Horror trailer conventions

In order to gain a better understanding of the conventions I should follow in my movie trailer I researched previously completed research from slide share. This is what I found.

 
This slideshow has shown me which camera conventions are most commonly used and has allowed me to have more choice in which ones would be more viable to use in my on work. For example

Unconventional movie trailer research

In order to understand and effectively use or change conventions for my movie trailer I have researched some of the most unconventional, big hit, hollywood movies using http://flavorwire.com/90202/the-10-most-unconventional-movie-trailers-of-the-past-decade as a source for the list of the trailers and http://www.imdb.com to view the trailers.

 

 

 

The first trailer I viewed was J.J. Abrams 'Super 8'. This was an unconventional trailer as without giving away the slightest bit about the main story line/monster, it still draws the audience in. The trailer also manages to be extremely effective without using a 'God like' voiceover building tension or giving away the script. This is unconventional as it does very little, yet still achieves to, in terms of using popular conventions to attract the targeted audience.

 

The second trailer I researched was 'Cloverfield', produced again by J.J. Abrams. This trailer again ignores a number of conventions in order to give the audience a more interactive feel to this movie. The trailer is shot entirely from the lead actors hand held camera giving it an extraordinarily intimate, yet very effective, feel. The trailer also chooses to ignore a number of other conventions such as voiceovers and on screen titles which again all add up to this attractive first person feel.

 



 

The final trailer I research was 'Paranormal Acitvity', writen and directed by Oren Peli. This trailer follows more conventions the the other two from J.J. Abrams in terms of voiceovers and titles on the screen throughout which helps build up tension. Another convention the trailer follows is the music and speed build up towards the end of the trailer, this is effective as it builds atmosphere and draws the audience in to the final hint of the storyline at the end. On the other hand however the trailer also ignores a number of the same conventions as 'Cloverfield' and 'Super 8'. For example, the monsters/ghosts are not revealed in either of the trailers, this is effective as it leaves the main part of the storyline to the viewers imagination leaving them no choice but to go and what the film. 

Schedule

My Intentions

My name is Ryan Scragg, from Biddulph High School. This is my A2 coursework where I will create and evaluate a film trailer. The genre I am going to follow is horror as I believe it will be the most entertaining and interesting genre for my trailer.

In order to get a good idea of a sub-genre for my horror movie I have researched the best horror movies which were made on a minimalistic budget. This will give me a good idea of which route to go down in terms of producing the trailer.

This screen shot shows that from my research I have found that horror films, such as 'Paranormal Activity', can make a huge amount of money from a micro-budget. From this research I have decided that the best way to go about my trailer is to use the same technique as 'Paranormal Activity' and film my trailer using handheld cameras, giving my audience a more realistic feel.

'The Blair Witch Project' is another example of this.