Directors' Featurette

Evaluation Part 4

Evaluation Part 3

Evaluation Part 2

Evaluation Part 1

Side By Side Poster Analysis

The comparison between the two horror posters is that they are both very simple but also effective in the sense that they make the audience think about what the phrases say. For example my horror poster on the left says the caption 'Trapped in his mind' which is relevant to the name of the film 'Broken Mind'. The horror poster on the right hand side is called 'Scream Park' and it has the caption underneath which says 'Death is the new attraction...' which is also a very clever caption as like my horror poster it is relevant to the name of the film. Another comparison between the two is that they both use a similar colour scheme of a red/orange background with black & white also included.

Side By Side Magazine Cover Analysis

This is a comparison between my Horror magazine & another Horror magazine I found on the internet. As you can see both main images are positioned in the centre of the screen this is to make them the main stand out feature as the audience tend to look at pictures before reading what the writing actually says. Another thing that the two horror magazine covers have in common is the selling points down the margins of both sides of the page, this is in order to attract multiple audiences to buy the magazine because they see something they like in the contents of the magazine. Both magazines have also used a similar colour scheme in the perspective that black & white has been used a lot because they are colours which are associated with horror.

Original Photos (Poster)

Original Photos (Magazine)

History of Horror

History of Horror

1920’s & 1930’s- This was the start of horror, this was the first time people were making films with the purpose to scare the audience. This era saw mainly remakes of classic films such as Dracula but other films where made such as the well-known Frankenstein.

1940’s- In this period of time was world war 2 which obviously meant that horror films saw a deep decline because of the fact most men were out at war. However it was not all doom and gloom as the 1940’s did see some horror films come out such as Wolf Man & House of Dracula.

1950’s- The war had finished and people had returned home which saw horror films flourish once again, the 1950’s created the ‘Mutants Era’. Most films around this time had gross oversized mutants which would wreak havoc over the cities and towns. An example of a film made in the 1950’s is ‘It came from beneath the sea’.

1960’s- The 1960’s brought the thriller factor to horror films with horror films such as Psycho which was made from Alfred Hitchcock. 

1970’s- The 1970’s saw a surge in horror films because they reflected the time where it was a depressing decade because of the hype of the 1960’s. Many horror films were created in this time such as Jaws & the Exorcist.

1980’s- As the new filming technology increased dramatically it brought new aspects to horror films. It was able to bring new costumes and better graphics to horror films. Some horror films which were created in this period were Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser. 

1990’s- In the 1990’s the new craze was psychopaths being in horror films as people could relate and were scared of this. Horror films would have brutal murders in them which included ordinary people which allowed people to relate that this could happen to them, which scared them. Examples of films made in this time are Se7en & Candyman.

2000’s- This was the era of ‘Teen Horror’ which is where a group of adolescents would be killed one by one by a monster in a horror film. Some examples are the films, Final destination saga & The ring.

Prop List

Prop List

• Vodka Bottle
• Sweets
• Plastic Toy Gun
• Cover for Sleeping scene
• Mirror
• Sofa
• Phone
• Plastic Knife
• Fake Blood
• Latex

Choice of Trailer & Synopsis

Choice of Trailer & Synopsis

We decided to create a highlights trailer as compared to scene trailer as it excites horror fans more seeing some of the gory scenes which are included in the horror trailer as we want it to scary people. A trailer we liked was the Evil Dead trailer as they used a slow pace at the start of the trailer and then fast scenes showing off gory moments in the film. I think by showing highlights it makes the trailer more powerful and gets people talking about the trailer wanting to see the film.

Another trailer which we liked was the Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) trailer because it had slow narrative to get the plot across to the audience but also it had a quick montage of shots to keep the audience interested and I also liked the mini jump scene which was slowed down into slow motion that worked really effectively. The trailer also had a nice quick ending with titles and a jump scare in the trailer which we want to include in our trailer.

