Applying The Recognisable Convention To Trailers

In order to apply the recognisable conventions to trailers, we came together in our groups to complete a task where we had to came up with ideas about how to market and promote a film call BloodShed High. Me group come togther and began planing what we are going to do.

We where given story board sheet where we could fill in the section. From our research on the conventions of trailer we began to decuss some ideas of what convention we where going to use. 

We first look at the production detials. first dicussed many production companys however we agreed on a production company called Twisted pictures that is well known for producing horror film and have a big fan group. Looking at different trailers we show that the production detial are at the beginning of the trailer this create brand awareness for audience expectations, The audience will see Twisted Pictures and automatically know it will be a horror genre film.

We put our head together and come up with our UPS (Unique Selling Point). We wanted to have a USP that is not common in a horror genre. so we can decided to make the film in 3D becuase this is not common in many horror movies.

Actors and the Director was also dicussed by the group, we know that Actors sell movies so we wanted to make the Actors and director standing out. we came to a conclusion that the actors names will appear after a blackout in big bold letters. The actors that we used where Megan Fox becuase she is a very well known actriss and Michael Cera. Director sell film so we used a director named Brian de Palma, he is onw of the best directors.

The most important feature would the use of enigma code. In the trailer we would be using many black out having only the sound in the background. We wanted the audience to visualise what is going on hieghtening aticipation, getting the audience engaging in the trailer making then what to watch the film.

This task was very useful in helping understand the importants of how to arrange the different conventions in the tailer for example the production details at the beginning or the release date ate the end of the trailer.  From this task we can go away in my group with a clear understanding on how to apply the recognisable conventions to trailers and start applying it to our own trailer.

Analysis a Trailer

In our lesson today we began to go through different trailer from different genre. We looked at the conventions of a professional trailer and how trailer appeal to the audience. The trailer is an extremely important tool in marketing a film to the audience. Here are the conventions that we saw in the trailers:

- Release date

  

The release data on most of the trailer is seen at the end of the trailer. The release data left to the end of the trailer will make the audience want to see the film because of the exciting feature in the film. The release date is key for example a film that is about christmas will not be release in the summer time it will be release at a time that is suitable and will get the audience to see it. this also lines to the genre of the movie, for example a horror movie date would be release 2 weeks before Halloween.

- Production details

The production details are also very important. A company that is popular and is known for making great films will get the audience of that genre to watch it because of the previous successful films that where made. Lion gate entertainment is well known for their action and adventure films and the audience will recognise what genre of film the trailer is going to be about.

- The actors staring in the film and the director

Many people who watch films go and watch the film because of the actors or the actors name that is displayed in the trailer , this is a great way in marketing the film trailer. Some actor might be know for playing a character that is link to the genre of the film. famous actors and directors will sell capture the audience Russell Crowe is also known for playing a protagonist character in action based genre film like, Gladiator and Blood Oath. Directors are also Key when promoting a film trailer.

- USP(unique selling point)
Another Convention is the uniques selling point of the trailer. This is what sells the trailer, the director can use this to sell the movie. in this trailer the UPS is the female character that has committed the crime.

This create confusion for the audience because the and make them want to find out more about the character.The antagonist character is played mostly by a male character however the unique selling point could be the use of a female.

- Rapid Shots and Best bits

The audience are engaged by the use of rapid and quick shot which heighten anticipation making the audience want to watch the film, the rapid shot include the best bits of the film. The trailer builds to a climax via the rapid shot and use of black out making the audience recreate the action in their minds creating a sense of enigma.

Also slow shot can be used to create a sense of realism allowing you to get a clearer view of the trailer.

- Music and Sound
The music in the trailer can give away clues as to want the film the trailer is advertising. loud screeching violin string and drum can automatically make us think of horror. The music play a big role in  creating atmosphere in the trailer.

- Voice-over
The voice over is used to aid the audiences understanding of the film and also add anticipation. this can be used as a form of advertising the trailer, the male voice in the trailer builds a sense of mystery and suspence. this can be used as a marjeting device. The vocabulary and sentence structure needs to be consider when targeting a cetain audience.

