A big part (and probably the main part) of horror movies is of course the main antagonist (villain/ killer in the film). The representation of this character has to be perfect and apply to to the conventions of horror movies in order to fit in with the style of the film. Because of this the way this character is represented (by appearance) not only in the film but in the trailer as well is vital in order to create a really good horror movie/ trailer. There would be no point in making a horror movie if the villain did not look in anyway threatening, this is why a huge deal of importance goes into the appearance of villains in horror movies.
What I have done to highlight this is pick out a symbolic villain from a horror movie (Jason from Friday the 13th) and pick out and analyze what it is about his appearance that makes him the perfect horror villain.
How This Will Benefit Me
Researching about the type of villains used in horror movies has helped me see what I should be looking for when creating my own villain for my horror trailer. It is obvious that on the most part killers are usually represented as disfigured and often tend to hide their identity (especially in slasher horrors). Because of this for my own trailer i'm interested in how I can vary these conventions by creating a villain that's still feared in the same way a villain like Jason is, but instead of being seen as inhumane and a outcast is someone who is a part of your normal everyday life as this repeats and varies conventions of horror movies and also plays on themes of never being free from danger.
In class we have been asked to research the type of stock characters commonly found in horror films. To do this I have looked at a number of horror films, analyzing the different type of Stock characters found in each. The type of stock characters I have been asked to look out for our; The Wanderer, The popular girl, Jock, The Final Girl, Pandora and The Pervert. Whilst analyzing the horror films for these stock characters something that intrigued me was the way horror films use the same type of stock characters in each film and how characteristics about them are often repeated and in some even varied.
This is what I found:
The Wanderer
The character that is usually seen wondering about alone as if looking for trouble, commonly in most horros it is usually the female character that is seen doing this to play on the image of women being more vulnerable and oftenly results in her death. Examples: Tatum in Scream (1990) and Francine in Wrong Turn (2003) One girl who goes against these conventions is Karla in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) who is seen wondering around by herself but in the end it is revealed that she survives
The Popular Girl
This is the character who is usually portrayed as beautiful and best friends with the outcast girl protagonist. She is also usually portrayed as premiscous and mean, whilst also being desired by most of the men in the film. However the character is oftenly killed as a result of her popularity. Examples: Lisa in Prom Night (2008)and Helen in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).
Jock
This character is usually portrayed as loud and arrogant and very sexually motivated and is often in a relationship with either The Popular Girl of the main female protagonist. They like the popular girl usually dies as a result of his popularity. Examples: Randy in Creepshow 2 (1987) and Barry in I Know What You Did Last Summer. However lately, a lot of horror films have been challenging these conventions and have made the Jock appear as the villain... Billy in Scream (1990) and Tom Atkins in My Bloody Valentine 3D The Final Girl
This character, the majority of the time, is the sole surviving member of a group,even sometimes a whole group in the film who are killed by a insane serial killer who for the majority of the film is obsessed with 'The Final Girl' and kills everyone else in order to get to her. Examples: Sidney Porter in Scream (1990) and Parker Riley in Urban Legends (1990). One way this has been challenged was in Urban Legends, when the killer who was female was shown still alive at the end of the film
Pandora
This character often describes the mischevious character (usually) female in a horror film. The name 'Pandora' comes from greek mythology were 'Pandora's Box' was open releasing hell on earth. That is indeed the role of this type of character, who often is the trigger for the following bad events (murder, torture etc) of the film. In most horrors this character is usually the first to die. Examples: Helen/ Bernadette in Candyman (1992) and Marion Crane in Psycho (1960). One girl who challenges these conventions, is in fact a group of girls in the film Sorority Row (2008) were a group of girls release 'hell on earth' after covering up the death of their friend.
The Pervert
This character is usually very sexually motivated and disturbed which causes uncomfortable viewing for viewers. It is the majority of the time men who play this role and is usually portrayed as a sexually disturbed psychotic serial killer, whose problem with women can either just be a part of their psychotic persona or stem from a past incident involving women, which creates uncomfortable viewing for viewers. Examples: Norman in Psycho (1998) and Freddie Kruger in Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
How has your research on Stock Characters benefited you?
