Horror Questionnaire, Results and Audience Interviews

Project Proposal

Name: Lauren Callagher

Title of Film:Phobetor

Who am I working with:  Callum May

What is your brief?

Our brief is to make a trailer for a horror film, which will have a running time of 1 - 3 minutes. We will also produce a film magazine cover which will feature our film & also produce 2 posters to market our film to our target audience.

How are you splitting the roles?

Callum May – Joint Director, Sound, Actor, Editing

Lauren Callagher – Joint Director, Camera, Actress, Marketing

Who are the audience?

The certification for the trailer is 15 as we believe aiming at this group will allow us to create a trailer that follows the average target audience of horror films because at this certification it allows the companies to make more of a profit because they can target everyone form the age of 15 so there are more tickets that can be sold. This also allows us to not go too over the top with the horror because when movies do this it becomes boring and many people do not like it.

What have you found out about our audience?

We have handed out questionnaires and completed write ups about our results and we finally produced charts that represent our results. (See next post) We have found that

Research about existing products:

We have watched many of the big horror films that have come out such as Scream, Halloween, Insidious 2 and Creep. We then analysed the techniques the editors and directors have used to create the dramatic and scary effects used in these films.

How will you make the film inventive?

Our group is aiming to go against the stereotypes of typical conventions of a horror film, however we will follow one or two typical conventions of horror films so that is still recognisable but then it also keeps the thrills of the old horror films which were so successful. We will be changing things such as the killer’s motive, gender of the victim, etc. Although we are going to follow suit in places such as the location (e.g. Normal houses) .We are looking to get this idea as unique as we possibly can.

Reflections of horror

- ‘The Exorcist’ is seen as one of the greatest horror movies to be produced. The narrative of this film is based on a real life story, where a daughter is being possessed within a normal average family. Throughout this movie, the family of the girl who’s being possessed whom is the protagonist,  are trying to ease out the demon within this person. The is a typical stereotype by the writers of the movie because  the female gender is often the most vulnerable sex, meaning that a female being abused in a movie is the typical stereotype to be expected. The trailer of this movie uses various types of lighting, but mostly uses low lighting to make the surroundings of the characters seem much creepier. Throughout this movie, the colour red is shown various times, weather it may be the colour of the ceiling or the wall, it is shown various times. When a person thinks of the colour red, they will either assume love and emotion, or fear and danger. In this movie, the colour red indicates fear and danger, which is another generic convention of horror movies.
 

- ‘The Conjuring’ is also another one of the greatest horror movies. What makes this movie unique from the others is that the movie is based on real-life experiences, real-life characters, real-life people. This is why it is such an eye opening movie, it grabs the audiences attention immediately   as soon as ‘Real Life’ is mentioned. The narrative of this movie (based on a true story), “The Conjuring” tells the horrifying tale of how world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorised by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives. The trailer of this movie very well structured, where it leaves the audience with questions on their mind, which then leads them into watching the actual movie. There is various types of lighting used in this movie, there are bright lights with when the family is together, however when the characters are on there own, there is less lighting which gives the audience a few tense scenes.

- ‘Halloween’ is another successful horror movie which has made a name for itself within the movie industry. The narrative/plot of this movie is based around the Halloween celebration in Haddonfield, Illinois. Having already shown signs of psychopathic tendencies, ten-year-old Michael Myers murders a school bully named Wesley. Later that night, Michael murders his older sister Judith, his mother’s boyfriend Ronnie, and Judith's boyfriend Steve. Only his baby sister, Angel Myers, is spared. After one of the longest trials in the state’s history, Michael is found guilty of first degree murder and sent to Smith's Grove - Warren County Sanatorium. Michael after many, many years locked up, and not murdering then escapes and goes on a killing spree. In this movie, lighting and sound were key elements, reasons why is because with sounds/music, it makes killing scenes seem very horrific and builds a huge amount of tension which is what horrifies the audience. The lighting used in this is key because when the killer is about to kill its victim, the surrounding lighting changes from light to dark, which enforces horror onto the audience.

The woman in black trailer analysis

The purpose of a teaser trailer says it in the name. It’s there to tease the audience about an upcoming film to tempt viewers to go and see the new film. A teaser trailer only has about a minute to persuade the audience to want to see the film. The main purpose of a teaser trailer is that it only last for a short amount of time so that it can be shown on TV during the adverts or in cinemas before a different film. The reason being it encourages the audience to then go further to finding out more about the film by watching the full trailer on the internet before they decide whether they’d like to see the film. So the teaser trailer acts as an advertisement.

