Questionnaire sampling & data gathering

To create my actual questionnaire i used www.surveymonkey.com. This is a website that allows you to create online questionnaires and then link people your survey, or post it to the www.surveymonkey.com home page so that random people can answer your questions. This is what it will look like when people click the link to answer my questionnaire:









Link to full questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HP8RKGV


Email:
Instead of posting my questionnaire to the Survey Monkey home page (other Survey Monkey users), i decided to email individuals my questionnaire. I chose to do this because I could control who answers my questionnaire and I thought that it would be a quicker way of receiving responses. I posted the link to my questionnaire in the email, as shown below.

Sampling:
I chose to send my email to 30 people, so that I have a large enough sample to make more accurate conclusions from. I sent the email to ten 15 - 25 year olds, ten 26 - 35 year olds, and ten 36+ year olds. I chose this sample method because it is more controlled and the results will be more reliable as there will be a wider range of ages. This is because if i used random sampling by posting the questionnaire to Survey Monkey, the majority of the responses are likely to be just the people who use Survey Monkey, which could only represent a small age range. 

Horror teaser trailer questionnaire

As part of my Research of target audience section, I decided to create a questionnaire. I did this so that i could gather information about my target audience, and about what they prefer/thinks works well in horror teaser trailers. It also asks them their personal opinions about preferred themes etc. Gathering this information will enable me to create a teaser trailer that is more suited to my target audience, so the trailer is a stronger advertisement for the film. I asked a range of open and closed questions, so that i could gather qualitative and quantitative data. This can then be analysed and my trailer can be based around the data gathered.

These are the questions and some answer options in my questionnaire:

1. How old are you?
15 - 25            26 - 35            36+

2. What do you think makes a good teaser?

3. How long do you think it should be?

0-30 secs                31-60 secs              61-90 secs             91-120 secs

4. Do you think that longer or shorter clips from the film work better in a horror trailer?
- Longer
- Shorter

5. Do teasers largely influence your decision to watch a film?
- Yes              - No

6. Why do they/don’t they influence your decision?

7. What do you enjoy most about horror films?

8. When is the best time of year to release a horror film?

9. What type of horror films do you like?
- Body horror
- Action horror
- Comedy horror
- Psychological
- Zombie
- Slasher

10. What are the top 3 elements of a horror teaser?
-  Storylines / twists
-  Realism
-  Abnormality
-  The actors
-  The suspense/jumps
-  True stories

Format research evaluation

Woops, forgot to post this a few weeks ago!

Because I have chosen to create a teaser trailer for a horror film, i analysed 3 horror film trailers. This analysis helped me to gain a better understanding of the conventions and themes used in horror trailers. This therefore is now helping me to create ideas about what my trailer should include, and what is typically found in horror trailers.

Actors - In 2 out of the 3 trailers, the main characters were shown. This is important as it introduces key people in the film, which may also be very effective if the actors are very famous (and therefore give the trailer/film a lot of selling power). It also gives an idea of what the film is about, the storyline theme, and who the film is aimed at. The costume and physical characteristics of the characters is also important, as in most of the trailers, it gave a sense of realism, which is a key convention of many horror films today.

Sound - Non-diagetic music was used in all trailers, and I have found that it is key to creating an atmosphere and building/developing the horror theme in the on screen footage. Sounds that are harsh toned and slow paced are also effective as they build tension and give a sense of negativity. The use of simple non-diagetic music (such as just one or two instruments playing) was effective also as it created eeriness and means that the focus is still on the on screen footage. Diagetic sounds such as loud screams conform to the horror genre as screaming suggests pain and negative imagery, and I will certainly be using this in my trailer!

Locations - In 2 trailers, various locations are shown. This is a key convention of any trailer I think, as it introduces the settings and nature of the film. It also gives a sense about the characters lives and certain locations (such as the houses used in 2 of the trailers) gives a sense of the storyline of the film/the realism of the film. However, The Shining trailer challenged this convention, as only one location was used, and was effective as it left the audience wondering what will happen in the film.

Narration - 2 of the trailers used narration over the top of the footage on screen. This was used to engage the audience and to get them thinking more about the film by involving them. The narrations used asked the audience questions and gave them information about the storyline, which is effective at attracting the audience's attention and increasing their desire to watch the film as it gives them a broader idea of what the film is about. I found that the narration is usually a man, and his voice is usually deep so that eeriness and tension is built, and so a sinister effect is created.

