Final Product - Horror Trailer

Evaluation 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Evaluation 2 - How effective is the combination of your product and ancillary texts?

Film distributors have the role of distributing as well as marketing the film. To market a film means to promote it and this can be done in many different ways. They can use a variety of different media platforms such as outdoor poster adverts on billboards or bus stops, TV and cinema trailers, radio adverts, or web ads. These use of different marketing techniques and use of different media platforms can be used as a tactic of targeting specific target audience. For example a younger generation demographic audience are more likely to see web ads instead of bus stop ads, which the older generation might see more often. Audience research is also key when thinking about a marketing campaign. Without knowledge of the target audience the advertising campaign won’t be as effective. For example, The Woman in Black’s campaign was strong because the distributors knew who the audience were; fans of horror, fans of Daniel Radcliffe and fans of high culture (as the woman in black was adapted into a stage play). With this knowledge the distributors could use interviews with Radcliffe as well as social media to target the fan bases.

Many different films have different ways of advertising themselves. For example horror uses dark adverts with colours such as red that connote danger. More light hearted films will use light colours. For example these two posters for As Above So Below and 28 Days Later use the colour red and black. This red connotes danger and death and the use of black reinforces the darkness of horrors.

These two posters for The Emperors New Groove and Finding Nemo are full of colour and life which will entice the younger generation of audience and connotes fun, not death.

A more recent example of a good advertising campaign is with the new Star Wars trilogy. They announced that three more films would be made a couple of years before its release sparking debate and word of mouth, or word of mouse online. This debate has been huge amongst the Star Wars fan base which is already strong. What’s more is that the release date for the teaser trailer was released to create hype about the first trailer to be shown. Much more debate was sparked by this. This style of campaign is successful because there is already a fan base and the distributors know they would get excited by any information that is released.

Making sure all of the texts that have been used to advertise are connected with the film and are linked is very important. This helps give the film an identity and recognisable for anyone interested in watching. I have kept to a specific style giving my products low key lighting and shadows which creates the fear filled atmosphere. 

Evaluation 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Ancillary Product (Magazine Cover)

 

Like my film posters I created two and liked both of them. I made the decision of turning one into a Collectors edition which is conventional of some magazines.

Ancillary Product (Film Poster)

I have designed three different poster designs and because I liked them both so much I have decided to upload them all. I also decided that the film would use all three of my posters anyway for variety and they can all be used over a variety of different media platforms.

Film Poster Sketches (Planning)

Magazine Cover Sketches (Planning)

Risk Assessment (Planning)

Figure Script (Planning)

After planning the shots we wanted in our trailer we wrote up a small script for the shots that required dialogue. Because there is a small use of dialogue we wrote up a rough script that could be used in our trailer. The use of our dialogue will help the audience to understand the story line a lot more.

Release Forms (Planning)

Locations (Planning)

After planning our trailer we filled out recce sheets and scouted locations that we could use in our trailer. We also took photos of the locations so we could decide which would work best in our trailer.

Story Boards (Planning)

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After listing the shots we all took part in drawing our story boards. These are to help us visualize the trailer while planning it. These will help us to create our scenes and will allow us to create them to the desired visual.

Shot List (Planning)

When planning to help us draw the story boards we listed all the shots we wanted to see in our trailer. We drafted the idea of the trailer into 5 sequences and when we had done that cut down each shot and described the details of them. We have included the location, type of shot and sound/music in order to be exact when planning each scene of our trailer. Because we had listed each shot it helped us when drawing our story boards.

Prop List (Planning)

When filming our trailer we will need a number of props. We have written a list of the props we will need to complete our scenes:

• At least 1 mannequin
• At least 1 morph suit
• 1 large fake kitchen knife
• 1 camping kettle/stove
• 1 set of camping gear
• 2 rucksacks
• Multiple generic cans of food
• Multiple water bottles
• 2-4 sleeping bags
• 1 saw/chainsaw
• 2 LED lights (blue/red)
• 1 car battery/old old computer/TV
• 4 sets of dirt covered clothing
• Candles/torches

Impact of research and audience survey research

Secondary Audience Montage

Here is a montage to show the secondary audience of our film idea. Demographically the secondary audience will be middle classed and well educated and enjoy good literature and stage plays. Psychographically the secondary audience will be into classic sci-fi films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Invasion of the Body-snatchers. The secondary audience will enjoy our film because of the scientific factors and mystery to it.