In this task I will be researching into my chosen genre and the conventions of this along with its sub-genres. This will then help me choose a specific sub-genre and allow me to gain knowledge and identify key effective conventions which I can then put into my own product.
Looking into other products will help me get ideas for my own product. Particularly the settings and character types.
From my research so far I have learned some conventions I intend to use, which sub-genre I am basing my trailer on and tension building techniques.
Detailed analysis of a similar product
Here is 'The Shining' trailer which I will be analysing;
Here is 'The Shining' trailer which I will be analysing;
In my research I will be identifying key conventions of a similar product and the qualities it possesses to create an effective film trailer. I will also be looking at the technical elements, to then incorporate the most effective I find into my own product. The genre I have chosen is Psychological horror and the trailer I will be analysing is ‘The Shining’.
There are many conventions to this specific genre I have identified in the trailer. One is the location of the similar product. This is a large isolated house with deserted surroundings, this feeling of loneliness is highlighted through use of establishing shots at the beginning along with panning of the massive house that no one is in, followed by non-diegetic sound building a mysterious atmosphere.
This is important as it creates a sense of
realism in relation to the audience as they are able to relate to some elements
of the film – increasing fear as they would be able to picture themselves as
the victims. To add, whilst this is occurring there is a voiceover by Mr Olden
claiming a man who lived in this house went insane and killed his family, this plays
a big part in the in setting the scene and introducing the characters. The
voice is very stern and powerful, the voice of someone you would trust and
listen to. This explanation creates fear straight away as we get a sense of
what will happen and makes it sound more believable.
In addition this genre exposes the evil that hides behind
normality. It begins with the typically ordinary family including the killer
appearing fairly normal - which I intend to put in my product – to madness and
chaos. But also it contains elements of the paranormal, an example of this is the
two ghost girls who appear in the house, however, this the audience cannot
completely relate to.
Also, females are often the ones targeted the most
along with kids, this is demonstrated in ‘The Shining’. There is almost always
a survivor which happens to be the little boy - Danny- in this case and his mother - Wendy.
Also
there is conventionally disturbing sounds and music indicating a frightful
moment will occur. More specifically for this trailer there are ambient diegetic
sounds including footsteps and the sound of the axe chopping. In relation to
the specific genre the isolated location is significant along with the
disruption of normality, as it allows the audience to feel more afraid for the
characters who have no help apart from what is in front of them. Adding to
this, often horrors possess a location with a dark history causing the events
to take place. In addition, the weapon (prop) is crucial, identifying the
killer. For ‘The Shining’ an axe is used which is important in making the
villain known.
Conventions of form in this trailer included the length which usually between two minutes and two minute thirty. It focuses on the most significant characters. Also, the voiceover's and music are used efficiently to get a better understanding of what is happening on screen. Titles are short and simple with links to the plot of the film. Another convention of form in film trailers is they mainly begin with the age restrictions and company logo.
Conventions of form in this trailer included the length which usually between two minutes and two minute thirty. It focuses on the most significant characters. Also, the voiceover's and music are used efficiently to get a better understanding of what is happening on screen. Titles are short and simple with links to the plot of the film. Another convention of form in film trailers is they mainly begin with the age restrictions and company logo.
Moving on, sound is crucial in ‘The Shining’ trailer, it
builds tension through the simplicity as it gives the audience a chance to
focus on the visuals. For example there is non-diegetic crescendo music played at
the beginning, along with single non-diegetic piano notes that continue throughout
the trailer. This is then followed by striking sounds at the end which are used
to make the audience feel uncomfortable and scared.
Colours are another important element of this trailer, more
specifically the dull colours used, such as; brown, grey and white. This creates
an eerie atmosphere as they are dark, grimy colours. This also makes the bright
red blood gushing through the doors more effective and contrast with the dull
colours of the room. Ambient/low key lighting adds to this contrast and creates
a sinister atmosphere. The red blood also portrays connotations of death and
terror.
For editing the use of fades to black both builds tension
and helps the audience to focus on the information they are being given. The ascending
titles throughout the trailer are in a simple white typeface again ensuring the
audience are not distracted from the visuals. Towards the end of the trailer
the tensions start to build, this is as a consequence of the clips getting
shorter and therefore the pace of the trailer picks. This creates a more
panicked atmosphere and requires the audience’s full attention, making it
intense for them and putting them on the edge of their seats.
The use of camerawork is very effective, including a close
up of the faces of the protagonist and the victim. This is conventional as it
creates a sense of realism typical of the genre it allows the murderers madness
to be known and the victim’s terror to be seen. We then see several shots of the protagonist - Jack - which is also
in deep focus making him the most significant part of the shot. It begins with
a medium shot to a close up of his distraught face, implying that he is evil. The character is also wearing black which is an iconic colour of evil. As the
camera zooms in, the dialogue ‘isolation’ is said which reminds the audience of
the key atmosphere.It then cuts quickly to a zooming close-up of the
protagonists face to intensify the fear for the audience.
The narrative of 'The Shining' is interesting it is extremely similar to Vladmir Propp's idea of shared structural properties, which is mainly based around character functions and actions. He claimed there were eight character roles;
1. The Villain
2. The Donor
3. The Helper
4. The Princess or prize
5. Her Father
6. The Dispatcher
7. The Hero or Victim
8. The False Hero
These can be applied to 'The Shining', however each is debatable and if I was analysing the film I would be able to apply all. For the trailer Jack is obviously the villain, he could also be categorized as the false hero. Dick looks like the helper and Danny and Wendy are the obvious victims as we see Jack try to kill them both.
