Brief

During my A2 project, I was asked to create using my own knowledge and skills that I had learnt, a trailer, film poster and magazine front cover, all related to the genre of horror. We had put ourselves in the position of producers to create a low budget slasher film. In order to do this I had conducted some research, followed by planning, which led to the construction of my project. To sum it all up this was then followed by four evaluation questions explaining the steps I had taken throughout the project, my strengths and weaknesses.

As stated, my project took place in three different forms, trailer, magazine and a poster, which had all been designed to help promote our slasher film. Although, the trailer was done in a group of four where we had all shared knowledge ideas and skills, whereas the magazine and poster was done individually, to show what individual skills and knowledge we knew, which was therefore presented in these two pieces. I had also conducted some Qualitative and Quantitative research by using Questionpro.com, which had allowed me to create a series of questions to ask my potential target audience, and also to find out their needs and wants. I had then posted the link to my questionnaire on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, where there was a guarantee my questionnaire would be passed around as my target audience was teenagers, and therefore majority of teenagers use social media. I had also did some background research into existing slasher film trailers such as Halloween, Scream, Friday 13th etc, magazines such as Fangoria, Little White Lies, and lastly film posters such as Child's Play, House of Wax.

I had also done some in depth research on the history of genre horror, looking at the influences that has led to its development, and the examples in different horror films that portray this. Starting from looking at German expressionism, film noir, and also modern day horror films, and was able to see the trend that led to the development of horror films. I had seen examples from the film Pyscho starting off the trend, followed by Halloween, Friday the 13th, to then be slightly challenge by Scream, which then led to later developments of different types of slasher films.

Although, during the research stage, I had made sure I understood the difference between the production of a blockbuster film and an independent film. For instance blockbuster films have much more money to help make their films seem more realistic, compared to independent films who have a low budget. During my research I have learnt that Independent films have been as successful in the past as blockbuster films. For instance an independent film such as Paranormal Activity which was seen to be a film based on true stories, had been very successful. This therefore is beneficial to me as it allows me to create a slasher film with a low budget, knowing it can be successful.

I had also created scripts for my actors that took part in my trailer, ensuring there was a good structure put into place when my team and I went out for shoots. I had also created a story board to give the film a good sense of direction, allowing us to know where our trailer was heading. During our shoots, I had also ensured there were risk assessments carried out in case of any hazards or accidents that occurred, and also a script ensuring our actors where comfortable with their role, and also helps the shoot run smoothly.

Towards the end of my project, I was able to successfully answer the four evaluation questions, and being able to answer questions about my process throughout the project, the skills and knowledge I had applied, new skills I had learnt and also strengths and weaknesses.

Research: Historic Slasher Codes and Conventions

By continuing to click the arrow, you are able to view all 10 slides of conventional characters, and existing slasher films that contain these conventions

Research: Audience Quantitative Data

 

Research: Analysis of Existing Horror Posters

 

Research: Analysis of Existing Horror Magazines

Research: Analysis of Existing Horror Trailers

A trailer can be defined as a short film, which is as long as two minutes long. It consists of many clips that can be found within the full film, although is displayed in a non-linear format. It allows the audience to get a feel of the narrative and the genre, and what to expect of the film. It is seen as an advertising method to encourage an audience. There are traditional codes and conventions that can be seen throughout trailer, however just like codes and conventions of slasher film, some conventions have been challenged, and now recognisable within trailers. Voice overs are conventional, but some trailers do not always follow this convention. Trailers do not only inform the audience what to expect throughout the film, it also allows the audience insight on the production companies involved with the creation of the film, the release date and the age certificate of the film, which is usually shown as what you call an end card. Therefore, before I began constructing my own trailer, I had used the internet to help me grasp an understanding of the up to date trends in slasher trailers. 

Dead man’s shoes analysis

Dead Man's Shoes is a 2004 British slasher film that was written and directed by Shane Meadows. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2004. The film was shot in three weeks in the summer of 2003. The film included co-stars Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch and Stuart Wolfenden, and was distributed by Optimum Releasing, and had a budget of £723,000, and had produced £101,186 in the box office. The film overall is seen as challenging the codes and conventions of a formulaic slasher film, due to the fact that instead of being against the villain and for a final girl we instead have sympathy for the villain, and are siding with the villain, and are in fact against the group of friends, which can be viewed as an unusual treatment of the semantic code. There is also the fact there is no final girl, and this convention has been challenged and changed into a male, and this shows why this is a usual example of a slasher genre.

As we can see throughout the trailer, it contains many elements of mise en scene, camera, sound and editing. We can also see the fact that it follows many codes and conventions for horror trailer, which shows that this trailer is very formulaic. We are clearly shown the equilibrium at the beginning of the trailer, and shown the relationship between the main characters, which is what Todorov suggested in his narrative theory. We can also hear a lot of tension building music throughout the trailer, which creates excitement for the audience watching. There are also lots of quick shots towards the middle and ending of the trailer, which is conventional for a trailer as this builds up tension, and also leaves the audience wanting to see more, which would eventually lead them to wanting to watch the film itself. There was also a lot of editing throughout the trailer with scenes with matched action, fades, wipes and many cuts, which is all conventional for a trailer, and can be viewed as a typical form of a trailer.

Starting with the beginning of the trailer, we can see that the establishing shot is a rural location, which is set as a wide shot, and this allows the audience to see an insight of what the location looks like for the characters. We then see that there are two people within the next shot, on a lonely isolated road. This may work together to create mise en scene, as the establishing shot shows a wide shot that allowed insight of a rural location, to then be followed by a lonely isolated road which may convey the fact these two people are lost, and need to solve a mystery to return back to the normality of their lives.  We then realise at this point the isolated locations are consistent throughout the trailer, as this is conventional. We also realise at this point, the trailer is now conveying the style of British Social Realism.

We can then see the binary opposites between the two characters, as we have now established that the two characters are in fact brothers. However, they are very different, as one of the brothers is carrying an army kit, which represents that he is ready and prepared for war, and viewed as strong, powerful and brave. Although, his brother isn’t viewed in this way, and he is often seen looking blunt and speechless throughout the trailer, and doesn’t look as if he is prepared to be defeating anyone or protecting himself, and this can be due to the fact he is mentally handicapped. This therefore shows the binary opposites between the two brothers. The two brothers are in fact together, in the same direction, on the same path; however, they aren’t going together. This is due to the fact Richards brother is dead, and Richard is imagining him being there, hence why they are walking together but are in different paths. This is used by mise en scene as we notice from the binary opposites between the two characters. At this point, we are still unaware of the fact this is a horror movie trailer, though the voice over is starting to give the audience a clue, which can be seen as for example the captions have a typography style of ‘fire’ and therefore this could give clues to something perhaps dangerous could happen, which indicates horror. The captions also include quotes such as ‘disturbing and utterly gripping’, which automatically reinforces a scene is going to be disturbing to the audience, reinforcing a horror genre.

