Horror Trailer Analysis'
For my textual research, I explored in the forms and conventions of a horror trailer by analysising three horror trailers I viewed on YouTube. As I began my research, I made the decision to research into the different sub-genre's of horror, such as supernatural, psychological, and naturalistic; as I felt it would give me the different perspectives of horror and I didn't want to research into just one particular theme. I was also interested in researching in the difference between the quality and effect of modern horror trailers compared with horror trailers made in the 70's/80's, and decided to use one of my three trailers to be one from 20 years ago. As part of my research, I explored in the different techniques of an 80's horror trailer in how they connect with the audience, their choice of diagetic and non-diagetic sound, and their use of shots and camera angles. From this, I wanted to see if they would be as effective in horror trailers today, and how this would determine me using similar techniques in my own horror trailer.
As occultism, the world of black magic and supernatural beliefs, became a popular theme in horror films of the 1970's; I decided to combine my research in supernatural horror trailers with my interest in trailers from around this era. I found that several iconic supernatural horror films whose ideaology and storylines are still known today did come from 2 or 3 decades ago, such as 'The Exorcist (1973), 'The Omen' (1976), and 'The Hills Have Eyes' (1977). Having watched and thoroughly enjoyed the film, I chose Wes Craven's 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' (1984) as my first trailer to analyse, moving onto Alejandro Amenabar's 'The Others' (2001) and Sam Raimi's 'Drag Me To Hell' (2009).
'A Nightmare On Elm Street'- Supernatural Horror Trailer
The audience is told the title of the film halfway through the trailer, and again at the end. The use of this gives the viewers a clearer idea of what the trailer is about- obviously the term 'nightmare' suggests themes of horror and supernaturalism, whilst 'Elm Street' tells the audience that the film is set in a regular location with 'normal' characters who are unaware of what they about to endure. The audience are not told who is starring in the film, but at the end they are told of the producer (Robert Shaye) and the director (Wes Craven). The voice-over tells the audience that Craven was the same director of 'The Hills Have Eyes' and 'The Last House On The Left', two gruesome horror films of the 1970's who received mixed reactions from audiences. As these two films featured extreme scenes of blood and gore, the audience can expect that 'Nightmare on Elm Street' will probably be no different, as the director appears to prefer this type of horror.
The action we are shown in the trailer is mainly of how the villain’s victims are affected, and how he harms them as they desperately try to escape. Unlike modern horror trailers, this trailer from 1984 goes straight into its plot without creating tension or any build-up. The effect of this could be to reel the audience straight away into the trailer, and keep them hooked throughout. What the audience is shown is a series of quick shots of a girl being thrown across a room covered in blood, a man being accused of murdering this girl, and the different characters trying to work out the reason for all these mysterious killings. We are also shown the trauma of the other characters as it becomes clear that the villain, Freddy Krueger, haunts them in real life.
The music used for the trailer straight away sets its theme of horror or mystery. In the beginning, the eerie combination of a piano and a choir play before an electronic piece of music, a typical sound to resemble the 80's, begins to play when one of the characters mentions: "you just see... cuts happen". From this point, the music speeds up to create tension as the plot begins to unfold. It may seem that the electronic music used for the trailer is a slightly odd if it is supposed to signify horror and gore, but the cold, tense effect of the music resemble Freddy Krueger's iconic 'tool' that he uses to murder his victims: several knifes attached to a glove.The trailer does come with a voice-over, who speaks in a menacing, villainous tone to create extra effect to the piece. Such voice-overs would probably be mocked in modern day, as now audiences are used to more realistic types of horror that they can relate to. But this old-style approach of using a 'melodramatic' voice-over builds up the tension for the audience. It also confirms for them the trailer's main theme, as trailers from the 80's did not use as much affects and cut-shots and different voice-overs as we do in modern day. The affects we can use in a trailer today help the audience realise what the film is about, whereas straight away in the beginning of this trailer, for instance, the voice-over had to immediatly begin with "the kids of Elm Street don't know it yet, but something is coming... to get them."
