Research into Four Similar Horror Genre Films

By Tom Jolliffe

Wrong Turn (2003)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUUyD-_oPc&feature=player_embeddedHere’s a link to the trailer…

Information Six people find themselves trapped in the woods of West Virginia,

hunted down and individually tortured by cannibalistic mountain men grossly disfigured through generations of in-breeding.

The genre for this film is horror, thriller. This film is set in the woods.

The target audience for this film would be teenagers and young adults because in this film there is a group of people aged around 20-30 which is around the same age of the target audience. Other media interests would be other horror films that have groups of people in such as Scream, The Blair Witch Project.

Information Director: Rob Schmidt Writer: Alan B. McElroy Cast includes: Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku,

Jeremy Sisto, Emmanuelle Chiriquí, Lindy Booth, Kevin Zegers, Ted Clark

Information Box Office Budget: $10,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $5,161,498 (USA) (1 June 2003) (1615 Screens) Gross: $15,417,771 (USA) (21 September 2003) Production Co: Summit Entertainment, Constantin Film Production,

Media Cooperation One

Information Censorship Issues This film was rated 18 by the BBFC has it

contains strong bloody violence and horror with a small amount of drug use.

Ratings/Reviews Average Rating for this film is around 6 out of

10. The reviews state that this film is good but just

another rip off of a classic horror film Deliverance (1972).

Audio Codes Analysis of Trailer The audio codes used in this trailer are very conventional for horror

trailers, with the use of non-diegetic sound of a high pitch noise which you hear straight away at the beginning of the trailer. The next thing you hear is the sound of a car crash which makes the audience know that something bad is going to happen. There is diegetic sound as the girl speaks and says ‘Somebody did this’ the audience know for this point that this isn’t going to end well. Then the high pitch noise increases as the trailer continues with a screeching sound every time there is a fade. Half way through the trailer the atmosphere changes and the tension is increased as the high pitch noise is now mixed with a loud bass which connotes a heart beat and this sound increases pace. As the trailer comes to the end the heart beat sound quietens down and there is diegetic sound of heavy breathing then the sound of an axe hitting and cutting through something.

Visual Codes Analysis of Trailer The mise-en-scene in the trailer ‘Wrong Turn’ tries to make the trailer

look quite natural, almost realistic to the audience. The use of lighting throughout the film is natural light because of the time of day in which this film is set, which is afternoon, so there is a lot of bright sunshine. This could be seen as unconventional as most horror films are set at night with little or no lighting at all making it hard for the audience to see what’s going on. For example of lighting in the mise-en-scene is then the characters find the wooden shack and as they walk inside the audience can see rays of sunshine coming through the sides and that there is a lower level of light in this shack compared to outside, showing a binary opposition of dark and light. They are using natural light to detonate that they are normal people and trying to make it as realistic as possible. The dress codes in this trailer again denotes a sense of being normal by having casual clothes that are modern and are seen as normal every day clothes that anyone would wear.

Narrative Codes

Analysis of Trailer Narrative codes play a huge part in horror trailers because they need to make the

audience feel scared and want them to watch the film without giving too much away. The trailer shows main parts and the best bits of the whole narrative to interest the audience. It is very conventional for trailers to show clips that aren’t actually in the film.

The narrative for this trailer uses Todorov’s theory. In this trailer it doesn’t start of as an equilibrium but as a disruption in which there is a car crash and this is where we are first introduced to the main characters. The characters then find an old wooden shack to try and find a phone. At this point the audience hope this will help resolved the situation and make a new equilibrium but in fact this turns into the recognition of disruption. The trailer then finishes leaving the audience not knowing if the film finds a new equilibrium. Many effects and editing are used in the trailer to build suspense and add atmosphere and make it exciting. For example fade to black is used at the beginning of the trailer between shots to build suspense and show the location. The cuts in the trailer are very fast to keep up with the fast pace of the music.

Action Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many action codes in this trailer. Nearer the end

of the trailer more and more action codes are shown which is very conventional. The action code of the car crash right at the start of the trailer connotes surprise, pain, confusion and being scared for your life. The turning point in the trailer is when they go into the shack and find out who lives there and this is when the audience realise that they are in trouble. After finding out who or what lives there this is when there is an increase of action codes ranging from being chased through a field and being thrown of a cliff edge. All of this connotes being scared, not knowing what’s going to happen next and that you might not be able to escape.