Some trailers use words and phrases to narrate and establish the story in parts, and to describe the genre so the audience gets an idea to what they’re in for if they go and see the film. Sound is very potent in horror trailers in creating the atmosphere and mode of address of the film (how it ‘speaks’ to its audience), it’s used to scare viewers or to build up tension within the audience in this trailer. Also in the editing can create a tension and atmosphere, for example it’s common to find quick cuts in a trailer this is present to suggest a build up of tension to a climax which isn’t present to keep the audience on the edge of their seats as a form of manipulation to persuade the audience to see the film. However in this teaser trailer the cuts are rather slow but still with a huge amount of tension because it’s coupled with music and sound that’s well synchronized with the visual action. Each cut is faded in and out to create a type of shadow effect, this also makes it more dramatic and leaves the audience apprehensive.

There are many enigmas within this clip that the audience has to deal with for example in the title itself; who is the woman in black? Why is she present? For example she shows up twice; once where her eye and part of her face appears accompanied by built up music. The second time an arm reaches up from no where behind him without his realization and touches him. A paradox is created from this because we are left not knowing what is going to happen next.

The characters in the trailer are established through many ways. For example the protagonist shown (character played by Daniel Radcliff) has a shadow on his face in all of the shots of him, this lighting represents him having a dark side. At the beginning of the clip there’s a close up shot of the protagonist with lighting only exposes half his face so the audience are left undecided to whether he is the typical innocent of the horror which should result in them wanting to watch the film.

This teaser trailer is unusual in terms of voice-over. The whole trailer has no verbal sound to narrate the trailer. However it has graphics text dialogue which the audience learns from. For example the words slowly appear in the middle of the screen ‘The most chilling ghost story’ ‘of our time’ ‘comes to life’. These have been edited in the fit the cuts of the trailer. Therefore the dialogue reveals that the story is a ghost story that comes to life and other words are thrown in to draw in the audience for example ‘chilling’ ‘of our time’ etc. However it’s not just what the words say it’s how they’ve been edited to be presented in a way that fits well and to make it feel more dramatic. Although the dialogue juxtaposes the idea of the film being horrifying and scary because the last text shows the actors name so it goes against of it being anything at all scary because the actor’s name reminds us that it’s not real.

The action is well synchronized with the sound where tension builds up which signifies visual action leading to a climax that doesn’t finish because the audience waits for it but are then manipulated to want to go see the film to what happens because they are‘teased’. The editorial dialogue and cuts with visual action is also synchronized to evoke a mood by the audience which is caused by the teasing, a type of agitated mood that wants more. But the trailer tries to achieve an edgy to achieve an edgy mood because it aims to stay in your mind. This is a conentional element because the trailer often has the title at the end of the trailer to aim for the same impression.

The genre is signified through sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene and the editing. All these elements are well synchronized together which makes teaser trailers so effective. The camera shot at the beginning of the clip is hand held to create a type of uneasy vibe. A different variety of shots are used to express the manic atmosphere created in a horror genre. Most of the cuts start with faded in and then fades out and in again to the next cut. The mise-en-scene gives the lightening ,location, characters props /costume etc. Artificial lighting used to create distinct shadows on faces and in the house. Typical house used, old dark a gloomy to support the stereotype and to conform to the general codes and conventions of a horror genre. The costume and props are old fashioned to bring it back and set it in an old time.

The protagonist is also established through the use of sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene and the editing. Through the dark showing and the fact he’s male the audience is made to feel uncertain to whether he’s a victim or not through challenging the stereotype of the general codes and conventions of what a typical horror is all about.

The structure of the trailer is very manic, the hand held shot of the huge house accompanied by slow low in pitch music and lettering that starts to illustrate and narrate what the film is all about. Then slowly cuts to each scene allowing the audience to explore horrific elements of the film for example magically appearing ‘woman in black’ and her appearing again with the protagonist knowing she's there. The trailer finishes with the title of the film because it aims to stay in your mind. This is a conventional element because trailer often have the title at the end of the trailer to aim for the same impression.

The trailer appeals to the viewers because of how quiet it is compared to what you would normal expect from a horror trailer where you may hear screams etc., this is a good quality trailer because if this was played to someone during adverts, the ads on TV are normally quite loud and fully of dense information so to change from this to nearly silence will manipulation the viewers attention on the ad. This is also another reason why having no verbal sound is used which makes it powerful and very and different to your average horror trailer.

When comparing this to the code and conventions of a horror this horror trailer is very different because it challenges it in many faults for example there are slow cuts whereas usually there are fast pace cuts that help build tension. There’s usually a female as the protagonist as a victim. Also the music is quite fast paced but this music is fairly slow. Also the ghost is a woman whereas the killer in a horror is usually a man.

Empire Analysis

The tagline is positioned above the title of the magazine and gives connotations that the audience can’t make a mistake buying this magazine. It also discredits all it’s competition by saying it is the ‘biggest’ and people usually link this with being the best movie magazine.

The title gives the connotations of strength and that the magazine is wide spread. It also sets it up to be the best film magazine. The red font makes it stand out and usually creates a contrast between the main image and the title. It is also slightly obstructed by the main image, but because the magazine has a good reputation it doesn’t matter because people know what it is called.