We are then introduced to a scene where the two brothers are walking up a hill. Whilst the two are walking, we can see a single tree by itself in the middle at the top of the hill. This reinforces the nature of life, and could also relate to the main character, as he is possibly lonely, such as the tree by itself, and also the fact he is the only one alive, as his brother is actually in fact dead, and Richard is only imagining his appearance.  At this point we still aren’t aware of the fact it is a horror movie due to the sunny day light, and the calm music. During this, the camera shoots from a far distance, so we don’t get to see emotionally what each character is like, and what they are feeling. We are familiarised with a majority of wide shots which exposed the environment the characters are in.

We are then shown a caption, which states ‘vengeance’, which also means revenge, and this can therefore indicate to the audience that this may be a horror genre film, as the characters are going to seek revenge, which could involve things such as murder, which automatically conveys horror. We then can see that within the editing, there are slow cuts and wipes that move us onto the next scene, and include shots such as close ups which gives allows the audience to express what the character is feeling, and allows them to understand the characters emotions in their current situation. In this situation the characters are seen quite happy, as the two brothers are laughing together which has been shot in a two shot, and we are able to understand that due to the trailer being in a non-linear format, this particular scene is the equilibrium, where the characters are unaware of the upcoming events. We are then shown a caption that allows the audience to know the relationship between the two characters, which is shown as a flashback. It shows personal aspects of their lives, at a young age, the two brothers cuddling. This could also provide us as the audience with mise en scene as it could illustrate to us how close the brothers are, and their relationship with each other. It also helps us to empathise, and it is important we care about him as a character considering what Richard is about to do. We are then shown a scene of the two brothers in a location that looks run down, stripped, and old, which creates a psychological landscape as if his home is crumbling around him, and this is to illustrate the fact Anthony, Richards brother is in fact dead, which is reasons as to why the location around Richard is old and crumbling, which clearly shows how much his brother meant to him. We have now been identified with a close-up of the two brothers and we can see within their facial expressions they look confused and lost, and as if they are having a deep conversation.  We are also aware of the fact one of the brothers have learning difficulties, which reinforces the idea of British Social Realism, and this is because British Social Realism deals with some of the difficult issues that people in society face such as learning difficulties, therefore this film is using both horror and British Social Realism.

In the next shot, we are then cut to a caption, that states ‘vengeance’, which also means revenge and this can therefore indicate to the audience that this may be a horror genre film, as the characters are going to seek revenge, which could involve things such as murder, which automatically conveys horror.  The caption has also got typography style that looks like it is on fire, which could hint that the ‘revenge’ is going to be dangerous, and could possibly involve murder or harm, which therefore reinforces the horror genre. This is then followed by a fade away, along with a mixture of calming and thrilling music, which also is giving insight on the genre of the film.

We are then introduced to a line of dialogue, ‘what did you do to him’, followed by the camera moving quickly around him, which illustrates his instability as his brother is not with him. We are then cut to a flashback which has been editing to be black and white of when his brother was being bullied, in which we can then see a meaning between these two shots, which is the fact Richard is shown as weak, as he needs his brother with him in order to have stability, and in this case his brother was not there, reasons as to why he was being picked on and bullied.  He feels lost without his brother by his side, and he is afraid of the cold hearted bullies who haven’t been treating him nicely, which is shown clearly as we see them laughing and having a good time, still aware of how they treated his brother. The sound on top of this is tension building as the sound of the loud ringing is getting louder and louder, as if something is about to happen. This sound can also be seen as both diegetic and subjective sounds, as the sound is now recognised to be in a horror genre and the audience are now aware of the genre, and also subjective sound as this can indicate what his brother is feeling, and hearing.

At this stage, we can also fit in the first few points of Vladmir Propps theory. At the beginning of every narrative, he suggests the fact of the hero leaves home. We can see this by the hero carrying an army bag, which reinforces the idea that he has left home. His second point is the villain injures or harms a member of the heroes’ family, and we can see this through one of the characters being bullied. However, in this trailer the codes and conventions have slightly been challenged, due to the fact we in fact are empathising with the villain, who is in fact Richard. This is achieved by the way the semantic code is applied. Richard also plays the part for a ‘final girl’, which has also been challenged as this role has been taken on by a male. Although, the film still follows the codes and coventions by having a male villain who does not reveal his identity by covering his face with a mysterious mask, which is usually formulaic within a slasher film.  

In the next scene, we are then introduced to the villain and this is his first appearance, who Is standing wearing a gas mask, which then cuts to the colour of the scene to flash red, as red has connotations of blood, death, danger, horror etc. this is also then an example of iconography, as this is a fixed meaning, and could mean nothing else other than a horror movie genre. 

The editing within this scene then begins to build tension, as the sound and the fast paced editing is getting faster and faster, which all reinforce they chaos that is happening. We can then notice the camera becomes handheld, and everything starts to become chaotic. This therefore reinforces the viewpoint of the character, and the feelings of that particular character in their current moment. In this case, we can see the character is in a panicked mode, and they are slightly confused as to what they are doing and where they are going. Next, we are then introduced to the villain by an over the shoulder shot, which could reinforce the power the villain has, and could illustrate that the villain is watching his ‘victims’. This is then followed by a close-up, which allows the audience to view the villain’s emotions, and get a deep understanding of what the villain’s true intentions are, and in this case, it is revenge. This is also when one of the bullies recognises who the villain is, but however is unaware he is in fact the villain. This can similarly be seen in Todorovs theory, in the stage of ‘Recognition’, where one of the main characters a part of the group of friends, recognises the villain, and recognises the disruption that has or is about to be made by the villain.

We then cut to a scene of the two brothers together, where they are seen jumping, which reinforces the idea that they are ready for action. This could also convey a sense of mise en scene, at the fact it’s allowing the audience to know that something is about to happen. We are then faced with the protagonist and the antagonist who have come face to face, and the brother is placed in the middle, in the far distance. This may therefore convey the two characters have conflict because of him, which is why he is placed in the middle of the two, which is an example of mise en scene. The sound behind this is also becoming more and more fearful, leaving the audience in suspense on what is going to happen next.

