"Fear, be my friend" - newspaper article by The Guardian 1999

When reading this particular article it has referenced greatly to what we are trying to achieve with our teaser trailer and the typical conventions of horror we have incorparatted. It intials open with the line "Like most 'horror' stories, mine is rooted in the ordinary-that is to say in the the banality of everyday life." This relates to the spynopsis of our film as we have created it to illistrate situations that most people will experince e.g. moving into a new house. Straight away this shows we are achieveing the interface between reality and unreality in order to "relate to an audience with a median age of 15-25". Like stated in the article our film is going to contain "the usual repertoire of symbols" e.g. children - little twin girls

The use of children in horrors

Above are shots of children that have been the protagonists in horror films such as ; "The Children", "The Ring" "The Shining" and "The Amtiyivile Horror".

When we reminisce about the memories we have gained from our childhood, it represents nothing more than innocence in its purest form. Innocence itself is representative of "good" and "goodness", therefore in combining said "goodness" with a recognised aspect of evil and/or paranormal activity, a disturbance is created within the minds of the audience. Children used in horror films simply corrupts the conventional idea we have of them which is what makes them so terrifying in this altered form. Conceptions of possessed and troubled children have been a massive influence on our teaser trailer, therefore we are going to incorporate twin girls in order to appeal to an audience which is drawn towards the psychological aspect of the horror genre, for example the appearance of the dead twin girls in "The Shining".

As audience sophistication has grown, our obsession with the innocence of children and the masochistic fears we have of the undead has also developed. Our greatest fear has become that of a helpless child, an unnatural fear which goes against the general perceptions held by society. Childlike voices and nursery rhymes reproduced in a sinister voice create a sense of unease and juxtaposition because that which we expect to be a happy situation, suddenly confronts a fear of the unknown. As a result of this during our teaser trailer, we are going to introduce this concept by playing "Ring a ring a roises" in a creepy childish voice.

Below is a short video of Louise Millar my filming partner explaining along a side the our "dead twins" why little girls scare her so much;

Iconic playground games we associate with little children have also become the source of our fears as well ; for example the film "Hide and Seek" puts emphasis on the game of "Hide and Seek" between a spilt personality father and his daughter. We have even built on the idea of horror being a game. This is portrayed in films such as SAW and Scream. Were in order to survive in real life you must survive the game. SAW takes the idea of children's vulnerability even further, by having their villain take the form a clown. Once again the terror he creates in the movie plays on the definition of what we expect a clown to be, much like the theory of an empty frame being more horrific of that filled with what we expect. Below is the teaser trailer of SAW, where the idea of a game is emphasised through using titles to explain the rules.

Children tend to send formidable chills down our spines, and this is illustrated through the countless amount of films that contain children as the main source of evil. This is why we have chosen to use children in our teaser trailer, and play on the idea of their vulnerability. The reason I believe children are portrayed as horrific characters in films, is due to them having uncontrollable power over adults which they cease to obtain in the real world. So by turning the authority we expect adults to have on "it's head" like this is truly frightening.

Analysis of year 13s work

We watched six productions of teaser trailers by the previous year 13 group, as part of our research and planning. These teaser trailers have both influenced our decision making in what too include, yet also what not to do.

When watching "Judas kiss" it was filmed more in the style of an opening sequence rather than a trailer. So initially it doesn't seem to for fill the the brief of creating a teaser trailer, yet still did include some of the typical conventions we expect to see.  The reason I would say this is because there was no insight into the plot or characters ( what the film would be about ) and instead just seemed to be shots in chronological order as they would be illustrated in a film. A teaser trailer should contain lots of quick glimpses from different segments of the film, rather then what seemed to be portrayed as an opening sequence. The same location is used throughout and and the "characters" costumes don't seem to change either. This is huge factor that will have to be taken into consideration when producing our teaser trailer. Due to the majority of our film being located inside a house, in order to create an effective variety of shots wardrobe will be very important !! However there is still several positives gained from their teaser trailers. As they most effectively teased the audience through the titles such as, "be prepared to be betrayed" and "you have to go back to the start". This shows how successful text can be when contributing to the building suspense amongst the audience, and leaving them wanting to know more. "Judas kiss" also keeps the audience engaged by using a point of view shot, which actively involves viewers in the trailer. Therefore we are going to attempt to incorporate a point of view shot as well. This will also help to add the range of shot we shall use. The sound track used helps to convey the genre and reflects the images on the screen, as the fast paced music is parallel to the pace at which the tracking shot was moving.  However overall I would say this particular teaser trailer does not fulfil the underlying principle of a teaser trailer - leave you asking questions. Yet you are left confused, because you have no questions due to knowing too little about the film e.g. we are not given any characters , therefore can not question the purpose/motive.  Even though "judas kiss" doesn't stick to the typical conventions of a teaser trailer,it is said you can "play" with the conventions in the brief. 

