Audience Feedback

After making a rough edit of our poster and magazine cover we wanted to ask some of the other students in our class what they thought and what they might have done better. People in our class are also part of our target audience so their feedback is very valuable.

Making Horror Movie Poster

Original image poster after final edit

After filming our trailer we left some time to take some photos for the horror movie poster. We had already drawn a couple of rough sketches and discussed what we wanted our poster to look like. We wanted to combined horror movie poster conventions and the themes and iconography of the theatre. The unique selling point in our film is that it is set in the theatre. There is always a lot of mystery in the image for a horror movie poster, it normally does not give very much away. I came up with the idea that we have an image of an empty stage with only a single spotlight highlighting a dead woman holding the mask the killer was in the movie. We decided that this would be a good idea because the concept and the image itself are both very chilling and mysterious. I thought was a good idea that we do not show the killer in the poster. The mystery will build curiosity and make people more intrigued to see a film. Jessica came up with a very clever idea of having people sat in the audience. This enhanced the strange and creepy atmosphere which will draw people to see the film. We decided to have the title on a slight slide to give the idea of chaos. After getting some audience feedback we found out that we had slanted it too much and it was blocking the image so we moved to our. We used Photoshop to edit the image and make it more dark with a lot more use of shadow. Darkness is a very commonly used in horror movie posters. It is kind of like a code which tells the viewer that this is the horror movie. To make it more professional looking and similar to a real movie poster we added in production details.

Second Horror Movie Trailer Edit

After listening to the advice so I have given us and watching our trailer several times over, Jessica and I sat down and carefully went through our trailer adjusting every shot to make it as gripping as possible. First of all we cut down every shot so the viewer only gets to see a short snippet of the action. This will make the trailer of not more rapid and thrilling. We added production details at the end and a production company title at the beginning. These are two things that are always used in trailers to create interest around the stars in the film and the company which made it. We tried to make a film seem more edgy and other horror films. To do this the use of child was very effective. There is a short scene when one of the teenagers offers alcohol to the small boy this adds a new layer of rebellion to the commonly used stereotypical teenage horror film. The use of a child also heightens the drama and raises the stakes. A commonly used convention in horror movie trailers is the sudden and sometimes shocking use of abrupt titling. In our trailer the words break a leg flash up very suddenly hopefully shocking the audience and getting their attention. In the final edit we added the use of the 'wipe in' transition to give contrast to the dark scenery and make the abruptness even more shocking.

First Cut of our Trailer

Filming was very successful. We stuck very close to our schedule and managed to get all the footage we needed. I always set up the camera using the tripod because I made our storyboard and I have a clear vision in my mind of what I wanted the angles of each shot to look like. I tried to use some quite dynamic angles towards the end of the trailer as the shots get more fast pace. Some of the shots towards the end seemed quite disorientating but this adds to the rapid action in the trailer and will build a viewer's interest in the movie. I was in charge of editing the footage. Jessica was very helpful and we collaborated on ideas the whole way through. I have used iMovie many times before and know all about its tools and how to use its devices to my advantage. Before I started editing I looked through all of the transitions and titles together good idea of which ones I wanted to use. Titles and transitions can affect the style of the trailer. I got some very constructive criticism from my teacher. After watching the trailer a couple times over I realised that the beginning is very slow and entire trailer needs more pace. The shots don't have to be long but can still build tension which was a mistake I made with my first edit. This is only meant to be a teaser trailer not a theatrical trailer and does not need to be longer than two minutes. By making the shots very short the audience has enough time to take in what they've seen but are still very curious to see how the story will unfold.

Schedule and Preparation

In order to schedule our time properly we made this timetable on Microsoft Excel. When it came to filming it proved very useful because we knew the timeframe for how long it should take to shoot each scene of the trailer. This meant we could tell actors when we needed them and how much longer they had to work for. It made the entire process a lot more organised and driven. Our timetable also has a list of props and costumes that we may need to each scene. This came in very handy when preparing for the shoot. We used the timetable as a checklist so that we can tick off scenes we had done, props we had used and actors we needed.