We then are shown the villain once again, with the flashing red light, which contains connotations of death, danger and blood. This therefore completely reveals the genre of the film. We are then shown the conversation between the protagonist and the antagonists, which is shown as an over the shoulder shot, along with a close up, which creates a meaning to what he is feeling, as we can see a lot of disgust and anger and tension within his facial expression. We are then identified with a line of dialogue ‘’ I suggest you get in that car, because I’m going to hit you all’’, which gives a sense of mise en scene, as its telling us something is going to happen, as if this was a threat. It also gives a clue that he is the villain. The sound here is also quite calming, which leaves the audience suspicious on what is going to happen next.

The sound of the next scene then sound like a knife ripping through material, as if someone is about to be killed. This sound is played behind the scene of the villain holding an axe, ready to kill someone. We can also notice that when the villain is shown, he is introduced to every scene with the red flashing back ground, or in a negative effect. The effects are also quick flashes, followed by echo screams, and a loud bang, which builds tension. We can then see that the screen dissolves to black, with a voice over telling the story of what is going to happen next.

We can then see a conversation between the bullies who say ‘’he aint getting away fella’s’’, and this therefore indicates more violence is about to take place. We are then introduced to a new scene where we can see that the mise en scene did actually happen and more violence is about to take place, when we hear the sound of a gun being prepared to be used, which is also shown in a close up of the bully. We can then see the bravery of the brother, as he stands in front of the gun, to show he is facing his fears, and is ready to fight. This scene then dissolves to a black out, followed by the sound of tension building music.

We can then see the camera that spins around to show each of the bullies. We are then shown a close up of one of the bullies, where we can see he is feeling a bit guilty, as this is followed by a flashback of when they bullied the brother. We then see a big close up of his brother, who also has guilt that he wasn’t there to protect his brother, as shown at the beginning of the trailer, the two brothers have a strong relationship and close bond. We then can see some comments from reviews, which show the audience how thrilling the film is, followed by fearful music. We can then see scenes of violence, shown in a group shot. There is then a flash of writing on the wall, which has been written in blood, which conveys the sense of the genre, that it is defiantly horror. We can then see flashes of different scenes of violence, with the sound of the music getting lower, to which we are then introduced to the name of the film, the director to then be followed by the end card. 

In conclusion we can see that the trailer has clearly created a formulaic trailer by following the shape, pace, editing and captions that would usually be spotted within a trailer. However, in terms of the way the genre has been treated is an unconventional slasher film as we wouldn’t usually see sympathetic scenes for the villain, and hatred towards the group of friends. Although some elements of conventional slasher films have been kept such as a masked male killer which makes the genre recognisable to the audience.

Scream 4 trailer analysis

Scream 4 is a classical American slasher film that was produced by Wes Craven, and was released on April 15^th 2011.  On its week of release the film took $19.3 million in the US which reinforces the slasher films success. The narrative is carried on from its previous films scream 1, 2 and 3, in which the protagonist Sydney Prescott returns to her home town where she was originally first attacked to release a book of her journey. However, the villain scream’s identity has been cloned and scream returns back to his psychopathic nature.

Straight away we know that this is a formulaic trailer as they start off with a certificate confirming the trailer is appropriate for the audiences, which instantly informs the audience that this is a trailer. We are then followed by the production name which also is automatically following a conventional trailer. As soon as the trailer begins, we are instantly introduced to the villain’s voice that makes a phone call to the protagonists; repeating dialogue ‘welcome home’, which itself can reinforce the narrative as it shows that he is still after her. Alongside this scene, there is non- diegetic sound which reinforces the killer’s action as it is the sound of a sharp high toned knife which may represent the villain’s weapon. This non-diegetic sound alongside this scene reinforces the relationship the protagonist and antagonist have had previously.

The sequence is then followed by a flash of each of the group of friends, which is instantly introducing the equilibrium within the film, which is conventional according to Tzvetan Todorov. There is also a voice over from the villain that plays over this sequence, which reinforces that these are the villain’s victims, as there is dialogue that states from the villain ‘you can’t save them, all you can do is watch’, which also represent the villains power, as there is also non-diegetic tension building music playing over. The trailer is also following a traditional convention of being in a non-linear format, so we are therefore introduced to a slower pace scene of the group of friends living their daily lives, unaware of the disruption coming their way. We can then see a disruption presumably performed by the villain of somebody falling from a roof top, which is disrupting the normality of the characters’ lives. This is also seen as part of Todorovs theory as this can be seen in his stage two, the disruption, and this comes after we have seen the equilibrium, which is what we have just seen. However as trailers are viewed in a non-linear format, we are able to see various amounts of Todorovs stages throughout the trailer.

We are then introduced to captions, which is formulaic within a trailer as the audience recognise this as a traditional convention within a trailer. The caption mentions ‘one movie, redefines fear’ which reinforces elements of the narrative such as the power the villain may have over the characters, and the vulnerability of them. It also echoes the aspect of the narrative that runs through all of the Scream themes. The word ‘redefines’ relates to the way in which the films ‘play’ with the conventions of the slasher genre. We are then shown back to a scene of the group of friends in a class room, where one of the group of friends says ‘all virgins can die now’ and this may hint elements of the narrative such as challenging codes and conventions of a possible final girl who is seen as virginal, and this piece of dialogue may suggest that the final girl may not be as innocent as we think, reinforcing challenges within a slasher film.

We are then introduced to further disruption to the normality of the characters’ lives as we see the villain picking off the characters one by one. We can also hear non diegetic music alongside these scenes that build tension to build excitement amongst the audience. This non diegetic music also plays when the villain is about to make an appearance, which puts the audience in a helpless position as the characters on screen are unaware of the villains status. We can then see in the next couple of scenes the group of friends attempting to repair the disruption by attempting to capture the villain on camera, which is also a part of Todorovs narrative theory.  We can see shots from this scene that are shot by hand held cameras, and this is to show a scene from a point of view shot. This is also using Roland Barthes semantic code by putting the audience in the shoes of the character as it allows the audience to feel they are a part of the narrative. This is due to them feeling helpless as they cannot help the characters in the film and know something is going to happen to them, and therefore are fearful for that character. We can see the character looking into the camera which is handheld, however the character is unaware of the villain’s presence in the background, and this would automatically panic the audience as they also would be fearful for the character.

