Directors I am inspired by.

Oren Peli. Is an Israeli American film director, producer and screenwriter, best known as the director/creator of Paranormal Activity.Oren is also a video game programmer, which is my future ambition. Oren is not only a film director but is also a screenwriter. In 2009, his film debut Paranormal Activity was released, with inspiration from The Blair Witch Project. Despite a $15,000 budget, he managed to create a box-office hit out of the horror film. He started out as a computer software programmer and his first movie was Paranormal Activity. He took a stab at directing, aware of how to utilize filmmaking technology and confident that he could direct a movie that dealt a lot with technology. This is what I want to do as my future career.


Paul William Scott Anderson (born 4 March 1965), also known as Paul W. S. Anderson or Paul Anderson, is an English film director, producer and screenwriter who regularly works in science fiction movies and video game adaptations. Paul directed the successful 1995 video game adaptation Mortal Kombat. While prior video game movies, like Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros. He has had many other great successes such as making the film adaptation out of the "Resident Evil" survival horror game. Another of his great projects was the famous "Alien vs Predator." after Alien vs Predator, Paul re-produced his film "Death Race 2000" and made it better. Finally being released as "Death Race" in 2008 (one of my favourite films)


Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English film and television director and writer. He is most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and for directing the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and co-writing Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin.


Danny Boyle. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, Shallow Grave, 127 Hours and 28 Days Later. Boyle won numerous awards for his 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, including the Academy Award for Best Director. Boyle was the Artistic Director for Isles of Wonder, the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games.The first movie Boyle directed was Shallow Grave. The film was the most commercially successful British film of 1995

Moodboard

This mood board is just a summary of films I have seen and enjoyed them. I made this mood board as I wanted to look at the colours used in the horror genre a bit more and look at what are conventional colours to be used in a poster or magazine. So it seems, black, red and white are the most common ones. Red connotating death, blood, violence, gore, anger and hate. This colour would be useful in my poster as I'm creating a paranormal based horror. Most antagonist subjects (ghosts, demons etc) in conventional paranormal films/trailer have come to seek revenge or cause havoc. Because their natural habitat might have  been disturbed. The black and white colours are important because of Levi Strauss's narrative theory of binary oppositions. Black vs white, good vs evil etc. Black is the main conventional colour in horror though because  most people psychologically fear the dark. It makes the protagonist feel fearful, confused, disorientated and in danger because they're not aware of what could potentially strike. Which is why dim lighting is used to create that effect. 

Horror trailer analysis (story board of existing trailer)

To get more knowledge about horror trailers, I looked at the one for Paranormal Activity 2 and analysed the content. As I will be doing a similar trailer hopefully. Whilst following the codes and conventions.

For the first 14 seconds of the Teaser Trailer all we see is a black screen with occasional grey distortion ( presumably edited in) added to it. This is to create the realism of the hand held camera effect. The black screen connotates the darkness and fear and is a conventional colour used in horror.

Next, unlike most teaser trailers we see a clip from the first Paranormal Activity film. Also, it unconventionally starts with the disequliberium. I think this was done to create a impact from the start, to give more of a scare factor. A hand held camera is held still by tripod. Suddenly the body of a dead man is thrown at the camera. The camera is filming in Black and White (night vision so it seems). I believe Strauss Levi’s theory of binary oppositions has been applied here. (good vs evil, black vs white.) As we see the man with a white shirt being thrown back by possessed woman who is shown in black a few seconds later. In addition, this adds to the effect of the filming being done with a hand held camera and also gives the trailer a spooky feel. The location is quite typical, as stated in my research, it is conventional to film in homes.  Also, the low diegetic sound (which sounds to me like the wind blowing in the background) creates a spooky and lonely  atmosphere which makes the viewer feel tense about what is going to happen.

The camera cuts to a mid-shot of the audience watching Paranormal Activity One, it then cuts back to the shot of the bedroom and the camera zooms in on the door. It seems as though the camera is on a canted angle because of it being knocked by the man. This is to add more of a disorientation to the situation The door being open seems to be icongraphy to me. As in the bedroom door is like a portal and this evil entity has made it's way in and causing havoc. The shakyness of the camera and the static which appears on the screen as the camera is cutting from one scene to another re-inforces the idea that this is being filmed on a hand held camera. So it gives it more realism.