Technical Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many technical codes fitting the conventions of a horror. One

example is the use of On Screen Graphics (OSG) of creepy text. This makes the audience feel how scary the film is going to be. One example of this is ‘Their existence is a legend’. This makes the audience curious and slightly worried. The effects in the trailer are fast cuts and many OSG’s. There are many transition effects between shots, including fade to black and flash cut. This builds tension. One example is in the middle of the trailer each shot fades to black to show things starting to get wrong, whilst being in time with the background music. This builds up suspense between the shots making the viewer feel on edge and waiting for the climax at the end of the trailer. There are a few close up shots of the characters facial expressions but never many close ups of the monsters trying to get the other characters. For example the main characters are inside the shack when the monsters get back with a body and the camera focuses up to the door where the others are and zooms towards the key hole and shows an extreme close up of one of the characters eye.

Eden Lake (2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6j3K4MmOKsHere’s a link to the trailer…

Information This is about a couple called Steve and Jenny who go away

for a nice romantic weekend at an idyllic remote lake but their weekend away is ruined as they are interrupted at a beach by a group of teenagers with an annoying vicious dog, and they play very loud music and are genuinely rude towards the couple, but refusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, the young couple confront the gang of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences.

The genre for this film is horror, thriller. This film is set in the woods.

The target audience for this film would be teenagers and young adults. I think couples would watch this film as well because the story line is about a couple who go away. Other media interests would be more recent horror films such as Devil and Wake Wood.

Information

Director: James Watkins Writer: James Watkins Stars: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender and

Tara Ellis

Information Box Office Opening Weekend: £192,027 (UK) (14 September 2008) (184

Screens) Gross: $5,824 (USA) (2 November 2008) Production Co: Rollercoaster Films,

Aramid Entertainment Fund

Information Censorship Issues This film was rated 18 by the BBFC for strong

brutal violence, pervasive language, some nudity and brief drug use.

Ratings/Reviews Average rating for this film is around 7 out of

10. The reviews state that the film is good but

definitely not for the faint hearted as there is a lot of graphic scenes which may put people of as it is quite full on.

Audio Codes Analysis of Trailer The audio codes used in this trailer are both non-

diegetic and diegetic sounds. The non-diegetic music starts slow and quiet in the background over the perfect, happy beginning of the film. There is diegetic sound of a dog barking and then a loud blast of rap/r&b music which starts to change the mood of the trailer. After this the sound changes once more to the sound of drums which tells the audience something bad to about to happen here. Audio codes in the trailer play a big part with tension building and revealing things the audience want to find more about.

Visual Codes Analysis of Trailer The mise-en-scene in the trailer ‘Eden Lake’ makes the trailer

seem quite realistic which in turn makes it more scary. One example of using lighting in the mise-en-scene is when the couple and the group of youths are standing around a fire and you can see each of their facial expressions because of the light coming of the fire which adds a really nice natural effect to the trailer. It also fits in with the time of day it is which is at night. There are also scenes where the lighting is really natural for example when the couple is led on the beach and it is a sunny day making the mise-en-scene realistic and natural because it is denoting a normal lifestyle before it all turns wrong. The dress codes in the trailer denotes normal modern clothes. The teenagers are wearing normal casual clothes that any other teenager would wear, this gives us a sense of realism. Near the end of the film the couples dress codes change as their clothes become dirty and muddy and covered in blood which connotes pain and death.

Narrative Codes Analysis of Trailer Narrative codes play a huge part in horror trailers because

they need to make the audience feel scared and want them to watch the film without giving too much away. The trailer shows main parts and the best bits of the whole narrative to interest the audience. It is very conventional for trailers to show clips that aren’t actually in the film.

Audience theories are used in Eden Lake. Todorov's theory was used in this trailer, starting with an equilibrium of the couple on there way to spend the weekend together until a disruption is introduced, when a group of teenagers have there music too loud and then steal the couples car keys and try to run them over. This leaves the audience wanting to know whether this is resolved to reach a new equilibrium.

Action Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many action codes in this trailer to

connote how scary the film is. Nearer the end of the trailer more and more dramatic action codes are shown. The action code of the couple playing around with each other and having a little muck about connotes being happy, love and enjoying yourself. You then see the group of teenagers play fighting and smoking which connotes violence and trouble making, this tells the audience that something could go wrong here.

Technical Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many technical codes fitting the conventions of a horror.