We can then see a sequence of fast pace shots of the character running away from presumably the villain, and this reinforces the power the villain has over the characters. There is also non-diegetic music that is playing alongside these shots that start from a low tone which later increases, and therefore creates tension for the audience. We also see numerous of scenes of the protagonist attempted to be killed, which lets the audience know that she is the final girl due to her power to stay alive. The audience may also be left in suspense of who the final girl is as there appears to be the traditional final girl Sydney, who has been the final girl throughout the films, although there is also the idea of Sydney’s cousin who also has the power to be a final girl, which leaves the audience wondering who is the final girl, and therefore creates a buzz for the audience which would lead them to wanting to watch the film. The trailer is then ended by fast pace shots with tension building music which creates excitement amongst the audience, which is then topped off by the villain running towards the camera, with a non-diegetic sound of a frightening echo scream, which reinforces the horror genre. The fast pace shots throughout the trailer are a part of the montage sequence that we see in all trailers, and therefore is a part of a trailer form, and this is done to build tension amongst the audience and to also fit in as much mise en scene as possible so the audience are able to understand the main points of the narrative which will help draw in the attention to the audience to wanting to watch the film.

Halloween trailer analysis

Halloween is a classic slasher film that was produced by John Carpenter in 1978. It was originally released on October 28^th 1978 in the US. Halloween was a successful, low budget independent film that is still popular even in today’s society. The narrative includes a psychopathic villain Michael Myers who had been institutionalised since a child, after brutally murdering his sister during his childhood. During adulthood, he then escapes, and goes on a quest for his teenage sister Laurie, who he again wants to murder, and kills anyone who gets in his way.

The audience are instantly aware of the films genre due to the sharp tension building non-diegetic sound, which accompanies point of view shot that is shot by a hand held camera, in order to reinforce the point of view. The audience were able to recognise the genre due to the fact they are able to recognise codes and conventions within a slasher film. The establishing shot that was shown is a common convention for slasher films as they reinforce a common suburban house which is usually were the teens are seen isolated. The house represents a quiet suburban town which many people within the audience could relate to as many of them expect to live in one. We are then introduced by the narrator who says ‘Halloween night…’ and this itself allows the audience to understand a sense of the narrative, and understanding why the film name is Halloween, which is essentially shown through dialogue.

We are then shown a scene that is shot from a perspective inside a mask, which is from the killer’s perspective. This then allows the audience to understand they are experience the narrative from the killer’s point of view, which automatically puts them in the monsters position. This can also be related to Roland Barthes semantic code, as he suggests the viewers can view the narrative from different perspectives, .e.g. in this case is the monster. The audience are automatically snapped out of the monsters perspective as the monster mask is pulled off his face where his identity is revealed. The identity of this character shocks the audience as the identity is recognised as a child, which is unusual as the norm for the killer is not usually a child.  Along with this scene, we are able to hear non-diegetic sound that appears to build tension, which gives a sense that nobody is safe in that neighbourhood, and therefore gives us a sense of the narrative, or even represent the monster, which is an example of a musical motif. The title of the film is then shown along with a pumpkin, which is a sign of iconography, as the pumpkin symbolises the idea of the holiday period ‘Halloween’ and this therefore relates to the name of the film. This is played alongside with loud frightening music, which sends a message that this time of the year is cursed. It also helps the film to go viral as the film is to be released around this holiday period, and this makes the film more exciting to watch for the audience.  By revealing the film’s title, this is a usual form and convention for a trailer as it is a caption towards the first half of the trailer, and this is seen as formulaic.

The narrative is further conveyed as the audience are then introduced to the doctor, called Dr Loomis, presumably the killer’s doctor, who notifies the characters the killer’s true intentions, and what he is really like. He reveals the killer’s foreseeable killing nature, which panics the characters within the narrative, and therefore panics the audience, automatically putting the audience in the same position as the teenage friends, which relates to Roland Barthes semantic code. This is formulaic within a trailer as it is vital to include elements of where the audience feel included within the narrative, and want to know more, which leads to them watching the film which is an example of audience positioning.

Throughout the trailer we are able to hear the non- diegetic musical motif which introduces the killer, and we are aware of this as this musical motif plays when the killer is about to appear, which the audience are aware of, but not the characters within the narrative, and this puts the audience in a helpless position. The musical motif plays childlike theme music, mixed with a dull evil tone, which portrays him as a person as it describes his innocence as a child; however his childhood was destroyed by his evil essence, and this therefore reinforces binary opposites which is a theory produced by Claud Levi Strauss, and this theory indicates the idea of the opposing differences between characters. This therefore highlights the idea of Michael Myers the villain having two opposing sides to him such good vs evil, which reinforces this idea of binary opposites. This also juxtaposes the idea of the two opposing sides the villain has, in which both sides to him have different outcomes. We are also shown a scene where the Michael Myers the monster attacks an innocent lady in the car, presumably one of the doctors at the hospital, and this scene is shot in stormy miserable weather, which reinforces a negative atmosphere, and informs the audience of negative activity.

In the next scenes we are introduced to the equilibriums which is a part of Tzvetan Todorov’ theory, which indicates the five different stages you would see within a slasher film. Although, during a trailer, we will not see every phase of the narrative theory, and this is due to some stages such as ‘the disruption’ and ‘the repair’ would be revealing too much of the narrative in a trailer, and this should remain a mystery until the film is watched. The equilibrium  is shown which is the first stage of Todorovs narrative which suggests we see the characters in their natural environment, which we can see  three girls walking down the road, seemed to be living their daily everyday lives, unaware of the normality of their lives is about to be disrupted by the antagonist. This is recognised as a norm within Tzvetan Todorovs theory. The non-diegetic music that is played alongside the disruption of the equilibrium is shown low pitched to begin with, which then builds up to build more tension when the girls being to look around, which alerts us of the danger to come to them. We then are confirmed of the danger the girls were facing as we see the three girls are being picked off one by one, which is formulaic within horror films. One of the girls deaths we see her lying on the bed with a gravestone, alongside a pumpkin, which reinforced the killer and the film. Towards the end of the trailer we are shown a lot of shadow like scenes, which is a convention influenced by film noir which creates a paranoid atmosphere as the audience are unaware who is creating these shadows. We are then clearly aware of the protagonist as she is the last one out of the equilibrium, who is seen running away from the antagonist injured, which automatically reinforces her vulnerability, and the power the monster has, and this builds tension as the audience are left wondering if she will survive. We are then ended with a sequence of past paced montage editing shots which is conventional throughout a trailer, so this builds tension and excitement for the audience, leaving them wanting to know what happens next.  The trailer is viewed in a non-linear format, which is also conventional throughout the trailer.