The idea for our horror Trailer ‘Broken Mind’ is based around our main character ‘Leo’. Leo is an ex-policeman and has turned to drugs and alcohol to try block out something he’s previously done in his past. He is struggling in life and is becoming suicidal. He starts to experience paranormal activity in his home which you see whilst watching the trailer. Initially you would think he is hallucinating due to the drugs and alcohol he has conceived but it is proven that he is being attacked by a demon when the spirit starts to become violent smashing doors making banging noises etc.

Leo in fear for his life calls his best friend to try and help him escape the evil spirit which is haunting his house. It is later revealed that Leo turned to drugs and alcohol because he had previously had to shoot an innocent child to save her from a painful and torturous experience whilst he was in the police which he has never been able to forget about. As the spirit becomes more violent throughout the trailer physically abusing Leo, he has to confront his personal issues because the spirit was created from the darkness and pain inside Leo’s ‘Broken Mind’. 

Stereotypical Fan

Stereotypical Horror Fan

Name: Joe & Matt

Likes: Horror Films, Comic Books, Video Games, Heavy Music.

Dislikes: Sports, People, Going Outside.

Life Story: Joe (On the left) was brought up in a nuclear family, enjoyed playing video games with his friend Matt (On the right) having gone to school together. They then decided to start a business together selling comic related things. When they get home from work they both go back to their flat which they rent together, get a takeaway and watch horror films.

Age: They are both 27

Race: White

Gender: Male

Favourite Films: The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead & A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Final 2nd Year Trailer

Favourite Image Analysis

This scene from Psycho is right near the end of the film when Marion’s sister (Lila) has got into the Bates Motel whilst tries to distract Norman. By the time Norman realised what they were up to, Marion had just discovered that Norman’s mother is actually just a skeleton dressed up. As you can see in the picture it is Norman dressed up with a wig and one of his mother’s dresses on. The grin on his face is to actually make the audience feel quite freaked out but to also make the audience laugh. This conveys sadism, and also links to the context of Ed Gein, who also used to be a transvestite. This would have very powerful to audiences at the time of the films release in 1960, just three years after Ed Gein was arrested. The lighting in the room is low key which makes shadows very clear. In this image the shadow makes Norman look a lot more powerful, Hitchcock was a famous auteur director who cleverly used camera angles and montage to create emotional effects.

This image is my favourite image analysis because it’s the moment in the film (Psycho) where we realise that Norman Bates has been pretending to be his mother aswell and this psychological horror messes with the audience’s heads and is impossible to guess what happens which is why this image is my favourite. When I first saw this in the film I found it slightly funny in the sense that Norman is dressed up as his mother but also creped out because it’s scary and Norman’s stood there with a butch knife.

Evaluation Screening

6 Panel Practice Storyboards

Solo Trailer Review 3

Name of film: Insidious 3    

Year Released: 2015

Genre of trailer: Horror

Mark after reviewing: 8/10

What happened in the trailer? A girl who broke her leg thinks the boy next door who has a crush on her is knocking on her wall so she knocks back, she then realises after texting him that he’s at his Grandma’s house. So who was knocking on the wall? When she turns the lights out to try get to sleep she feels grabbed by a person when she wakes no one is there. She is being possessed by someone or something.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well? The music in the trailer is really creepy and there is a really good jump scare at the end of the trailer, this is a common way in which horror trailers are finished and this is what I want to have included in my horror film. Slow start built up into a faster sequence of scenes.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing? Some of the scenes were really quickly flashed which made me feel a bit lost from the plot.

What was the trailer’s average score? Why did it receive that mark? 8/10. This was the average score for this trailer because the trailer was creepy and made the audience feel scared but want to watch it to see what happens in the film.

Solo Trailer Review 2

Name of film: The Conjuring      

Year Released: 2013

Genre of trailer: Horror

Mark after reviewing: 8/10

What happened in the trailer? A family which lived in a farmhouse were being terrorised by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well? The trailer had positive aspects such as it was creepy and made me feel uneasy watching it because I couldn’t predict what was going to happen to the woman when the demon was tormenting her. I would like to include the feeling of making the audience feel uneasy and scared into my trailer because to me that is what horror trailers should make you feel like.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing? The only concern I had about that trailer was the fact that not much was given away from it & throughout the trailer it was mainly set in the same location.

