Media Narritive for Horror Trailer

In 2011, University students Janet and Marilyn are getting ready for Fresher's Week at Uni. It's their first night out as independent 18 year olds without their parents telling them what to do. They go to one of the dorms which is already filled with other Uni students. One boy comes over and hands them both a drink with the rest of the party-goers chanting 'CHUG CHUG CHUG!' As the night goes on, Marilyn & Janet become more and more vulnerable, drinking and doing drugs.

After completing different tasks set by the older years, their last task to play a prank on one of the 'Fresher's'; a boy named Fred who is sitting alone watching everyone else drink. They take him to a closet where he is then blindfolded. Not knowing what they're doing, Fred can feel himself gasping for air. Fred is left calling out to whoever has wrapped him up, unable to unlock the closet door. His brother is also calling out to the pranksters. Not knowing who, or how many there are.

As Marilyn & Janet are getting reading to go to bed that night, there's a power cut all over the university. Janet still feels bad about playing the prank on Fred however, she believes that he'll be okay. As Marilyn & Janet drift off to sleep, Janet hears a loud bang in her dorm. With a flashlight being her only source of light, Janet walks outside, into the corridor hoping to find what made that loud noise. Unable to find a source, she returns back to her room. She then sees Marilyn lying with the covers, covering her head. As she pulls the covers down, she sees Marilyn’s face smeared in blood with the word ‘MURDERER’ written on her forehead. At first, Janet is confused by this allegation however, she remembers the prank she had played only a few hours ago. Automatically knowing that her friend is dead, she drops the torch, attempting to find anyone that can help her. A mysterious figure appears behind her, close behind.

News about the murders has spread across London over the past few days with other Londoners believing that it's 'just another Fresher's prank'. Christina Loomis (usually known as Chris) has just been accepted at the University of Woodsboro after asking to be transferred. Chris is a beautiful 18 year old who holds a dark secret that no one knows. Her secret haunts her every day. She too had carried out a sick prank a week before at her previous University. On that fateful night, she had been giving her best friend drinks (leading her to believe that it was 'just Coca Cola'. The morning after, her friend had died from alcohol poisoning. No one else knows but her.  By receiving word that the killer is still on the loose, Chris asks the registration office if she can transfer to another room after discovering that the two girls were killed in her dorm; room 13.

Later that night, she's starts unpacking her suitcase when she hears a knock on the door. A young boy named Charlie is standing at her door. When she opens the door, they start a conversation about the University. Being hospitable, he asks her if she wants to take a tour on campus. After agreeing, they walk along side by side talking about University life. After talking for some time, they come to a halt in the dorm 'common' room. Charlie tells Chris how a boy named Fred had died a while ago in 'this very room'; someone had played a prank and locked him away. Chris then starts reminiscing about her previous Uni and what had happened. Charlie seems upset by their conversation so, goes off to compose himself. When Charlie comes back, he tells her that the boy who had died was actually his brother. He then asks her if she knows what happened in her room a few days ago. Not knowing what he's talking about, she asks him to explain. After telling her what had happened, she reluctantly tells him that she wants to leave to go back to her room and rest. Charlie goes back to his dorm across the campus.

After going back to her dorm, Chris tries to go to sleep however, she keeps on seeing images of Charlie's brother being 'buried' somewhere in the University. However, the next image she sees is the dead carcass' face level to hers. As she drifts in and out of sleep, she hears someone whispering in her ear saying 'I know what you did.' Thinking it's Charlie she tells him to go away however, she's stunned when the mysterious person reveals that it's not Charlie. Jumping at the sound of this figure's voice, she tries to run out of her room into the dorm common room. As the mysterious figure continues to follow her, she finds a small closet in the common room. Trying hard not to blow her cover, Chris peaks through the keyhole to see if the killer is near. She finds a box of matches on the closet floor. As she ignites one of the matches, she nudges something, a life-size doll-like person that's staring at her. The person then mouthes out the word 'SURPRISE'. She screams out in terror and runs out of the cupboard with the wrapped up person close behind her. Just as she thinks she can escape, another wrapped up figure is running towards Chris in the other direction. With the two stopping right near her, Chris asks [during deep and heavy breaths] who they are. They both unravel their cloth to reveal that they're actually Charlie and his brother Fred. Chris then learns that Charlie had faked the death to scare the rest of the University and helped his brother to get revenge on whoever had: decided on the prank, who to play the prank on and who carried out the prank. Another detail was added on before he attempted to kill Chris; he would kill whoever played a prank that turned horribly wrong. With Chris questioning why they played the sick joke, they say that they wanted the rest of the University (and perhaps the rest of the country) that you shouldn't mess around. Charlie then goes onto say that he hates secrets. He then stabs Fred in the stomach. As Fred falls to the ground, Chris tries to run from Charlie however, he stops her in his tracks. He tells her how he killed Janet and Marilyn and he plans on killing her so he could be the only survivor in the massacre. Charlie, using the knife he had used to stab Fred then tackles Chris to the ground, pointing the knife at her heart. As she struggles to set herself free from his grip, she punches him. As Charlie drops the knife, holding his nose, she grabs the knife and climbs on top of Charlie.  She stabs him in the chest.

