Analysis of Forest Massacre

I will now analyse my own trailer in terms of the conventions applied in trailers more specifically y the horror genre, these conventions are lighting, costume, setting, props, shots, cuts and the positioning. I have also applied some theories that we had in mind when making the trailer.

Lighting: In the beginning of the trailer we have natural lighting that sets the scene for the movie, this lighting is taken at around about 4 o'clock when the light is fading however still visible. The lighting then goes to low key lighting when they are in the forest - this applies to the codes and conventions of the horror genre we know this through the research we have done for example the trailer for the production of "Friday the 13th" was shot in low lighting conditions although they had the technology to apply special effects/lighting for example mist. When the trailer gets into its concluding scenes and the low key lighting is in effect, the key lighting becomes a use of a torch. This was one of the props therefore making it diegetic lighting as it comes from within the filming frame. All these methods comply to the conventions of horror in the first instance we did not use them however it made the trailer not  "scary" therefore we re-shot and found this was much scarier. It was important to use the dark as it plays with the audiences fears that nothing good comes from the dark.

Costume:In order to connect to are target audience (teenagers) we needed to dress accordingly therefore the characters where wearing jeans, t-shirts, shirts and hooded jackets this added an extra bit of realism to the trailer. This was seen through research we done as we studied this area closely. Our "bad guy" the "Unknown Figure" was wearing all black with there identity hidden to keep some mystery to the  plot, so that the audience we have this incentive to go watch the trailer. This also applied to one convention we looked at in horror trailers, you never got a full look at the bad guy so that therefore it was the unknown and the teenagers don't no what it hunting them - which the audience would relate to and this would therefore un-veal there deepest fears.

Setting: The setting we have used is a forest, this is a major convention as many peoples fears lie within the forest, as when it gets dark anything can happen there as its  in the unknown. It also represents the vulnerability that these teens put themselves in as the are secluded from the rest of the world. Its the idea that it could  happen to you so that the audience relate to  it, going of a  stereotype of teens hanging around in un populated areas such as the woods we targeted at them as it would play on their fears.

Props: Some of the props that where included where torches, knife and fake blood. The torches where used to showcase the key lighting and make it seem scarier for the audience as they where the connotation of night time. The knife was used by the "Unknown Figure" it was the murder weapon it made him appear scarier as he had a weapon where as the teenagers where helpless. The fake blood was used in the first shooting whereby it was found on a tree in the second shooting it was not practical as it would not be visible on the ground as it was much darker. All these conventions are applied in many different trailers that we have seen in past whilst studying before going into the creation or shooting of this coursework. These all had powerful connotations on the audience we felt and found through the feedback we got on the trailer.

Positioning: The positioning of the the actors was important for example for the choice of the "Unknown character" accompanied by camera angles he came across as powerful due to his height advantage on the other characters. We also placed one of the teens in the "limelight" if you will and made him the most identifiable out of all the  teens therefore the audience could connect with hi and therefore want to watch the movie to see what happens to him. We did this by placing him leading the others and doing the majority of the talking.

Shots: The shots I have used are very much the standard horror genre shots you would see in a horror trailer. For example I have used high and low angle shots which have the connotation of power on the audience for example in the scenes where the "Unknown Figure" watches over the teenager. Other shots I have used is bird eye view shots this allows for the audience to see everyone in a full frame. Another shot angle I have sued is a establishing shot which shows the area in which we are filming it also is accompanied by a show panning shot which we have seen used in trailer such as twilight. We have sued a extreme close up on one of the teens faces which allows us to showcase the emotions involved and therefore makes the audience more connected in the story.

Cuts: The  cuts we have used are taken from our research this is because we seen that some audiences like fast.short cuts this is the younger audience  The younger audience was our target audience therefore this is what we have done towards the end of the trailer. We have also used fad ins and outs which we got from our research as they add tension etc.

Theories:
The first theory that I could apply to this trailer is Todorov's narrative, this is the theory that suggests that there is five sections to any film, however in the trailer you would not show the last two sections the attempt to repair and the return to normality as these are why the audience would want to see the full film. The next theory that could be applied is blumler and katz this is the theory that says why people watch movies/TV. This can be applied due to it being able to entertain, escapism ans social avail abilities. My trailer can also apply to the props narrative theory the idea that there are character persona's in every film I have included the villain "The Unknown Figure", the false hero and the hero and then the victims.

Semiotics: The use of signs is important in the horror genre as everything used will give some connotation to the genre for example the knife is the sign of violence, the use of blood in horror is another form of semiotics however in our second shoot we did want to use it.

In terms of real media products I feel that our trailer resembles one on the current market for movies,  I feel this is because of dedication and time  we put into the researching stages as without it we would not have used near enough of the standard conventions of a horror trailer therefore it would not come across as realistic.