What was the trailer’s average score? Why did it receive that mark? 7.5/10. This score was the average because most people enjoyed the trailer and would want to see it but not enough of the film was shown in the trailer for it to be a 10/10 must see horror film.

Solo Trailer Review 1

Name of film: Alien

 

Year Released: 1979

Genre of trailer: Horror

Mark after reviewing: 8/10

 

What happened in the trailer? The planet from Alien has been colonized by people but contact has been lost and the people have been lost

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well? The music was effective as it was scary & it lasted the duration of the trailer. The music had a fast pace which made me feel panic & kept my eyes on the screen to see what happens next.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing? The storyline wasn’t that clear and I had to think about what was actually going on until I understood the plot. They probably could have made it a bit more obvious that the people on the planet had lost communication.

What was the trailer’s average score? Why did it receive that mark? 8.5/10. The trailer received this score because it kept the audience glued to the screen and also nervous with the music and sound effects used throughout whilst giving the storyline.

Shooting Schedule

Magazine Cover Analysis 3

• The tagline used on this magazine cover is very clever and catchy as its what people want in a horror magazine. 'Blood, guts, gore and more!'
• The name of the magazine 'scream' is in a red font to represent blood and has blood dripping off from the font.
• On the top right of the magazine cover is the website for the magazine company, that has been added to try to increase viewership online.
• The magazine cover uses the stereotypical horror colours such as red, white and black.
• On the left hand side of the magazine cover are the selling points and at the bottom the magazine cover there is even more stuff which is included in the magazine so they are looking to sell the magazine to a relatively large audience.
• The images on the magazine cover mainly have blood on people's faces which relates to the fact that the magazine is targeted to an audience which favours the horror genre.

Magazine Cover Analysis 2

• The main selling point on the magazine cover is 'meet the joker', this tagline is reaching out to a large audience of Batman fans who will want to buy the magazine because the joker is the ultimate villain.
• The colour scheme used is green, white and purple this represents these colours represent the joker.
• On the bottom right of the magazine cover is what's included in the magazine & this is added to try and tempt people to buy the magazine.
• The main image takes up most of the page in order to attract peoples attention to the magazine.

Magazine Cover Analysis 1

• When you first look at this horror magazine the first thing you notice is that the image almost takes up the whole page, this is to entice the audience to want to buy this magazine to read it.
• The font that the magazine has used is very bold & clearly stands out from the background.
• The banner at the top of the magazine cover gives the audience a small teaser as to what is in this edition of the magazine.
• The colours which are used on the magazine are white, black & red. These colours symbolise blood, gore & the rest of the content which is included in horror films.
• In this name of the magazine 'Entertainment' they have put 'Weekly' tells us that the magazine has a new edition come out every week.
• On the right hand side of the magazine cover it says 'Scream Returns!' This is the main selling point for the magazine, the text as been made big & bold so it stands out & makes people want to buy it.

Focus Group Screening & Feedback

Scores:  3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 7

Average score: 5.2

Positive Feedback:Good intertitles x 13
Good varied use of cinematography x 9
Jump scare was effective x 8
Good gore effects x 7
Loudness emphasises drama x 3
Intense x 3
Good use of fast paced montage x 2
Sound effects work well x 2
Good narrative x 2
Good editing x 2
Suggested Improvements:Needs Music x 15
More backstory  x 12
Tidy some scenes up (editing) x 9
Less intertitles x 7
More variety in setting x 5
Too many screams x 2
Repetitive shots x 2
More dialogue