Chris is seen lying on the floor with the knife in her hand, in between Fred and Charlie as the police arrive on campus.

Chris is then left sitting in a white room; wearing an orange jumpsuit; looking at the camera.  

BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION (BBFC)

The BBFC is an independent, self - financing and non profiting medcia content regulator. They are the company that are in control of labelling films with age ratings in the UK. They claim that there mission consists of the following:

. Protect the public, and especially children, from content which might raise harm risks.

. Empower the public, especially parents, to make informed viewing choices.

. Recognise and respect adult freedom of choice within the law.

. Respond to and reflect changing social attitudes towards media content through provocative public consultation and research.

. Provide a cost-effective, efficient classification service within our statutory remit.

. Work in partnership with the industry to develop innovative service models to provide content advice which support emerging media delivery systems.

. Provide an effective service to enforcement agencies.

Researching into the BBFC is important as they are the ones who provide the age certificates for films. By looking through their mission objectives, it would be interesting to see how our final product works with their targets and then base off our age certificate. 

As a group, we have decided to aim for an age certificate rating of 18+ as it will allow us to explore the depths of the horror genre, for instance, being allowed to put a lot of gore etc...

Evaluation of my questionnaire results

The questionnaire that was created will help me gain a good idea on what can be done to make my horror film trailer as intimidating and as effective as possible.

Below is a further analysation and evaluation of the results from the questionnaire:

1. The first question is on gender, and I purposely chose to have an equal amount of people from both genders to do the questionnaire, to see the difference in results. It was interesting to see that the opinions were quite similar.

2. The age ratings differed but there was at least one person that fitted into each age slot. This works well as it gives a wide range of ideas from the different age groups, and in some areas it was noticeable such as the favourite horror films in which the person who was 40+ actually really enjoyed 'Nosferatu', whereas everybody else chose more modern horrors.

3. Most of the latest horror films see by the candidates were new such as 'Paranormal Activity 3', 'Insidious' and 'Red Riding Hood'. Infact the two films that have been out for some time were 'The Grudge' and  'Scream 4'. These films were chosen by the people who actually said that they didn't really enjoy horror films and so this question shows that horror is still a genre that is watched a lot, as most people who do like the genre still keep up with the latest films within the genre.

4. This question explored what scared people the most from a specific list. In fact from the list no one selected that the dark or heights scared them the most. It was a mixture of spiders, injections, blood and supernatural entities. Supernatural entities gained the most votes, however the others also had a fair amount of votes as well. This information will be useful when coming to conclude the different props and story elements for the trailer.

5. This question on what the different candidates favourite horror films were. Every candidate enjoyed different ones, which was good as it does shows the difference in taste between people. Furthermore it also shows how people like different styles of horror, which will be good as it can help me implement the different styles of horror within my horror trailer. Furthermore each candidate enjoyed the different horrors for different reasons. For example one said that they liked the story and another said that they liked the use of suspense. This is good as it shows that I should try and implement a lot of these elements within the trailer.

6. This question gave four options and asked what scared people the most in horror films. Out of the options of supernatural entities, fear of the unknown, monsters or human beings. Psychotic human beings seemed to frighten people the most and after that it was fear of the unknown. With these two as the most, it would be good to take into consideration in a possible route in using these factors. However supernatural entities and monsters also gained some votes and so this route can also be taken.

