One of the main conventions we used from the horror genre is the impact of cut transitions. All of our transitions within the trailer are cuts, which are used to build up a fast pace and to also increase the tension for the viewer. Also because of the fast pace created it disorientates the viewer as the story is unfolding quickly and then stops suddenly, which encourages the viewer to watch the film afterwards. We have also Incorporated still flashing images to break up the footage, which shocks the audience and leaves a lasting impact of a gruesome image. The inconsistency of the trailer reflects the corrupted storyline of the film and makes the audience feel uneasy.
Another convention that we saw was popular whilst analysing horror trailers was the use of captions. We therefore decided that we would use these within out trailer. We have used a font that resembles scratch marks to portray a feeling of entrapment. By using captions it again disturbs the consistency of the trailer and again reflects a corrupted storyline. As our trailer is fast pace and disorientates the viewer, the captions help to explain what is going on and to refocus the audience. The captions also involve the audience and evoke a feeling of empathy with the main character by asking a rhetorical question and also using the pronoun of 'you', which helps the audience to feel attached to the film. It also is a direct approach of captivating the audience, which demands their attention.
Low key lighting reflects a dark and sinister storyline, and makes the audience feel like they don't know whats going on. If we had filmed in high key lighting our trailer wouldn't of had the same effect. This was a common feature that we saw in a lot of trailers to make the audience feel uneasy- for example in 'The Orphan' most of the footage is filmed in high key lighting, but there is a shot of the girl standing next to the parents bed, and there are flashes of light where you can see her then it goes dark again- this leaves the audience not knowing what is going on. Myself and Ferne took inspiration from this and decided to film our entire trailer in low key lighting, this is most effective when the camera pans round to see Bowe at the doorway as you cant quite make out his face. By using Low key lighting for the footage and high key lighting for the still images it makes the photos stand out from the footage and have more of an impact on the audience.
We have used a female as our victim for out trailer. We feel that by doing this we can appeal to a wider audience as females feel that they can relate to her and males want to rescue her. This relates to the collective identity theory. Females feel that they have something in common with the leading character and therefore feel more involved with the trailer. This was our intention as through our initially research we discovered that most people enjoyed trailers that they feel that they could relate too. Conventionally women are presented as victims and the audience will have a collective knowledge of this, which makes our trailer relate to macro media. We have subverted this theory at the same time by using a female as the heroine of the storyline, as it is Sophie's sister who rescues her at the end of the film. In macro media men are represented as the dominant gender, which is a convention that we have included. Our male antagonist is presented as an evil dominating character this stereotype makes the male audience feel like they should be the hero and rescue a female in distress.
We have used a slow, sinister soundtrack. This is a common convention for a horror trailer, and is what the audience will be expecting. Some trailers use slow music that builds up, usually with string instruments as they can sound very soothing but can also sound very screechy. This is representative of the duality of humanity, as horror ,more modernly, explores the dark psychological aspects of humans. We wanted our trailer to bare emotional attachment, as the music is very slow and minimal it puts the focus clearly on the image, which leaves the audience fixated. The music also has a piano in it that plays few notes repeatedly, this is disjointed as usually a piece of music would flow and notes would be played together, whereas these notes are emphasised greatly by being put on their own. This also represents the isolation of our protagonist Sophie, who is clearly distressed and left on her own. The slow pace also helps to slow down the heart rate of the audience which makes them on the edge of the seats waiting for something to happen.
The mise-en-scene of the trailer follows conventions of a horror trailer, as we can instantly see blood and a bruised face whilst Sophie is tied up. This make up needs to be so dramatic in order to attract attention and shock the audience. This also helps to provoke an emotional response from the audience which is coupled with the music and the captions. As this is a teaser trailer the audience only have around a minute to a minute and a half to digest all of the information presented to them and be attracted to see the film. In order to maximise the audiences response we made the make up very dramatic and shocking so that the audience are aware of what the film is about instantly.
Another convention we have used is the ending footage of our main character, Sophie, crying and asking Bowe not too hurt her. This is often seen in horror trailers, as after the title or ending logo, a piece of footage is played to leave a lasting impact of the film in the audiences mind. This is seen in the film 'The Orphan' where the young girl jumps our from under the bed sheets, which is ultimately meant to shock the audience and leave them with their heart beating. This will encourage them to see the movie after the trailer. We wanted to use this technique and convention in our trailer as we feel it is important to leave a lasting impression of the film. Our footage was of Sophie crying, which is the first time we see her talking and her image at the same time, which helps us to piece her as a whole character, whereas before we presented only her image or her voice. The lasting image of Sophie as a whole character makes the audience want her to be safe and see what happens to her, which will encourage them to see the film after the trailer. Also because she is crying, it also provokes an emotional response from the audience, which is built up throughout the trailer.
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