What have you learnt from the audience feedback?

I used I-Movie to interview people who classify as my target audience (British teenagers over 18), and ask them what they think about certain aspects of my trailer. Here are the results:






The interviews, which are an effective form of primary research, suggest that my trailer is effective and conventional for my genre. I think my use of music and camera shots are effective due to their reactions when watching the trailer. However, these two suggested some improvements:

• To include more gore in my trailer - Looking back, this is a very valid point and I think if i made my trailer again, I would incorporate more blood and gore. However, my initial fear of doing this was the chance that it may look very fake and ineffective due to my lack of resources compared to the real horror film industry. I would rather imply pain and gore than portray it ineffectively
• The trailer is not in chronological order, and maybe it should be - I think this is a valid point as an audience may find it easier to follow in chronological order. However in horror trailers, there is often a montage of the scarier clips in the film and this is often not in chronological order.

I done further audience research where I screen my trailer for my media class and asked them to simply write some suggestions for improvements. This saved time as interviewing everyone would have been very time consuming! Some suggestions were:

• Use more hand held camera footage as this part was very effective - this is a point that I acknowleged myself after I had made the trailer. Due to deadlines I did not have tim to film it again but if I repeated this experience, I would include more hand held camera techniques and point of view shots.
• Include more gore - As above
• You cannot hear the dialogue of a male character in the circle - This is true. I increased the volume so it is audible but it would be more effective overall. However this part is essential to my trailer so I could not remove it completely. It establishes the fact that Emily is missing and that there is danger.

Although there are many suggestions for improvements, my classmates had positive comments also:

• You use a variety of shots which is good. The close ups show fear on the victim and the long shots show both the killer and main girl in conventional ways - moving slowly with the knife and running away in a panic
• The shot where the door opens slowly to reveal bloody hand prints is really good! It shocked me when I seen it and I think it looks realistic
• Your use of sound effects establishes the horror genre and create tension
• The main girl acts really well and it seems realistic
• The plot is conveyed well as the beginning shows the parents going away and the voice over also explains it.

Overall, I have learned that my trailer has both negative and positive features, which I expected. Also, my target audience seem to like it and many commented that they would watch the film!

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Presentation new technologies a2

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In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

As the chosen genre for my trailer task was a Slasher horror film, I analysed the codes and conventions of existing Slasher films, which is documented in my research and planning stages. I aimed to make a trailer for a very traditional Slasher film, but a British one! I tried to stick to conventions, except the nationality, very closely including mise en scene, location, costume, the storyline and camera angles.

The storyline of my horror film is very conventional. In ‘The Sleepover’, a young girl is left alone from for the weekend as her parents go away. She has a sleepover, which is interrupted by a masked killer who kills every character except ‘the final girl’. This is very conventional as films such as Scream and Pyscho also make use of the final girl theory and the victims of the murderer being teenagers with illicit behaviour. My British twist to this, however, is the content I would include in the full film; there would be a lot of British youth culture included to establish the challenging conventions of the American Slasher Film. Also, I would try to achieve a more realist effect than films such as Scream – an effect similar to the British film ‘This Is England’.


The weapon I included in my trailer is conventional of a Slasher film. A penetrative weapon is very conventional, due to the theory of sexual terror where stabbing is an act of taking sexual power away from a victim, who often has been included in sexual behaviour in the film. I used a Ghurkha knife as a prop, which instantly evokes fear from an audience. This is similar to films such as Psycho and Halloween.







How I styled, shot and directed my villain fitted conventions appropriately. Slasher villains are often dark figures whose facial appearance is somehow covered up with a mask, lighting or film make up. The costume for my killer was plain black clothes, signifying evil and also evoking alarm from an audience when they see a dark figure. I used white face paint to cover his facial features, similar to the villain in Scream and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This also gives him the dehumanising effect which is common in Slasher villains. He moved slowly in my long shot of him walking up the stairs, which is common as it signifies that the killer has no fear; he is invincible and moves calmly to show this.