"Finding him" was the name of another teaser trailer we watched by the year 13 group. This particular teaser trailer did attempt to address some of the typical conventions of a teaser trailer, yet was not consistent throughout. For example there was glimpses of fast paced editing shots, which helps to engage the audience as they are given so much information to process at one time, therefore helps to then sustain a sense of suspense. Although in contrast to this many of the many of the shots are held for too long e.g. the shot of the main protagonist in the mirror. Which then lowers the suspense previously built. So for this I would suggest possibly starting off/finishing with the longer held shots and have the rapid paced transactions in the middle. I will take this into consideration when story boarding and working out timings. However they used their music very effectively, as when the fast paced editing did occur the music reflected this as well. Emphasising the significances of the shots. Generally this teaser trailer was too long and was illustrated as more of a trailer. This was due to too much information being given away, especially through the titles. As we already known she may be saved and by whom. So this doesn't really leave us asking questions, which again is one of the main aims of a teaser trailer. 

The final teaser trailer I am going to discuss is called 'meow meow".  With my main critic for them being it felt more like a music video rather than a teaser trailer. This was due to there being no real story line/plot portrayed, yet just what seemed like how a bunch of teenagers would react to the music being played. However their was a good variation of shots, with effective editing and camera work. This helps to demonstrate a more professional technique. 

In conclusion by watching the year 13s work allowed me to recognise some of the typical mistakes made when attempting to create a teaser trailer. However they did also show the significance that music and titles can have upon the effect of a trailer, and these are massive factors that will have to be taken into consideration. 

  

Analysis of Amityville Horror Teaser Trailer

Trailers and teaser trailers are perhaps as the most powerful aspect of a marketing campaign, used in order to advertise a future film that will be realised. They are created in order to create curiosity amongst the audience, and leave them asking questions. Generally we are given no distinctive plot or characters, yet left to make our own interpretations of the visuals or text. Therefore teaser trailers are usually very short in lengthen lasting between 30 - 60 seconds, containing very little footage from the film. It builds upon the fact that more information about the film is up coming soon and in the nearby future, as a result the teaser trailer should attempt to add to the build-up of the film. This are in order to create desire to seek out further information. A teaser trailer should aim to leave the audience wanting to see more. Consequently in order for us to make a successful teaser trailer we had to watch and analyse other successful teaser trailers.

We decided to study the teaser trailer of Amityville Horror as it has many similarities to the plot we have created; therefore this would allow us to draw inspiration for our own teaser trailer.

This particular teaser trailer initially opens with the distributor of the film – Dimensions Films. Straight away this illustrates to the audience the type of genre the film may be, as Dimensions Films is known for producing horror movies such as “Halloween” and “Scream”. This is an important part of a teaser trailer as by portraying the genre of the film from the start, already helps to entice an already established audience.

When deciding on who will be the distributor of our film we will have to take into consideration things like previous films distributed before deciding upon our choice of distributor. We are then given 9 seconds of staring at a black blank screen which is interspersed with the sound of gun shots, this primarily helps to build tension and suspense amongst the audience as we are confused about the damage that these gun shots are causing therefore feel slightly wary of what the opening visual shot will be. Due to teaser trailers being relatively short in duration “The Amityville Horror” uses 10% of their production time showing a blank screen. I consider this is be a good use of time, as immediately we are asking questions. In addition due to the extent of time we are given to concentrate on a black screen, it leads us to make assumptions about what we expect to come next. This engages the audience with the teaser trailer.