My research on Stock Characters has benefited me greatly as it has given me a idea of what sort of individual characters I should be looking to include in my trailer and what sort of role they should play in it. However from looking at the type of characters usually found in horror films I have grown a interest in perhaps varying some of these conventions in order to create a horror trailer. For example instead of stereo-typically using a 'Final Girl' I could instead use a 'Final Boy' in order to express the fears experienced by Young Males in London. This not only would give my trailer a USP but it would also play on societies (especially in London) fear of crime and illicit activities on young males. Furthermore, what this research task has mainly done is give me the opportunity to now experiment with the type of characters to put in my trailer.
In class we have been studying the topic of film genres and on how genres can be defined and identified in film trailers. To do this we looked at Burton's Genre Theory in which he claimed various different elements are what define a particular genre, these elements include:
the use of protagonists and how they are portrayed
stock characters and what they bring to a trailer
plot/ stock situations and how a certain plot or situation says something about the genre of the film
icons and how we can identify certain icons with certain genres i.e. a laser gun implying of a sci-fi genre
setting and how it is used to imply of a certain theme or genre
themes which are usually polar opposites i.e. good vs evil and also has ties with social issues
From the analysis of the five films I looked at in relation to Burton's Genre Theory I noticed various similarities between the five films that I looked at which as a result proves the validity of Burton's Genre Theory:
In terms of protagonists most of the films actually focused on the image of the villains in each film, perhaps showing the deranged side human society. The burnt deformed image of Freddie Kruger, the hidden identity of Jason and the cannibalistic image of the villain in Curfew presents evil in the flesh in the form of these protagonists which most of the movies I looked at drew a great deal of focus on
The Stock characters in all the films are mainly used as a representation of society as a whole. In Freddy vs. Jason we see the naivety of society presented through the behavior of the young adults in the movie which presents a theme of the social and moral decline of society. As well as this we see in 'Wrong turn' a group of people showcasing the bravery of humanity as they fight for their and everyone else's safety
Most of the Icons used tend to be murder weapons or masks used for hiding a individuals identity. In 'Wrong Turn' the image of a axe with blood on it is used as a icon which suggests the genre of the film, this is also done in Curfew with the image of a knife with blood over it the murder weapons suggesting the genre of the film. This can also be said for the mask of Jason in Freddy vs. Jason and the mask of the villain in 'Scream', as the mask hides the identity of the killer more fear is instantly created as the threat is coming from a unknown quantity which links to societies general fear of the unknown
The setting used in the films I looked at all were similar in the sense that they suggested danger even though some of the locations were completely different from each other. In Curfew the danger came from a domestic/ private sphere which highlights themes of danger within the home due to the downturn of society. However, in 'The Ring 2' the danger comes from various locations visited in everyday life like a domestic home, a school and a park. This implies that society is never really free from danger and that we face the threat of death wherever we go.
The themes were all very similar in the sense that they all related with contemporary fears within society. For example in all of the movies the theme of the fear of the unknown was highlighted
In class we have been discussing the ways in which we could apply the knowledge of trailers and their conventions that we have gained through the research task into the creation of our own trailer. The task given to use was to create and promote a new London based horror movie titled 'Bloodshed High' in which we were asked to display the conventions of horror movies that we have been taught into the planning and creation of our trailer. We decided that because of the connotations of school and teenagers from the word 'High' used in the title that our film would centre around the lives of teenagers living in London which then allowed us to create our target audience of young people ranging from the ages of 15-21. From this we spent some time deliberating on what the plot of our movie would be first in order to transform that idea into a trailer. We decided to play on the school aspect of the title and set it at a school prom in order to appeal to our target audience which also helped us create our USP of mixing popular American culture with British culture and also British setting. The other unique selling point we decided to make was the use of a experienced director and a independent horror production company in order to not only create audience expectation, but also to attract a wider spectrum of audiences who are perhaps admirers of the work of our experienced director or followers of our production company.
One of our USP's was to mix popular
culture with British culture
It was important that the codes and conventions
we used was relevant in attracting target audiences
Story board of our trailer
After we came up with the plot we then had to draw up the story board of our trailer, showing the different conventions that we would be using in the trailer, some repeated and some varied
This includes:
.