Looking at the different convention of a trailer has shown me how film are promoted and how important certian convention are. Doing this research will help me and my group when we create our teaser trailer.

(The Next Tree days Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn1DsJZXKqY

Target Audience Profile

Blackwood Forest:
- Teen and young adults 15+
- Involved in technology .i.e. social networking
- Male and female
- Currently in education
- Interested in films
- Interested in horror
- have an allowance of about £15-20 a week

My target audience are group of people who love to watch film on weekly bases. A large majority of my target audience frequently use many social network sites like facebook, My Space and Youtube. My target audience are all in dull time education, meanly their GCSE or A levels. Their hobbies are going to the cinema with friends on the week end mainly to watch horror movies. They spend about £20 a week on magazine and for the cinema. Several of them have a part time job, working on the weekend to get some extra money. Most of my audience live in the hart of London and regularly travel around using public transport.

From the questionnaire that I create will give use a head start for when we begin our research. Our audience added plenty of ideas to our concept that we jotted down at the start. We looked at all there answers and took the vital ones on board. Our audience help us select our:

Prop
Costume
Location
Type of character to use

Our audience also gave us answer in the questionnaire that will aid our production in the later stages of our publicity campaign. For example what should be in the trailer and what makes you want to watch the movie etc.

Questionaire Results

Here are the result that i gave out to my target audience.

Quetionaire results on Prezi

From this information we can use to help us create our concept and further research in to the horror genre.

We looked at the common elements in different genre. the main genre that people know are musical, science fiction, teen movies, western, horror, action/adventure and many more.

Musical 

firstly in the music genre the iconic visual element and Mise en scene is the big dance numbers that are performed during the film. This can breaks the sense of realism. The main setting is normally in a high school and used a large area of space to do the number. The stock character is a boy or a girl mainly very popular. the themes of many musicals are love and romance, boy meets girl etc. example of musical genre would be
High School Musical(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBVUlgG8Lm8),
Oliver Twist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey0D53Dxl3M)
and Grease (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHFbhhi_XVc)

Science Fiction

Visual elements  are space, spaceship, laser beams and scientific lighting all of these element are iconic to this genre. the characters that a known in this genre aliens, the main character who might be the captain. the main role the character play are villain verse hero. example of this is
Star Trek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xEbKh4NCMg)

Battlestar Gilactica (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvYVR6XXsHA)

Teen movies
The visual elements:
-The cars
- Fashion
-Designer cloths
-Uniform

Type of setting:
-High school
-Rich parents house
-Vacation

Stock Character:
-Popular girls / boys
-Dumb blond
-Geeks
Themes/Background:
-American high school
-Teenage culture
-Rich Parents
 Here are some examples: Bring it on and Mean Girls

Western Movies
Visual Elements:
-Desert area
-High hat guns
-Weeds blowing across the ground

Type of setting:
-The wild frontier
-Country side
-Dark place

Stock Character:
-Bad guy Villian Sherif
-Cow boys
-Town Drunk

Themes/ Cackground:
-Sherif is the boss of the town
-Villian try to rob the bank
Example are wild wild west and the good the bad the ugly

Action / Adventure Movies
Visual elements:
-Explosions
-Weapons
-Fantasy

Type of Setting:
-City
-Underground

Stock Characters:
-Hero
-Powerful leader or person
-Villian

Themes/ Background:
-Fantasy
-Adventure
Examples are idiana jones and Exspendables

Key Elements In Horror Genre

All genre have a portfolio of key elements from which they are composed. it are these elements that make up the formula of a given genre.

Lead character or the protagonist in the horror genre is a villain. the villain is normally played by a male and the victim is a helpless men or women.

Plot and Stock Situation

The storyline is very predictable and recognisable. In horror there is always a killer after someone.