The characters in my trailer are also very conventional. A group of teenagers is possible the most common victim group among the horror genre; perhaps due to their vulnerability or due to their illicit behaviours (their brutal end is some form of punishment). I used Emily for the main character, who is conventional due to her attractiveness and innocent look. The unconventional aspect of my characters is their strong British accents, behaviour and realistic appearances. Another convention I broke with my characters was one I made sure to include in my trailer; the convention that the women who have sex die first. Scream also breaks this conventional, and I believe it is a realistic modern update to the traditional Slasher film. This is why I included the footage of Emily and Michael leaving the room together to wolf-whistles to suggest that the final girl survives despite not being a virgin.



The sound I used is conventional for a horror movie. For non diegetic sound, I found two different orchestral scores. One was more calm and eerie for the beginning of the trailer before the horror properly unfolds. I then incorporated a more traditional horror music; jumpy, fast paced and tension building, for the more ‘scary’ scenes. I also incorporated sound effects such as
• An eerie door creaking sound
• A metallic ‘boom’ for scary moments such as the villain appearing at the window and the door opening to reveal bloody handprints.
• A voice over of a British narrator – to establish the British genre and also explain the plot more substantially. The voice was deep and mysterious, fitting the conventions of a horror voiceover.

Diegetic sound that I used was sound such as a scream, a knife swishing and the low scared voices of teenagers. These are all conventional sounds for movies such as Halloween and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

I incorporated the green screen, and the production/distribution company Warner logo to include the things which are generally seen in trailers in theatres. I chose Warner Brothers because they could distribute my film in America, despite it being a British production, and they are extremely successful. The clip of their logo also establishes the horror genre. I got this and the green screen by converting a clip from Youtube onto MP4, then converting it into imovie.





I carefully altered mise en scene so it was as conventional as possible. Some examples are:
• The final girl running through the dark night into an area full of trees / bushes – This setting is very common in horror films due to the isolation and helplessness of wooded areas. It is common in films such as The Cabin and Eden Lake.





• The teenagers sitting in a circle in the living room, telling scary stories. This creates a sense of irony I wanted to portray in my film, similar to Scream. The dark room lit with candles creates an eerie atmosphere and foreshadows danger.





• The killer walking up the stairs, which are dark and eerie – A common convention of horror films is a victim running up the stairs further into the house instead of escaping. “There’s always some stupid killer stalking some big breasted girl, who can’t act, who’s always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door” – Scream (1996)


• The setting – most of my filming was done in a friends house which is an old English cottage. This old setting set a mysterious atmosphere and is similar to the conventional haunted house locations in horror films, similar to ‘The Others’.

One convention which is very traditional, and could be see as overused, is the phone call. I wanted to use this though, to stick very closely to Slasher conventions in my British twist. I filmed the girl speaking down the phone then edited the killer’s voice on top using I-movie. The cockney British accent sets my film apart from most American ones, although his language is very conventional.





I used editing appropriately to stick to conventions also. I altered the colour settings on the beginning of the trailer to increase contrast and decrease brightness. As I did not get the opportunity to film outside the old village house, I had to use mine which is a typical small terraced house. Therefore I hope editing made have more of a dark atmosphere.



I also incorporated slide transitions such as cross dissolve and fade to black between some scenes, in order to split certain stages of the trailer and increase or decrease the pace. I also used many fast paced jump cuts, and I think the contrast between the two is effective. I used text in my trailer, to speak directly to the audience and hopefully captivate them more into the storyline. This also establishes the genre and plot more to the audience. The language is mysterious, and the black screen with a cracked graphic red font connotates violence, danger and is conventional of a horror film. These colours are often used in this genre.


Similar to Eden Lake:


I used a ‘fake ending’ – the fade to black transition is very gradual and suggests to the audience that the trailer is over, however I used a loud, startling sound effect along with sudden footage of the killer jumping out of a cellar to shock and scare the audience; the main aim of a horror film.



