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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q72LWqCx3pc

What genre is the film?

Unfriended is an American found footage supernatural horror film.

What is the horror genre?

Horror is a genre that taps into our deepest fears however they are easily addictive to watch. The

writers base and write the story lines around the fear of the unknown building suspense and

adrenaline in the audience.

How does the trailer target an audience?

Age

The usual age for someone watching a horror movie is between 15 and 25. During young adulthood stages they are in the key stages of developing themselves and learning about the world, they want to try and experiment with different emotions and feelings. They want to rush into life without being guided therefore wanting to feel the thrill. Horror movies can give this sense of thrill and can excite the young audiences but this age group are also less susceptible to being put off the film by violence or unnatural images which may make an older audience feel negative towards the film.

Gender

Males are more likely to be a fan of horror movies than girls, this is due to the stereotypical thrill seeker which is portrayed with a boy and the thrill boys seek with their young adult hormones. Violence is also a convention of horror movies which is often loved by males, males seek the thrill of violence, blood and gore and horror film are therefore more attractive to this target audience.

Class

Overall horror films are aimed at the working class, the reason for this is because of the thrill and excitement that is given off whilst if the higher class watched horror films they usually prefer a sub genre on romance or action.

How long does the film trailer last?

The film trailer last 2 minuets and 29 seconds

Horror movies are the longest lasting trailer due to the writer and director wanting to capture

the audience and draw them into the storyline.

What transitions are used within the trailer?

The trailer is made to look like a skype call, the transitions involve the shots glitching, buffering

and the shots flashing on the screen.

The effect of buffering builds tension with the audience watching because they are unsure and fearful of what is going to pop up on the screen

next.

Shots within the trailer

Shot 1 – audience confirmation

Shot 1 – audience confirmation

This shot is shown at the beginning of the trailer to show the audience confirmation. This allows the audience watching the trailer to know who the trailer is suitable for. This is used not only to let the audience know who its suitable for but

also for the safety of younger viewers to let them know that its not suitable for their

viewing.

Shot 2

Shot 2

This second shot shows the layout of an average you tube account playing a video online. This shot

makes the audience feel more involved as it shows on there screen as if they are watching

past memories.

This shot also shows the US film production company universal’s logo to show who produced

the film.

Shot 3 – 8

Shots 3 – 8 show the audience home videos of memories, this makes the audience happy and smiling at the videos such as the wedding and

the young boy learning to ride his bike. The filmmaker may have done this to soften the

mood of the film and make the audiences minds feel relaxed and comfortable to make them

continue watching the trailer.

Music for shots 3-8

The music is a soundtrack placed over the top of the videos making it non-diegetic sound. The

music consists of a piano and the tone of music is light and warming, it fits well with the home videos and the music lightens the mood of the

genre.

Shot 9

Shot 9

A type writer effect is used as the text appears on the screen. This effect may have been used to make the audience feel more involved and that the message is

personally written to them but the type writer also has the effect that this movie is based around technology

and computers. Another idea that the filmmaker may have been trying to perceive is that the sound of the typewriter draws

the audiences attention to the non-diegetic sound which leaves them in suspence.

Shot 9-14

Shots 9 – 14 show a range of home videos again making the audience feel even more warmed to the movie, making them want to watch more of

the home videos.

Shot 15

Shot 16

Shot 15 & 16

Both of these shots use the same type writer effect however the text on the screen changes

from being something positive to a negative message, this shows the audience that the

trailer has a negative impact.

Shot 17

Shot 17

This shot here was computer generated, the audience is shown a conversation between two people. The quote ‘ OMFG did you see the Laura Barns video!’ captures the audience and leaves them intrigued into finding out what the video is about.

Shot 18

Shot 18

Shot 18 shows again a computer generated layout of a news page. The cursor on the screen is moving over the highlighted words ‘forced her to kill herself’ the writer may have used this creative method to pull the audience in to make them want to know the reason of her desperate suicide.

Sound effects

As shot 18 is shown the shot cuts to a large screen of the video of Laura Banks stood in a sports ground pointing a gun at her head.

The camera movement here is a hand held camera to suggest that someone has filled this footage themselves and that the event was unplanned and that someone has quickly captured it on a phone.

Sound effects continued...

A loud non diegetic sound of a gun shot is heard.

The camera points up towards the sky suggesting that whoever filmed it jumped at the sound and lost control of the camera

In the background we can hear a females distraught scream, this makes the audience fearful yet intrigued because they can not see who is screaming.

Shot 19

Shot 19

The screen then cuts to another typed message, the text ‘today is the anniversary of her death’

has a haunting effect as we know that the movie is about the remembrance of a suicide and leaves

the audience suspicious into why we are celebrating someone's death.

This effect again leaves the audience wanting to watch more.