Practice 1st Year Trailer

Broken Mind Rough Cut

Final Poster

Final Magazine Cover

3rd Psycho Image Analysis

This scene from Psycho is when Arbogast has entered the house at the top of the hill from Bates Motel. He was looking for Norman Bate’s mother as he gets to the top of the staircase we see a bird’s eye view as Norman rushes out with a knife dressed up as his mother and stabs Arbogast. The large grin on Norman’s face as he holds the knife is a direct connotation of sadism, as Norman is clearly getting pleasure from killing Arbogast dressed up as his mother. This was a surprise to the audience as it is against the CDI of the film. A few years before Psycho’s release, Ed Gein was a big serial killer in America, which greatly influenced the character of Norman Bates. Ed Gein was famous for digging up his mother’s body which is what Norman also does in the film Psycho and we are shown Norman’s mother just before the big reveal at the end of the film. Ed Gein was also famous for cross dressing like his mother in order to “keep her alive” which again was what Norman did by dressing up in a dress and a wig. This film was something which the public could relate too as there had recently been news reports on Ed Gein’s crimes on early TV sets in 1960, this was due to Ed Gein being the first serial killer that was extensively broadcasted on television.  

2nd Psycho Image Analysis

This scene from Psycho is right near the end of the film when Marion’s sister (Lila) has got into the Bates Motel whilst tries to distract Norman. By the time Norman realised what they were up to, Marion had just discovered that Norman’s mother is actually just a skeleton dressed up. As you can see in the picture it is Norman dressed up with a wig and one of his mother’s dresses on. The grin on his face is to actually make the audience feel quite freaked out but to also make the audience laugh. This conveys sadism, and also links to the context of Ed Gein, who also used to be a transvestite. This would have very powerful to audiences at the time of the films release in 1960, just three years after Ed Gein was arrested. The lighting in the room is low key which makes shadows very clear. In this image the shadow makes Norman look a lot more powerful, Hitchcock was a famous auteur director who cleverly used camera angles and montage to create emotional effects. 

1st Psycho Image Analysis

This scene from Psycho is when Marion is in the back room at the check in of the motel and Norman has made her something to eat. The stuffed owl in the top left of the picture connotes that they are being watched. This relates to when Norman watches Marion get undressed through the hole in the wall. The lighting in the room & the night time diegesis creates a large shadow of the owl which is to create a powerful unsettling atmosphere in order to make the audience feel uneasy. The facial expression on Norman’s face makes the audience feel sorry for him as he looks lonely & happy to spend time with Marion. We would never expect him to be a serial killer. This relates to the real life serial killer Ed Gein, who also used to be a Taxidermist and stuffed his dead mother to help preserve her body. 

3rd DOTD (2004) Image Analysis

In this scene in Dawn of The Dead (2004) we see a news reporter reporting from what looks like somewhere such as Pakistan/Iraq as we see the places of worship all over the background behind the reporter. At this time 9/11 was fresh as it happened three years before so everyone was afraid of terrorism and I think this scene connotes that. The signal on this news report seems very poor quality and it seems like there may have been a terrorist attack on this place as all the background is dusty and the reporter seems very jumpy. Context theory was written about by Janet Staiger and this is very important to understand how a horror film would be more powerful to audiences at the time it was released.

2nd DOTD (2004) Image Analysis

In this scene in Dawn of The Dead (2004) it is nearly the end of the film and Ana is looking back towards land where they have just left Michael because he has just admitted he has been bitten and he has pushed them away on the boat. As Ana looks back at land you can see the emotion on her face and this shows that she had feelings for Michael. As the camera stays on Ana’s face we hear a gunshot suggesting Michael has just killed himself. Although this scene is rather upsetting and seems like an unhappy ending, it is actually in a way a happy ending as we know that Ana and the rest of the characters which survived are going to get a break from the zombies for a while anyway. The American flag next to Ana was important given the context of Terrorism around the time the film was released. Also Michael is the typical male hero who sacrifices himself to save the rest of the group. Also Ana is the final girl and Kenneth both survive this reflects how modern societies attitude has changed regarding racism and sexism.