The screen then goes black and then cut's to a shot of the audience. Waiting to see what will happen. The silence of this shot builds up tension and creates enigmas to the audience, such as, “What will happen next?” Suddenly the camera cuts and we see a woman leaping at the camera, this is conventionally found in trailers. The evil entity or possessed subject appears only for a split second (been edited in) as this creates more of a effect and to not spoil the film too much. The woman appears to be not in focus as well. You can't really see much of her due to the poor lighting on her face. I believe this is done to freak the audience out further, it makes us question "What was that just then?"  This frightens us and creates further enigmas such as, “Why is this woman jumping at the screen?” Although people who have seen the first paranormal activity film will probably know the answers to these enigmas already. The camera cuts again and we see the audience viewing the film gasp and scream. The camera then goes static. By showing clips of the audience viewing the first paranormal activity film the creators of this trailer have emphasised that it was a popular film in 2009. The silence, both during and after this clip, make the viewer feel tense, wondering what will happen next.

After that, we see a clip from the new Paranormal Activity film. We get the impression that the image is coming from a surveillance camera as a high angle shot allows us to look down on the room. The room is a bedroom with a baby sleeping in a cot and a dog sleeping on the floor. The high angle shot is used to make the dog and baby look weak. Connotating that they may be next. The mise-en-scene of the room adds to the creepy atmosphere. The baby toy probs used and the crib denote innocence. The whole baby's room is juxtaposed with the current situation at hand. That the possessed woman is walkin about somewhere. Also, it is to be noted that the lighting is more predominant in this scene. For the reason that babies are innocent, have no clue of the world just yet.  The camera isn’t shaky, which means that it must be stationary. The surviellence camera effect makes us want to pay attention to what is going on, as we would pay attention if we were watching a CCTV camera.

It then cuts to black, the words, “For What’s Next,” appear on the screen, this adds more suspense.

The camera cuts to a shot of the living room which seems normal and then cuts again to the bedroom where we see the baby and the dog have dissapeared, and now a woman is standing in the doorway to the bathroom. The woman is dressed in black which carries negative connotations of evil, danger and fear. As an  the target audience we fear this woman. We are also left with several more enigmas, “Who is this woman?” “What happened to the baby and the dog?”

The screen goes black. The number 2 flashes on the screen 3 times before the title of the film, “Paranormal activity 2,” appears onto the screen. This is followed by the address of the films website The name of the movie flashes up again followed by the camera going static. Briefly, a shot of the bedroom flashes up again. Then the camera cuts out. The teaser trailer is over. This abrupt ending to the trailer is supposed to hook the reader and make them want to watch the film. It is a unconventional ending, however. As usually, there's one last scare from the demon or possessed being.

Horror Poster Text

I have made this mood board with different fonts that I like. I made this because apart of the brief, it requires to make a website, a poster and a magazine front cover. I have decided to make a poster and a magazine front cover. Even though I have made this mood board, I have decided to use the Trajan font for the poster because this is the most recognized text when it comes to Horror Posters. 

Here are previous examples of horror posters which use this font.

Film Institutions/ Studios

I also thought it was important to look at film institutions and studios to decide which would be most appropriate for my horror movie.

20th Century Fox

20th century Fox is situated in Los Angeles.The company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century Pictures, founded in 1933 by Darryl F. Zanuck, Joseph Schenck, Raymond Griffith and William Goetz.Twentieth Century Fox's most popular film franchises include Star Wars, Ice Age, X-Men, Die Hard, Alien, Planet of the Apes, Home Alone, plus famous TV shows such as M*A*S*H and The Simpsons. 20th Century fox would be a good choice to distribute my trailer as it's globally known and would gain a lot of publicity for it. I decided against it as Fox only produce films from well-established, famous actors with a history of well successful existing films. 