E.G Warner Bros' logo here for Harry Potter
implies of doom and also adventure
The use of a logo of the production company distributing the film, as the production company we're using is relatively unknown to audiences and so they do not know what to expect from it we felt it was important for us to highlight the genre of the movie through the logo of the production company so audiences are able to recognize the genre of the film as being a horror. We decided to do this by use a traditional sera-font usually used for horror films with a black background and a luminous red effect glowing from the logo in order to help the audience identify the genre of the film
The use of a establishing shot showing the London school in which our movie is set in order for our audience to recognize the fact that our film is targeted at teenagers which also creates personal identification as education and school is something our target audience can identify and relate with
The use of a montage of quick shots showing one line dialogue of conversation to introduce the characters of our film to our target audience. We plan to express the culture of teenage life in London and the problems faced for many teenagers living in London similar in the way that teenage life is portrayed in the film Kidulthood, the difference being that we have combined this with popular American culture in the shape of a prom within a horror genre to appeal to our target audience whilst also mixing the genres of horror and drama together.
Trailer will show similarities with Kidulthood
and their portrayal of London youth culture
We then plan to show one second shots of different victims in the film being killed to not only create excitement but to also reveal some of the plot to our target audience whilst also highlighting the theme of the movie through the use of blood and gore. Throughout this we plan not to reveal the killers face as horror movies usually rely on the mystery and suspense created from the trailer to attract audiences and we plan to do this by hiding the identity of our villain. After these shots we plan to have the screen fade to black followed by our tagline as this creates a further sense of excitement whilst also hinting at a sense of doom
We decided to use a variation of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds/ music to express the themes and genre of our movie. We plan to use eerie and frightening sounds appropriately, non-diegetic and diegetic, whenever a victim is being killed to create excitement and to also create a reaffirming sense of doom and high emotions associated with horror movies. As it is a London based film however set in a prom, we also plan to use urban London music from the natural surroundings in our trailer to express London teenage culture
Our last shots will consist of a montage of really fast paced shots combined with constantly amplifying music order to build excitement, further reveal some of what the movie is about to audiences and also to bring the trailer to a climatic ending. Our very last shot will shot will reveal the person who directed the film (i.e. 'from the director of 28 days later'), the use of his name is however not necessary as many people will be able to associate the movie '28 days later' with our star director
Our last shot will show the film’s title 'BLOODSHED HIGH' will appear in the traditional serif font in bold red letters that resembles blood with a luminous glow coming from the outlines of the text as it plays on the name of the title, whilst also highlighting the blood and gore seen in horror movies. The last shot (in the same style of writing) will show our release date of 'Halloween 2011' as this is a popular holiday among teenagers and also very much so links to the genre of horror
The Trailer Analysis proved to be a very helpful task in allowing me to not only learn about the different codes and conventions used in a trailer, but to also let me see where, when and how these codes and conventions are used and how they help to either reveal the plot/ theme of the movie to audiences, create excitement and anticipation for a movie and also to reveal the genre of the movie which then helps attract their target audience. The most important element about this task however was the fact that I was analyzing a horror trailer, this helps as I myself with a group will soon be creating our very own horror trailer so analyzing the codes and conventions for a horror trailer puts me in a good position to know what me and my group have to do to make our trailer good.
REPEAT AND VARY
However, what I found most interesting was learning about how most trailers repeat and vary the codes and conventions used to create a similar but unique product which then familiarizes audiences with the genre and type of film it is but creates excitement for its unique element. This intrigued me as it then caused me to wonder about the ways it was possible to do this and on how different trailers are successful in doing this.
In class today we were asked to look at two trailers (in my case Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Hell and Back Again) and we were then given sheets and asked to write down the features of these two trailers in terms of written text on screen, spoken language, moving images, sound effects and music. We had to write down the description of all these features found in the trailers we looked at and then analyze how and what sort of impact this would have on a audience.
One feature that the trailer of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows focused on a lot was music and the way they could combine music with the moving images on screen. They did this successfully by finding a cohesion between the two and used the music to dictate the pace and the contrast of the shots used, with both ultimately building to a climax at the end of the trailer reflecting the finality of the film it self to audiences.
One feature that 'Hell and Back Again' used really well was its use of the spoken language to reveal the plot and theme of the movie to audiences. They smartly used different moments of dialogue from the actual film itself to reveal different things about the plot of the movie to a audience so then audiences will then know what to expect when going to watch the film.