The typical form to a trailer relates to the shape of a trailer. This shape includes a slow start at the beginning of a trailer, with captions and logos visible throughout the trailer, which we can see is visible throughout this specific example, which is then followed by sections which allow the audience to briefly understand who the characters are and the relationships and aspects of the narrative,  which is also visible within this trailer as it shows the group of girls walking home from school, in which we learn from this they are three best friends. This is then followed by faster paced sequence towards the end, which then finishes on the films end card. There is also a voice over that is present throughout the trailer which can sometimes be challenged by some film trailers. Although through this particular example we can see it has followed the norm of voiceovers which  therefore shows , that Halloween trailer has conformed to a formulaic trailer as it includes the aspects needed for a conventional shape of a trailer. 

Research: Existing Conventions - Logos and Films Typography

Initially, before creating my film title I used web 2.0 in order to research existing successful well known horror titles within the slasher sub genre of horror. The objective of utilising and researching these titles was so I could incorporate themes or slight elements of these cult classics into my own film typography's so that my demographic can recognise the title immediately due to intertextuality. This will then spur a word of mouth effect among my demographic as it  caters to their needs effectively, making a more successful film. I found that Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Friday 13th all had the colour coding in the common, although Texas Chainsaw Massacre lacked the colour of red, but still  maintained the horror look through the creepy, fearful looking typography which resonates as a slasher horror title.

I was also able to use Google to research different film production company logos which was able to help me make a decision on my final production company logo.

Using dafont, I was able to use my knowledge from researching existing typographies and create my own. I then had inserted these typograhpies into photoshop, were I was able to change the colours and sizes, and therefore led to me creating a variety of typographies

In the end, we had come to a group decision and decided on the following typography. We decided on this typography as we felt it contained all 3 colours that convey the horror slasher genre, and it also reinforces gore, and danger due to the dripping blood effect. We also reflected the letter 'R' for Return as this represents the narrative, as the character Ruby is 'returning' from the dead, and therefore is coming back, rather than going away. A further reason why we decided to use this typography was due to the fact the design was made to look like ripped flesh by using both colours red and white to create this look, with dripping bits of blood which reinforces a horror genre. 

Film Synopsis

Frankie, a respectable, sensible and motivated eighteen year old girl who has been bought up from a troubled past,  as only four years ago her adopted sister went missing and was found dead. However all will be revealed when she decides to throw a house party for herself and twin sister Amy’s birthday as their parents have gone away for the weekend and left them with some money. The party begins at 8pm and by 8:30pm the house is crowded with untamed, intoxicated teenagers;  it begins to get out of hand as people start meddling around with her parent’s possessions and passing out on the floor, in which Frankie and Amy decides to call of the party. Eventually, the only people left at the house is Frankie and Amy’s 5 closest friends who have planned to stay round her house for the night, after cleaning the house top to bottom they all decide to play a game of spin the bottle, along with truth or dare as they think this will be a fun game to play on the night of their birthday. Unknowingly this could be there last night to simply lead their ordinary lives, as after this night, everything changes, but changes for the worst.

The fifth round of playing truth or dare, it lands on Frankie who picks truth. Her closest friend from childhood, Chelsea who is in fact the drunkest decides to ask her the question of what’s the story behind her little sister going missing four years ago. The rest of the group of friends tell Chelsea that she is being out of order and Frankie should just take no notice of her. However, after Frankie has flashbacks of her and her sister, Frankie begins telling the story of her pure hatred for her adopted sister, Ruby. The little girl joined Frankie’s family when she was six years old, but never felt the warmth and love that she essentially wanted from her sister, instead she was left to play alone, and as though she did not feel welcome in the home of this family as Frankie use to try her best to make her feel uncomfortable and unwanted, as she was in fact jealous and afraid that her adopted sister would get all the attention from her beloved parents. The little girl went missing on October 10^th 2009 at 10:58pm after arguing with Frankie.  Whilst explaining the story, twin sister Amy has left the room to get more drinks. At this point, Frankie let the group of friends on a little secret, containing the curse for the return of Ruby. Frankie had known her adopted sister had a cure to her biological family, which no one else in the family were aware of. The group of friends were convinced this weren’t true, and started to laugh at Frankie. This then had frustrated Frankie, to which she replied to the group of friends, ‘we will see for our self’. At this point, the group of friends held hands, and repeated the curse three times, which was essentially, ‘Ruby, Ruby, Ruby’. At this point, nothing had happened, which left Frankie quite confused. This then led to the teenagers feeling worn out, and they all headed up to bed.

During the night, Frankie hears her sister Amy calling her from downstairs. Whilst she is half way down the stairs, she hears a voice shouting out for her, in which she believes is her sister calling her name from downstairs in the kitchen, which is what causes her to rush down there. However, as she is on her way down, she hears and sees her sister Amy calling her from the top of the steps, which bewilders her. She is convinced she is still half asleep and hearing things, however deep down inside she is sure the curse has been broken, and Ruby has returned.

The next morning is a normal day; however the atmosphere within the friendship group isn’t at its usual. The group of friends aren’t as bubbly and aren’t joking around as much as they used to. They however all suggest to each other they are fine, and are just suffering a hangover. Frankie is now fully aware that something has changed from the night of her and sister Amy’s birthday, although she does not know what lies ahead, but sooner or later she will come to find out that her sister has come back to seek revenge, and won’t be leaving until she has accomplished this.

The following evening, she decides to meet up with her friends again in the local park near her house at around 9pm. When they arrive at the park, one of the friends has bought a few bottles of alcohol, suggesting that they should drink as they think this will be ‘fun’. At around 10pm they have all finished the bottles and decide to go for a walk up the hill, whilst walking up the pathway, they begin to hear noises and footsteps, Frankie advises that they all head back to hers as it seems to be as though they are not alone but perhaps being followed, as she becomes more and more aware that sister Ruby has returned, but is finding it hard to believe. The rest of the group sense that she is beginning to get frightened but yet carry on walking up the pathway, as they walk they begin to get more out of sight from the park, to their surprise they end up next to a church in a grave yard. One of the friends suggest that they all sit up here, but as they are about to sit down they hear a deafening scream which instantly frightens them all, they begin to run towards the pathway, but when Frankie looks back, she sees a girl in exactly the same place in which they were standing who happens to be peering right back at her and wearing a white night dress in which she seems to recognise, she then screams and tells them to all run back down and head towards her house.