Paramount Pictures

Situated in Hollywood, Paramount Pictures is the third oldest existing film studio to this day. It is one of the top-grossing film studios. It has celebrated it's 100 year anniversary this year. It has produced films such as ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ and ‘Friday the 13th’, as well as popular classics ‘The Godfather’. Compared to Fox, this instition is quite similar as the benefits of this studio would be that it has high reputation within the movie industry and so would allow good publicity and respect from the target audience. However, my intention is to make a low budget horror film trailer and low-budget films are uncommon in Paramount Pictures.

Film4 Productions

Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The company has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears, which was released in 1982. Before 1998, the company was identified as Channel Four Films or FilmFour International. This small but established institution has created popular british films ‘Attack the Block’ and ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’ which was massively popular in 2011. Film4 Productions prides itself on promoting new filmmakers and so would be beneficial to me because it has experience in how to advertise and distribute alternative low-budget movies. They have a target audience that match the characteristics of those that would enjoy my horror film; young thrill seekers who enjoy watching films with their friends for the scare factor and thrill.

BBC Films

An institution that works closely  with other major UK and international distributors and has produced a collection of popular british movies.It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including An Education, Fish Tank, Stage Beauty, A Cock and Bull Story, Nativity! and Match Point.  The institution has also produced the UK’s first ever 3-D movie ‘Streetdance’, which denotes its ability to take risks on new ideas. It has also produced a number of horror films such as ‘The Awakening’, ‘Tormented’ and ‘The Children’. The advantages of working with this company would be that they have connections with international distibutors, have a large british following of the BBC Corporation and have experience working with the horror genre and new directors.

Lionsgate Entertainment

Lionsgate Entertainment is a film company known for independent film and television distribution. They are the most commercially successful distribution company in North America since 2007. Lionsgate does not distribute many foreign films of the martial arts genre, and mainly features horror and thriller films. The company would be a good choice for distributing my film as they are popular from distributing films such as the Saw series and Kick-Ass, and are also suitable for distributing independent films. However, the film would only be distributed in English-speaking countries and the film is not within a genre that Lionsgate typically distribute.

Age Certificates

I thought it would be important to look at age certificates when considering my genre.

It's a very important because it determines the suitable minimum age for a viewer watching the film as some moments in a film may offend, disturb and frighten younger viewers. The BBFC determines the age certification of a film before it is allowed to be released in UK cinemas, and either gives it a rating of a U, PG, 12, 12A, 15, 18 or R18. This is a strict age code which allows the audience to watch movies that are suited to them, and that they will most likely appreciate and understand; no one under the minimum age rating applied to a movie is allowed to rent, buy or watch it in a cinema

Each age certification category has its own purpose and reasons as to why it has been placed on a film. Here are the official certification restrictions from the BBFC website http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

  SUITABLE FOR ALL

It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

If a work is particularly suitable for a pre-school child to view alone, this will be indicated in the Consumer Advice.

  PARENTAL GUIDANCE 

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are told to consider whether  it may upset younger or more sensitive children.

 SUITABLE FOR ONLY 12 YEARS AND OVER

Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.

The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12.

The ‘12’ category exists only for video works. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video work.

 SUITABLE FOR ONLY 15 YEARS AND OVER

No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

 SUITABLE FOR ONLY ADULTS 

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video work.

For my Horror film trailer I intend to create strong themes of terror and fright, without any elements of sex, sadism or that dwells too much on gore and the infliction of pain. I want my film to contain more of a ‘paranormal’ context, and not of physical torture and gore. So I came to the conclusion that my Horror movie would fit into the ’15′ category.

The BBFC’s detailed guidlines intended for a ’15′ rated film: (this has been taken word for word off their website)

"Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘f***’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘c***’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification."

So from those guidlines, I think my Horror movie would work the best as a ’15′ rated movie. Although, there are some restrictions are implemented, I believe that this would be suitable. In addition, there are many successful horror movies within this age certificate that are classics of fear and dread such as ‘The Grudge’, ‘The Ring’, ‘Final Destination’, ‘[REC]‘, ‘The Mist’ and ‘The Decent’.