We are then thrown off track with the next series of transitions, as we expect to encounter something which will “horrify” us yet instead we are presented with a medium tracking shot of an interview. The medium shot allows us to see the body language of the police officer, who seems uneasy and bewildered as he stutters the line “I’ve never seen anything like it.” This almost informs the audience of the way they are meant to react to the sequence and leaves us questioning: “what is it he’s seen?” This is one of the main aspects a teaser trailer should try to achieve, leave the audience asking questions and “The Amityville Horror” has done this from the outset. So for my teaser trailer I am going to try and incorporate this idea of leaving the audience wanting to know more. The scene open and closes with a disorientating black and white fuzzy screen as if we are watching it through a television set, this also suggests that there may be a paranormal presence. This comes from typical conventions of horror as it is well known when there is a super natural presence television sets tend to go blank or fuzzy and lights will flicker on and off. Our growing audience sophistication helps us to decode these messages easily. This helps to suggest what the sub-genre of the film may be – Physiological horror. We are then presented with our first titles reading “Based on a true story”. The writing takes up a very small proportion of the frame, yet stands out due to it being white contrasting with the jet black background. The font of writing seems to demonstrate an old type writer which we would relate with police offers/detective notes. This adds emphasis to the previous frame, building on our knowledge of the film yet not quite knowing what knowledge we are actually building on as we don’t know what has taken place. “Based on a true story” also makes the future realised film seem more horrendous as it has taken place amongst the society we live in. This shows the importance of the titles and the kind of impact they can have on an audience, and it is vital to choose the right piece of text to use as those which both scare and raise questions amongst the audience.

We are then given a series of black and white images of newspaper clippings combined with an interview being undertaken, describing the incident that has occurred. This is the first real insight we have got into the basis of the film, as the newspaper headlines consist of words such as “murder” and “Family slain”. This was a huge inspiration into the planning of our teaser trailer, as due to ours being based on two friends moving into a new house where previous murders have taken place much like “The Amityville Horror” we are going to use newspaper clippings as well. The trailer also inspired our idea of how to establish another typical convention of horror into our film – Haunted houses. The rapid transitions of shots unsettles the audience, as the flashing images briefly appearing on the screen doesn’t allow the viewer to fully understand what they are reading. This where the non- digetic voice over of one the characters proves significant, as his blunt explanation of the incident helps to bring the audience up to speed. Yet the unravelling of the previous question of “what has happened?” has now lead to “why has this happened?”, so this particular teaser trailer is effectively achieving its aim of leaving the audience wanting to know more constantly raising questions.

The next frame consist of another title, following the same traits as the previous one yet this time the information provided includes a date and a address. Once more we are given another set of rapid transitions of flashing images across the screen, which disorientates the viewer as there is so much information to take in within the time period. The newspaper headlines fade in and out, with an image of a man appearing across the screen several times. So another question has arisen within these frames of “Who is he?”. It is evident that we could come to the conclusion that he is the man who has committed the murders, yet nothing is for definite. The sharp screeching noises that intersperse with the frames create a sense of unease for the audience. Almost as if it is the sound of a blade being sharpened. The tension is further built by the note holding of a low key instrument, which is the background noise for another set of titles stating “One year later”. We expect to then see some kind of tragedy revealed across our screen, yet are met by the sound of children’s laughter and a happy family atmosphere. This allows the audience to relax, nonetheless we are still wary of what may occur. These particular frames are shot in the form of a homemade video, really emphasizing the excitement of the family to move into their new house. However we are not given the chance to smile at the families encounters, as a black and white tracking shot zooming out from the house once again creates that sense of anxiousness. This helps to set the scene we have anticipated from the start, as a thunder storm arises; followers of horror well and truly know this means something horrific is about to begin.

When this shot is combined with the following set of titles “They only lasted 28days”, and the parallel sounds of a heart beat the audience are kept on the edge of their seats. Once again the teaser trailer then has a series of glimpses of the unfortunate events that lie ahead for the characters. Most of the shots take the form of close ups, allowing us to see the expression of suffering and anguish on their faces. This portrays the terror we are about to see, and almost shows us the way we are suppose to react towards the film. Once again a piercing sound which I perceive to be the sound of women’s screams is played in the background, making the audience feel uncomfortable. The final shot is of the house itself, which I think is significant as it’s almost showing the audience that the house is the cause for the murders and you just can’t escape its fate. As the house fades out the title of film appears across the screen, as well as its “release date” – “Coming Soon”. Even down to the last shot The Amityville Horror leaves you asking questions, as we are not given a specific release date. These ideas will be incorporated into our teaser trailer, as the main purpose of a teaser trailer is to leave us wanting more.

Over all I believe The Amityville Horror will be a massive influence to our own teaser trailer, as it has very similar traits to our film therefore has allowed us to build on our previous ideas further. This particular teaser trailer also shows the importance that sound, mise en scene and titles can have upon an audience.