WHAT I LEARNED
From this task I was able to learn the different multimodal features of trailers in greater depth than I already knew which allowed me to expand on my knowledge. For example this task allowed me to see the importance of the use of a montage of quick moving images and music in a trailer and what sort of effect it has on a audience. Learning this allows me to then apply the knowledge learned into my own trailer and also means I can analyse future work in further detail.
In this lesson we have been asked to analyze a trailer in detail, pulling out the different codes and conventions used in the trailer.
Seen above is to show that the film has been rated appropriately and ha been given a film rating by 'The Motion Picture Association of America'. Although this doesn't reveal anything in particular about the film it has to be shown at the start of trailers for the majority of feature films and is commonly seen at the start of trailers.
This above is the logo of the production company that produced the film 'Apollo 18', again something that is commonly seen at the start of most professional feature films. However the way the logo is shown can reveal a lot about the theme of the film itself. For example the logo of this production company 'Dimension Films' was flickering a lot among a black background as if lost, perhaps reflecting on the nature of the main characters in this film lost in space with no where to escape. Moreover the connotations from the black background already suggests to audiences that they can expect a dark and sinister film.
At this point the trailer has already addressed a number of things. Firstly it straight away begins to use text to explain some of the plot of the movie to the audience which is a very good way in letting them know what to expect from the film. Also it reveals that whilst not only being a horror film, it is also a sci-fi film and it does this by putting scientific facts into the text, showing visually a image of a US spacecraft and also using non-diegetic sounds of a spacecraft for sound effects. This allows audiences to identify some of the themes of the movie (science), whilst also revealing some of the plot to the audience as they can identify from this that the film must have something to with space and science.
What is smartly done here is the trailers use of seemingly real images combined with the facts from the text which makes it seem as if the events of this film are actually based on reality. This is good as it is obviously what the producers of the film were trying to do, make it as realistic as possible. This supposed realism from the shots used and the text also creates excitement curiosity towards the film from the audiences perspective. This is because the trailer has risen questions on the films validity or not which then makes audiences want to see the film so they can form their own opinion on whether the events of film are false or not.
Usually trailers would use their star actor or even director to promote the movie as using a popular actor or director who audiences can identify with is likely to create a lot of buzz for the film as they're familiar with that actor/ directors work. However, this trailer completely ignores these conventions and instead of repeating them varies them to make the trailer unique. This is smart as is plays off the already established idea that the movie is in fact real footage from space and then creates a unknown quality about the film which then creates a lot of excitement and curiosity about it amongst audiences. This however is a dangerous thing to do and can only be done depending on the type of film being produced.
Above is a audio clip of just the sound from the trailer accompanied with two different headings used in the trailer to reveal the plot to the audience. This something the trailer does throughout, using sound effects of a space craft for example to go along and match the visuals and text on screen in order to reveal some of the plot and the theme of the movie to audiences. The music also plays a big part in this as well, helping to build tension due to the pace and amplification of the music towards the end of the trailer again accompanied with text on screen (two above) this creates excitement for the movie and also a sense of anticipation as it leaves the trailer on a cliff hanger, which then encourages audiences to see what happens next.
The trailer uses a lot of smart camera shots and editing techniques to create a distorted view for the watching audience which creates a lot of mystery and also a menacing feeling about the film. Here the camera distorts by cutting from a long shots showing the scene to showing a noise screen where the audience can see no images at all. This reestablishes the mystery about the film whilst also creating a threatening feeling about it. This therefore highlights the genre of the film as being horror to audiences, whilst also revealing the mystery of the film which from the trailer seems to be the main basis of it.
The films genre is revealed in the trailer through the use of quick contrasting shots. You can see from the shot above that it quickly goes from a bright setting that connotes happiness into a dark setting with dark lighting which now connotes a evilness and creates a sinister feeling. This sudden change highlights the way in which horror movies usually change instantly from a good situation into a bad one. The use of a close up of a distorted image on the face of the actor present also highlights the fear factor the trailer creates. This lets audiences identify straight away that the genre of the film is horror.