The speed of the trailer does not change, as no quick shots or fast-motion effects are used. Throughout the whole trailer, the shots all play near enough at the same pace; but through the speeding up of the music, it may seem that the trailer does become faster halfway through. At the end when the voice-over says the title, the music reaches its climax and stops, so that the audience can hear the title clearly and it will stay in their mind for when they next go to the cinema or want to purchase a DVD/Video.
The information we are given on the film is how several friends are haunted by the evil Freddy Kruegar who comes to them when they are asleep and they are powerless to defend themselves. They don't see him during day, only when they are asleep and he is in their mind. He still has the power to kill them and they can still feel pain, and the episodes they endure with him truely are nightmares as noone else can see them- making it harder for other characters to believe it and to start choosing innocent people as the culprits of the murders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adgp0v_mfTk
What was this trailer's input on my planning for my trailer?
I felt the trailer held onto a sense of mystery by not revealing its actors, it made the storyline seem less like a fictional film and therefore perhaps more effective for its viewers. However, I didn't like how the trailer went straight into its story without creating a build-up; I want to create a brief introduction to my trailer before going into some parts of the plot, as I want to create suspense and tension for my audience. The melodramatic, villainous tone of the voice-over/narrator is a typical asset to a 70's/80's horror trailer, and I would prefer using voice-overs from either the characters or none at all. Although at this stage my storyline for my trailer might not be particulary realistic or relevent to a viewer's lifestyle or experience, I still want to capture a sense of realism so that they will be affected and not feel like they are watching something completeley fictional.
'The Others'- Phycological Horror Trailer
The audience is shown the title of the film at the end of the trailer, but uses its name at the beginning from one of the characters: "the others said they wouldn't leave us... but they did." Showing the title at the end fits in with the trailer's strong themes of mystery and suspense, and keeps the audience on edge for what the film is called. Surprisingly, the trailer doesn't say who is starring in the film, although the audience may recognise the central character, Nicole Kidman, who had past success in Bazz Luhrmann's 'Moulin Rouge!' and Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' before 'The Others'. 
The audience is shown a great deal of action mainly towards the end of the trailer, using a combination of fast-motion shots and cut shots to create a rushed, frantic tone of the characters appearing to be haunted by ghosts. Some of these clips include Nicole Kidman running up the stairs, screaming through the banisters, the little girl showing her mother pictures she drew of the ghosts, the maid telling the children that she sees the ghosts too. The music used in the beginning of the trailer is quite simple and eerie, with no powerful instruments used. This carries on throughout the whole sequence, interrupted by several bounds of a drum any time the trailer shows a shot that makes the audience jump. Because it is simple, the music doesn't really create a large impact on the trailer, but instead relates with the ghostly theme as the feel of the music is quite haunting and subtle.The trailer does not come with a voice-over, and instead tells the story through the different shots of the characters and what they say and do.
Towards the end of the trailer, several of the shots are played in fast movement, such as the shot of a nursery, which symbolises the fear of the characters and how their lives have become distorted since the ghosts have haunted their lives. Until the end, however, the general speed of the trailer is quite paced, with the effect of fading between each shot to signify the movement and presence of the ghosts.The information we are given about the film starts with Kidman introducing three housekeepers to her house- and at the same time, introducing the audience to their home life and background. The audience learns how the previous housekeepers "vanished... into thin air" and Kidman informs them not to listen to what her children might tell them, "my children sometimes have strange ideas, but you mustn’t pay any attention. Children will be children."
The story begins to unfold with the children seeing and sensing mysterious things, such as a touch on the shoulder, or the curtains suddenly opening. When they confide in their nanny, she tells them that she sees the ghosts too and so will their mother soon. As Kidman rejects her children's stories, she starts to experience similar episodes: the chandelier rattling, walking into a room and frantically pulling off sheets of furniture as she might have 'seen' something, walking through a misty field with her voice-over: "there were voices, a boy and two women, and they were talking together."The trailer moves on to the family becoming more involved with the ghosts, and trying to find a way of escaping them. One of the ghosts, an elderly woman, is even briefly revealed, and the trailer ends with the title 'The Others' crackling onto the screen with the voice-over the old maid: "sooner or later, they will find you", before ending with Kidman moving towards what appears to be her daughter playing with a toy covered in a large sheet. The audience can make out it is actually an elderly woman underneath the sheet, and when Kidman demands to know where her daughter is, the woman replies in her daughters voice: "are you mad? I am your daughter!" 