7. When asked about the weaponry that is the most frightening, every candidate mentioned the use of sharp objects being the most effective. Most of them mentioned a knife and few said a chainsaw, and so this could show that the use of a knife is quite vital and will have to be taken into serious consideration.

8. The main colours that were quoted in the questionnaire for a poster were black, red and white, This was not suprising as a lot of horror film posters do depict these colours. Furthermore the use of blood was also mentioned which would also be a good element for a poster.

9. Most of the candidates wrote that they enjoyed horror films, and it was only a few that didn't. The ones that did had different reasons for enjoying the horror films such as enjoying th story, liking the fact that it would scare them and enjoying the tension that the films built up. These are all vital traits in horror films and will definitely have to be implemented into the horror trailer.

10. The final question shows off the effect that horror has on people and when asked how the candidates preferred to watched horror films, every single one said with others in their house or at other friends houses. This was good as it shows the mental effects that horror films have on audiences. It also motivates me to make a horror trailer where people wish to watch it with others rather than on their own, as it will show off how frightening the horror film looks.

Questionnaire and results

1. Gender?

Male - 50%

Female - 50%

2. Age?

0-15 - 10%

16-25 - 40%

26-40 - 40%

40+ - 10% 

3. What is the latest horror film you have seen?

Paranormal Activity 3 - 40%

Insidious - 30%

Scream 4 - 10%

Red Riding Hood - 10% 

The Grudge - 10%

4. What frightens you the most from the following list?

Supernatural - 40% 

The Dark - 0%

Spiders - 20%

Heights - 0%

Blood - 20%

Injections - 30%

5. What is your favourite horror film?

Drag me to hell - The whole idea of the supernatural creature appearing every three days, petrifying the girl and drag her to hell was freaky.

Dark Water -  Did a brilliant job of building  suspense to a crucial point at the end.

Drag me to hell - Liked that it had a humorous element to it.

Halloween - Great Soundtracks and a good villain.

Nosferatu - Good because it was frigtening even though there was no speech.

Scream – Always on edge

Paranormal activity –  Scary when I thought it was real

The Ring – Liked the story line

Black Swan – Thrilling and freaky

Mirrors – Interesting concept

6. What frightens you most in horror films?

Fear of the unknown – 30%

Supernatural – 20%

Monsters – 10%

Human beings (psychotic) – 40%

7. What weapons do you find the most intimidating in a horror film?

100% - Every candidate mentioned a sharp weapon. It was between that of a knife and chainsaw.

8. When looking at a horror poster, what colours or icons do you expect to see?

Black, red and white were the most chosen colours and when it came to iconography, the candidates chose blood.

9. Do you enjoy horror films and if so why?

80% of the survey takers said that they enjoyed horror films whereas 20% admitted that they didn’t. The reasons for not enjoying it were simple such as, “I don’t like to be frightened” whereas people who enjoyed it liked it for different reasons. One person said, “I find it entertaining” and another person said, “The thrilling element is actually quite fun in a weird way”. In fact another person mentioned, “I like being scared. I also like to test if a horror film actually can frighten me”.

10. How do you prefer to watch horror films? By yourself, with others at home or at the cinema?

100%- Every candidate said they preferred to watch a horror film with friends in a gathering at home.

What type of research will I be doing

I've decided to undertake the quantitative research type. The reasons for this is because it will allow me to find out different things about people in certain ways. For example, if I list answers to choose from out of things that scare them, then it is easier to find out by seeing what frightens people a lot from the most used villain types.

I have chosen to do a questionnaire however some of my question will have qualitative elements to it. For instance I may ask candidates to elaborate on certain things such as what their favourite horror film is and why

The reason I have decided to do a questionnaire in particular, is because it allows me to gather a great amount of research in small amounts of time. Furthermore questinnaires give quite a lot of information and there are many ways to get information from  people. For instance, websites such as Survey Monkey can be used for creating the questionnaire and distributing it to people. Questionnaires can also be distributed physically to people, who can then complete them.

Different approaches to research

Before carrying out my research, it is important to take into consideration the different types of research that can be carried out.

Research definition: In the broadsheet sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge.