Not only the genre is revealed through the use of gory images like this telling audiences that its a horror, also the plot and theme is revealed through these montage of events which cross cut constantly at a fast pace. From the use of these montage of events and images like this the plot and theme of the movie is quickly revealed. What's best about this montage however is the pace and tempo of them with the shots happening one after the other instantaneously. This only increases the fear factor created by the trailer, especially as the shots used are used with the intention to show or scare. This therefore creates excitement and anticipation for the film.
This is a prime example of how all trailers repeat and vary conventions in order to create a unique movie but of the same genre. Here it repeats the convention of most trailers by showing the title at the end of the film so its the last thing audiences remember and also so audiences can associate everything they've just seen with the title of the film. From personal experience of watching the this trailer the first thing I wanted to know was what the name of the film was. However it also varies its conventions by not using a date and instead says 'coming soon'. This not only builds more anticipation for the film as audiences now want to know when the film is released, but also plays with the already established unknown quality of the film, constantly staying loyal to the theme of the movie.
As this trailer clearly expresses the codes and conventions seen in a horror movie it would be likely that you would only see this trailer at the cinema before the films of similar movies specializing in horrors (films like paranormal activity, final destination etc). Also during the breaks of television programs directed at mature audiences as the content of this film is unsuitable for children, but gender is not a issue as this movie is targeted at both men and women of a mature age. Also with the power of the Internet in this modern day it is extremely likely that this film would be featured on various video sharing websites around the web.
Compared to my first film of 'The Meeting' I feel that my second film of 'The Meeting' was a great success as I feel that we as a group were successfully able to recognize our mistakes from out previous effort and then implement changes to our second filming of 'The Meeting' to correct those mistakes. This highlights the importance of planning your scene in advance as this made the filming process a lot easier and quicker as we now knew exactly what we wanted and how we were going to do it. However our second effort could of been improved if each member of the group (including) myself remembered to bring all props and costume we were suppose to bring in as this meant we had to make last minute changes which of course was time consuming. What was your responsibility in the filming process?
Acting, drawing half of the storyboard and writing up the new and improved script What decisions did you have to make in this role?
How i could shorten the script whilst not taking too much out and still make it relevant to the task; how to work collectively to visualize what our scene would look like in order to storyboard and in what way I could improve my character to make him more believable. How effectively did you carry out your responsibilities?
At first I felt as if I was doing too much and controlling what everyone was doing a bit too much, but after I realized this I felt I done very well with working with John to produce the storyboard and script, in the end only focusing on what I was suppose to be doing as agreed which produced good results. How effectively did the team work cohesively?
At first I feel as if we wasn't really working as a team but as individuals within group, but we quickly addressed this and started working well together designating different roles to each other and working collectively on what we wanted the end product of our filming to be like and when filming as well. What areas would you like to develop?
Use of editing skills as I feel although we used more than last time we were still very limited in the amount that we used and could of used much more. What two areas you felt went well and consider one recommendation you would give yourself or the group to improve on this practice?
Planning how and in what ways we would shoot the film
Detail that went into characterizing our characters
Stick completely to the plan to avoid having to make any last minute changes
When it finally came to filming our new and improved version of 'The Meeting' we were met with unforseen problems which could potentially ruin the quality of filming for us. Our first problem was the weather which on the day was very bad, something we were not anticipating seeing as it was July. As well as this the place where we had originally planned to shoot was already occupied so we then had to quickly organize a new place to film a part of our scene. However due to the extreme detail put in our planning and some great on the spot thinking we were able to quickly address both problems, finding a new place to film that guarded us from the heavy rain.
Although promised that we would be filming with a proper professional video camera (above right) again due to unforseen circumstances we had to resort to again using a flip cam. At first I was very sceptical about this as when previously using these flip cams we encountered problems with steadying the camera, however this time we were given tripods which helped massively in steadying the camera so our shots looked more professional and not amauterish. This time filming we also took much more time to actually film our different scenes even shooting bits over that we didn't like. This was something that we discussed in the planning process and helped massively in making our second shooting of 'The Meeting' much better.
Produced by a respected and well known film production company
Trailer title: Puss In Boots
What's the USP?