I also used editing at the moment the villain appears at the window. I split the clip into three parts and editing the colour settings of the middle clip so that the picture appeared as a 'negative' photo. The overall effect is a flashing at the window which shocks the audience and draws attention to the killer's dangerous intentions.

The camera shots and techniques I used were aimed to be varied. I used a range of close ups, long shots, low angles and point of view shots.The low angles showin the villain signifies his dominance in the situation and the point of view shots give the audience personal insight into the characters - captivating them into the experience of my teaser trailer. I also used a clip of hand held camera shooting. This is often used in horror films and gives a more realistic depiction of the horror. This technique is used throughout the whole films in Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project.

I used a vertical panning shot of the girl sitting on the stairs then the dark figure of the killer at the top of the stairs, unnoticed. This is designed to shock the audience and make them feel alarm for the victim; creating sympathy for horror victims is essential.

How effective is the combination of your main product and subsidiary tasks?

I think that my film poster and trailer very much represent the same genre and the plot/message of the film very well. The ideology and representation is very similar – they both evoke a response of fear and alarm and also suggest that pain and danger will be in the plot.

The font used in my poster and the text in my trailer are similar, although I wanted to use different fonts to show a variety. They both signify horror and panic. The poster font perhaps represents death more as it suggests that blood is dripping from the font. This is effective though, as the trailer has more time and resources to persuade the audience through shocking footage / music etc making them believe the film will be entertaining and captivating.

The location used for my poster photo shoot is similar to one of the locations in the trailer – a dark night setting with trees/garden. This wooded scene is very common in horror films such as ‘The Uninvited’, ‘Eden Lake’ and ‘Cabin Fever’, and is effective as it suggests isolation and vulnerability, and is a clichéd horror setting.

The girl used in my poster was acting in the film, however she was not the main character. This is sometimes the case though, for example Drew Barrymore was on the film poster for Scream yet she only appeared in the film for a short scene.

My film magazine does not match the style of the poster and trailer; however it still fits the brief well and is a realistic film magazine. Many film magazines design the cover similar to a fashion magazine and include an actor from the film in a glamorous photograph. The audience should recognise them and the headline underneath explains that the film will be a feature of the magazine. This is clear in my piece:

Even though my magazine does not reflect the genre of my poster and trailer, I featured an actor in it and used the same actor as in my poster. I wanted to create a realistic film magazine and many of the ones that I saw used this type of photo shoot and layout.

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Finance for my trailer

Saving some money for any production of a media text is important incase there are sudden unforseen costs. This is called contingency money. The form of budgeting I would use is called below the line budgeting (only budgeting for production elements).

This is the money I have saved for my production:

• £10 - For costumes. I plan to mainly make my own costumes and to think of ideas as I go along! I may need to purchase items such as fake blood.
• £10 - For petrol money, incase people take me to a fiming location and need some petrol money.
• £10 - For any other costs that I have not predicted

Obviously, being an a level project, my film does not have costs similar to those of real films, especially those distributed by large production companies / distribution companies. Some films have costs exceeding millions of dollars, however usually the profits are much, much higher.

Screen shots from my trailer and how they're similar to existing products

Here is a screenshot from scream and screenshot from my trailer. The idea of the the killer being at the window suggests that the victims are vulnerable and trapped. In both my trailer and Scream, the killers are first both unseen by the character - there is dramatic irony in that the audience knows the danger for the character first, creating a sense of panic and fear for them. Also, the setting of a domesticated house plays on society's innate fears that you might not be safe in your own home. Both my killer and the scream killer have dark clothing and white masks/paint to disguise their appearance and give them the dehumanising effect. The quality of the prints from Scream are obviously better as it is a professional film, although I think the white drapes and slightly desaturated image on my trailer is an effective look for this scene.