One example is the use of On Screen Graphics (OSG) of creepy text. This makes the audience feel how scary the film is going to be but in this trailer there is next to no OSG accept at the in of the trailer when it says ‘Eden Lake’. This is very unconventional of a horror trailer as it doesn’t set the mood straight away for the audience. The effects in the trailer are fast cuts and tension building music. There are many transition effects between shots, including fade to black which is used to build suspense. One example is in the middle of the trailer each shot fades to black to show things starting to get wrong. This builds up suspense between the shots making the viewer feel on edge. There are lots of medium and close up shots of the characters facial expressions to show the emotion that is going on in that scene. For example there is a medium close up of the leader of the group of teenagers and like his side kick, just after they have stabbed the husband. The camera then zooms up to the side kicks face and shows the audience that the boy didn’t want to do what he just did because of his facial expressions.

Scream (1996)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTWf9QGdJCQHere’s a link to the trailer…

A killer known as "ghost face" begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the Rules of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.

The genre for this film is crime, horror and mystery. This film is set in around the house.

The target audience for this film would be post teens to young adults because this is an old film but because this film is about teenagers they may like it but because this film is old they may not like it because of the different style compared to the modern horror films with better special effects. Other media interests they would like include other older horror films such as The Blair Witch Project and possibly the newer more modern films such as Wrong Turn. They almost may like more films in the mystery genre.

Information

Director: Wes Craven Writer: Kevin Williamson Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David

Arquette and Drew Barrymore

Information Box Office Budget: $15,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $6,354,586 (USA) (22 December 1996) (1413

Screens) Gross: $161,600,000 (Worldwide) Production Co: Dimension Films, Woods Entertainment

Information Censorship Issues This film was rated 18 by the BBFC for strong

graphic horror violence and gore, and for language.

Ratings/Reviews Average rating for this film is around 8 out of 10. The reviews state that the way the film has been

written is amazing and that there is a range of scream moments that keep you on the edge of your seat and funny moment to keep changing your emotions.

Audio Codes Analysis of Trailer The audio codes used in this trailer are both non-

diegetic and diegetic sounds. The trailer starts of with the phone ringing and you can hear a voice on the other end of the phone. This is crucial audio code to tell the audience there is something weird going on. In the middle of the trailer a voice over narrator is used denotes telling a story. Audio codes in the trailer play a big part with tension building and revealing things the audience want to find more about. For example the diegetic sound when the girl screams tells the audience that this film could be scary.

Visual codes Analysis of Trailer The mise-en-scene in the trailer for ‘Scream’ makes the trailer

scarier. For example the use of the telephone call at the beginning makes it seem creepy.

One example of using lighting in the mise-en-scene is when the girl is in her house walking around on the phone, its looks very realistic. The lighting is meant to be natural to fit the setting and time of the day. Although it could have been artificial making the effect they wanted. Other lighting in the trailer is natural because they are denoting a normal lifestyle at the beginning which then turns wrong. They want it to appear realistic so natural lighting is used.

The dress codes in this trailer are just normal clothes. The film was made over 10 years ago so fashion has changed but back then they would have been wearing modern fashionable clothes denoting every day lifestyle.

Narrative Codes Analysis of Trailer Narrative codes play a huge part in horror trailers because

they need to make the audience feel scared and want them to watch the film without giving too much away. The trailer shows main parts and the best bits of the whole narrative to interest the audience. It is very conventional for trailers to show clips that aren’t actually in the film.

Audiences theories are used in the trailer of ‘Scream’. Todorov’s theory was used in this trailer, starting with an equilibrium of the girl making some popcorn until a disruption is introduced when the phone rings and the unknown voice starts asking questions. This leaves the audience wanting to know whether this is resolved to reach a new equilibrium.

Action Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many action codes in this trailer to connote

how scary the film is. Nearer the end of the trailer more and more dramatic action codes are shown. The action code of an objet getting thrown at the glass door and breaking connotes fright, danger and being scared. This tells the audience that something very wrong is about to happen and then feel for the girls life. The main turning point in the trailer is when the voice over starts and shows the other teenagers talking about scary movies and then cutting to someone being chased. Shows the audience that this film is going to be confusing but good.

Technical Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many technical codes fitting the conventions of a horror.

One example is the use of On Screen Graphics (OSG) of creepy text. This makes the audience feel how scary the film is going to be. One example of this is “Don’t answer the phone”. This makes the audience curious and uses the creepy text. The effects in the trailer and fast cuts and many OSG’s. There are many transition effects between shots, including fade to black and flash cut, which builds tension. One example is in the middle of the trailer each shot fades to black to show things starting to get wrong and showing the things that will happen but haven’t yet. This builds up suspense between the shots making the viewer feel on edge and makes them unaware of what could happen next.