1st DOTD (2004) Image Analysis

In this scene in Dawn of The Dead (2004) Ana is about to kill Stephen who has been bitten and is now a zombie. This scene is very clever as Stephen treats women badly and after he enters to the mall he’s very sarcastic and selfish. For example when he drinks all the juice which the others wanted to have some of. Earlier in the film we could tell there was some tension between Ana and Stephen, Stephen said to Ana “Hey, sweetheart. Let me tell you something. You, uh, you have my permission. I ever turn into one of those things? Do me a favour, blow my fucking head off”. Ana replied to Stephen with “Oh, yeah, you can count on that”. So this scene has relevance from earlier in the film as we can see in this image that Ana is about to blow Stephen’s head off as he has turned into a zombie. This is another example of Romero's influence that he had on the film although he didn’t direct the 2004 film as you can tell from the final girl which reflects the context going against the stereotypical horror characters roles as Ana is a bad ass female survivor but she’s blonde who goes against the stereotypical character as the blonde girl usually dies after having sex in most occasions. 

3rd DOTD (1979) Image Analysis

This scene in Dawn of The Dead (1979) is when Stephen is down in the cellar & is being chased around the dark, spooky room by a zombie. This scene builds up tension as Stephen is pretty much useless, he can’t shoot a gun properly and is often terrified. The film actually goes against the stereotypical horror movie where the good looking guy is supposed to be the hero and save the day, but instead Stephen is the weakest male character and he doesn’t survive. Romero’s auteur style means he often surprises us with characters. In Day of the Dead, one of the main heroes is a zombie called “Bub”! In terms of body horror, you can see how big the shadow is on the wall next to Stephen and the zombie, the zombie has blood all over its face which gives us the impression that Stephen is not the first person which it has attacked.

2nd DOTD (1979) Image Analysis

This scene in Dawn of The Dead (1979) is right at the end of the film when Fran & Peter escape in the helicopter. The picture shows Fran’s face relatively close up and really expresses the emotion in her face. Fran looks shocked that Peter made it out alive but also scared as I don’t think she knows what to expect now they are out of the mall. In the background of this picture we can see Peter sitting in the back of the helicopter looking relieved to still be alive after bravely changing his mind and battling against the zombies to escape the mall so Fran doesn’t have to be alone. This scene connotes feminism as back in 1979 woman were battling for rights to be treated equally with men. This image shows Fran as the more solid unemotional figure whereas Peter looks shaken up in the back of the helicopter with a look of fear in his face. This picture also shows how Peter is a male hero and reflects Romero’s anti-racist ideologies back in 1979 when America was still very racist, the concept of a male, black hero would have been shocking. But because Romero was half-Cuban, he wanted to include strong ethnic minority characters in his films.

1st DOTD (1979) Image Analysis

This scene in Dawn of The Dead (1979) is when we see the characters enjoying life in the mall and making the most of the mall. In this image we can see Peter & Stephen in the bank holding money up to the security camera. We can also see all the money on the desk which they look like they are going to take away in the bags which are on the desks as well. This picture connotes consumerism as even though there is a zombie apocalypse they are still concerned about having money and other valuables. Back in 1979 consumerism was a big thing and malls were very popular. Romero did not agree with this consumerism being a good idea and this shows his auteur influence, Also Stephen shows he is greedy whilst they are enjoying the mall as when the red necks invade the mall Peter tells Stephen to leave them but instead he shows his greed as he shoots at the bikers because he wants to protect his stuff in the mall which eventually leads to his death.

Class Research: Favourite Type of Horror

My personal favourite horror genre is Psychological as it gives me something to figure out as the story line is usually confusing and not straight forward, so its a bit of a mystery.

Health and Safety

Horror Poster Analysis 3

Scream (1996)

·         Crime/horror/mystery

·         A masked killer begins murdering teenagers in a small town, and as the body count rises, one girl and her friends contemplate the "rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.

·         Tag Line- Someone has taken their love of scary movies one step too far. Solving this mystery is going to be murder.

·         The poster for scream is very clever as the mask of the killer is shaped like a knife at the bottom as you can see the light gleaming off the sharp knife. This suggests to the audience before they’ve even watched the film that there is going to be murders.

·         The colours which are used are black, red and white. Having this black background makes the white and red text stand out to the audience and although the poster is very basic, it catches the eye of the audience.

·         The target audience for this film is teenagers as teenager girls are murdered in the film.

