The results of my questonnaire show that I'm targeting mostly people from the age of 16+, socio-economic group D and E, as students fall under this category.
From the questionnaire results I also gathered that students expect to be excited whilst watching a teaser trailer, and be entertained as well as spooked (considering horror trailers) Their interests such as study, fashion, music etc all need to be reflected within the trailer as to catch their attention and make them want to watch the film.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Research And Planning: Questionnaire Results
Above is the questionnaire I created and issued out to 10 people of different ages, the following are the results.
1) 5 were male, 5 were female (this was controlled in order to achieve fair results)
3) The average time for a teaser trailer was approximately 1.15 minutes.
4) The main points put across for this question were the age certificate, some of the story (but not revealing everything) and a conclusion at the end with the film title.
5) 1 voted rom-com, 3 voted horror, 5 voted comedy and 1 voted sci-fi
6) The majority of the participants said no.
7) The general ideas were 'gore' 'suspense' 'flashing images' 'damsel in distress' 'blood' 'victims' and 'villains'
8) Most participants said that horror music should be dramatic, and eerie and spooky.
Research And Planning: Codes and Conventions
Horror films are designed to cause fear and panic within an audience, sometimes by appealing to our worst nightmares and hidden fears.
I believe that filming with a handheld camera as shown in 'The Blair Witch' trailer (above) would be achievable for me and my group. There are no special effects, and the locations and props are all accessable. This trailer uses typical horror conventions such as low key lighting, close ups to show fright in the characters face, non diegetic atmospheric music and the use of a myth.
'Saw' (above) is an example of a trailer that I would not be able to imitate very successfully. Firstly, there are many locations that are likely to be inaccessable for our group, such as an old deserted bathroom. Also, there is use of weaponry which we would not be able to aqquire. Like 'The Blair Witch,' 'Saw' also uses conventions such as low key lighting and non diegetic atmospheric music. However, there is more suggestion of violence in 'Saw/' and a suggestion of good vs evil.
I believe that filming with a handheld camera as shown in 'The Blair Witch' trailer (above) would be achievable for me and my group. There are no special effects, and the locations and props are all accessable. This trailer uses typical horror conventions such as low key lighting, close ups to show fright in the characters face, non diegetic atmospheric music and the use of a myth.
'Saw' (above) is an example of a trailer that I would not be able to imitate very successfully. Firstly, there are many locations that are likely to be inaccessable for our group, such as an old deserted bathroom. Also, there is use of weaponry which we would not be able to aqquire. Like 'The Blair Witch,' 'Saw' also uses conventions such as low key lighting and non diegetic atmospheric music. However, there is more suggestion of violence in 'Saw/' and a suggestion of good vs evil.
Research And Planning: Analysis of teaser trailer 1
The beginning of the trailer starts off showing people actually watching the trailer, which targets the audience massively as they can watch the reactions of the on-screen audience and make assumptions about the quality of the film. The audience react by jumping, huddling together and screaming, creating a synergy around the film.
The trailer uses the montage effect, as it shows clips of the film, then reaction shots of the audience, reinforcing the impact of the film. This is particularly noticeable at 1.28, as the non-diegetic music coincides with the flashes of the audience, reinforcing the horror.
The characters in the trailer are all portrayed as 'normal' average people, you can tell this from the costumes they are wearing, which are everyday casual clothes, their accent and dialect portrays an ordinary person also. The woman is portrayed as the 'damsel in distress,' which is perhaps gender bias, yet is also a convention of horror films.
The majority of the slide transitions are straight cuts, yet there is a jump cut (1.25) to represent the fear and horror, and to reinforce the paranormal activities that are happening.
There are many typical conventions in this trailer, for example:
- the dramatic non-diegetic music
- the montage effect
- the low key lighting
- spooky things happening at the night time, pathetic falacy.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Research And Planning: Audience Theories
Hypodermic Syringe Model:
This is the theory that suggests that audiences passively receive data presented by the media.
Cultivation Theory:
This theory examines the long-term effects of television audiences of all ages.
Desensitisation Theory:
This theory suggests that the more we are exposed to something, the less effective it becomes.
Copycat Model:
This theory suggests that there is a relationship between the media and how much it influences the audience in terms of crimes they commit.
Uses and Gratifications Theory:
This theory suggests that audiences have an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives, and can choose media to meet their needs.
This is the theory that suggests that audiences passively receive data presented by the media.
Cultivation Theory:
This theory examines the long-term effects of television audiences of all ages.
Desensitisation Theory:
This theory suggests that the more we are exposed to something, the less effective it becomes.
Copycat Model:
This theory suggests that there is a relationship between the media and how much it influences the audience in terms of crimes they commit.
Uses and Gratifications Theory:
This theory suggests that audiences have an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives, and can choose media to meet their needs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)