I have taken inspiration from Horror movies such as‘The Blair Witch’ and ‘Paranormal Activity’ where a majority, or the whole of the film has been shot through the lens of a handheld home video camera. They have all been categorised as ’15′, therefore I believe mine will also be suited to this age certificate.

The Paranormal Genre

My intention is to create a psychological horror movie based around the theme of the paranormal; dark experiences that cannot be justified through scientific explanation and are beyond rational thought. I am interested in making a film of this genre as I enjoy already existing paranormal films myself such as Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project. I'm looking to do a similar trailer.

Paranormal Definition- ‘Denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding

Most reports of ghosts appear as misty visions that seem to repeat themselves in a particular motion. A spirit is typically found in the many legends of haunted places.

Another form of ghost is known as a crisis apparition. Such an entity is said to show itself to certain people, like a family member or close friend for the express purpose of warning.

Poltergeist phenomena, although represented as violent events in films and novels such as The Entity or Poltergeist, are actually quite harmless.

One of the most common beliefs about poltergeist phenomena is that they are the psychic projections which is called Psychokinesis. Psychokinesis is the ability to move objects with your mind.

Haunted locations can be a home, a hotel, an apartment complex, a theatre or even a shopping mall. Cemeteries and battlefields. They are conventional places to find spirits residing about. It is commonly believed that if you build a home over such a location, such as an old graveyard or place where lives have been abused or lost, you may unwillingly be inviting such entities into that home.

Demons are another common form of paranormal belief. A demon is a creature conjured up from hell, or other dark underworld and made to do evil on earth, specifically to the living. Such demons have also been portrayed in books and films as the most nasty of creatures, taking on various forms and even possessing the living for their evil purposes.

People who investigate the paranormal are 'skeptics'. They will be professionally, trained, serious investigators who search for the answers to the age-old questions that inspire them. A specific example is Dr.Ciarán O'Keeffe a English psychologist specialising in parapsychology and forensic psychology who investigated "paranormal activity" on the show "Most Haunted" which I frequently watch. Skeptics  will study the possible cause and effect of an alleged haunting or presence of an apparition. They will use scientific equipment to rule out the possibility of ghostly events with a scientific theories.

Another researcher is the folklorist.A  folklorist collects information that revolves around the ghost story or a haunted legend about a particular location. Said folklorist will do this to discover possible causes to an event, such as a haunting or to record the legend in question for the sake of history. Often, folklorists team up with psychic researchers in order to differentiate between that of a simple folktale and factual history.

Usually, a team of ghost hunters use a variety of equipment such as electromagnetic frequency detectors, temperature reading gauges, infrared goggles and high-powered listening devices, all for the express purpose of finding a ghost.


I have looked into some websites such as http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/, http://www.my-paranormal-experience.com/ and http://www.ukpsychics.com/trueexp.html where people have shared their own questionably ‘real’ experiences with the paranormal, from abductions to haunted homes which have given me a better idea of how to approach my fictional story.

Some of the most established paranormal horror movies include ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘Paranormal Entity’, ‘REC’, ‘Cloverfield’, ‘The Host’ and ‘Poltergeist’. A majority of which are shot through ‘handheld camera’, giving the impression that the footage shown are home videos and in turn make the stories more realistic for the audience. I want to use handheld camera for my horror film as the realism makes the movie more frightening and is more effective for directing on a low- budget.

Different horror trailers showing examples of my genre

Different horror trailers why I enjoyed and are inspired by on Prezi

Conventions of psychological horror movies and trailers in general

I have found in my research that nearly every horror trailer has two sections; Equilibrium and Disequilibrium, but never new equilibrium. Equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium are the three main driving points of a movie. It is Tvzetan Todorov's theory. Which simply suggests narrative is simply equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. Equilibrium is where state of peace at the beginning of the trailer. Later on in the movie, there is a disequilibrium which is when the equilibrium is disrupted by an unfortunate event or evil chracter that would then lead to a chain of events involving conflict. At the end of most if movies there is then a new equilibrium, involving the evil forces being defeated, the conflict being resolved and harmony existing once more. Horror films also allow us to ask the ‘what if?’ and let us safely dip into our primeval fears. To prove my points, here is the trailer for Resident Evil 5: Retribution. At the beginning of the trailer, you can see the world at peace. Talking about how fantastic technology is and how it's changing our world in a positive way. It's almost like a generic mobile phone advert and then it throws the question "Imagine what our world would look like tomorrow?" Capturing the audience with the disequilibrium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRmWLqrJkz4 