Camera work - The angle of the shots seems to be very important, as it helps the audience understand and feel what/who has power and who is vulnerable in the film. POV shots were also common, which is a big convention of horror films as it lets the audience feel like they are in the characters shoes. This creates fear and tension amongst the audience, which is key in the horror genre. Close-ups/extreme close-ups are used to introduce themes (such as death through the shots of weapons etc.) and storyline hints, giving the audience a better idea about what the film is about.

Editing - In the trailers (apart from The Shining), many clips from the film are used. This is effective at giving the audience an idea of what the film is about, what the theme of the film is, how well it is made, and introduces characters/locations etc. The titles of the films are also not shown until the end. I found this effective as it meant that I had to watch the whole trailer before I could see what the film was actually called and when it was being released.

 Credits/logos - At the end of the trailers there are usually credits, which makes the audience feel like they have just watched part of the film. The audience may therefore watch the film if they like what they saw. The production company's name/logo is also normally shown at the beginning of the trailer, so that the audience can recognise and memorise who the company are before they view the trailer. It also may therefore give the audience preconceived ideas of how good the film will be if they recognise that the company has produced other films that they liked/were successful.

Ratings / release date - This is usually the last thing to be shown in the film, as again, the audience have to watch the whole trailer before finding out vital information about the film. It is also important that the age rating is included, because viewers may be disappointed if they go to the cinema to then be turned down because they are too young. Ratings from critics are sometimes used, which can largely influence the audiences decision on whether the film looks good enough to watch.

New tripod!

Yesterday (15th October) my new phone holder with tripod arrived. It is quite small so I will use the top of the tripod (that holds the phone) on a larger tripod when I film anything that is not close up probably.

Its cute and small, meaning that it can get close to the floor/surfaces and many angled shots can be achieved. I took some pictures of the tripod and holder, and also took a picture to show one of the angled shots I took. 

Diary update

I am currently in week 6 of the project, so I should be doing planning & storyboarding according to my timeline. However, it has taken me longer to do format research and research of target audience due to restricted website access at school and because I am still awaiting some survey replies.

I therefore am still carrying out research of target audience, so will start planning & storyboarding next week hopefully. This does not largely affect my timeline though because I timetabled week 6 & 7 for planning & storyboarding. I therefore will aim to complete all planning & storyboarding in week 7 and maybe some in week 8 when filming is due to start. This will probably change anyway due to the dates I can start filming. 

Format research update : magazines & posters

Due to the restricted access of websites at school, I have found it difficult to complete all format research I had planned to do in weeks 2, 3 and 4. I managed to complete 2 magazines analysis (out of 3) and 1 poster analysis (out of 3), so later on I will complete the last magazine analysis and 2 more poster analysis for the ancillary tasks. Although technically I am behind on my timeline due to this, I think it will benefit me as it means I can focus on planning & storyboarding and filming now, which is the main task. I will find a bit of time later on to complete this format research, but for now here is some pictures of what I have completed: ( I will post the actual analysis later on when I complete the rest of the analysis pieces)



This is my first analysis of a film magazine












This is my second analysis of a film magazine

This is my first analysis of a poster

Trailer analysis - Friday the 13th (1980)

Mise-en-scene

• Establishing shot shows the setting to be night time – darkness and the contrasting bright moon is the use of pathetic fallacy to create an eerie and negative atmosphere. A sense of mystery is also created as the audience doesn’t know what is lurking in the dark
• In the first killing, a torch is the only lighting, and is shining on the victim -creates contrast to the dark background and makes the character vulnerable. It also creates a focal point for the audience.
• One setting used is a house – adds realism, the viewer can relate to the film, making it seem scarier as they could be in that situation
• Another setting used is the woods – creates tension as the killers can hide in the woods and could jump out at any moment. This setting is commonly used in horror films as there is little human life there and no easy/quick escape routes for characters/victims
• Many killing weapon props used – follows the conventions of slasher horror films, as they are commonly based around psychopathic killers. This will also ‘play’ on the audiences fears of being attacked and killed
• The actors costumes are every day casual clothes – adds realism as the audience will be able to easily imagine if it was them