Iconography 

This element is crucial to genre because it i the aspect of the genre that we immediately recognise and lock into. for example in a Science fiction film the iconic thin is space or aliens. in horror the iconic think is the blood. another iconic thing is the location; grave yard, haunted house, ruins etc.

Themes
The themes or ideas that run through and come out of the story us very much part of the genre. The themes is also tie in with the value messages that is projected. all genre say something about conflict between good or evil. themes often come emerge as oppositions, opposing sets of ideas for example:

-Loyalty v deceit
-Self- suffiency v dependancy
- Intergrity v temptation

all of these elements are like heading for the kind of tems you would expect to see in a genre, all these element add up creating a the formula. the formula helps the audience know what is going on.

Research into Target Audience

I have begun research in to my target audience. I create a questionnaire that will aide my understanding of what my target audience like about the horror genre and  also help me create my publication around my target audience. 25 people took the questionnaire.

1. What Gender are you?
Male
Female

2. What age group are you in?
15-18
19-24
25+

3. What time of year would you watch a horror film?
Autumn
Winter
Spring
Summer

4. What makes you want to see a horror movie?
Advertisement
The Actors
The Storyline
The Trailer

Other

5. When watching a Trailer for a Horror Movie what do you think makes it effective?

The Music – Suspense
The Shots used
The Pace – Fast or Slow
The small clips of film-making you want to see it

6. When watching a horror movie what scares you the most?
Based on a true story
Home made Movies (Paranormal Activity)
Psychological aspects
Psychotic Killers
Strange Creatures/ Masks.
Other

7. What make horror appeal to you?
Actors
Props/Costumes
Location
Plot

8. What type props would you want to see in a horror film?
Knife/Axe
Chainsaw
Gun

Other

9. What location would you want to see?
Haunted house
Mansion
School
Forest
A house

Other

10. What would you say are the worst aspect of a horror film?
Boring storyline
Poor acting from actors
Does not look real
Not scary enough
Other

11. In the opening of a horror movie, how much of the plot do you think should be revealed?
As much as possible
As little as possible
Not at all

12. Do you think you’re like for horror will change in the next 5 years?
Yes
No
Don’t think so

Group Intoduction

for our A2 media coursework we had to make form a group of 2 or 3 people. once we form the group we when round in turn and discussed different creative skill that will contribute to our media campaign. These skill consist of skill like ICT skill, organisation skill, analysis skill etc.

In our group we be working together on are media campaign which consist of creating our movie poster, cover for a magazine and the most important our movie horror trailer. we have exchange our email and phone number and agreed to meet up after school and week if to pursue our campaign.

My group members are:

Sayem Kazi

http://www.horrormediaa2.blogspot.com/

Alex Wade

http://www.alex-wade.blogspot.com/

Deconstructing Film Titles

In today lesson we began to deconstruct a number of different film title. We looked at different genres titles and the importance of word and images. The first step when doconstructing, we analysised the word and looked for clues to what the film was about.

'Case 39' was one of the tittle we deconstructed from our sheets. The word case connotes law and crime this could suggest that the film has something to do with authority and is federal. However when looking at the word our suggestion where very limited but when we eventually saw the image of Case 39, we began to get a clear idea of what the film title connotes.

The images give me more understanding of what the film is about. The Font used looks very suffisticated and the back background suggest mystery and makes word Case look very important ans serious. from seeing the image we can see clearly that the fil is horror based. the images help me im understand the basic meaning of the film.

The American brought many suggestion to mind. the american could connote war and patriotic the word American suggest pride and believe. then I saw the film poster and began to denotate it. the poster now sugggest action. the Capital that standout in white with the yellow background that suggest confusion.

Looking the word title connotes somthings comming. It also suggest that its link to a battle or war. it also soung very important this also connotes that somthing has to be done before the due date. And finally looking at the Film title it changes everything i said i began to denote it. the genre of the film is comidy this suggest that it not very important or serious however the Capital letter make you thing that it is.

From analysing filf title I know have more knowledge of the important of images and word. What I learnt from this can be apply when creating our film poster in my group.

What is more important images or words?