The main research types usually end up in two result types. This is quantitative and qualitative. A table below shows a more detailed explanation on the tyoe of results concluded from the two:

Result type	Definition	Examples
Quantitative	Draws conclusions from figures and numbers	.Closed question .Questionnaires .Polls .Experiments
Qualitative	In depth answers allowing survey candidate to give info	.Open questions case study .Interview

What audience theory is the most relevant in the modern day

All the audience theories appear to have positives and negatives however in todays society when it comes to which is the most relevant, I believe it would be the desensitisation theory. The reasons for this are clear. As horror is a genre that has been around for a long time, it can be very possible that some people have become bored of the ways horror is portrayed, For instance, older horror films do not seem to frighten the new generation as much as they did to the older generation when the film released. Furthermore when viewing the newer horror films, it does appear that companies are running out of ideas, as the villains in horror films are similar. However through this, many people are still very scared of horror films and so when doing my trailer, it will be very important to carry out research before to find out what some people still find frightening when viewing a horror film.

Desensitisation Theory

Desensitisation Theory:

. To over expose to varying behaviours on screen makes the audience immune to these and thus harder to shock. As a result the effects are generally nore widely spread.

This is a theory that explores the ideas that due to the fact that so many different routes have been taken in the horror genre, that it is becoming a lot harder to satisfy and scare people. It is a very interesting theory as it can be seen as true to an extent, as there does seem to be a lack of horror movies with fresh ideas. A good example could be the use of vampires. Once upon a time, vampires were considered as scary devilish creatures, whereas today, they are seen more as beings that are adored. However there are still people who are really scared of horror films and some horror films still do their job to frighten the audience.

Hypodermic Syringe Theory

Hypodermic Syringe Theory:

.The audience passively receives information transmitted via a media text without any attempt on their past to process or challenge.

In further explanation, this theory gives a message that their is an intended message given out in a media product, such as a film, and it is accepted by the audience fully but unknowingly. This also relates to the idea of subliminal messaging and the idea of it being a hypodermic needle shows that the message in punctured into our mind without us knowing.

Copy Cat Theory

Copy Cat Theory:

. It relates to how something is publicised in the media and findings suggest that the public naturally copy what they see to gain the qualities of those that appear onn screen such as copy cat murderes.

This theory is one that contains a very powerful argument suggesting that the public naturally copy what they see on TV. When further researching into the theory, there is evidence on proving this theory to be correct as there is in doing the opposite. For example, an example was found that after Christopher Nolan's batman film 'The Dark Knight' was released, a man dressed up in a Joker costume and decided to try and rob a bank. However it could be argued that this is not the case for all people as its not everyday that this type of news appears. Furthermore, it could be seen as correct in the sense that characters in films are seen as being relatable, and so therefore we as the public may immitate even the smallest traits and not realise it.

Cultivation Theory

The cultivation theory:

. Concerned with the effects of television programming on the attitudes amd behaviour of the American public.

. Findings suggest that those that watch more television (heavy viewers) perceive the real world as it's portrayed on the television.

This is an interesting theory as it explores the effects television has on the public. It explores it to find out if there is a difference between the ways heavy viewers may see the real world compared to those who do not watch TV as much. Interestingly, heavier viewers seem to perceive the real world as it's portrayed on the television. This goes to show how TV gives a sense of unrealism and can possibly brain wash.

Audience Theories

Research into the different audience theories is important as it allows me to see what has been perceived through reasearch carried out on media as a whole. This will benefit me hugely as it will be able to give me a viewpoint on the different theories, and what they show about the audiences who are heavily involved in using media. Furthermore when creating my media horror trailer, it may come to mind on how my trailer will be able to relate to at least on of the theories. This will then have an interesting effect as it almost gives me as a student an experience in the way audiences may react to the horror trailer created.

Analysis

By analysing the different films within the horror genre, it allows me to research into the genre in depth and then helps with the final product for my A2 media which is of course the horror film trailer.

'Carrie'

Director: Brian DePalma

The film is based on a novel by the well known horror writer Stephan King. Compared to 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre's' budget, 'Carrie' was completed for $1.8m. Inspite of this the film was a major success grossing in over $33m at tyhe US box office. Furthermore it is one of the few horror films that has received Academy award nominations.

The scene in the film named 'The Prom' is a good scene in showing off the horror elements to the movie.

Editing:

. Slow paced - There is a point in the scene where it is very slow paced and this leaves a very intense feeling upon the audince.
. Fast paced - The pacing then picks up, however it feels too fast as it continues to leave tension as Carrie's anger is shown.
. Split screen - The use of split screen is done to show the havoc Carrie is conducting.