The trailer could be aimed at a wide range of audiences as it does not feature any gory or indecent scenes. There is a great use of suspense and making the audience jump, but the fear does come from the viewer's own imagination and interpretation of what the ghosts are going to do to the family. Also, the trailer doesn't reveal what's about to happen, and nor does it show them being physically harmed by them, so the trailer may appeal to viewers who enjoy a physiological horror where the storyline is more realistic and believable for them.
What was this trailer's input on my planning for my trailer?
I admired how the trailer began with several significant scenes to introduce the audience into the film, using the effect of fading to connect each shot/short scene together. I felt this technique gave the start of the trailer a solomne and eeire tone, which reflected its ghostly theme. I also felt the trailer's method of using a number of different quick shots towards the end was effective as it indicated the fear of the characters, as well as creating tension for the audience, and I decided to incoprate this technique of using a sped-up number of quick shots at the end of my trailer which would contrast with the slow, relaxed pace at the beginning.
'Drag Me To Hell'- Naturalistic Horror Trailer
The audience is told the name of the film at the end of the trailer, creating more suspense since the viewers are left on edge till the very end to find out what this film is called. Throughout the trailer, graphic shots and quick-paced editing indicate what the film will involve; but it is the title at the end, “Drag Me To Hell” which confirms it’s haunting theme. The trailer also only reveals the director of the film, Sam Raimi, since he has had past success with 'Spider-Man' and 'The Grudge' and this would appeal the audience into thinking that 'Drag Me To Hell' would be equally as popular. The trailer does not however show the names of the main actors (Alison Lohman, Justin Long) until for a split second at the very end, since neither are that recognisable in the film industry; despite Long playing the lead part in Victor Salva’s Horror “Jeepers Creepers”.
The trailer begins with a combination of fade shots and paced editing, suggesting safe themes of mystery or romance for the film. Once the film's storyline begins to unfold, tension mounts up- the music becomes bolder, the editing becomes faster and more rapid, and the most amount of action is shown. The trailer shows little snippets lasting no more than a couple of seconds, and this is what reels in the audience since they want to see more. Footage of séances, the curses taken over the main character, and effects of the curse on other characters are shown; and the very last scene shows the main character being dragged down by what appears to be fire or daemons; common images used for 'Hell' which relates back to the film's title.
The non-diegetic sound of the piano in the beginning of the trailer is like the build-up to what the audience is about to see. It creates tension and doesn't really create a particular theme. When the main character comes face to face with the woman who puts the curse on her, the music becomes a little bolder to signify danger, and as the story unfolds, gasping, husky sounds are used rather than music to bring an eeire and supernatural feel. Once the curse takes its toll on the woman, bold music of drums, trumpets, and a chorus are used to signify the power and dominance of the curse taking over the woman.Several voice overs of the woman are used, with quotes such as "they're coming for me" and "how do I get rid of this?". The effect of the voice-overs whilst showing different parts of the film give the audience a chance to see as much of the film's content as possible, whilst creating a distorted and more paced effect. As the music becomes faster, the use of the quick-shots towards the end also become more rapid to build tension for the viewers, contrasting with the beginning where the pace of the trailer was slow and relaxed; probably to reel the audience into a false sense of security.
The information we are given on the film starts with the main character eager to be promoted to being assistant manager at her work. Her manager informs her that the position will require making tough decisions, and she is given the chance to prove she can do this when she is approached by an elderly woman who wants an extension on her mortgage payment. When the main character refuses, the elderly woman begins to beg and plead, and is humiliated by the main character when she pushes her away. The elderly woman seeks revenge on the main character, and puts a curse on her, the "larmia, the most feared of all daemons". This part of the trailer is shown through a series of cut shots and voice-overs, showing significant parts of the beginning of the film to show how the main character was given the curse.