The camera shots are never really close up, but close enough to see the facial expressions. For example whenever 'the ghost face' is on screen the camera is never fully close up on his face.

Shutter Island (2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iaYLCiq5RMHere’s a link to the trailer…

Plot of the Film… It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is

assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

The genre for this film is thriller, mystery and drama. This film is set on an island away from civilization which is a great setting for a thriller.

The target audience for this film would be 16-35. The reason for this is because the film isn’t a conventional thriller because it is a mystery, drama as well, which gives it a different edge by tricking the audience with lot of red herring’s. I think other media interests would include other mystery films or programmes that challenge the viewer, and make them really think and pay attention.

This is what I would love my film to have and make the audience really think about what’s going on and what could happen. As I think this is a great effect to have in a film because it’s so easy to have a twist in it and change the emotion of the audience in a flash.

Information

Director: Martin Scorsese Writers: Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay),

Dennis Lehane (novel) Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer,

Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo

Information Budget: $80,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $41,062,440 (USA) (21 February 2010) (2991

Screens) Gross: $294,804,195 (Worldwide) (10 June 2010) Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Phoenix Pictures,

Sikelia Productions

Information Censorship Issues This film was rated 15 by the BBFC for

disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.

Ratings/Reviews Average rating for this film is around 9 out of

10. The reviews state that this film will leave you

asking yourself questions that can be only answered by watching the film again and again. Overall its mind blowing.

Audio Codes Analysis of Trailer The audio codes used in this trailer are both non-

diegetic and diegetic sounds. The non-diegetic sound starts of with a quite drum beat. There is diegetic sound from the main character as he says ‘For the criminally insane’. Then the drum beat becomes louder and the beats start to increase. This connotes that something isn’t right here. It tells the audience this could be scary. Audio codes in the trailer play a big part with tension building and revealing things the audience want to find more about.

Visual Codes Analysis of Trailer The mise-en-scene in the trailer for ‘Shutter Island’ makes the

trailer scarier. For example the use of the crazy lady when she looks at the main character ‘Teddy’ and tells him to be quite makes it seem creepy. One example of using lighting in the mise-en-scene is when Teddy is investigating around the grounds. The lighting is very natural and you can tell what time of day it is by the lighting. This denotes normal outside life even though he is on an island full of mental people. The dress codes in the trailer are set to the time of the film. The film has be set in 1954 so the clothes fit that time of year. The inmates are wearing all white clothes and the guards are wearing what looks like police outfits on. This is a binary opposition of good and bad. Teddy is wearing a long coat and normal trousers and shirt. this connotes he is some kind of police officer but undercover.

Narrative Codes Analysis of Trailer Narrative codes play a huge part in horror trailers

because they need to make the audience feel scared and want them to watch the film without giving too much away. The trailer shows main parts and the best bits of the whole narrative to interest the audience. It is very conventional for trailers to show clips that aren’t actually in the film.

Audiences theories are used in the trailer of ‘Shutter Island’. Todorov’s theory was used in this trailer, starting with an equilibrium of Teddy arriving on the island until there is a disruption of a inmate escaping so the audience are wondering whether this is resolved to reach a new equilibrium.

Action Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many action codes in this trailer to

connote how scary the film is. Nearer the end of the trailer more and more dramatic action codes are shown. The action code of Teddy being attacked connotes pain, danger and being scared. This shows the audience that things are very different in this place. The main turning point in this trailer is when Teddy looks in his notebook and sees the word ‘run’ written in there and the audience knows that something is definitely not right here.

Technical Codes Analysis of Trailer There are many technical codes fitting the conventions of a

horror. One example is the use of On Screen Graphics (OSG) of creepy text. This makes the audience feel how scary the film is going to be. One example of OSG is one of the actors names ‘Leonardo DiCaprio’.

The effects in the trailer are fast cuts, log tension building scene. There are many transition effects between shots, including fade to black and flash cuts, this is used to build suspense. One example is in the middle of the trailer each shot fades to black to show things getting from bad to worse. This builds up suspense between the shots making the viewer feel on edge. There are lots of close ups of Teddy’s facial expressions so the audience can really begin to feel what he feels so they can get the full effect of the trailer, in which makes you want to watch the film.

Survey Results

The first question I asked was to find out the gender of my audience. They are mostly females but it is pretty even, which is good as I want to attract both genders with my film. The second question I

asked was to find out one of the most important aspects when working out my target audience and this was what age range are they. From my results it looks like I have a age range of 15 to 20.