Its a animated childrens movie
A spin-off of a already successful movie franchise (Shrek)
Uses 3D technology
WHAT I LEARNED
From the USP research I learned a lot about what makes a movie in general unique and how these unique qualities are highlighted in the trailers of these movies. I've learned that this is done mainly to draw in audiences and convince them to go out and watch the movie, and also to offer audiences a unique quality that other films aren't offering. I've learned that this can be done in numerous ways, for example if a trailer highlights that the film is in 3D it is obvious this has been done to offer audiences a unique service which then entices audiences to watch the film. This has made me see that in order to create a successful horror trailer it is imperative that me and my group think of a unique element for the film that not only draws in audiences but also appeals to our target audience.
This task helped me fundamentally in realizing how my blog should look and what sort of content I should be putting in it, as well as helping me see what I should not be putting into my blog. Some of the things I have now noticed and look to implement in my own blog from this is to use different media resources to show my work and express my ideas instead of just using text as my blog could then just become very bland. I've also learned the importance of regularly updating my blog, something which I feel I lacked on last year, this ensures that your blog looks professional and also showcases your commitment and dedication to your work.
When looking and indeed choosing film titles two of the most important things that you have to think about first is in what way is your film title going to attract and appeal to a audience, to do this you have to create a appealing title driven by the words used in it or the actual image.
This title decides to use the word 'ABDUCTION' in a font similar to 'Stone Sans' and 'Impact which makes the word really stand out which straight tells a audience what the main theme of the film will be about. Also the use of a shadow on one side of the 'A' reinforces this idea of 'abduction'. The colors used vary but the use of a gritty blue at the end which darkens towards the start perhaps hints at a journey through the course of the film which like the color is constantly changing hinting at the genre of this film being 'thriller'.
Unlike the title above, this title relies almost solely on its color used to give a audience a preview of what the film is about. The splattered red all over the title shares a obvious resemblance to blood which suggests that this film will feature a lot of blood and gore in it. This is then backed up by the words used such as 'Terror runs deep' with the word 'terror' connoting danger. The actual film came 'Shark Night 3d' tells audiences what it is that's causing the danger and the fact its in 3D perhaps adding more interest into the film. The caption at the top reading 'From The Directors of Final Destination' also adds interest to the film as it shows potential audiences that the film is directed from someone highly credible. However overall in this title the images prove to be more important perhaps because of the genre of the film being 'horror'.
The title straight away suggests a sense of danger and mystery in the film not only due to the name of the film 'A DANGEROUS METHOD' but also because of the fact it has a plain black background. Black as a color usually connotes danger and mystery so the fact a black background is used here with the title and particularly the word 'Dangerous' filling up most of the title, hints at a sense of mystery and drama in the actual film. In terms of genre it would be easy to class it as a horror due to the word 'dangerous' in the title, however as nothing particularly stands out in the title and instead of being gory it is more eery I think that the genre of this film is probably a thriller/ drama.
This title uses a really dynamic font which reflects my initial ideas on what this film is about. The use of a dynamic font implies that the film will be fast paced with a lot of action. This is combined with a black background woth the words 'Ghost Rider' written in grey with a red outer shadow. These are quite rough and dark colors which perhaps represents the nature of the film, a dark action-packed thriller. This is also implied by the caption 'spirit of vengeance' underneath the title, giving the audience a bit of the plot in it.
Overall from my findings I have come to the conclusion that images and words share a equal amount of importance when it comes to film titles. The use of words can help give some information about the film, whilst also revealing information about the plot of the film. However it could be argued that the plot and genre of the film should be noticeable from the images used in the film title, thus making them both as important as each other.
This tasked has helped me gain a initial understanding of the codes and conventions of movie trailers and the different things they do to attract and appeal to their target audience. For example the use of a USP helps attract audiences and create a unique element about the movie. Also the use of 'High Concept' (E.G Batman) helps audiences identify and recognize something familiar popular which helps reveal some of the plot to the audience and also will help attract audiences. This has all allowed me to gain some understanding of movie trailers which I hope to build on in the future.
Above is a audio clip of just the sound from the trailer accompanied with two different headings used in the trailer to reveal the plot to the audience. This something the trailer does throughout, using sound effects of a space craft for example to go along and match the visuals and text on screen in order to reveal some of the plot and the theme of the movie to audiences. The music also plays a big part in this as well, helping to build tension due to the pace and amplification of the music towards the end of the trailer again accompanied with text on screen (two above) this creates excitement for the movie and also a sense of anticipation as it leaves the trailer on a cliff hanger, which then encourages audiences to see what happens next.