Once the main character is attacked by the elderly woman as she leaves for work, the audience begins to learn what curse the main character has and how it is affecting her. Several of the shots shown play in fast-motion to signify fear and the speed of the curse. Yet the audience is not shown the main character being harmed by the different daemons, simply 'followed', and tormented. She then asks how to get rid of the curse, and is told that she can give it away. From this point, the music becomes more dramatic and bolder to signify the climax of the trailer as the audience is now shown the effects of the curse on the woman through a combination of quick-shots: she is thrown up in the air to the ceiling, gasping for air as she nearly drowns in a pool of mud, thrown across a kitchen, and finally being over-powered by daemons which clasp at her and try to bring her down.
As the trailer features main themes of hell and curses, the trailer could appeal to audiences who are interested in the supernatural and who believe that curses such as these are real. The trailer could also appeal to those who are generally interested in ghosts and phantoms, as at one point the trailer shows a shot of a séance, and parts of the trailer do show the woman trying to over-come her curse by trying to connect with another 'parallel world'. The trailer is not aimed at young audiences as it does feature some content that may frighten them, as well as scenes that they may not understand- even at the beginning with the scene of mortgage payments and what the main character's profession involves. The overall theme of the trailer would also not appeal to audiences who do not believe in Christianity- atheists, for instance, who do not believe that Heaven and Hell are real and would not believe in such curses and daemons.
What was this trailer's input on the planning of my trailer?
At some point in my trailer, I want to signify the tension and increasing fear of the characters, and like in 'Drag Me To Hell' I want to do this through playing some of the shots in fast-motion. I also liked how this trailer altered its tone and pitch in music once different sides of the film's plot were revealed in the trailer, and decided to use this technique once my trailer would reach a climax or important part. The trailer's use of dreary, bleak colours signified its dark theme, and having moved towards the idea of producing a trailer with a ghostly, supernatural theme; I decided to edit grey, dark colours into my trailer once filmed.
Audience ResearchAs I began my audience research, I first researched into the Peal & Dean cinema advertising website where I explored in what audiences I should be targeting with my horror trailer, dividing them by age and gender. Looking into the horror films yet to be released, I chose the 2010 remake of 'A Nightmare On Elm Street', and found that the film would most appeal to ages 15-24 (71%) and males (57%):
Likewise with 'Cabin In The Woods', to be released in January 2011, which appealed to audiences aged 15-24 (65%) and males (61%):
Having found that my main target audience for my horror trailer would be ages between 15-24, I decided to feature characters of this age in my trailer with a storyline that a young audience could relate to. I began to plan how I could use young characters of around my own age to star in the trailer; a group of college friends left alone in a cursed/haunted house? A lonely bullied girl in school set out for a deadly revenge against her classmates?
Questionairres
With my storyline already briefly set out, it was time to be given feedback on how to film my trailer and what I should and shouldn't include. I constructed a questionairre which I handed out to 15 students at my college and 5 20+ friends outside of my college, having set my target audience of ages 15-24. Although from my research on the Pearl & Dean website I learnt that males are more likely to watch a horror film than females, I divided my questionairre's equally because I wanted balanced opinions. I also included my idea from the beginning of finding out what type of horror genre people are most likely to see, and used it in the first question.
From the results, I found that my target audience preferred a pyscological horror (The Sixth Sense) which received 50%, with a naturalistic horror, one which features ordinary characters whose lives have changed due to a curse or evil presence (Friday The 13th), followed second with 35%. As they were the most popular, I decided to incorporate these themes of psycological and naturalistic horror into my own trailer.
2. Where do you hear about recent films that have been released?
(Cinema, Posters, Newspapers/Magazines, Radio, Friends/Family, Other)
From the results, I found that my target audience are most likely to hear about a new film through the trailers shown at the cinema (60%). Thus, it is important that my trailer instantly grabs the attention of the viewers, as is my second promotion statagy of advertising the trailer through the front page of a magazine (25%) and a poster (15%).
3. Do you think music is needed in a trailer in order to make it effective?
(Yes/No)
The results clearly show that my target audience feel that music is essential in a trailer (85%). I struggled with this as I knew I couldn't use a sample of music that had a copyright, so I decided to feature only a small piece of music halfway through my trailer, and discussed with a friend who does music and see if she could help by recording a piece of music that fitted with the theme of my trailer.4. Where do you think is an ideal location to shoot a horror trailer?