If a horror were to have a new equilibrium section then the film or trailer would become positive again, which is not wanted in a horror trailer. Instead, the end of horror trailers normally leave the audience hanging in suspense, often leaving them puzzled, which is the full intention of the trailer. This can be done in a few different ways. The most popular way is the build the music in the trailer up to a climax and then stop or slow down the music, in anticipation of a large scare which frightens the audience. This can be seen in the trailer for the morgue when there appears to be new equilibrium until a quick shot of a man cutting his throat appears to give the audience one last scare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maGlKKkUCoQ 

As well as this, most good trailers are fast paced when the disequilibrium starts and often contain flashing shots of knifes, blood, violence on the screen and weapons being thrown. This often promises the audience blood and gore, to which most people who like horrors are attracted.
Whilst I was carrying out this research I discovered these conventions that are very common in nearly all horror trailers:


Dark lighting is very effective as most people become nervous in the dark.
Fast paced editing such as jump cutting, dissolves and fades are commonly used to merge scenes, add pace and atmosphere to the trailer.
Some of the main settings you will see time and time again when watching a Psychological horror film are big houses, forest/ woodland areas, ware houses, schools, and hospitals and so on.

These types of settings create realism for the target audience as they are able to relate to the film on some level, having seen/ been or currently live in these settings. This increases the fear for the audiences are they begin to picture themselves in these positions.

When watching a Psychological horror film, the weapons you tend to see are not actual physical weapons, but tend to be more supernatural and psychological. For example, the killer’s twisted minds act a weapon of fear against the victims in the film. Also, in Supernatural horror films things such as visions, jumpy moments and so on are used as weapons of fear, supernaturally, rather than actually possessing a knife, or axe for example.

The editing of the piece, especially in the disequilibrium section, is very fast and often has very few transitions to scare the audience.

Many horror trailers also leave the viewer in suspense with one last scare at the end after the credits/text
Iconography is constantly used so that the audience know that they are watching the horror genre.
Variety of camera shots used to get all perspectives in the predicament. Panning is a common camera angle used as well as camera shots of extreme close up, close ups and long shots.
A disturbed, or tormented individual is the main antagonist, usually comes back to get revenge on their victims. The victims can differ but like any horror film, a high percentage of the victims are female.
A voiceover is generally used in a theatrical trailer, but is sometimes used in a teaser trailer with the actors voice used over a sequence of shots.
Horror films/trailer always follow media theories such as the Gratifications theory. For example offering entertainment and social interaction.
Creating some form discomfort in the target audience by exposing common or universal psychological vulnerabilities and fears.
They expose the evil that hides behind normality, but with splashes of the paranormal which the audience is unable to relate to completely.

Quite often, when watching a psychological horror film, there are flashbacks that take the audience back to see why the killer is disturbed and to explain what happened to them in their lives that has lead them to become mentally challenged.

Conventions of the horror genre

Mise-en-scene

Setting - In a horror film the setting can be anywhere. In the trailers that i have researched they are all set in a different places. Either in the woods, in the home or in the middle of nowhere, however they all tend to be isolated from the rest of society with only the villain and the victims there. The reason for this is that it creates tension and suspense to the audience, knowing that something is going to happen, but not knowing when creates physical effects towards the audience- adrenaline rush.