Shot 20

The screen cuts to a skype call where the profile pictures of all of the main characters are seen, this is the first time we properly see who the main characters are.

In the background however over the talking a constant drumming sound can be heard suggesting a fast pace heartbeat creating further tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q72LWqCx3pc

Shot 21

Shot 21

However in shot 21 a medium close up is shown of a female character, from this shot we can see the confused and shocked look on her face.

The fast paced heartbeat sound stops to create silence and the sound of message notification can be heard.

The text ‘GUESS WHO!?!’ suggests to the audience that the person popping up is anonymous and this would create a sense of fear again for the audience who are anticipating into finding out who the anonymous messenger is.

Shot 22

Shot 22

The tension within the trailer is now building and the texts from the anonymous caller are becoming more threatening and fearful.

The messages being shown on the screen makes the audience feel more involved and that they are also part of the skype call because they can see the message.

Shot 23

The non diegetic sound of a record player being re-wound is heard to suggest the film is going back in time, but also when a tape is re-wound often the strip inside becomes muddled up.

This could suggest that the plot line of the trailer is going to replicate this by complicating the lives of the people on the skype call, which has had the effect of their lives being messed up by this anonymous caller and cant be fixed again.

Shots 24 and 25

Shots 24 and 25

A game is normally associated with fun however because of the music in the background of the

constant build up of a heartbeat we assume that the anonymous skype caller is saying it

sarcastically.

Shot 26

Shot 26

This shot is the first time the audience see a physical effect that the anonymous caller has had on the skype callers.

The audience would have a sense of fear as someone over message is having control of the blackout in each one of the skype callers houses.

Another technique the filmmaker may have used is that the enhanced lighting off the screen blocks out the distractions in the backgrounds and focuses on the characters facial expressions.

Shot 27

Shot 27

The buffering symbol is normally a sign suggesting to people watching videos that they need to wait for the internet connection to re-connect.

But this symbol here creates tension for the audience and makes them feel helpless towards the people who are on the skype call because they can no longer see what has happened to them.

In the background of this we can hear the diegetic sound of a female crying alone.

Shot 28

Shot 28

This shot is interesting as it advertises the film of ‘Unfriended’

As a ‘new genre of horror’ this may appeal more to audiences, its new, tantalyzing and the filmmakers have perceived the film as if its something that audiences have never experienced or watched before.

Reviews ( shot 29)

Reviews ( shot 29)

These reviews are shown in order to inform the audience of what other viewers have thought

and there opinion of the film, however filmmakers will only show the top reviews in

order to sell the film and make it more appealing to the audience.

Shot 30

Shot 30

This shot here shows suspense of what has happened to the caller on the other end of the skype call and the glitching suggests that we are about to lose this character.

This makes the audience want to watch more so that they can find out whether the character survives or not.

Warning !

Shots 31, 32, 33, 34

Shots 31, 32, 33, 34

These shots show the messages of the anonyms caller counting down.

This creates tension and suspence for the audience and also mixed emotions. As me being a viewer I was both excited that I wanted to know what was going to happen when it got to 0 but also nervous and fearful about what was going to happen.

Shot 35

Shot 35

Shot 35 is really graphic and one of the skype callers can be seen putting his right arm into a blender, the sight of blood and gore can make

some audiences feel sick however some audiences enjoy the sight of this and may

continue watching the trailer.

Shot 36

Shot 36

In this shot we can see the same male actor with this time the blades from the blender cutting into his neck, as an audience we turn away at the horrific sight but at the same time we feel captivated, shocked and the sense of needing to watch that the young boy is being put through this pain and that he is no longer in charge of his actions.

Shots 35 and 36

Both of these shots have a fast pace in editing, this suggests that the filmmaker wanted these shots to be hidden. This makes the audience

want to watch the film to find out the effect it has on the boy, and whether he survives or not.

Shot 37

Shot 37

Shot 37 is a medium close up of a young actress face. Her facial expressions shows that she has been crying and also that she is screaming in terror.

This shot also shows that all of the other skype callers have disappeared and that its only the young girl and the anonymous caller left.

Final shot

The audience are left with the diegetic sound of a scream and the logo of the film ‘unfriended’

Conclusion of the trailer

Narrative

A young school girl was on a night out enjoying herself and due to her drunken behaviour was unable to control her actions and became vulnerable and exposed in videos which were posted online. The young school girl was unable to deal with the abuse and hate that she was receiving because of that one mistake and therefore committed suicide. On the anniversary of her death all of her school mates have a skype call however one of them are responsible for posting the video and therefore her spirit gets revenge on all of them until there's only one left.

Conclusion

The trailer gives the audience a sense of adrenaline and fear because it leaves the audience suspicious into who the anonymous caller is.

The trailer starts off with a slow pace and then leads into a fast pace as the tension of the story line becomes more intense.