How the aims of the production have
been met: The main aim of our project was to create a horror movie trailer
of approximately 2 minutes. We were able to make our movie trailer suitable for
our target audience (teenagers and over) as we made our trailer as engaging as
possible through typical conventions of a horror trailer. We were able to
deliver our project on time, as we were all very organised when it came to
filming the trailer. Because we included actors outside of the class into our
trailer, we had to pick an appropriate time almost every week that would be suitable
for not only them but us too. When it came down to filming, whether it was with
the actors or not, we would film in big chunks as we needed enough footage to
cut them down into quick shots- this was done to fit in with the typical
conventions of a horror trailer. With our money, we were able to buy camera
lights, a dress online and I was able to provide the group each week with fake
blood. We needed these things as it was essential for making our movie as scary
as possible. The editing for our movie trailer was done on Final Cut Pro. On
here we were able to make our trailer fit in with typical conventions of a
movie trailer. We added in a title which had been purchased off of the
internet, we used transitions throughout like fade in fade out and we added
sound effects (gunshots and screaming) which play in time with the quick shots.
In addition to this, on Final Cut Pro, we did colour grading as we wanted to
make our shots seem like they were filmed in a more dark and scary atmosphere.
How the product applies appropriate
codes and conventions and uses appropriate media language: For our
trailer, we chose not to go against the typical conventions of a horror
trailer. We were able to follow conventions by showing the most interesting
parts of our movie to attract our target audience, by adding creepy music when
necessary and by showing a disruption of normality when the characters start to
hear strange noises in the abandoned house.
How the product represents people,
places or events: Our representation of people fits in with our trailer because we
followed certain stereotypes that are given to people in this particular genre.
For the female character in our trailer, we made her appear weaker than the
male characters as we wanted to follow certain stereotypes. She is seen walking
behind the men throughout most of the trailer as she is quite frightened - she
doesn’t do much talking either. The ghost, however, is also a female but she
goes against the stereotypes of a woman. The ghost takes over a lot as she is
trying to haunt our other 3 characters and she comes across as someone with a
lot of strength and anger. This shows that our trailer includes a variation on
how the women are represented. The 2 male characters in our trailer show a lot
of confidence in the way that they act. They aren’t the ones to get injured,
you see them walking in front of the female character most of the time and they
are the ones who are able to mess around when they go to the abandoned house as
they are not afraid. In terms of costume, we made it fit in with the genre
because we purchased a long white dress for our ghost to because she is trying
to embody an angelic nature as the colour white symbolises purity. However, the
addition of blood to her dress goes against the connotations of purity and
shows the audience that she is, in fact, a figure that personifies something
darker.
Where and when the product would be
exhibited/distributed: In my opinion, it would be best to put our movie
trailer on Youtube, because this is a popular website which is mostly used by
our target audience, and because Youtube is a place where most trailers are
published today. If we were to distribute our movie trailer in cinemas, then we
would choose to do it when there are teenage movies playing, so that our target
audience will be able to view our trailer.
What regulations and controls might be
applied to the product and how these have been taken into consideration: Our movie
trailer doesn’t affect most of the BBFC laws as we have not added any strong
language, for example, into our trailer. However, for our movie trailer, we need
to warn our audience that the movie isn’t suitable for anyone under the age of
12 as it is a horror movie and may be too intense for young viewers. We will
inform our audience by showing the age restriction (12A) at the beginning of
the movie.
The strengths and weaknesses of the
product in terms of meeting the needs of its audience: From the
feedback, we have received, most people have said that our trailer is
interesting. This is because we have edited it using quick shots to add to the
suspense of the trailer. We have managed to produce a professional looking
product by following the typical conventions of a horror trailer as we have not
added any spoilers into our trailer and we have edited our trailer well using
Final Cut Pro.