Props - weapons such as knives, guns and saws are used to show/suggest danger and violence and also the fear of being hurt and in pain, for example in the film Saw (2003). Masks are also often used to hide the identity of the killer, for example Scream (1997)


Colours- the colours of the text are predominantly black, white or red. This is because these colours denote death, murder and darkness. The colours work well together to create the effect of horror and evilness.
Red represents blood, danger and evil entities such as the devil. Black represents darkness and mystery, it also relates to the phrase 'the black sheep' which is an outcast from family or society. This is generally the case within horror, when the villain is neglected from society. White can suggest coldness, which can relate to the personality of the villain.

Costume, hair and makeup - the way the characters are dressed lets the audience know what type of character they are. If the character is dressed in dark clothing and is covered up-so the identity is not revealed then stereotypically they are seen as the villain. The make-up used on a villain, will generally be really pale so the features are emphasised e.g. pale face, with dark eyes to give them a creepy look. A good example of this would be the Joker in Batman. The victims (protagonist) are usually dressed in casual, everyday, outfits so that they look 'normal' towards society. Whereas the villain will look different and will possibly stand out more (against the norm of society). However, this is not always the case and there will be exceptions to the rule, an example would be when when a villain is not obvious and are shown as part of the group.

Sound: 

Diegetic sound- An example of this within horror would be a victim screaming, the sound of a door opening or the sound of a gun shot. Trailers have to be suitable for all ages, the trailer cannot show disturbing/violent scenes and can't be over the top - causing too much fright. It would give too much away. Therefore they have to rely on sound and effects to make these elements evident e.g hearing a scream without seeing the attack. The use of character interaction (dialogue) will help the narrative along and will help the audience to understand the events within the trailer. Using this within a trailer helps show the narrative of the film and helps create suspense, tension and enigmas.


Non diegetic sound - It is sound that has been added during post production. Within horror trailers, the sound used is generally music that will create a spooky effect or will create tension. Sounds such as a heartbeat can be used to create a scary effect and suspense. For example in the high pitched sound in the music in the trailer for Thirty Days Of Night gives a sinister feel to the film and helps create tension along with the visual in screen.

Sound Bridge- The same music or sound that links two scenes together, to make the action scene interrupted. This would be use in the middle of the trailer as it will be revealing the action within the film, it helps to keep the continuity within the film by carrying on with the same source of sound.

Voiceover- a voiceover is generally used in a theatrical trailer, but is sometimes used in a teaser trailer with the actors voice used over a sequence of shots. This is shown within trailers for films such as Twilight, Thirty Days Of Night and I am Legend. The purpose of a voiceover is to help the audience understand the visual and the narrative of the film throughout the trailer.

Cinematography: 

Establishing shot - is used at the beginning of the trailer to set the scene and to show equilibrium. Normally you will see the soon-to-victims leading their normal lives before the disruption occurs.

Close up - this shot shows the detail of a subjects face. It's used within horror trailers to show the fear and emotion of the victims and making the audience to feel their pain. It can be also used to show the face of the villain, or an extreme close up may be used to show just a section of their face for example their eyes. This will create an enigma as the audience wont be sure what the villain fully looks like.

Mid shots- are used to show the action within the film (when equilibrium has been disrupted) allows the audience to see the character and the setting at the same time, this is used within horror . A mid shot can also be used to show the villain, usually in horror films it will show a dark outline of the villain's figure if the identity is not to be revealed.

Long shots- are used to show the setting, it allows the audience to see all the surroundings in the scene as well as the characters. In horror it could show a building on fire or possibly a murder, so the audience are not clear on who the killer is.

Point Of View shot- This makes the audience feel the fear and tension within the scene (it gives them an adrenalin rush). The shot is used when the victim is running away or hiding from the villain.

Tracking- this camera movement allows the audience to follow the action within the trailer, and allows them to keep up with the pace of the characters and movement within the scene (for example the character running). This movement can make the audience feel they are apart of the action and will make them feel the physical effects that the character is feeling (scared, adrenaline rush) It will make the scene more effective and seem realistic in the eyes of the audience.

High Angle- is when the camera is position high up and is tilting down on the subject, making the character look vulnerable to the audience. This is popular within the horror genre as it makes the victim powerless against the villain.