Sub-Genres of horror

There are various different sub genres of horror with the main ones consisting of slasher, thriller/supernatural and monster horror. When deciding on which sub genre of horror we was going to portray, we watched several different films showing the development of horror throughout the 20th century. Where technology was limited e.g. in early films such as Nosferatu, leaving very little room for the spectacular effects we expect today. Yet as the sophiscation of the audience grew and the demand for horrors did as well, they started to become more and more terrifying inflecting of the concept that we all deliberate when watching horrors - knowing we should look away but still wanting to see. It wasn't until this development that horror got taken more seriously.


Slasher horrors are possibly the most well known type of horror, and this often attempts to entertain the audience rather than to horrify them completely and generally involves a masked villain killing off the characters one by one e.g. "Halloween" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". ( As seen in the image of Mike Myers to the right ). A slasher movie is a lot more gory and bloody compared to the other sub genres.

Thriller/supernatural horrors are focused more on the unknown, and can be suggested as more of a psychological horror. It keeps you on the edge of your seat more frequently as it works by creating tension and suspense normally though a build up of unfortunate events. Thriller films can illustrate a more realistic type of horror, as they tend to play on the traits of people e.g. including innocent little girls in a sequence., as seen in "The Shinning". This is due to us knowing zombies don't exist, where as murders are a frequent occurring thing in society.

Monster horror is the more obvious form of horror, where you have a noticeable villain generally from the initial opening sequence. They tend to take shape in the figure of well-known monsters such as Dracula or zombies, this is evident in films such as "Nosforatu" and "Night of the Living dead".

In order to decide on the type of horror I was going to use for my teaser trailer, I watched a diverse amount of horrors. The case studies I am going to discuss include "Nosforatu", "Night of the Living dead" and "The Shinning". When evaluating them I am deciding on which I find most horrific and why this is.

The film "Noferatu" was made in 1922 and showed how important emphasis on music and lightening-shadowing was, due to it being a silent black and white movie. Therefore sound was used in order to create suspense, by using low key organ sounds which may represent funeral music. In early films make up was a crucial part of Mise En Scene, which is evident with the character of Nosferatu, whose black outfit contrasted with his white face. This creates a sense of the living dead amongst the audience. “Nosferatu” attempts to create a psychological horror and uses words on screen in order to generate a sense of tension for the viewers. The writing is in scripted across the screen in a font that looks like those you might find in old spells, creating a mysterious vision for viewers allowing them to produce their own interpretation of the style of writing. The opening sequence gives us a “definition” of Nosferatu, connoting what the film will be about. This is one of the typical conventions of a fictional horror where the “monster” is introduced to us from the off, making the film less scary as we already know what is meant to horrify us. Nosferatu does include many of the typical conventions of horror we expect to see. Yet it seems to be the longest chase scene ever made - boat vs man. This doesn’t particularly keep me engaged, as I constantly need a rapid transaction of frames to occur in order to keep me on the edge of my seat. Therefore the use of editing helps to increase the sense of horror.

“Night of the Living Dead” (1968) is a low budget production, that portrays a typical zombie film which includes trapped characters attempting to escape. The blatant use of zombie characters making continuous counts of attack upon members of the public, makes the film become a slightly predictably “hammer horror”. This is due to lots of physical violence occurring throughout the duration of the film, which does encourage me to look away yet not because I’m scared but due to the gory images then tend to churn my stomach. However suspense is still slightly produced as death steers closer panic builds among the characters and arguments take over. As their bonds begin to break, panic ensues in the audience as when characters patience is tested this leads to a rising level of tension for the audience. Typical characters are demonstrated in this film i.e. the damsel in distress being guided by the strong male protagonist. Horrors are meant to engage with our nightmares, tap into the unknown. Even though “Night of the Living Dead” may meet this specification for certain viewers, for me it just seems unrealistic. Due to it being considerably too gory and based upon fictional monsters, which we know don’t exist and cannot literally harm us.