Here is a screenshot from Psycho and my trailer. Although Psycho includes the weapon also, my bloody handprints represent the same; pain and death - sticking to the horror genre ideology and also suggesting gore in the actual film. Both scenes are took in the bathroom, where it seems to be conventional for scenes in horror movies, especially the bath and shower.


Here is a screenshot from I Know What You Did Last Summer and also my trailer. The protagonist females both fit the 'final girl' convention. They both have dark hair and innocent looks and are hiding from the killer. Perhaps I could have made the background in the shot of Emily darker to represent the horror genre more strongly.


Here is a screenshot from Scream 4 and my trailer. The female characters are both in their houses with the unnoticed killer behind them. The effect of this is that the audience feels panic and alarm for the character. The fact that they are both female seems to heighten their vulnerability. The killer in my trailer is further away from the character as this is before the horror action really begins, just to establish that there is danger further in the film. The low angle camera shot gives Emily a sense of vulnerability and the killer a dominance in the scene.



Here is a screenshot from Scream and from my trailer. Both consist of teenagers sitting in on a night in, drinking beer and socialising. This conveys the convention in Slasher films that groups of teenagers are often the main victims. This may be due to the vulnerable situations teenagers can be placed in or the theory that teenagers are punished in horror films for their illicit behaviour. In scream, the teenagers are watching scary films whereas in my trailer they are telling scary stories. I think this is appropriate for my British twist as is fits in with the small village location and myths about old, English houses and hauntings.


Here is a screenshot from Eden Lake and a screenshot from my trailer. Both female characters are trying to evade the killer running through a wooded area. My shot is a Point of view shot (from the killer's eyes) so I think this creates a more immediate danger than the woman coming towards the camera. Also, the darkness of my shot is typical iconography for a horror film. The woods are a very common setting in the horror genre due to their isolation and the fact that there is not really anywhere a victim can truly hide.

How does my trailer fit into narrative theory conventions?

The Russian Formalists of the 1920’s were influential in identifying conventions of narrative. Vladimir Propp’s theory states that there are seven character types which each took on the role of different narrative spheres of action. Propp states that a hero embarks on a quest to defy the villain – this is definitely the case in my film – the final girl, my main character, is on a quest to survive the killer. There are only two main characters in my music video; Emily, the final girl who could be classed as the hero and the killer (the villain), although there are many other smaller characters. Some character types such as the dispatcher are missing in my video, which contests Propp’s characterisation theory. However, there are characters in the plot that do not appear on screen; the dispatcher could be Emily’s mother, who raised her typical of a final girl and willing to fight for her life. I find it difficult to distinguish the extent to which I followed Propp’s theory; my piece does not follow the typical conventions of characterisation, however this is to be expected in a trailer as it is much shorter than full length films. I believe this was more effective as introducing many characters on screen in a short time may confuse viewers and the plot may not develop as effectively as it would in a longer piece of moving image. Also, music videos and film did not exist in the 1920s as they do now. Technology and the media has developed and changed extraordinarily in the last century, possibly rendering Propp’s theory as outdated.

Tzvetan Todorov’s, another Russian formalist, generated a theory which states that there are five stages in a conventional narrative :

1. A state of equilibrium at the outset

2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action

3. A recognition that there has been a disruption

4. An attempt to repair the disruption

5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

Although Todorov’s theory shares the same contextual issues as Propp’s, these stages can be identified in most mainstream media texts, such as Hollywood movies. However, a teaser trailer’s limited time length renders it extremely different to many other texts, which often causes the musician to use short pieces which abruptly affect the audience – whether it is outrageous, brutal or fear evoking. Therefore narrative structure in trailers may not be applied in the same way – my video, for example, does not include stage 5 as I would not want to give the end of the plot away to the audience. The video ends on a cliff hanger to persuade the audience to watch my whole film.Therefore, equilibrium is not restored, and my trailer challenged Todorov’s theory.