Low Angle - placed below the subject titling upwards so that the character looks dominant and powerful, this generally towards the villain before the attempt to repair the disruption.

Canted angle - is the tilting of the camera and is used for dramatic effect to create a sense of disorientation, intoxication, madness etc. This can be shown within horror such as the Saw series.



Pan - This is when the camera moves left to right, or right to left following a subject. This is used in horror movies when a suspicious character comes into play, the camera follows the character to emphasize on his part in the movie. Moreover it is used in chase scenes to follow the victim as he is trying to get away.

Dutch Tilt - This is a shot used by which the subject or object being filmed is tilted to an angle. This shot is often used in horror films to represent disorientation and confusion. A tilted shot type such as a dutch tilt often connotates confusion or panic.

Details of my chosen genre

Definition of Horror- noun 1) an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. 2) a thing causing such a feeling. 3) intense dismay. 4) informal a bad or mischievous person, especially a child. 

Origin- Latin, from horrere ‘shudder, (of hair) stand on end’.                             

(Oxford English Dictionary)

The first horror films were produced during the late 19th century, and were based mainly on gothic literature. Monster movies and zombie films, which were first produced during the early 20th century, were popular as well. Examples include Night of the Living Dead, The Mummy and Frankenstein. 

Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain. There are lots of different forms of media that will use the genre. Books and comics were the original forms of media that had created the horror genre, while the horror television programmes and movies are a lot more recent. In the modern day, most people would prefer to watch a movie or television with a horror genre then read a book.

A horror film conventionally known for scaring the audience and creating suspense throughout. Diagetic and Non-diagetic sounds can create the thrilling suspense. In the early years of the genre, the films had no sound, but due to technology the modern films have much better ways in which they can scare the audience with sound.Camera angles and techniques have been able to increase over the decades, which creates a more wide variety ways in which to film. For Example, The Blair Witch Project (1999) The entire movie is filmed through a hand-held camera, to add to the feel of this being a true story. The filming through the hand-held camera adds to the scariness of the film, especially at night when it is hard to tell what is going on, and you must rely on sound to let you know what is happening.

In the modern horror movie, the forms of horror that are used consist of gore, jump scenes or the supernatural. Such as The Saw franchise, The Ring, Paranormal Activity, Resident Evil, Cloverfield, 28 Weeks Later etc.

The start of the horror genre in film started in the late 1980s. These were short silent films that were created by film pioneers such as Georges Melies. The first noted horror film was called Le Manoir du diable (The House of the Devil) . In the early 1920s, the horror genre had grew and started to create feature length films. Such as Nosferatu (1922), The Monster (1925) and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920). 

During the 1930s – 1940s The horror genre had become a lot more popular. This was due to American film producers, the genre had become popular. The Gothic horror genre was still dominant with films like Dracula (1931) and also The Invisible Man(1933) this film blended science fiction with Gothic horror.As the technology had advanced in the 1950s-1960s, the tones horror had moved from gothic to a more late-century tone of films. The horror had split into two sub-genres: the horror-of-Armageddon and the horror-of-the-demonic. Science fiction was quite popular in the 1950s, for example: The Incredible Shrinking Man.  In the late 50s and early 60s, a British company called Hammer Films Production became an international name. The films were know for being rather gory and have been thought to be one of the main focus for the modern horror genre. Hammer Films Production made films such as the well known Dracula (1958)

In the 1960s, supernatural themes became more popular with films like The innocent (1961) and The Haunting (1963). The Armageddon theme of horror was also popular with films like The Birds (1963) and one of the most influential zombie horror films of all time, Night Of The Living Dead (1968). The theme of occult and evil children became popular in the 70s with films such as The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976). Also the slasher film sub- genre had emerged with films like Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980).

In the 2000, psychological horror films were created. Films such as, The Grudge (2004) The Ring (2002) and The Others (2001). The zombie genre had become a major return in the 00s with films like 28 Days Later (2002) and, Land of the Dead (2005). By that time, The horror genre had developed sub genres such as nudity, torture and sadism. These are some examples of this sub-genre of film: Hostel (2005), Saw (2004).