Comparable Texts - Horror trailers analysis

The Strangers
The strangers film has a similar story line to our film which is why we have looked at it. We have noticed that the trailer includes many quick shots and fast paced music. We wish to incorporate this style when creating our trailer to help its pace change throughout which will make it exciting and intriguing. There are also some shots used in this trailer that we wish to use such as the wide angle shots where strangers appear out of the dark. The shots of the house showing it being empty and eerie. These effects are ones we wish to use in our trailer.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
This film has a similar story line to our film so there are some aspects of this trailer we wish to use. It is an early form of sci-fi horror so obviously we will be using aspects from this trailer and incorporate it in ours to help develop the story into the trailer to make the audience interested. We also like the use of the titles. Even though the titles in this trailer may appear to be outdated we can still use the affect in our own trailer.

The Host
Unlike the other two films this film is not a horror, it is a sci-fi thriller but there are still aspects of this trailer that we can use in our own. In this trailer many of the shots show people being chased. This would be perfect in our film as the story follows a group of teenagers being chased by the mysterious figures. This trailer also uses titles which is an effect we wish to use.

So all of these trailers have effects and styles we wish to use in our own trailer. The use of cinematography and mise-en-scene is perfectly exampled in all of these trailers. The creepy house with the figures appearing from the dark and the chase scenes. These are all examples of the cinematography and content that we wish to use

Survey Responses - Analysis

Survey Questions

Before making the trailer for our film, we had to create a questionnaire to find out what kind of film people would want to see. We came up with ten questions with multiple choice answers. After the questionnaire has been filled out by enough people we will analyse the responses and use this data to create our trailer.

1. Are you male of female?

• Male
• Female
• Prefer not to say

2. How old are you?

• 16 and under
• 17-25
• 26-30
• 31-40
• 41 and over

3. What is you occupation?

• Student
• Public sector
• Private Sector
• Self Employed
• Unemployed

4. Do you go to the cinema? If so how often?

• No
• Yes - rarely
• Yes - occasionally
• Yes - once a month
• Yes - twice a month
• Yes - once a week
• Yes - more tan once a week

5. What is your favourite film genre?

• Comedy
• Action
• Adventure
• Si-Fi
• Horror
• Romance
• Fantasy
• Animation/Cartoon
• Other (please specify)

6. Who do you normally go to the cinema with?

• Large group (5 or more)
• Small group (2 to 4)
• One friend
• Significant other
• Family
• Alone

7. What are your reasons for going to the cinema?

• Film plot
• Genre
• Actors/actresses involved
• Director
• Socialise

8. Based on the synopsis below, would you be likely to go see this film at a cinema? Specify your reasons why.

• Yes
• No

9. If you would not see this film at the cinema would you consider to wait for its DVD release?

• Yes
• No

10. Would you recommend this film to others based on its synopsis?

• Yes
• No

Group idea for a new horror film

External forces plot to destroy mankind; they appear on earth, inhabiting Mannequins. Becoming known as Figures, the mannequins start appearing in every-day places including people’s homes, shopping areas and museums. This external force is growing and the Figures take mankind off-guard. Soon, they outnumber the human race, and people start to question what is happening. Many of the population believe it’s a publicity stunt. When the population of Figures is at its height, people are beginning to be killed. The population is severely affected resulting in collapse of civilisation. The story follows a group of teenagers who find each other when scavenging for food in an abandoned neighbourhood. In desperation the group’s relationship grows and they decide that the only way to survive is to stick together. As the population narrows down the Figures are working harder to extinguish the human race. A group of Figures locate the teenagers and hunt them down. The group are pursued by the Figures, confined with nowhere to go they try to keep hidden. When Alice, one of the teenagers, is caught off-guard and violently killed in the kitchen of their hideout by a figure, the teenagers decide they have no other option but to fight for their survival. When Emily finds Alice’s body, she goes off to search the house for remaining Figures. As she enters the bathroom a Figure is waiting for her. Just as the others run up to save her they go in to watch their friend drown. The two evade the Figure and find themselves in a basement with a strange electronic device. The figure breaks in and during a struggle the two accidentally destroy the device. The Figure shuts down and the two realise this is how to save humanity. In the final scene the Figure’s power light flickers leading the audience to decide if the Figures have been truly defeated or not.

