over the character which shows us that the character is completely powerless to the villain

 low angles are used to show how scary and intimidating the villain is. this makes the audience and the character feel weak and insignificant. 

Zooms add dramatic effect to the scene as they are usually used with a quick cut which makes the audience jump out of there seats. Zooms create a sense of fear as the audience doesn't know what they are going to see next which also creates suspense