Music/sound/silence:

. At first there is calm and romantic music that is confusing since the film is horror however it fits in well with the scene.
. Eventually the calm music begins to change to slightly more fightening music that sounds chilling.
. The sound of blood dripping is a good connotation of horror as it is used in many different horror films
.There is a voice over that sounds very creepy. As the mother is religious, the constant sound of Carrie's mother stating, 'They'll laugh at you'.
. There is also the use of psycho strings which is well known from deriving from the film 'Psycho' and it links well with horror.  

Mise en scene/ Camera angles:

. Carrie is wearing an all white dress which symbolises purity and is common in horror films.
. Point of view shot: this is shown when Carrie begins destroying the prom, as there is immense panic there is a point of view shot from Carrie as she looks on the effects of what she is causing.
. There are constant closeups on Carrie which is effective as it show off her facial expressions.
. The others are below carrie as a shot from behind her is taken, as she stands above everybody, showing that she is more powerful.
. It also has the connotations of hell, as it seems as if she is the devil. This is further shown through the fact that a fire is used in the scene and the fact that there is a state of panic while she stands above everything else.

'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

Director: Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel

'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' is a slasher horror film. It is renowned as a great slasher film and is one that is an obvious addidtion to the horror genre through its gory setting and use of iconography through weapons. It manages to be a very intellignet film as although it has a very gory setting, it doesn't show explicit gore. It's success is obvious as it was the most successful independent film until Halloween. It generated over $36 million compared to the $83, 532 that it was made for.

The scene 'Going out for a swim' is a good example that shows off the horror elements in the film:

Camera angles:

. From the setting of the scene, it feels as if we are intruding from the different angles shown, and intrusion is a big element of the horror genre.
. For example, the use of tracking the characters through a panning shot shows off the use of intrusion as it feels as if we are following them.
. There is also the use of a 'male gaze', in which it could feel as if we are intruding.

Point of view:

. There is a point of view shot when the characters are looking at the house.
. When the male character finds the tooth.
. We are supposed to see a lot of the horror elements through the eyes of the characters. For example, when the female character is in the room full of bones, we see the camera panning in her view.

Music/Sound/Silence:

. At first there is no music, which creates intensity.
. There is also the constant sound of the genrator.

Mise en scene/ Editing:

. Abandoned house - this is an obvious element of horror.
. From the outside there is light, however from the inside the house is dark, which relates to the horror genre very well.

'Psycho'

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Known for:

. Revolutionising the horror genre
. Introduced slasher horror
. One of the best horror films ever made

'Psycho'(1960) has been renowned as one of the best horror films ever made. It has set out a basis for many other films in the genre, which is notable through the clear inspiration more modern day horror takes. For instance the first use of psycho strings, in the iconic shower scene. Since then many horror films have started to make use of this element, and it has now become a convention used in the genre. Slasher horror was mainly introduced from this film and has introduced it for other horror films.

The shower scene is a good example of the different horror elements in the film:

Camera angles:

. The close up on the blood entering the drain is iconic as blood is a big horror element, and it signifies the death of a main character.
. The closeup on the skirting falling also connotes the death of a main character.
. Panning to the money is signinficant as it conveys the message of it being evil.
. Constant closeup on the shower is interesting as it allows the audience to see how oblivious Marion (the main character is to what is about to happen.

Music/Sound/Silence:

. The use of scary sound effects shows off the horror elements well.
. There is silence when Norman Bates talks to his mother when we think it is her who has killed Marion.

Editing:

. The shots move extremely fast as Marion is being stabbed to show off the brutality of her death.

Point of view:

. There are points in which Marion is being stabbed where it seems as if we are watching the film from the killer's point of view.
. Similarly there are points where it seems as if we are watching it from the point of view from Marion.
.This is quite effective as it builds anxiety as the audience can see the scene from the viewpoints of the killer and the victim.

Mise en scene:

. The shadow of the killer is a huge convention of horror as it has a frightening element to it.
. The fact that it plays with the use of conventions keeps the film engaging. For instance, the room is lit up when they are ususally dark, but this allows the audience to see everything.
. Marion is alone in the apartment which is used in many horror films. It is a huge convention, when a character is attacked when they are alone in their apartment and vulenrable in a place where they should be most safe.