Horror Magazine

As part of our horror movie campaign we has to make a magazine cover which advertised our horror movie. I managed to find this horror movie magazine in Forbidden Planet. It uses the typical horror movie colour scheme of black, white and red. The title font relates to Japanese horror which is thought of by many to be the country which most goriest horror movies. They have used a masthead to advertise the many articles which are inside the magazine. The image on the front is very different to a horror movie poster image. On the cover of a magazine the images are always a lot more commercial. In this one the stars are standing powerfully in the centre of the image. They are all holding weapons which shows that this magazine is tough and masculine. The clever slogan, 'bloody good show' slightly to it to show the chaos of the movie genre. Every part of the style and layout of the magazine relates back to the horror movie theme

Copied Ideas

To make our trailer we have taken ideas from many famous horror film. This is because they have proved very sucessful and have become conventions of the modern horror movie. These are some of the ideas we reused;

The character of Emily, in our trailer, is similar to the character of Si

dney in the 1996 film, Scream. Sidney is adventurous, brave and tough. In the films she is always the last person standing. These are all characteristic that we repeated in the Emily. She is seen in the trailer fighting back.

Being trapped in an abandoned building is a very commonly used plot line in horror movies. When we were coming up with our story idea we had the style of the film House Of Wax in mind. The theater and the wax museum in the film are very similar in architecture and colour scheme. We wanted to recreate the same atmosphere.

The killer in our trailer is very similar to the killer in the film Halloween. They both wear white masks and carry a large carving knife. Using a mask is a commonly used convention in horror movies. It adds a large amount of mystery to the killer and the expressionless faces make them a lot more sinister.

Unfortunate Recasting

Sadly on the day we decided to film our trailer two of our principal actors couldn't make it. Kyle and Hollie counselled on us at the last minute. Luckily we managed to find replacements which led to a rewriting of the synopsis. Jessica and I both agree that the new synopsis is actually a lot more original and exciting than the first one.

Ashlee Sutherland came at the last minute to play the character of Emily. She still has a very tomboyish look similar to Hollie. She is also very spunky and sassy similar to the character of Sidney in the 1996 film Scream. She is also a good actress with some acting training and is very charismatic which made her easy to direct.

To replace the character of Morgan, Jessica asked her nine-year-old brother, Edward, to come along. This meant we had to change the character from Vanessa's boyfriend to her younger brother. I personally think this made the film a lot more exciting. Because the young boy added an element of incense which meant the stakes were higher in the action scenes. The idea of using a young child has been used many times before in horror movies. For example the Omen, the Grudge and the Ring. Edward has also had some acting training and is very comfortable in front of the camera.

Title Ideas

When picking a title for a film it is important that you make the genre of the film clear and advertise the unique selling point. So the film it was important to think of a title which tied together the fact that it was a horror film and that the movie was set in an abandoned theatre. Some of the titles we came up with were;

-Final Curtain Call

-Kill The Lights

-The Cherub Theatre

There are a couple of commonly used conventions in horror movie titles. One of which is using a specific date in the title. For example Halloween, Friday the 13th and 28 days later. After taking this into careful consideration we came up with a couple more title ideas which included dates;

-Final Show

-Play Date

-Closing Night

to make the film seem a little bit more connected to the theatre in a less obvious way we started to think of commonly used phrases and sayings which you might hear in a theatre to incorporate into our title. This would link to a unique selling point perfectly. Our target audience is also around the age of aspiring young actors who will connect with a title like this. Some of these included;

-Break A Leg

-Stage Fright

-Curtain Call

in the end we decided that Stage Fright best suited our film trailer. This is because the word 'Fright' would appeal to a horror movie fans and makes the genre of the film quite clear. The word 'Stage' relates to our USP and advertises our theatrical setting. The film title is a phrase which is commonly used by actors. It doesn't have a date on it but we think it related to our film and our target audience a lot more.

Action Plan

So that Jessica and I could divide the work properly and organise what we still had less to do I made an action plan. It is important to divide up the work so that we don't waste time working on the same aspect of the project. I also put the date when it would be best to help them compete by on. This way we have a clear idea of the timeframe in which we are going to work.

StoryBoard Animation!