·         The title uses the number ‘4’ instead of the letter ‘A’. This suggests that this is the 4^th movie in the ‘scream’ series. The letter ‘M’ has also been adapted so it looks similar to a knife (this connotes killing and death) if you look at the middle of the ‘M’. This helps to identify the film as a horror movie.

·         The background is all black with a slight glow coming off the main image. The black background fits the horror genre very well because a very common fear amongst humans in the dark, so by giving the poster a black background it makes the consumer feel uneasy and perhaps a little scared. 

Horror Poster Analysis 2

Paranormal Activity (2007)

·        Horror/mystery

·        After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.

·        The victims on the poster are the two characters which are in bed looking terrified towards an open door where you can see the shadow of a person on the door.

·        The victims is a young couple and they look threatened and possibly in danger.

·        The colours which have been used are black, blue and red. The colour blue gives the poster mystery whereas the black and red colours are the typical horror film colours.

·        They have used selling lines on the poster such as “One of the scariest at-home viewing experiences ever!” and ‘What happens when you sleep’?

·        The target audience is people between the ages of 18-30.

Horror Poster Analysis 1

Shaun of the dead (2004)

·        Comedy/horror

·        A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

·        Main Image is the main character Shaun standing in front of his ex-girlfriend and his best friend. As you can see they are holding weapons such as a baseball bat this suggests they are going to be fighting back with the zombies who are surrounding the poster on the left and right hand side of the page.

·        The colours of the poster are black and red. The red represents too things it could represent blood and that the characters are going to get killed by the surrounding zombies but it also shows the zombies reaching out at the characters in a black background and this suggests that as they move closer their closing out the light as in murdering them.

·        The text is located in the centre of the poster and is the colour red. This makes the text stand out but also it represents blood which backs the genre that it is a horror.

·        The target audience is teenagers as it is horror but it contains a lot of comedy and isn’t a serious film. 

Class Poster Idea

Class Trailer Review

Name of film: Toxic Avenger     

Year Released: 1985

Genre of trailer: Horror

Mark after reviewing: 2/10

What happened in the trailer?

In the trailer a small weedy guy called Melvin who works at a gym as a janitor is being bullied by all the people at the gym and when he receives a humiliating prank from one of the muscular gym guys he jumps out the window and unfortunately falls into a toxic waste truck which transforms Melvin into a pumped up muscular monster who turns into a hero and saves innocent people from getting hurt by the jackass gym dudes.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

·         Considering it was a low budget horror there were some decent scenes.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

·         The trailer was too long and dragged on

·         It was too humorous

·         Too many puns that it was annoying

·         They say “Toxic Avenger” too much.

·         Not enough horror

What was the trailer’s average score? Why did it receive that mark?

3.5- Not enough horror and the trailer was too annoying.

Class Trailer Review

Name of film: Pusher Trilogy

Year Released: 2005

Genre of trailer: Horror/Crime

Mark after reviewing: 8/10

What happened in the trailer?

We couldn't really get a great idea of what happens in the trailer as it’s very fast paced with lots of scenes. The plot is about a gangster who is addicted to drugs wants to come clean and the trailer shows an insight to the struggles he goes through as he’s surrounded by drugs, alcohol and women.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

·         It was interesting

·         Fast paced, lots of scenes, hints at a lot of sex, drugs and violence.

·         Doesn't give too much away.

·         Violence/Gore

·         Liked the footsteps in the background

·         Good Font

·         Rhythm to the music and speeds up and matches cuts in the action- quotes on screen.

·         Doesn't show the key plot bits

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

·         Too much text

·         Not enough in terms of plot for some members of the class

·         Used the same clip twice

What was the trailer’s average score? Why did it receive that mark?

8- This trailer really went for it and filled it full of quick sequences of clips to excite viewers and shows a genuine reflection of the films.

Class Trailer Review

Name of film: Evil Dead

Year Released: 2013

Genre of trailer: Horror

Mark after reviewing: 9/10

What happened in the trailer?