They eventually make it to Frankie’s and Amy’s house and all congregate around together in the living room; Frankie begins telling them about the girl she saw at the graveyard. At this point the lights go off and they hear a loud banging at the window. The teenagers assume that one of them is playing a joke as it could be a ideal moment to panic them after the incident at the graveyard, so therefore do not take the banging at the window seriously until one of the friends, Chelsea opens the window herself and sees a girl staring back at her with blood on her face, she begins screaming and this is when the teenagers realise that something weird is going on and they are being followed as the girl at the window disappears. They then begin to hear noises coming from upstairs, but it is Frankie’s music box playing which is what Ruby use to play with when she was little, from hearing this, Frankie instantly figures out what is going on and tells the group that she thinks her adopted sister has come back to haunt them after what she had told them, and insists they believe her about the cure. This is all new to Amy, who hasn’t got a clue what exactly is going on until sister Frankie explains, leaving Amy angry and terrified. They all then begin to tremble fearfully at the thought of this as they simply do not know what to do, as though they are trapped and cannot escape.

As the teens are still finding it hard to believe and get their heads around the situation, they soon come up with a suggestion, that two of them should drive out to the police station, seeing as it is just around the corner, and none of them can seem to get any signal. As the two head out to the police station, Frankie watches as they drive on. However, Frankie suddenly quickly catches a glimpse of her sister Ruby waving to her in the back of the car, who then whispers ‘boo’. Frankie speedily tries to run after the car, and pleads for them to stop. They don’t seem to see or hear her, and carry on driving. Frankie is quick to run back to the house, and let the others know what she has seen. Frankie knows that they have no hope, and tells the others they all need to get out of the house as soon as possible. As the group head out the front door, they all stop to see a figure that is staring back at them in the distance. To all of their surprise, they see its Laurens sister, Ruby. The group panic, and head towards a park. However, on their way, they discover their friends’ car that has crashed. As Frankie and her friend slowly approach the car, they shockingly discover their two friends have been brutally murdered. As much to their horror, there is no time to stop, as anyone of them could be next.

As the group continues to run, they end up in the field, which then leads them into the forest.  As they all struggle their way through the forest, they all eventually find themselves alone and lost.  The group call out for each other, yet receive no response. One of the friends named Jay finds himself a hiding place where he thinks he will be safe.  Whilst he is hiding here, he assumes he can hear his friend calling out for him, in which he comes out of hiding, and responds back to his friend. Little does he know, it was in fact Ruby calling out for him in his friend’s voice. This had baffled Jay, who then starts to run. He can hear Ruby skipping and laughing behind him as he hurriedly tries to run. He soon stops to see where she has gone. As he begins to look around him, he struggles to see Ruby anymore, yet can still hear her giggles all around him. As he turns around, much to Jay’s surprise, there Ruby is standing in front of him who then whispers ‘Boo’, which then leads her to killing him by slashing his throat.

The rest of the group are still struggling to find each other as they all continue to shout out for each other, after hearing their friend Jay screaming to death. The group being to panic as they are no longer receiving a response from their friends, and instead are hearing the sound of branches and leafs crunching all around them. They begin to hear and see a young little girl skipping in between the trees in the Forrest, and straight away assume its Ruby. As one of the friends Chelsea finds herself running through the Forrest as she is frightened of the noises she is hearing, her torch starts to run out of battery, which leads to her see nothing but darkness. She stops to hide to try and solve this problem. Chelsea is however unaware of the fact Ruby is slowly approaching towards her from behind, with a rope. As Chelsea’s flash light is constantly flickering due to her low batteries, she is unaware Ruby is in fact circling her with a knife in her hand, ready to kill her. Suddenly, her light starts to work again, and finds her boyfriend Trey standing in front of her. Chelsea is delighted at this point, to however then be horrified to see Ruby running up behind boyfriend Trey, brutally murdering him. Chelsea then starts to run, until a point she trips over a log, and falls to the ground. She then hides inside a bush, waiting anxiously, to then to her horror get dragged out of the bush, leading to her death.

This then sadly leaves Frankie and Amy fighting for survival. As they both are fully aware all their friends have been murdered, they try head out of the woods to find a different location. Frankie seems to know what she is doing, and where she is going, therefore Amy is happy to follow. Much to Amy’s surprise, Frankie leads them back into the grave yard. Frankie gives Amy match sticks, and suggests they both have a source of light in case they split up. As the two are hiding behind a grave stone, Frankie tries to calm her sister down as she is still new and shocked to this history behind her adopted sister. Little do the pair know, they are in fact hiding behind sister Ruby’s grave stone, in which Ruby is also hiding on the other side, waiting to finally kill off her adopted sisters. As Amy notices her first, Amy tries her hardest to push Frankie out of the way, as Ruby is in a position where she is ready to viciously kill her sister with an Axe. Instead, Amy gets punished for this, as she is trying to save her friend, and is horridly killed.

Frankie is furious and angry that her twin sister has just been killed, and tries to hunt adopted sister Ruby down, anxiously shouting ‘come on, show yourself, you’ve got me’. Which at  this point, Frankie notices sister Ruby standing in a distance. They gradually get closer to each other, and Frankie begins to break down in tears shouting and screaming as to why she took her sister Amy away from her, in which Ruby replies, ‘because you took my life’. This frustrated Frankie, in which she aggressively pushes sister Ruby, and believes she, has fallen down into the lake. This then leaves Frankie relived and repeat to herself ‘good riddance’. Frankie then hurries through the graveyard, trying to find some help. She is then led to an area where she is unable to see anything, which she then finds matches in her pocket. At first she struggles to light it, to which at her second attempt she manages to light one. Suddenly, much to Frankie’s horror, sister Ruby is in fact alive, where she the blows out Frankie’s match stick, to which she then says ‘Boo’.

Narrative Analysis of The Return

Narrative is a word that refers to any constructed story, or simply the way a story is built. There are many theorists that suggest every narrative has a pattern.  There are many different narrative theories to suggest every story has a similar or the same sequence. Therefore, I and my group have created a trailer than fits in line with these narrative theories.