Camera shots/angles

•  First shot is an establishing shot. It shows the dark sky with the moon in the top right of the shot, showing clouds moving fast – introduces the setting and time of when the film is set
• Subjective POV shot (character in story experiencing events) of the first death in the killers perspective – the audience can experience exactly what the killer does and can see how the victim reacts. This also therefore doesn’t give away who/what the killer is so quick
• Tracking shot of women running through the woods (towards the camera) – shows her trying to escape and also shows the setting well
• Shallow focus close up of many of the killing weapons – theme of death is introduced, and creates fear amongst the audience as the focus is sharp and on a small area

Editing

• Before each killing, a shot of big, bold, and red font is used to show the number of the killing – gives the trailer/film a storyline in sequence
• Relatively long shots of each killing are used – typical of older horror slasher trailers
• Many clips from the film are used – gives away alot of action/storyline but if the viewer likes the clips, then they will probably be persuaded to watch the film
• Text from the top left ascends at the end of the trailer – gives the name of the film. Revealing the name at the end means that the viewer will have to watch the whole of the trailer to find out what the film is – a good marketing technique

Sound

• Narration over the trailer from a man with a deep and scary voice – says the numbers 1 to 13 whilst clips of each killing is happening on screen
• Loud diagetic scream – played over the shot of one of the main characters being killed. This adds realism to the shot and readies the viewer for what is about to happen. This also implies terror and pain, which is very typical of horror films
• Diagetic sounds of natural noises such as wind – adds realism. This is also slightly the use of pathetic fallacy to create a negative atmosphere
• Non-diagetic harsh toned string instruments playing – use of incidental music to accompany action – creates a sense of eeriness and creates tension, especially when the pace of the music increases leading up to the death of the characters 

Genre / how specific audiences are targeted

• Slasher films usually contain a number of killings by a psychopathic killer. The trailer tells the audience that this film involves this, therefore conforming to the horror slasher genre
• Does not follow the conventions of a normal trailer. However, it is common that slasher trailers give away alot about the storyline because this genre of horror focuses more on each killing rather than the storyline
• Conforms with Lisa Kernan’s quote, “…a unique form of narrative film exhibition, wherein promotion discourse and narrative pleasures are conjoined” – the trailer is a mini narrative of the film. The meaning of the film/main issue is introduced through many clips from the film
• Also follows the conventions of horror trailers from the 1950’s, when many key scenes/events were previewed and the storyline was given away

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjiqwTv9yeI

Trailer analysis : Fright Night (1985)

Mise-en-scene

• Night time – typical of horror films as it is dark and there is little life about, and the darkness creates tension as the viewer can’t see alot so they don’t know what will pop up (mysterious feeling is set)
• Set at a house – adds realism, the viewer can relate to the film, making it seem scarier as they could be in that situation
• Prop - A metal crucifix cross is held up by one of the main characters – suggests that the film is based around something sinister or unholy
• Another prop used is a gun. An older main character fires the gun, which conforms to the generic horror convention of weapons and death

Camera shots/angles

• Zooming in shot of the open window – anticipation, builds tension as the viewer waits to see what is in there. Also could be a POV shot of the villain/werewolf walking towards the window
• Two shot of main character (Charlie) and his mum, then another two shot of him and his girlfriend – introduces main characters
• Many clips from film – gives viewers a taste of the film/brief idea of what happens
• Low angle shot of the werewolf – makes the viewer feel vulnerable and introduces the main situation/what the film is based on

Editing

• Title of film at the end of the trailer – makes viewer watch the whole trailer to find out what the film is
• Title is in red jagged font – connotations of blood, evil, sharp edges gives connotations of destruction and pain /weapons
• Quick cuts between many clips mid way through the trailer – shows what the story line is, implies the film is fast paced (alot of action, which doesn’t conform to normal horror movies)

• Long zooming in shot of window at beginning – lack of cuts builds tension, makes viewer focus

Sound

• Narration over the trailer from a man with a deep and scary voice – asks rhetorical questions to viewers which gets them thinking, also gives an idea about what happens in the film
• Loud diagetic scream – played over the shot of the main character suddenly turning around to see where it came from. This shocks the viewer and makes the viewer want to continue watching to find out what it was. This implies there is terror/pain
• Non-diagetic noises of the wind – fits in with setting (storm at night), creates eeriness. This is the use of pathetic fallacy to create a specific mood/atmosphere

Genre / how specific audiences are targeted

• Conforms with Lisa Kernan’s quote, “…a unique form of narrative film exhibition, wherein promotion discourse and narrative pleasures are conjoined” – the trailer is a mini narrative of the film. The meaning of the film/main issue is introduced through many clips from the film
• Conforms with the normal conventions of a horror trailer, as the story line is shown and characters are introduced

Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ISgM9sjza8

Film trailers - Analysing narrative theory

NARRATIVE = the coherance/organisation given to a series of facts.
The human mind needs narrative to make sense of things. We connect events and make interpretations based on those connections. In everything we seek a beginning, middle and end.

