Horror Research- Magazine

This film magazine front cover is fairly simple from a design and layout point of view and seems to focus mainly on a horror genre judging by the cover. The text is fairly limited but still advertises the main film being focused on well, in this case it is "The Dark Knight". The colour scheme is used very well throughout the front cover, green seems to be the main colour for the text; all text is easy for the audience to read which can attract readers. The only part of the text i would change would be at the top of the page as the green colour blends in too much with the background image, making it harder to read.

I feel that the many aspect of this cover to be focused on is the centre image; this is probably the main part of the cover that would attract the audience as it is so large because it is also the background. This introduces one of the main characters and gives an impression of the genre of film. How the character is positioned and the use of make up is extremely important, if my magazine were to have a main "evil" character,the main way in which they did this was by using an extreme close up and very good use of make up. I would like to emulate these effects, the character is positioned to look like he is staring at the audience; i feel that this is likely to catch a reader’s eye. If i were to change anything about this front cover i would put more images on from other films, i would want to use a variety of genres to attract more readers, rather than just focusing on one genre or film. I would also consider adding a filter to the background image, mainly to make it easier for the audience to read the text.

Horror Research- Magazine

This is a film magazine that would focus on recent films at the time, in this case the main film being looked at is "Sherlock Holmes", however there are 3 other films in the top right corner that would covered. I like the design and lay out of this magazine and i think it has an extremely professional cover, the amount of images and texts are perfect as there is enough to be informative but not too much that it over crowds the page. The title of the magazine is bold in a large font; i think it is positioned well as it is behind the centre image. All text is focused around the edge of the centre image, making it easier for the audience to read, the only text that is positioned on the main image is related to the film. This cover has many subtitles and headings that i think i will consider using in my magazine as i find it very attractive to a reader. Another aspect i like about this magazine is that it includes a variety of genres rather than focusing mainly on 1 or 2, this means that it appeals to a wider range of people.

The image plays a large put in this magazine as it is most likely going to be the first thing the audience notices, the image is in very good detail and is very simple. It can tell the audience the genre and maybe even some of the plot just by looking at the main character due to his clothes or appearance. I feel that the image was taken to seem slightly mysterious and make it as if the main character is looking directly at the audience. The background helps to add to the mysteriousness of the magazine, it is also used well because any text placed over it can easily be read by the audience. The colour scheme is used very well in this magazine front cover, all colours relate back to each other, the various blues are used extremely well because they have different shades used from the background, main image and subheadings. The colour scheme is based around the genre and date of the film, Sherlock Holmes is set in England over a hundreds years ago, it is now related in the audiences mind with these blue colours and the foggy effect. However, if the genre was going to be horror, I feel that the main colours may be various shades of green and black as they have been associated with horror films in the past.

Unlike Empire magazine, Total seem to include more on text in their front covers rather than just graphics. Total includes other films and features the magazine is going to include which could attract more readers/buyers, whereas Empire seem to just dedicate the front cover to the main film being talked about.

Horror Research- The Possession Poster

This was the film poster for the recent horror film The Possession, there is actually little graphics or text on this poster, however I feel it achieves its aim and is very good from a horror point of view. Towards the bottom of the poster there is the information which is included in most film posters, with actors release dates, producers etc. The release date is the only text that is in red, this makes it stand out from the rest of text. The title of the film is in the centre of the page to get the audiences attention but it is far enough down the central image not to distract the audience’s attention from the main image. The title is in a horror type font which work well, the smatter marking joined and around the letters gives it a blood look, this is one effect that I would like to use in my work. I feel that with the use of this font, the audience are made aware of the genre of film without have to see the picture. One of the best features I think this poster has is that at the top of the page the text says "Based of a true story", the text in on a white background which make it stand out to the audience to catch their eye. If I had to choose anything from this poster, it would be the true story feature, I feel that it intrigues the audience.