Survey Results

I asked this question to try and work out how many people do like horror films compared to other popular genres. From my results I have found out that most people preferred comedy but do like horror aswell. This could mean that I tried and put a bit of comedy in my film to attract more people.

Survey ResultsLooking at the open ended answers I received I focused more on the answers from the horror genre to see what kind of horror films people like. As you can see Paranormal Activity has come up a few times suggesting my audience like a horror film tat makes them jump. This means if I can make the people who watch my trailer jump then maybe they will be more interested to come and watch it.

Survey Results

This is the last question I asked in my survey. The reason for asking this question was to find out what other media interests my audience liked. By doing this it gives me a better view on how I could advertise my trailer. The information from this question means that I should be looking at showing my trailer on TV as this is what almost all of my audience use.

Results Analysis

I have learnt from my survey results that the age of my target audience is 15-20 and that their gender is more female but pretty close on the male side of things. I know what kind of other horror films they like to watch and the best way for them to see my trailer which is on the TV. These results have influenced my idea by giving my a better picture on my target audience in which to build my trailer around.

Audience Theories Applied to My Text Hyperdermic Syringe

My trailer is injecting the idea of it being scary and leaving you on the edge of your seat.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

My trailer would be used for information about the characters, personal identity to see how they would feel in the same scary situation and if they could see themselves in the characters, also for social interaction to talk about it with friends and the main use is for entertainment to feel scared and excited from the trailer and wanting more.

Audience Theories Applied to My Text ‘Two-Step Flow’ Theory

The audience will be filtered information from the trailer because they have trust in the producer. The producer being the opinion leader controlling what information is filtered to the audience. From my trailer the information which the audience are likely to trust is going to be pasted onto their friends which in turn will be pasted again and making them opinion leaders.

Audience Theories Applied to My Text Polysemic Readings Preferred reading: That the trailer is

scary, interesting, exciting and makes the audience want to watch the film.

Oppositional reading: The trailer doesn’t have an effect on the audience, it doesn’t make them want to watch the film and they think its unrealistic, fake and not scary.

My Target Audience Profile Age: 15-20 Gender: Female and Male Occupation: Students mainly, part-time jobs

etc. Income: Low income can afford to go to the

cinema Demographics: E - working class –

Students, Unemployed, Casual Workers Psychographics: Mainstreamers, Trendies,

Drifters.

PLANNING MY TEXT

FIRST IDEAS

First ideas

• Video-based Production: A Film Trailer

• Print-based Production: Magazine Front Cover and Double page spread.

• Final decision was Film Trailer.

• Genre:• Horror-Brief ideas:

• Group of friends go into forest but their not alone and things start to happen around them and they start getting killed off one by one.

First ideas

• Horror Trailer:

• Narrative: Begin with an equilibrium of a happy group of friends going camping but one of them starts seeing things but no-one else believes her but then things start happening to them all.

I have expanded and improved my narrative. Group of teenagers go on a camping trip in a field. One evening she walks out of her tent, after hearing some noises and seeing shadows. Tries to tell her friends what is going on but they don’t listen and tell her she’s ‘going mad’. She then gets kidnapped and dragged through the field but we never see who or what it is, and this is very conventional of horror films.

First ideas

Titles: Then there were 4 Disappearance The shadows A mystery Bad mistake

Drafting ideas

We have decided on a title which will be ‘Disappearance’. The reason for this was we thought it would sound the most mysterious and does link with the trailer.

Title

Font ideas Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4

Drafting ideas

Narrative/Stories 5 teenagers (3 girls and 2 boys) go on a

camping trip in a field, 2 couples and the ‘odd girl out’. One evening she walks out of her tent, after hearing repetitive noises and seeing shadows etc. She tries to tell her friends what is going on and what she thinks is happening but they don’t listen and tell her she’s ‘going mad’. She ends up getting kidnapped and dragged through the field but we never see who or what it is.

Drafting ideas

Actors Sophie Hudson as the ‘odd girl out’. Ryan Stephens Jack Britton Tara Long Lottie Higginson

Organisation

Locations A field behind Abi’s house.

Organisation

Costumes Dress codes will be normal modern

clothes. Boys will be wearing normal jeans and a

top. Girls will be wearing jeans or either leggings and a top.

Organisation

Camping tent Sleeping bags Chairs Bags Torch Knife

Props

Logo

This is the logo for our Production Company.

Films

Cloud 9

Productions

Final Draft of Shooting Script

Final Draft of Shooting Script

Final Draft of Shooting Script

THE END