One of the narrative theorists includes Tzvetan Todorov, who published influential work on narrative from the 1960s onwards. His theory suggests there are five stages of a narrative. His argument is that stories begin with equilibrium where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. This is then disrupted by some events, setting in chain a series of events, to which the disruption is eventually solved.

His first stage, the ‘equilibrium’ suggests that at the beginning of every narrative there is a typical American family, a heterosexual couple, or a group of teenage friends, who are living their everyday normal day to day lives, in which the audience are given a chance to understand the relationship between the characters. Therefore, I and my group have codified our trailer to follow this pattern as we start our trailer with a group of teenage friends, living their normal day to day lives, in their living environment, in which they are unaware to the impending disruption about to destroy the normality of their lives. We also get to know our characters individually, and as a group, for example we get to know our main character and her personality, and her attitude and role within the friendship group. We also got to see this with the other characters.

The second stage to his theory involves the ‘disruption’.  This stage will usually involve a series of unexpected events that negatively affect the lives of the main characters. The disruption is usually performed by the monster (villain), who disrupts the normality of the characters’ lives and sets in motion a series of cause and effect events that leads to towards the resolution of the narrative. Therefore, we have followed the codes and conventions to this stage as throughout our trailer, we have included a variety of scenes showing the protagonist disrupting the normality of the characters’ lives, in particular our final girl. However, due to our trailer being in non-linear order, the disruption takes part in many different parts of the trailer. For example we will see a scene from our trailer where a curse has been broken, therefore releasing the spirit of our villain, who therefore is free to destroy the normality of our characters’ lives, such as killing them individually one by one, including a car crash, killing off two of our characters. However, not all deaths or disruptions will be shown, as we do not want to give away the main parts of the narrative.

The third stage to his theory is the ‘recognition’. At this stage, this is where a character, usually the final girl will fully recognise the disruption. However during our trailer, we will not show a lot of the recognition, due to the fact we don’t want to give away too much of the narrative, and we will focus more on the equilibrium, disruption and the repair, as these are the main elements to the narrative, that will draw in the attention of our target audience, to watch our film. Although,  a small element that we have included is when the main girl and her sister ‘recognise’ that their adopted sister has returned, and has killed two of their friends, in which the pair find their two friends dead in a car, which at this stage, the protagonist realises she will have to defeat the villain alone, without any help.

The fourth stage to his theory includes the ‘repair’. This involves the protagonist attempting to solve the issue of the disruption, which includes several attempts. In our own trailer, we get to see the protagonist attempting to defeat the villain by pushing her, which leads to the audience thinking the villain has fallen into the lake. However this isn’t the case, as the villain appears again and captures the final girl, which is what ends the trailer. Also, due to our trailer being in non-linear order, we get to see a lot of drama and action throughout the trailer of the final girl along with the group of friends trying to defeat the villain, however fail to do so. For example when villain Ruby appears in the back of our two characters car, the pair try to  defeat the villain but end up crashing, leaving them to be brutally murdered by our villain.

The fifth stage to his theory is the ‘new equilibrium’. This stage involves a new equilibrium being achieved that is similar to the opening, however slightly different in that nothing  can be the same again due to loved ones being killed, and others have been affected by the process. In horror, the manner in which the order can be false is when the monster may not really be dead, and rise again from the sequel. We can see this appear in our trailer due to the fact the characters are convinced that the protagonist has defeated the monster and pushed her into a lake, to then realise she hasn’t been defeated, as she comes up behind our final girl, and blows out her candle, in which then our trailer ends, leaving the characters in suspense. However not much of the new equilibrium stage is usually shown, due to much information being given to viewers, ruining the film for them. We can also see this example in the film Halloween, where protagonist Laurie assumes she has defeated her brother Michael Myers who is in fact the monster, which in fact the audience are let in on the fact he hasn’t been defeated and has escaped from the scene, which is something Laurie is unaware of. This then would appeal to the audience, wanting them to watch the next part of the film.

Furthermore, another theorist that has a theory based on narratives is Vladmir Propp. He recognised a series of recurring functions/narrative strands. He suggested all narratives share similar character types (a villain, a hero, a helper etc.) and a story element. He suggested every narrative had 8 similar characters and functions. However, it is important to notice that not every function or character type will be exactly present in every narrative.

For example, his first step suggests that the hero leaves home. Although, as our trailer genre is horror, this is slightly challenged, as instead, it is suggested that the parents have left home, and the group of teens are left alone. This is portrayed within our own trailer, as the final girl’s parents have gone away for the weekend, leaving her alone at home. His next point suggests the villain injuring or harming a member of the hero’s family. However in this case, the hero’s family is counted as the hero’s group of teen friends, who are killed by the villain. The task to complete for the hero is essentially to survive, which is what our protagonist attempts to do throughout our trailer. He also suggests that the hero is given a magical gift, which in relation to horror films, may well be a weapon or a piece of information that helps the protagonist defeat the villain. Which on our trailer, our protagonist is led to the forest as she discovers an item of the villain, which leads her to find the villain. His next point in which he suggests the villain makes an attempt at spying, which we show in our trailer at the scene of the protagonist and her twin’s birthday, the group of friends aren’t aware that they are being watched by villain Ruby. The next stage is the hero is attacked, which is portrayed throughout our trailer of the villain Ruby attempting to kill her adopted sister Frankie and her group of friends. The next stage is the hero gains a helper/ a group of helpers, which is essentially the group of teens throughout our trailer. Towards the ending of our trailer, we get to see the next stage of the hero and villain joining in direct combat, which is where our villain Ruby and sister/protagonist come face to face, in which a battle takes place.

As we can see from Propps theory, majority of his points fit in relation to our trailer and is therefore very conventional. There is also the fact of majority of Propp’s 8 characters are in relation to our trailer, as we have a hero, a villain, a benefactor and a helper who is both the friendly older person in our trailer who is the teacher giving a student advice, and therefore our trailer is in relation to Propps theory.

A further theorist who based his theory around narrative is Claude Levi-Strauss, who looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. Binary opposites are a set of opposite values, and an example would be good and evil. The two main binary opposites seen within our trailer is the villain and the final girl. The villain is portrayed in a negative, evil and strange character, whereas the final girl is presented in a good, normal and known character, which shows both characters are seen as complete opposites. We can also see binary opposites between the final girl and her twin sister. We are able to view the final girl Frankie as a virgin, quiet, sweet innocent character, whereas her sister Amy is quite the opposite in ways such as she enjoys drinking and partying, has many boyfriends and isn’t seen as a virgin, and quite likes to have a laugh. Therefore our trailer fits in line with Claude Levis-Strauss’s theory.