The image in the poster is catches the audiences eye extremely well because it is so out of the ordinary, the genre of the film is instantly implied. The image in the centre shows women with a hand appearing out of her throat, because this is so strange, the audience are intrigued. The filter used in the image is extremely effective, it is mainly dark to emphasise the genre. The only colour that is really used in on the right hand side of the poster, i think this is only used so the audience are able to see/understand what the image actually shows. Thanks to what is happening in the image, the producers of the posters are able to like a slogan to it; in this case the slogan was "Darkness lives inside", which i think was very clever.

Horror Research- Women In Black Poster

I feel that images are important in a film poster because the graphics are probably the main thing that would catch the audience’s eye. However I feel that it may have been over-used slightly in this poster, I think 2-3 images of the film should be included at the maximum. The use of colour is good; by using bull and dark colours throughout the poster it can help the audience gain a feel for the genre of the film. The poster can tell the audience that the film will involve the character in the centre but it is clever as it does not give away too much. As there is little colour in the poster I feel that the use of the blue in the eye of the character in the centre of the page is more effective. 

I have noticed in a variety of film posters that there will be credits, actors, dates, production companies etc. in smaller and maybe a different font at the bottom of the poster. They often include a slogan or rhetorical question, such as "what did they see?", I would like to include this in my work because I feel that it involves, intrigues and catches the eye of the audience more than other texts. The font that has been used throughout the poster can give the audience a feel for what period in time the film is set, in this case it is the Victorian era (1920 - 1950's). If i was to make this poster again, rather than all 8 pictures included, i would use 1-2 pictures. I would select these images carefully, i would try to use the pictures of the setting more than characters, and I feel that the setting in this film plays a very large part in the "fear factor". However i would include one of the characters in the house to give the audience more of an understanding of what’s going on.

Horror Research- Paranormal Activity Poster

This film poster for Paranormal Activity seemed to be good at catching the audience’s eye, even though there does not seem to be much text or images on it. There is only one image that is in the centre of the poster which is probably used to be the centre of attention. It is a clip from the film which can give the audience a feel for the genre of the film. The image shows a cameras view of 2 people pointing to towards the door, implying that there is something there that we can not see, this can intrigue the audience into wanted to watch it. Because the image is taken as it is at night, this makes it far scarier for the audience as horror has always been associated with the night or darkness.

In my opinion I think there is too much text on the page and that there should be a bigger or more pictures, this would be better at catching the audience's eye more. I feel that only one quote should be used at the top of the poster; however I do feel some of the text used is very effective, I like the text used for the film title as it has a sinister look to it. My favourite aspect of this poster is the use of slogans such as "what happens when you sleep?" and "don't see it alone", these quotes/slogans can stay in the audiences mind more. As a member of the audience, i don't think this poster was very effective in making me want to watch this horror film. I think the poster would be far more effective if there was 1 or 2 more pictures, or if the centre image was larger, i also think there could be less text needed especially at the bottom of the poster.

Horror Research- Insidious

This is the trailer for the Horror film Insidious, this was my favourite horror trailer that I have researched for much reason, I think it really interests the target audience and fulfils its purpose as a horror trailer. Throughout the trailer the excitement is fluent and slowly gets into more detail, in my opinion this is better than sudden action from the start. The use of sounds and music within the scenes helps to create a sense of suspense and tension for the audience; the swift sounds match the actions on screen. When the text appears on screen at various stages of the trailer, there is a sound to go with it which sounds like an electrical flicker as if a power cut is in the process. I would like to emulate this sound effect if it was possible in my horror trailer, in the same way but with different text.

Throughout the clip there appears to be a constant dull contrast filter which can also add to horror, the lighting aspect of the trailer was very good as it means the genre and feel of the film is highlighted to the audience immediately.

Another aspect of the film I think is good is that not too much is given away; although the basic plot is told which I feel is necessary, the evil character is not mentioned in too much detail. Like the similar horror films I have research “The Possession”, I like the fact that the evil character is a child as it can break the norms of classic/more traditional horror films.

Horror Research- House At The End Of The Street

This is the trailer for the recent horror thriller House at the End of the Street, when I watched this trailer for the first time I was interested and wanted to watch the film, so I feel it is appealing to the audience. However I feel that my want to watch the film was only because of the plot, I felt that the trailer was poorly put together and hard for the audience to follow. Due to the fact that the trailer suddenly opens with action straight away and begins to go back in time it is hard for the audience to concentrate on what is going on.