I used iMovie to turn my storyboard into a short animation. This gives a better idea of what the movie trailer is going to look like. There are a lot of horror movie trailer conventions used in my animation. Firstly I think it is very iconic use the image of the man holding the blood covered knife above his head. This image has been used ever since films like Psycho came out. It is also in classic horror film Halloween.

Secondly using conventions like the sound of a beating heart instead of a melodic soundtrack. It is one of the most effective ways to build tension and suspense. The use of rapid images gives the trailer a very fast paced, dramatic atmosphere. Thirdly another convention which is used a lot in modern day movie trailers is putting the title at the end with one final shot after it. This will leave the audience wanting more.

Finally I have also used shot of a bloody girl getting dragged by her feet down a corridor. This image has been used many times before in horror movie trailers. For example in paranormal activity 2 and drag me to hell.

These titles also plays an important part in my trailer. The sounds they go behind them act as a shock to make the audience sit up and listen.
Another very important aspect in my trailer is the first couple of shots in which the dialogue is used to immediately set up a sense of character. For example, Emily, the fearless girl suggests they stay the night in a haunted theatre. Another example is when, Jacob, the scaredy-cat expresses his fear.

I unique selling point is also advertised in the trailer. There are a lot of the theatrical references. For example the prologue to Romeo and Juiet is recited at the end. Most of the mise en scène in the trailer also depicts a theatre space. For example spotlights and stage curtains.

The flashing images only give the viewer a quick glimpse of some of the horrific things that the movie is going to entail. This will hopefully have the audience desperate to see the film.

More analysis of horror movie posters

This poster screamed for is as effective for lots of reasons. Firstly the image is very distressing and shows a white distorted face. Fans of the previous movies will immediately recognise the iconic image of the scream mask which has been used in every film. The mask is also similar to the one in the very haunting painting 'the Scream'. Secondly the colours in the poster make it an instantly recognisable as a horror movie poster. This is because they are all very dark apart from a few uses of the colour red. Which is often associated with blood and passion. The title font is bold with a lot of sharp edges. This gives it a very menacing, masculine feel. The catchphrase at the top is written in red making it stand out among the other words. The words 'new decade, new rules' advertise the unique selling point. This is that the sale is the first to be set in the new decade and that the action is going on a more dramatic/higher standard. The date is easy to remember because it has a four in it, similar to the title of the movie. I think this poster is very effective because of minimalist style which makes it very dramatic, powerful and striking.

Characters and Actors

Emily played by Hollie Bowden

Emily is a strong, independent character. She is a bit of a tomboy and is not afraid to take risks or act on impulses. One of the commonly used conventions of horror movies is that the most innocent character always lives. We wanted our movie to be a bit more modern so none of the characters are stereotypically innocent. But Emily is very loyal to her friends and is often portrayed as the voice of reason. These kind of qualities work as reasons why she is the only one that survives at the end. We chose Hollie Bowden to play the role for many different reasons. Firstly she has short hair which is often connected with rebellious, tomboy type girls. Hollie is so very good at acting tough parts.

Jacob played by Joey Jarossi

Jacob is a commonly used character in many horror films. He's a character who was often afraid and wary about doing anything that could be potentially dangerous. The character is smart and articulate. In our film the twist is that he is also the killer. He's not the one the audience would suspect because he is normally too frightened to do anything violent nature. I will play the part of Jacob because I'm very good at pronouncing my words correctly. I also had the typical look of the smart character. I also have previous acting training.

Morgan played by Kyle Lo Monaco

Morgan is also a typical character commonly found in horror movies. Often referred to as the jock. He is good-looking, popular, athletic and is often going out with a pretty girl. We have arranged for Kyle Lo Monaco to play the role because he has all of these qualities. The character of the jock is never very smart and often dies at the end of the film. Our film is no exception. Also Kyle is ethnic meaning we can reach out to a wider target audience and the film will not come across as discriminatory.

Vanessa played by Jessica Stevenson

Vanessa is also a typical character that appears regularly in horror movies. The pretty, popular girl. This kind of character will often go out with the jock. This is a convention that we have used our film. She is also not very bright and ends up being killed when she wanders off in only her underwear. Jessica was the perfect person to play this part because she is a very experienced actress and is also very pretty and image concerned.