Another theorist who analysed narrative is Pam Cook, who is a film critic. She came up with four defining features of what defines as the classical Hollywood narrative. She suggests that we are so used to seeing films structured in this way that it is difficult for us to imagine an alternative.

She firstly suggests that ‘a linear narrative of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution’ which means the narrative will follow a straight line where a character actions causes an effect which leads to more causes effects until a puzzle is resolved. This is slightly challenged within our trailer due to the trailer being in non-linear order. However we do have elements that include causes and effects throughout the trailer, which the resolution is usually hidden as we don’t want to give away the story. For example our trailer shows the characters causing an effect by repeating a curse that brings the villain to life, which then negatively affects the characters and their actions throughout the trailer, which leads to majority of them being brutally murdered.

She then suggests a ‘fictional world spatial and temporal verisimilitude’ which is referring to the world we see on the screen is fictional, and will be recognisable as one that follows similar natural laws to ours. During our trailer, we will definitely see fictional world spatial, which is referring to the space, however, we do not see temporal verisimilitude, as our trailer is in a non-linear format. We will also see a lot of verisimilitude due to the target audience accepting the reality of the diegisis, as viewers will find it acceptable for example in our trailer for there to be a such thing  as a cure that can bring the dead back to life, which is essentially what happens in our trailer.

She the points out ‘A centrality to the narrative agency of psychologically rounded characters’, which refers to the characters we engage with on the screen will be recognisably human even if they are not. We slightly able to see an element to this as our villain who is essentially a spirit, and therefore we are still recognising that spirit to be an alive human, even though she is well and truly dead. She lastly points out a ‘high degree of narrative closure’ which refers to all narrative strands will be neatly tidied up leaving the audience satisfied. This is something we will not be able to see during our trailer. This is due to the fact this will be giving the whole story away, which will then not be satisfying for any consumers who decide to watch the film, as they will already know the story line. 

Lastly, Roland Barthes came up with a theory that suggests narratives follow 5 different codes. His first code ‘Action Code’ refers to events which take place in the narrative (who, when and where of the story). He suggests every a narrative start with life is good, which is portrayed in our trailer showing the characters living their normal day to day lives. He then states that a crisis occurs, which in our trailer we show this when the curse is broken, and the villains spirit is released, which is followed by a series of crises, such as the villain disrupting the normality of the characters’ lives, by starting to kill of each teen. This is then when we think it is over when the two friends head to the police station to get some help. This is then however disrupted as another crisis occurs as the two friends are suddenly found dead. However towards the end of this code is slightly challenged due us not wanting to give away the complete end of the story, so we therefore leave the audience in suspense as to what is going to happen. We can also recognise this code in relation to Pam Cooks ‘Linear narrative of cause and effect’ or Propp suggesting many film narratives seem to share the same action code.

His second code refers to the semantic code. This refers to character and characterisation. The actions in a story are explained by the characters viewpoint on events. For example during our trailer, majority is seen from our protagonist’s perspective, which builds up more tension for the audience to see. This therefore makes the audience feel a part of the diegisis which could be quite exciting for them. However, if the audience were to see the trailer from the monsters perspective, this could make the audience feel slightly uncomfortable, as this can make them feel a part of the killing, and this puts them in a position of them less likely to help the hero, we have therefore avoided this.

His third code refers to the enigma code. This involves the setting up of a mystery, its development and its resolution. For example during our trailer the setting up of a mystery involves how did the adopted sister Ruby die? Why does she want to kill her sister Frankie? How is Frankie going to escape her sister Ruby after breaking the curse? This then all leads to a development as throughout the trailer the audience slowly begin to understand the meaning behind these mysteries such as during a game of spin the bottle the audience understand why Ruby (the villain) is after Frankie (final girl), and how she died, which Frankie states she ran away at a young age due to her not feeling loved by Frankie, to which she was later found, dead. This then leads to an understanding why Ruby is seeking revenge. The resolution is hardly shown within the trailer as this is something that is giving away too much of the story, ruining it for the audience.

His fourth code refers to the referential code. This involves the explaining or informing. For example mise en scene is a referential code. For example during our trailer we have our character that plays the villain before she is portrayed as a villain wearing a pure white dress. This reinforces the idea she is innocent, and is harmless. However, once she is portrayed as the villain who is shown through the symbolic code, we see her white dress being torn up with blood splattered all over. This then represents the idea she is now a damaged character who was once innocent which can be conveyed from her white dress which as be seen as her personality on the ‘inside’, which she now has blood on the ‘outside’ which reinforces the way she is now.

His last code is the symbolic code. This involves the reading of the connotations of signs which transforms hem into symbolic representations. For example, throughout our trailer we recognise that our final girl is a typical representation of bravery, as she is able to face her fears and attempt to defeat the villain towards the end of our trailer. We also see that our final girl is usually seen as the odd one out compared to her friends, and doesn’t want to join in on the fun, which may symbolise she, imagines she doesn’t deserve to have fun, and may be guilty of something that has happened in the past.

In conclusion this has therefore shown that the trailer myself and my group have created is very formulaic and relates to majority of the points in these five theorists, suggesting we have followed the codes and conventions suggested for a narrative.

Story Boards

We created story boards in order to help us understand and guide us on what we would like our trailer to look like. We've also annotated along side of our storyboards the different sounds we would like to be heard for each scene, and also where we see mise-en-scene taking place. The main idea for creating a storyboard was also to help us keep into our budget as this allows us to know we have enough cast and crew, the right equipment and know where we are shooting our scenes. This altogether helped the smoothness of our shoots, and it saved a lot of time in the long run.

                                 

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Planning: Casting Calls

 

Planning: Reece

Here we had pre-visiting our potential locations that we will use to film our trailer in. We had visited these places to ensure there will be no potential problems that could arise whilst shooting, e.g. bad lighting, sound, or anything that could potentially prevent us from filming in these locations. Luckily, we found our main location, which was in a forest. This location was quiet, and had good lighting, with plenty of trees and branches which suited the horror genre. Although, we did have some technical issues with our sound in the forest, however this could be solved in our recording studios. We also wanted to shoot some scenes in a house, in which decided on a house where we can shoot potential scenes that had good lighting, and good spacing. We decided specifically on these two locations as these two are conventional within a slasher film, and therefore fits well within our trailer.