(Graveyard/Park/Abandoned House/School)
From the results I found that my target audience felt an abandoned house was the ideal location for a horror trailer (65%), and I decided that this location was also ideal for me to film. However, after planning how I could film the horror trailer in my house, I found that my house didn't provide the eeire atmosphere needed in a horror trailer; nor does it have any "scary" rooms or lighting. Although the graveyard location followed with 15%, I felt that this was too predictable and I knew I couldn't just film my whole trailer in a graveyard. So, I decided to use the third option my audience chosen, this being in a school which scored 10%, as I knew my college would provide me with dozens of dark rooms, eeire corridors, and useful lighting.
5. Would you be persuaded to see a horror film if its trailer showed a great deal of the content?
(Yes/No)
I learnt from these results that my audience prefers a horror trailer that doesn't give away the full plot of its film (60%). Only scoring slightly more than those who decided they wanted a horror trailer to show most of the film's content, however (40%), so I decided to feature a particular scene showing what the story could be about, and using different quick shots and voice-overs to give a jolted feel and to leave the audience guessing.
6. Do you think horror trailers should completely frighten its audiences?
(Yes/No)
From the results, I found only slightly of the majority of my target audience preffered a horror trailer that would completely scare them (55%). As 45% preferred a horror trailer that didn't, I decided to make my horror trailer only slightly eeire, with some 'jump-scares' that would scare them as well as leaving them in suspense and wondering what the overall film is about.7. Would you be more affected by a horror film and its trailer if the storyline was realistic?
(Yes/No)
Again, I found that only slightly of the majority of my target audience preffered if a horror film and its trailer had a realistic storyline (60%). I decided to set my trailer in a 'normal' house, relating back to my target audience's most preferred location, and I would feature 'normal' characters seemingly living a 'normal' life- and what goes on behind closed doors is anything but normall.
8. What colours do you think should be used in a horror trailer?
(Bright/Black & White/Sepia/Washed Out/Other)
Out of the options, only Black & White and Washed Out were chosen. Washed Out scored 75% of the votes, and I was pleased as I had previously decided to use this effect in my trailer. As Black & White scored 25%, I decided to feature only small parts of my trailer that could be in this effect, such as photographs or flashbacks.
9. How long do you think a horror trailer should be so that it appeals to its viewers?
(0:30-1:30 min/1:30-2:30 min/2:30-3:30 min/3:30-4:30min/More)
From the results, I found that my target audience preferred if a horror trailer ran for 0:30-1:30 min (60%). 1:30-2:30 min followed at 30%, with 2:30-3:30 min at 10%. I decided to run my trailer for no longer than 1 minute 30 seconds, as I felt this would give me enough time to show the audience some of the plot and to also leave them curious into watching the overall film. Although the questionairres gave me the data I needed to make a trailer that would appeal to my target audience, it didn't provide geniune or detailed answers of what a viewer would want to see. I decided to use MSN Messanger where I asked several of my contacts a question based on a horror trailer or film, and noted down their comments, critiscms, or suggestions. Out of those I asked, there were two contacts whose answers made the biggest effect on the planning for my trailer:
With Lucy (aged 17), I asked whether she prefered naturalistic or supernatural horror films. She replied: "I personally prefer films that have a slightly unrealistic storyline-but can apply to "ordinary" people like me and you. so a bit of both really, it always makes me more interested to watch a horror film when I know it can happen to me. It makes it more enjoyable, and scary!"
I learnt from Lucy's answer that a mixture of realism and fantasy is the perfect combination to attract an audience. I used this in the planning of my story, where I would set the family of a possessed girl in a perfectly ordinary town, with both parents living 'ordinary' lives with 'ordinary' jobs. The girl could appear strange in public, but people may just judge her as an eccentric girl who is going through a phase.
With Nathan (aged 21), I asked him what has been the best horror trailer he has ever seen. He replied: "I really liked the trailer for that new zombie film, the crazies... I get the idea that zombies start to take over the country, the trailer showed people having to evacuate and being attacked etc. What I liked was how the trailer didn't reveal why the zombies were taking over, it gave it some mystery and left the audience to decide for themselves- was it a disease? An illusion? End of the world? It made me want to watch the film by showing me what it's all about, but not revealing too much. It made me curious."