In the trailer a group of young adults who all seem to be in their twenties have come to a cabin in the woods for a break to get drunk and have a good time but one of them finds a book and starts to read it in the trailer we see the guy reading the book and we can see it says “Leave this book alone” written in blood. This is where it all starts as it has awakened demons from the surrounding woods. One of the young girls in the group (Mia) becomes possessed by the demons and she tries to kill the rest of the group. They try to survive and escape but the nearby roads are flooded. The trailer is full of gore and keeps the audience starring at the screen.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

·         A lot of gore

·         Music worked well

·         Establishes plot

·         Collision cutting slow to quick & quick flashes of action with sound of fx to accompany them.

·         Genuinely horrific bits – tongue cut/eyes on the girl.

·         Music fits the writing very dramatically.

·         Inter titles tell us the story while still being dramatic.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

·         Might have shown all the best bits

·         I would have ended the trailer with the scene which the girl is under the floorboard singing “We’re gonna get you”.

·         Ruins plot a little as It gives to much away and it is a very long trailer (2.20)

·         Overly unrealistic puke.

What was the trailer’s average score? Why did it receive that mark?

8.6 – The highest average rating of the films that we reviewed in class, this is because there was plenty of collision cutting, a great use of music and it was genuinely scary. Although there may have been a bit too much gore in the trailer.

Mood Board

1) Element and fear on the protagonists face. (Still taken from Disturbia) Use of phallic weapon- garden trimmers.

2) Prosthetic makeup / fake blood on the character. Connotes madness and the fact he's losing his mind slowly, almost insanity portrayed.

3) Evil/ Darkly shown Police officer. - Our main protagonist is a police officer and we can use the dark shades/ silhouettes (chiaroscuro) to effect on our character.

4) Red eye/ evil through the character's eye. Desperation portrayed on his face, we want our character to look and 'feel' the same, almost as if he's lost all hope.

5)   Suspended character - ghost/paranormal/abnormal goings on. We want our own character to have been 'possessed' by whatever is controlling him, so we could element some of these in our own trailer.

6) Flashback / what we think is going on and what's not. For example, the screenshot- she thinks she is biting into an apple, but we see a light-bulb, which then changes back to an apple. Playing with the audience's mind and creating a restricted narrative style.

7) Red devil / evil haunting type character, that keeps in both our minds and that of the mind of our protagonist. We could take clear motivational ideas from this 'type' of villain.

8) Paranormal / haunting ghost that follows and creeps on our protagonist.​

Shot Lists

Film Review

Media Film Review 2

Film Title: Shaun of the Dead

Year of Production: 2004

Director: Edgar Wright

Genre/Genres: Horror/Zombie Comedy

Brief Plot Outline: Shaun attempts to rescue his relationship with his ex and his mother while trying to fight off those who have turned into the un-dead and attempt to eat the living.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?

The first scene which impressed me was when David was pulled to the pub window and was ripped apart by flesh eating zombies. This scene was a great use of body horror which stunned the audience. The second scene which impressed me was when Shaun and Ed were throwing vinyl discs at the two zombies in the garden and this scene also used good body horror but also made the scene comical at the same time.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

I noticed various generic conventions from the checklist that were present in Shaun of the Dead such as: Body horror, an example of the body horror used in Shaun of the Dead, is the scene when there’s a zombie in the back garden of Shaun’s house which falls onto the pipe which leaves a bloody hole through the zombie and produces a large blood spat when the zombie first falls onto the pipe. Restricted narration, an example of this was in Shaun’s garden when we see him swinging the spade but we don’t actually see the impact. Although this horror movie has comical elements it’s still important that it has aspects from our checklist like male hero (Shaun) and final girl (Liz).

Which aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? Why?

There are certain aspects of the film which I would like to include in my own trailer such as body horror, this would be good to include as it enables the trailer to have a shock effect on the audience which they would remember.

Which aspects of the film would you like to avoid in your own trailer? Why?

I would like to avoid using the comedy aspect as I want my trailer to frighten people and stick in their minds so they watch the film, although comedy can be good in horror films if it’s not overused and pulled off correctly.

 What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The most enjoyable moment in the film was the comical sense of panic to save the world. This panic was shown by the characters facial expressions and this made the film enjoyable for me.