Research

I decided to focus on Gothika, a film about a professional, Miranda Grey, who works in a Phychiatric Hospital and one day wakes up as a patient accused of murder with no recollection. This film follows the genre I want to try and achieve (horror/thriller) and I have used it to try and pick out the codes and conventions used by the director so that I can better understand what I need to use to make my trailer a successful one.

In the beginning when the two female characters are talking, they are surrounded by caging and at one point the camera even looks at them through the caged walls although they are out of focus so you are able to focus on the two people. This portrays a feeling of entrapment which allows us to relate to Chloe (the girl that is hospitalised) as this is what she is feeling. It also allows the audience to get an idea of what the setting is for the film and get a feel of the overall atmosohere.

Throughout Gothika, low key lighting is used to create a spookier atmosphere. Being in the dark creates a bigger fear of the unknown as it is difficult to tell what or who could be there. Strobe lighting is an example of one form of low key lighting used, and the blue lighting creates an uneasy cold atmosphere especially as the lighting is weak anyway. As well as this, heavy rainfall is used as pathetic fallacy to try and drag down the audience's emotional state which sets them up for when she nearly hits the girl with the car. As it is during the darkness, this makes it more unexpected and allows us to relate to it more as often you can't see things in the dark and suddenly she appears in Miranda's headlights which is a very jumpy moment.

Throughout the trailer, Miranda's clothing becomes more scruffy and untidy which highlights her letting go. At the beginning she is a pyschologist and she is dressed up in a suit looking very tidy but from the moment she wakes up in the hospital her clothes stay white, boring and look untidy and her hair becomes messier. Along side this, slow cuts are used at the beginning before she goes into hospital and fading is used to allow the audience to go from scene to scene feeling at ease with little suspense. Once she wakes up in hospital, the music has a faster tempo increasing in power as the trailer continues and cutting betweeen scenes becomes faster. Although fade is still used, it is not done at the slow rate as before.

Lots of close-up and reaction shots are used during the Gothika preview to highlight as much emotion in the characters as possible, especially towards the end, when the cutting becomes faster there is more action. This allows you to feel a connection with the character as if you know them and leads you to feel the emotion that the characters are feeling at that time. By using reaction shots, it is also allowing you to know what the characters response is to that conversation. On top of this, canted angles are used twice duting the trailer. At one point it is used during a close-up on Miranda and allows you to feel her confusion and frustration, and the other time it is focusing on a photograph of the girl she nearly ran over. It is supposed to add to the mystery of what is happening and by using that particular shot in the trailer, it allows the audience to understand that it is a very mysterious plot that builds up suspence and keeps you thinking, which is very popular and a lot of people enjoy that type of storyline.

Overall this was a good trailer to focus on. Whilst our plot isn't very similar, we will be forced to film in darker conditions anyway due to the shortage in time for myself and Nina and using these codes and conventions will help us pull off that spooky atmosphere

Creep is a film that once again follows all the codes and conventions that I can relate to the film trailer i want to produce.

The trailer starts of using a hand held camera and slowly fades in then uses a point of view shot walking through a tube station towards an escalator. The slow [pace of the person whose point of view is being used, as well as a low droning sound in the background and heavy breathing makes you realise that this person is not good and makes you wonder just whose point of view it is as well as setting you up for the rest of the trailer by giving an idea of the fact that there is someone unwanted and potentially harmful in the underground station.

It then cuts to the main character, Kate, standing on the platform and a title appears saying 'missed the last train home?' at which point it cuts back to the scene and shows kate walking along the platform shouting 'hello?' By being the only one on the platform, the audience experiences a feeling of isolation which is intensified by the first scene knowing that there is someone there. When she shouts hello you are worried that they might hear her and come and find her.

As the trailer continues, it becomes darker and darker increasing the feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Hand held camera's get used frequently towards the end to give the impression of being chased, as well as providing point of view shots. Also, at one point, fading in and out quickly is used during certain shots consecutively to give the appearence of a heart beat. This adds suspense and, as its quiet during that time makes the audience more aware of the surroundings as well as feeling nervous and not knowing what to expect next.

The beginning of this trailer contains lots of bright colours, in the clothes and surroundings. This allows you to feel comfortable, safe and at ease with the trailer before it starts getting dramatic. There is slow music in the background that sounds quite sad yet relaxing which allows you to fall easily and comfortably into the trailer but at the same time makes you realise that something bad is going to happen. There is a sound bridge of the main character's (Bryan Mills played by Liam Neeson) daughter talking about how she wants to go to Paris with her friend over shots of her at the airport and an establishing shot of Paris. By starting off the trailer this way, it lets the audience understand what the film is actually about and where everything begins.

After this, there is a fast paced cut with a flash of white and a loud booming sound and the mood instantly changes. You see the plane take off and can straight away tell that now she's gone, all the problems are going to start. The phone rings and there is a close up of his daughters phone in his bag. The music also becomes very low pitched and once again sounds like its booming. As well as this, the colours become very dark and the audience automatically becomes uneasy. There is a split screen to show both father and daughter on the phone so that you can see the expressions of both, although at different times, one screen is bigger than the other so that the expression of the person talking is highlighted. Once the girl gets dragged from under the bed, her scream gets echoed so that it stays in the audiences minds and it sounds like she is getting farther away.

The final part of the trailer is taken up by Bryan on the phone to the people who have taken his daughter. It is used as a sound bridge with him telling them to give his daughter back or else he will find them. As he is saying all this, scenes from throughout the film are shown such as someone tied in a chair, and Bryan jumping off a bridge to find her. Sad classical music is played at the beginning to make the audience feel saddened, but as the trailer goes on it gets faster and more upbeat. On top of this, the cutting becomes faster and there is more action. This causes the audience to get really drawn into it until right at the very end when the music dies down and then you hear heavy breathing down the end of the phone. A voice then says 'good luck' which leaves the audience desperately wanting to know what happens next after being so drawn into it, which I believe makes it a very successful trailer.