Propp’s theory of Narrative:

• Suggested that characters took on the role of narrative ‘spheres of action’ or functions. From a comprehensive study of folktales Propp came up with seven different character types
• Some characters fit more than one role
• Have these roles changed/adapted for modern audiences?

     Hero:

- Usually male, is the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium (everything’s ok) often by embarking upon a quest (or search)

- Propp distinguishes between the victim hero, who is the centre of the villains attentions, and the seeker hero who aids others who are the villains victims

- The hero is invariably the texts central character

            Villain:

- Usually creates the narrative disruption

Donor:
- Gives the hero something, it may be an object, information or advice which helps in resolution of the narrative

Helper:

- Aids the hero in the task of restoring equilibrium

Princess:
- (the victim) usually most threatened, has to be saved by the hero at the climax
- The father’s role is usually  to give the princess away to the hero at the narrative’s conclusion

Dispatcher:
- Sends the hero on his/her task (who can typically be the princesses father)

False hero:
- Appears to be good, but at the end he/she is revealed to be bad

Todorov’s Narrative Theory: Equilibrium & disequilibrium

·        He argues that narrative involves a transformation

·        The characters or the situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption

5 Stages:

1.       A state of equilibrium (All as it should be)

2.      A disruption of that order (by an event)

3.      A recognition that the disorder has occurred

4.      An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption

5.      A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium

Trailer analysis : The Shining (1980)

Although my timeline says that I should be completing 3 format research tasks of trailer in week 2, I completed this piece of analysis over the summer so that I could save time when this full project started in September. 

Mise-en-scene

• Dull, bleak colours (brown, grey, white etc) – shows no sense of possessiveness, and makes the set look more creepy from the dark grimy colours
• The red blood coming through the elevator doors contrasts to the white and dark colours – connotations of death, shows horror genre
• Set in a hotel lobby – realism makes it more scary as it is a public place which most views would’ve visited at some point

Camera shots/angles

• One long shot of the elevator and corridor – builds tension and creates eeriness to go with the genre of the film
• Low angle shot, looks directly at the doors – makes the audience feel vulnerable
• Static shot – builds tension, the viewer knows something will happen

Editing

• Simple white font credits ascending at the beginning of the trailer – looks like end credits – attracts viewers attention to the visuals
• Scrolling motion of the credits creates tension and keeps the viewer watching
• No cuts or transitions in the trailer – simplicity, builds tension, minimalistic feel, makes the viewer focus

Sound

• Non-diagetic slightly harsh toned music crescendos to build tension – builds up to something?
• The simplicity of the music (just the piano playing) creates eeriness and makes the viewer focus on the visuals rather than the music (music isn’t distracting)

Genre / how specific audiences are targeted

• Goes against Lisa Kernan’s quote, “…a unique form of narrative film exhibition, wherein promotion discourse and narrative pleasures are conjoined” – the trailer is simple, and is not a mini narrative of a normal film trailer. The meaning of the film and clips from the film are not shown and therefore aren’t distorted
• Goes against the normal conventions of a horror trailer, as there is only one shot and no characters/storyline is shown

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6qDqdYY6-Y

Facebook page

As part of my Research of Target Audience section, I have created a Facebook page for my coursework this week. I believe that this relatively new form of technology and social media will help me with audience feedback of my coursework. A Facebook page will enable me to post pictures/clips/texts of my coursework, and individuals can comment and share my work. This will help me to improve my work, so that my end product is entirely suited to my target audience and reflects the horror genre well.

The horror genre

What is horror?

The horror genre seeks to evoke a sense of foreboding and dread, and most likely some kind of visceral (physical) reaction from the audience/viewers. The storyline is therefore usually in disequilibrium, and tends to not get resolved/bought back to equilibrium by the end of the film. Although, horror films usually start at a point of equilibrium.

What does it involve?
There are often scenes that startle the viewers, with frequent themes that are grim/ghastly and the supernatural, and the narrative usually deals with nightmares and fears of the viewers. Plots often involve elements of an evil force, ghosts, aliens, vampires, curses, demons, torture, killers and many more, but this depends on the type/theme of the horror film.