“The Shining” (1980) builds on our race’s obsession with horror by using a very closely connected family unit which eventually spilt as the film progresses. The reason the film verges on the side of a more "scary" horror for me is due to it being a normal guy that slowly cracks, which is evident amongst our everyday lives. Making you leave the cinema more wary and questioning everybody’s actions, looking for a reason to be able to connect them to the tragedy Johnny suffers. Horrors should create a sense of fear among the audience, knowing you shouldn’t look but wanting to see. For me this is illustrated when Danny continuously cycles down the corridors at a fast pace always turning corners. So we are expecting something to happen, however more often than not an empty frame can be more terrifying then that filled with what we expect. As once Johnny is seen on the screen we feel at rest, however the noise that’s never what we expect allows the audiences mind to wonder questioning why we thought it was what it’s not. This is known as the “Bomb Theory”, where the bomb just never seems to go off at the moment you expect it to. This allows a greater connection to be made between the audience and the characters because we feel empathy for them; as we believe we know more than them. Yet “The Shining” plants ideas into our minds and always seem to lead us in the wrong direction which makes the expected then unexpected. On several occasions we are forced to look at characters frightened faces, making us uncomfortable. Once again creating suspense as when we are concentrating on a still shot over a period of time, we expect in return a quick change in transactions with a loud noise in order to make us jump. Horror films incorporate our fears into visuals, building an adrenalin rush and this is most present in quick paced chase scenes which tend to disorientate the viewer. As Danny runs through the maze this heightens the sense of tension, as we feel as if he is trapped due to the tall hedges towering over him. Making him look vulnerable and timid. This is where “The Shining” really made my heart beat as the continuous use of flickering shots from point of view shots, to ones of Danny’s face and even of his feet running made me feel very uneasy. Once again because we are awaiting for the expected shot that never seems to occur.

Overall I would say its the more psycological horrors that venture into the possible that disturb me. As there is always the slight possibility of it happening to YOU !! Therefore I am going to use the sub genre of the psychological horror in my teaser trailer, instead of monsters.

Synopsis of teaser trailer - The Illision

The opening sequence consists of Katie Mill and Eva Townsmen moving into their new home as they adventure into their first year of University. They believe they have found a bargain price for their new home, yet they don’t realise why this is. When an already very curious and weary Eva snoops around their recent investment, she stubbles across countless newspaper clippings and photos discovering the tragedy that had previously occurred in the house. A “posed” Mother of twin daughters had brutally murdered them due to mysterious voices she heard proclaiming “Kill them! Kill them, before their kill you and your husband. We’ve heard them talk about you at night, under their covers, where no one can see.” As Eva discovers more and more about this unfortunate family, she attempts to bring this horrific blood bath to Katie’s attention. Katie encounters these newspaper articles but thinks nothing of it, unlike an anxious Eva who’s keen to find out more.
As Eva begins to research further into the history of the family, paranoia begins to kick in. When attempting to sleep at night she hears hushed whispers and soft slow chants of familiar nursery rhymes. A frighten Eva approaches Katie explaining the worries she has, yet a cynical Katie once again thinks nothing of it and takes advantage of the situation by playing practical jokes on her new roommate. Katie fed up of Eva’s fears decides to spend a few days away from the house with her boyfriend, leaving Eva all alone in their new isolated home. Eva still unable to sleep continuously hears the chants, which start to become louder and more realistic. Eva’s obsession with the death of the twins starts to become a lot more visual. With her catching glimpses of them darting around the house, Katie returns with sympathy for Eva emphasising its all in her head and its just homesickness. Eva overcomes her fears of the new house and enjoys her time at University, while Katie suddenly has vicious thoughts about violently hurting those who are close to her. A thought to be encounter of the twins, leaves Katie having a fit on her bedroom floor with Eva arriving to conduct a last ditch resuscitation to save Katie’s life. Just when the girls believe things couldn’t get any worst, a demented Katie begins to hear the same voice the Mother did all those years ago. Committing untold crimes including killing Eva’s cat and hanging it off the living room chandelier for Eva to find.
A desperate Eva feels past presents are still around the house with unfinished business. With no one to turn to who will believe Eva’s story, she finds comfort in the arms of Robert Fogarty. The father of the murdered twins, who now lives in a remote cottage far from civilisation due to the experience. He informs Eva that if she wishes to save her own life, another must take her place. A reluctant Eva desires not to put such fate upon another person, so takes her own life as a consequence. A revived and startled Katie attempts to carry on with her life in morning. Katie still reluctant to believe the house had any effect on Eva’s outcome, request that her boyfriend Stewart moves in with her permanently. As Katie carries out her first year in University all seems normal, until those hushed whispered and violent thoughts once again start to dictate Katie’s life.