If I were to make this trailer again I would make it more in a chronological order to make it easier for the audience to follow, I feel that if the audience are able to understand the trailer more, the more likely they are going to be interested in it or watch it. I would also like to be slightly more subtle in the plot; I would put less action in the trailer in order to leave more to the imagination of the audience.

However I did like some techniques used in this trailer, the cut through black between scenes is used very effectively as well as the sounds in the clips. The snappy fast but short sounds are used a lot with the actions that appear on screen, these techniques are ones that I may consider using in my horror trailer. 

Horror Research- The Possession

This trailer is for the recent horror thriller The Possession, in the making of this trailer I think the writers have created an appropriate feel for the audience through the scenes. One aspect of the trailer that I liked was that it starts out positive with a feel good factor, this is the opposite of a normal horror film, and it slowly starts to get worse. The audience get the feeling that it gets worse via a number of techniques the sounds in the backroom and music play a large part in this trailer, more than other horror trailers. In the beginning of this trailer colours are used appropriately as you think they would be, but less and less colour is used as the trailer goes on.

I like the fact that in this trailer, the evil character is a young child which is usually seen to be happy and innocent, by using this character the producers are able to break apart from the norm and in some respects challenge stereotypes. There is a constant music genre played throughout the clip, there are also whispers added into some sections which is a good effect to use because it can make the audience feel like it is being specifically aimed at them, as if the whisper is talking to them.

My favourite part of the trailer is the end scene because it leaves the audience interested; the scene suddenly goes silent in comparison with the previous scene. The silence allows there to be a build up to something happening, which in this case the hand was coming out of the child’s throat. I thought that, that was a good section to end on as it seemed to be the most horrific part of the trailer, which in my opinion should always be left till the end so that the rest of the trailer does not seem dull.

Horror Research- Woman In Black

This trailer for the recent horror film The Woman in Black, I feel that in this trailer that sound played a very big part in the aim to scare and interest the audience. Throughout the video there is a constant noise effect to go with the actions on the screen, these action and noises progress and get louder as the clip goes on. Weather had some part to play in this trailer which can be linked to the some sounds as well, I have found that throughout the years weather has frequently used, thunder, lightning and rain are all used to add effect.

Throughout the whole trailer, each scene is separated using a black screen, this is used effectively as it can break down the trailer into the more important parts rather than one constant video with quick flicks between shots. Black and white filters are used in many stages of this trailer which I felt gave it a more chilling vibe.

I feel that one of the best techniques used in this trailer is the use of the location, the location of the house is used well because it emphasises to the audience how isolated the house and the main character is. The house as well as the clothes is used throughout to make the era clear to the viewers. Although I thought this was a very good horror trailer, if I could change any aspect of this trailer it would be to leave more to the imagination and not show as much of the evil characters.

Horror Research- Paranormal Activity

This trailer for Paranormal Activity was very effective with its aim, its aim was to scare people (as a real horror should) and make the audience want to see the film. I liked the fact that with this trailer the audience do not actually see too much of the film so it does not give the whole story away. I also feel that if the monster/horror icon or character is not seen it works better on the audience as they can let their imagination create their own impression or look of the character which in my opinion makes it scarier.

This trailer was also well made because it shows real life reactions to the film, by having a pre-release screening of the film and recording people reactions it gives the audience an impression of the film. I think the use of the green filter and night vision effect is used well as well because the audience associate that with darkness, pitch black, as the fear of the dark is a very common phobia, it plays on that. A fairly iconic effect is used when the credit are on screen or the camera is cutting to a new part of the film, the effect makes everything on screen flicking slightly almost if there is a power cut.

I found that the  camera angles in the trailer were very clever because the scenes of the film that were shown were recorded using a hand held camera technique, and the scenes shot in the cinema both make the audience feel that they are in the same position/room.

A2 Start

This is the start of all my A2 work