The key image of this magazine is a two-shot of the actors from the featured film , which is shown by the large bold font of the main strapline. They are both wearing black which connotes danger, mystery and possibly even evil. It is used as the main selling point of the magazine and gives the audience an insight to what will the feature article will be like inside. Challenging the conventions of a magazine there are no secondary images and the effect of this is to make the audience focus more on the main image.

The straplines are used to show what else is in the magazine and shows the audience the large amount of content. The main strapline is shown by being a larger font than the others. It also connects with the gothic street vibe which is also portrayed within the key image.

The dress codes used within the main image are dark and gothic but also quite smart  giving the impression of sophistication as well as danger. This however, represents the film being featured rather than the magazine itself.

Empire being a film magazine, do not usually show representations of the magazine but however the film being featured, so the film being represented in this magazine is ‘The girl with the dragon tattoo”. It shows the film to dark and gothic and rather alternative.

Creep Analysis

The film is set in Charing Cross station, a familiar place within London. The film was mainly filmed during the night time when people usually wouldn’t be at the station nor see it as the station was closed, this also is a good setting because it would be connoted as unsafe. However, as the location is so familiar it creates a sense of security and safety but within the film this is far from the truth and is actually contrasted by the killing and stalking that happens within the station once the exits are closed and locked up for the night. In the film creep Kate is stuck underground for an elongated period of time, whereas usually people do not stay in underground stations for long periods of time. This creates tension and adds to the scare as its unnatural. The creep hides his ‘patients’ under the station itself where he plays around with tem in his operating room which is disturbing due to the fact it is unhygienic in contrast to a sterile and clean hospital in present time, this makes the audience feel uncomfortable.

Kate is the main female protagonist and is shown to be an independent and strong woman at the start of the film brushing off the advances of another male character (Guy). She is German and thought of as attractive throughout the film, this is reinforced by the advances of Guy and then by the paranoid mumblings of a homeless woman, “do you fancy her?”. She is the one that eventually kills the ‘Creep’ in the end which shows her determination and strength. Guy is set up as the antagonist of the film when he sexually assaults Kate and tries to rape her in an abandoned tube. He is portrayed as voyeuristic. The ‘Creep’ is not portrayed as neither creature nor human, but a mix of both. This is shown through his actions within the operating room, which shows him to be psychotic, washing his hands with no water, and also by his appearance as he has no nose or eyebrows, which is unusual and unnerving for the audience, and his skin is an off blue colour. He stalks Kate and murders the other characters within the film.

At the beginning of the film we see the use of a torchlight which limits the audience to what they can see which creates suspense and mystery as they wonder what is could be lurking within the shadows of the scene. The use of a strange  shadow that looks like a weird creature suggests to the audience that the victims are being stalked, however are unaware of it’s presence. Torch lighting is used again whilst Kate is on the tube and the lights flicker out, it is used to hide the identity of the person holding it and obscures Kate’s vision, she believes it’s the driver of the tube however the audience know different to this. Kate uses the flame from a lighter which is used to create the same effect as the torch did., which builds tension and makes the audience feel on edge. Whilst Kate is in the warehouse we yet again see the appearance of the torchlight which makes the audience jump as she turns it on and then off to reveal the killers face that we have not yet seen.

The film uses intense gore and savage killings, the killer within Creep feeds human body parts to rats. The killer also looks inhumane.

During the film we see a close up of a woman's face which is covered in blood which then jump cuts to a party leaving the audience confused and questioning what has happened and foresees the rest of the film. A point of view shot is used to show Kate trying to find an escape/exit, this could be connoted that she is being stalked or watched making the audience wonder what is following her and what is going to happen to her. During the scene where Kate gets onto the off timetable tube we see an extreme close up shot of the peep hole of the driver door and then instantly a reverse shot which reveals to the audience the corpse of the driver. This creates drama and suspense as the audience know something that the main protagonist doesn’t. As Kate begins to run through the tube stations the camera is used at 3 different positions (steadicam), the camera appears to be following her, running with her, and when she stops the camera is looking at her with a close up shot to show her emotional and stressed face.  The camera then begins to circle around her as she tries to think of where to go to escape.

Subdued screams of a female and blood indicates danger. The film uses sounds and music to pre-empt terror. The audience are aware of the genre of the film and are waiting to be scared. However, some moments within the film are used as red herrings to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. A menacing soundtrack is played when one of the workmen is heading down a tunnel alone to create suspense to the scene. This also fits with the convention of a character being alone means something is going to happen. The soundtrack is used to aid the narrative rather than take It over or lead it. When Guy is attacked we see him dragged from the tube and with the use of diegetic sound, the audience begins to use their imagination to decide what is happening to him. This gives a powerful sense of suggestion. Non-diegetic sound is used when Kate runs from the tube. The sound is reminiscent of a heartbeat we hear due to the high tempo. Sounds of babies are also used when they are shown in the test tubes. This creates unsettling images and horror within the audience.