I learnt from Nathan's answer to not show the audience the full plot of the film, reveal some content which is open to different questions and interpretations. I decided to show the police officer interrogating the girl's mother at some point in the trailer, to make it seem as if she's in the wrong, but also showing some of the girl's sins and what evil deeds she has already done or is capable of. The audience can be left to think, is the girl's mother the cause for her curse? Is the girl a ghost? Who is the villain and who is the victim?
Video Question & Answer
Although the questionairres and MSN Messenger provided me with audience's opinions and views on horror trailers, the information was only processed cyberally and, just on its own, didn't really create a "real" or "geniune" response from my target audience. Thus, I decided to film three students from my college who were in my catagory of 15-24 years old, and asked them some questions which helped create my trailer. I asked the question of whether horror trailer today are more effective than they were from 20/30 years ago, and received a mixture of interesting answers. One of the answers I received is posted below, where the boy talks about the different time periods and how audiences were more shocked three decades ago than they are today. He mentioned how back in the 80's, it was easier to produce new storylines and plots whilst today horror films have become more 'repititive' and are running out of ideas. After hearing this, I knew it was important to produce a trailer with a fairly original plot that doesn't follow the 'typcial' conventions of a horror sequel.
Institutional Research
During my institutional research, I looked into what films I could associate my trailer with, and what studios were used to promote these films. As I had based my trailer on pyscological horror, I looked into Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" (2001) which was distributed by DreamWorks. I wanted to use a similar idea of a possessed girl with a shadowy past and how not everything is as it seems, and I knew that DreamWorks were often the company used to distribute pyscological horrors and black comedies. However, I couldn't research just into DreamWorks what with it being an American company, so I looked into various British pyscological horror films and what companies were used to distribute them. 
IMDb Research- "28 Days Later" (2002, directed by Danny Boyle)
The company used to distribute the British horror “28 Days Later” was DNA Films. It was rated R by the MMPA (Motion Picture Association of America) for “strong violence and gore, language and nudity”, whilst the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) gave the film a rating of 18. I was able to gain a great deal of information on the film from visiting the IMDb website, which provided me with release dates, awards the film had won, cast lists, and the actual location of the filming as well as the film's company.
I looked at how my film would feature similar content: if the girl was to be evil, or perhaps even the devil reincarnation, then she would perform strong acts of gory and hate-filled violence on her victims. Not only this, but her parents (out of their own protection) would have to lock her up and restrain her, and this may include violence too. Apart from the frightening content however, I feel my storyline would be very complex with different twists and symbolism, as it was a psychological horror, and I think awarding my film with a rating of 15 would be appropriate as I don’t think viewers under this age may understand the storyline. I would feature moderate violence and gore, but I would want to bring out the fear of the audience through the film’s eerie references to daemons and ghosts. I want my film to be more about the suspense and tension, and using the audience’s own imagination to scare them.
I visited the DNA Films website, where this production company promotes a “positive, engaging experience” for the audience and searches for “the perfect camera angle, lighting setup, and post production technique” in its filming. Having watched several films distributed by DNA Films (“Notes on a Scandal”, “Love Actually”) I knew that the company paid attention to detail and held a slight post-modern style, and this is what I wanted for my film. I wanted to create a close relationship between the characters and the audience, and I feel I would achieve this through the company’s technique of intimate filming.
Using "The Ring" as my guide to what BBFC rating my trailer would have and who would create/distribute/publish/exhibit my product, I went on the IMDb website and researched into this information based on "The Ring". I found that the film was rated a classification of 15 in the U.K, whereas the MPAA (The Motion Picture Association of America) gave it a rating of PG-13 for "thematic elements, disturbing images, language and some drug references." As my trailer would feature similiar content, I decided to give it a rating of 15. However, the reason for this was not just because it would be frightening for children, but because it may have a complex storyline (being a pyscological horror) that audiences under the age of 15 may not understand.
I couldn't use the actual company 'DNA Films' to distribute my trailer, but decided to base my ficional company on their same themes and ideas. I decided to call mine 'EDK Productions' which stands for my intials, and is what I feature at the beginning of my trailer and also on my film's poster.
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