History & society:
The first depictions of supernatural events appear in several of the silent short films created by the film pioneer Georges Méliès in the1890s, the best known being The Haunted Castle, which is believed to be the first horror film created. The first monster to appear in a horror film was Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in the early 20^th century, and now there are many types of horror films, not just ones that feature monsters.

Over time the style of horror films has changed, but in 1996 after Scream was released, many film makers started to make ‘copy’ this, which lead to a new variety of teenage horror films.  

The horror genre has changed how women see themselves and the role of their in the film industry. In the early days of horror films, the films were targeted at mainly male audiences, and women were show as fearful and as monsters. Nowadays, more and more horror films feature women, and show women as evolving into stronger people to overcome their fears or obstacles/situations. Women related topics such as pregnancy or babysitting are now also common themes of modern day horror films.

These are some key types/themes of modern horror films:

·         Body horror – horror created from the destruction of a body

·         Action horror –  combines elements of evil forces/event/supernatural with the gunfights/chases of the action genre

·         Psychological - Relies on characters' fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music, emotional instability

·         Slasher - Often revolves around a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner

·         Zombie - feature creatures who are usually dead or mindless human beings

·         Comedy horror - Combines the elements of comedy and horror fiction

Teaser trailer definition

The history of film trailers

A trailer is an advertisement for a feature film that will be shown in the cinema in the future. The term "trailer" comes from them originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening at the cinema. However, this didn’t last long because viewers tended to leave the cinema after the films ended (during the credits), but the name “trailer” has stuck. Trailers are now shown before the film begins, and also are now commonly used on DVD and Blu-ray discs. 

In November 1913, Nils Granlund (advertising manager for the Marcus Loew theater chain) showed the first trailer. He produced a short promotional film for the musical The Pleasure Seekers, opening at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. This is how trailers changed over the years: 

1950’s:
- Trailers were mostly created by National Screen Service (a company which controlled the distribution of theatrical advertising)
- Consisted of various key scenes from the film being advertised
- Large, descriptive text describing the story on screen
- Long trailers, often showed key scenes and revealed the story line

1960’s:
- Used narration to summarize the story
- Less text used on screen
- Often showed the end of the film to reveal an exciting effect

1970’s:
- Revealed less of the story, but still showed many key scenes
- Started to use mis-edited scenes which were often out of order

1980’s:
- No spoilers and creates a mystery about the ending
- Told very little about the film

Today:
Trailers nowadays consist of a series selected shots from the film. The purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience to the film, and the shots are normally from the most exciting, funny, or otherwise noteworthy parts of the film. However, trailers nowadays are in abbreviated form and don’t produce spoilers. The scenes therefore are not necessarily in the order in which they appear in the film, which can sometimes be very mis-leading about the actual film. This is because the marketing team that creates/promotes the teaser has alot more authority nowadays. Music is now often used, and the shots are often very short. There is also hardly any introduction to characters, which in past years was common. 

Film trailers are still shown in cinemas (but before the film now), and are also available on a range of mediums. For example, Youtube and mobile devices. In 2006 Time Magazine announced 'you' as their 'person of the year', meaning that consumers now are the most powerful people/ This links to the launch of Web 2.0, the next generation web where consumers become part of the web. This is important for trailers as viewers can now comment and share them online, which can largely influence the ratings of the trailers/films and viewers decisions to watch the actual film. 

A developing issue:
Some would argue that the trailers are now better than the film, as they build so much hype and excitement from the edited trailers. This sometimes means that viewers are disappointed when the actual film does not follow this trend/excitement. Lisa Kernan's quote "A unique form of narrative film exhibition, wherein promotional discourse and narrative pleasures are conjoined" supports this. 

Timelines

I created this document on Excel, and it is a table showing the week of the project, the task, when it is due/when it should be completed  and when it was actually completed by. This enables me to type in and edit the document so that I can see my deadlines and will help when evaluating because I will be able to tell how on/off track I was with this timeline. 

This is a similar document with a similar (but more condensed) list of tasks. It shows the tasks and the project weeks/dates. It also shows when each task will be carried out, which is shown in blue and the school holidays are shown in pink. This document is visually appealing and therefore is a quick way for myself and others to see when each task will be completed, and is useful when more than one task is being carried out at a time.