Individual idea for a new horror film

After the West declares war on select countries in the Middle East, the art of warfare becomes ugly once again. With both sides placing research on nuclear and chemical weapons the world fears the inevitable, complete devastation and apocalypse. The inevitable happens and most of the civilised world topples into a domino effect of nuclear attacks on major cities and towns. The use of chemical weapons has turned humans and animals of all kinds into vicious, cannibalistic creatures. The story follows a young boy, Alfie, separated from his family during the mass attacks. He has set up a shelter in an abandoned mill on the marshland near his original home. He is seen being gathering food and supplies from empty houses in abandoned neighbouring villages. We see him looking at a picture of a young girl who appears to be of some importance. We learn of her importance when Alfie saves a young girl, Bethany, from a group of bandits. He tells Bethany of how he was separated from his family and that he must find this girl, Hannah, who we learn was his girlfriend before the apocalypse. Alfie and Bethany bond as they gather resources and hunt the mutant creatures and come close to being killed themselves. The two come across a vehicle, in the village where Hannah lived, with a man inside close to death. He tells Alfie where he has seen Hannah and where he can find her alive. The two then rush of to save Hannah. After fighting their way through the mutants Alfie finds a blood stained letter addressed to him. He learns that Hannah has been taken to a safe haven. Bethany Tells Alfie she doesn’t want to go with him when he says he must go. In the final scene the camera looks over Bethany’s shoulder, through a window where we see Alfie walking along the road leaving the audience to decide if Alfie finds his girlfriend or not. 

Film Distribution

What is meant by the term film distribution?

Film distribution is when the film is released to many screens. Distributers have to determine how best to sell the film to the audience, this includes advertising as well as the display of the film itself. When distributing a film it has to be advertised as well as released in cinemas and on DVD or Blu-ray or streaming sites. When distributing the aim is to let it reach as many of the audience as is possible.

What does a film distributor do?

The distributors will complete the marketing to entice an audience to watch the film. It will then release the film in cinemas, again trying to reach an audience as big as possible. A film distributer has to decide which area would be most successful in the release of the film depending on the nationality of the film as well as the method of marketing and advertising. The methods of distribution can vary depending on the company’s reference to distribution.

How does reach relate to film distribution?

Reach is literally the film reaching out when advertising. It is how many media platforms the advertising campaign uses and how it reaches the audience. The campaign can use platforms such as television, radio, billboards, posters on buses and various others. The size of the reach can have an effect on the budget. If a big reach is used then there will be less money to use on the film as well as less profit being made. However if a large reach is used and it is successful, such as the Woman in Black campaign, then it can benefit the film and help to make more money.

What is meant by the distribution plan?

The distribution plan is looking at where the film will be released. When planning the distribution things such as competition and the areas where the target audience live would be taken into consideration. The distribution plan will also affect the budget of the film. The wider it is released the more it will cost.

What is meant by the marketing plan?

A marketing plan looks at the whole project and takes every aspect into consideration. It will look at the films locations, costume and props, its advertising campaign and possible merchandise. The marketing plan looks at every aspect to create an estimated budget for the film.

What is the difference between advertising, publicity and promotion?

Advertising

Advertising is what introduces the audience to the film using trailers, posters, adverts etc. this is all done within the film’s budget.

Publicity

Publicity is the response of the film. It has anything to do with the response from people not involved in the planning or making of the film. This includes critic’s reviews, discussions from audiences, and articles in news.

Promotion

Promotion is done through the use of advertising in places where conventional advertising cannot be placed. This includes in restaurants in shops. This also includes the use of merchandise which can also be found in the same location. The use of competitions and collectable items can help to promote the film.

Find a teaser poster, main poster and main trailer for a horror film and put them on your Blog – who was the distributor and in how many countries was it released? Can you find how many screens it was shown in on the opening weekend?

28 Days Later teaser poster

28 Days Later main poster

28 Days Later trailer

28 Days Later box office details

Audiences and Institutions: The Woman in Black

Representation of Women - Quiz

Who wrote about the “final girl” in 1992?
Carol Clover

In what book did they write about the “final girl”?
Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film

List three traits of the “final girl”/three ‘conventions’.
-(Binary opposition) neither weak female or strong male character
-She fights back
-She is conservative/more innocent

Who wrote about existing research on women’s roles in media texts in 1983?
Jeremy Tunstall (The Media in Britain, 1983)

What were the 4 roles mentioned?
-Domestic
-Sexual
-Consumer
-Marital

In 1992 research showed that men dominated women on-screen, but by what ratio?
2:1

What was the only genre in which the ratio of males to females was more equal?
Advertising

Name one of the three problems with the findings?
-Men had the occupations
-Men were shown away from the home
-Men were depicted as authority figures

Why does the reading suggest that Ripley (Alien) is ‘more progressive’ than Lara Croft (TR)?
Lara Croft is sexualised and objectified

What are the 3 ‘C’s when discussing the portrayal of women in some lifestyle magazines?
Cooking, cleaning and caring

Who wrote Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema?
Laura Mulvey (Autumn, 1975)

(Briefly) describe what is meant by the ‘male gaze’
The use of camerawork; angling, point of view shots and framing etc. so that the women are an object of male gaze. The women are depicted as sexual objects.

Which magazine removed the male centrefold in the 1980s and why?
Cosmopolitan – the female audience found it more amusing and humorous than sexy.

Representation of Women (In Cabin in the Woods)