To conclude the qualities of an effective film trailer I have discovered include; isolated location, simple titles so the audience is not distracted from the footage in the trailer, low key lighting and fast paced non-diegetic music with harsh sounds to scare the audience. I also like the idea of contrasting colours as it makes the horror more bold and intense, along with a large focus on face expressions with close ups.
Still Image Analysis
This is the 'Orphan' trailer I will be analysing my 7 still images from;
Video Annotation
In this
task, my purpose is to gain knowledge on trailer conventions, four technical elements from annotating a psychological horror film trailer as I watch it. The trailer I have chosen is from a
film called 'Silent Hill Revelation'. Through this task I am hoping to find out even
more about my chosen genre from this successful film and trailer, and get more ideas as to what I can use in my
own trailer. Also, it will help me annotate a video
by using the software Adobe Premiere elements effectively.
Here is the video I have annotated please check it out;
Here is the video I have annotated please check it out;
From this
task, I am now more confident in using and annotating a film trailer through
the Adobe Premiere elements software. I have also found out even more
conventions of genre and form. The horror genre begins fairly slow but soon becomes extremely fast paced, as shown in
this video. The trailer also uses creative sound elements such as dialogue,
non-diegetic and diegetic sound to create a dark, eery atmosphere. The camerawork techniques varied throughout this trailer, but I
found that the main ones used were wide shots, close ups and medium close ups. In addition, I have found out that the mise-en-scene used in
the trailer is crucial and becomes very effective to the viewers, and always has them on the edge
of their seats, as I have experienced.
Overall,
from this task I now have a better idea of
what intrigues audiences to these trailers. I will be using all of the ideas that I have come across in my own planning
and production of my film trailer, in order for my production work to be
successful for the psychological horror sub-genre.
Ancillary Product Research
From this
task, I am hoping to find out more about the ancillary products for my chosen genre. The purpose of this research for me is mainly how I can link the trailer, poster and magazine cover together with the four technical elements. When I finish this task, I hope that
I will have more knowledge than previously on these products, and ideas which will help me when I come to creating my own poster and magazine cover for my trailer.
Magazine Cover 1
Image
In the main image
there is a famous and recognisable shot with Jack poking his head
through the door. This is when the character says ‘Here’s Jonny’ and
most people will recognise this shot without even having seen the film. It
is a close up to make the reader focus on his insane facial expressions which
allow the readers to understand that it is a psychological horror. These facial
expressions, such as his exaggerated smile and wide eyes connote this madness
of the mind and suggests an evil side. This along with the fact his head
is through a smashed door makes this madness more significant and scary. To
add, there is high key lighting directly on his face which indicates he is
important in the shot and is what the audience should have their attention
on.
Layout
The alignment of the main image
being in the centre of the magazine shows how it is the main focal point of the
entire magazine cover and it is the biggest and most prominent part of it. The
fact that the title of the film is aligned to the left of the image and only
takes a small portion of the magazine suggests that is not the main selling
point of the film in comparison to the main image although it is a significant
part. The image is surrounded by a red frame and black background
conveying the genre of horror and highlighting the image and coverlines. The
main image's placement in the centre also portrays the only character in the
image as the central protagonist.
Colour
The choice of the
bright colour of his face compared to the dirty colours either side of it again
implies he is significant and possibly key in selling the point of the film.The red font against
black background could relate to the film being a horror and the red allows the
masthead to stand out so the readers are immediately drawn. In addition, the colours
used on the front cover of The Empire magazine is mainly black and red. These
two colours connote danger and this ties in with the genre of the film. The
image has a darkened filter on it which supports the magazine colour code and
helps it to look structured. The blue wood around the character breaks up the
black around the image and adds a little colour, and the cover line is
relatively around the same colour as his skin tone which helps to support the
layout. The red bullet point and the red masthead make the cover look well
colour coded and sophisticated.
Typography
On the magazine, the
film title is in a bold sans serif font and in gold capital letters, this
creates a modern look. The main cover line is the film title ‘The
Shining’. It is in a gold font with a black outline so that it can be easily
read and overlaps the main image so that the reader focuses on it. Above this
is a caption which reads ‘I’m not gonna hurt ya. I’m just gonna bash your
brains in’. This is a famous quote from the movie and is placed on the front
cover because horror fans will be enticed to read the magazine as they can
understand what is on the cover. There is also a boost on this front cover,
promoting 100 other covers to choose from, this also overlaps the main image
and has a white background so it is easily spotted and read by the reader.Horror films had only
started coming out in the 1980’s and The Shining was created in the 80’s so
this was a modern and new thing that had come around, so the magazine made
to look modernised which would make it popular and this would make people
want to go and watch the film.
There are various conventions used within the layout of the magazine here are some examples;
- There are many different types of fonts which is conventional of a magazine cover.
- The person in main image is photographed with a close up.
- Colour scheme to create house style.
- Masthead at the top of the cover.
- The main image takes up most of the cover
- The barcode is on the bottom right - it allows no distractions from the main articles or image.
- Unique masthead compared to other magazines.
Conventions of genre
- Colour scheme is mainly dark with red elements portraying blood.
- Main image focuses on the face. The man in the image looks insane and scary indicating that it is a psychological horror.
Extra information
Empire is a monthly
magazine published by Bauer Media Group and covers all movie genres and
consists of previews and reviews of most movies that are released, it is not
specific to a genre just like other film magazines such as Total Film. This
means that it has a much wider audience as the articles will cover many genres,
this can help a film get more recognition and more revenue at the box
office.
Magazine Cover 2
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