Trailer Planning - Synopsis

We have now started planning our trailer as a group, looking at all our research and pulling together all our ideas we have come up with a synopsis for a film on which our trailer will be for.

This synopsis consists of:

1. Introduction - Group of girls are going on a holiday to a remote holiday home.


2. Development - Girls start drinking and do a Ouija board.


3. Complication - Girls think Ouija board doesn't work but in fact it has.


4. Climax - Things start to happen, like doors slamming, girls going missing and other supernatural events happen to the girls in and around the house.


5. Resolution - The main character manages to escape.

To write our basic synopsis we used Todorovs narrative theory. The theory is simply this: There are five stages the narrative can progress through:

1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.)

2. A disruption of that order by an event.

3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.

5. A return or restoration of a new equilibrium

In these stages, narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one. The narrative is driven by attempts to restore the equilibrium. However, the equilibrium attained at the end of the story is not identical to the initial equilibrium.

Allocating Tasks

Setting: Completed as a group.
Synopsis: Completed as a group.
Shot List- Two drafts completed as a group, decision on the shot list we use completed as a group.
Cast: Images-Each potential cast member will have there picture taken by Beth.
Cast: Final cast used- The cast that is then picked to be in our film will be decided on by us as a group.
Film magazine front covers: Each member of the group will draw up two drafts of the magazine front cover, then they will each draw up a final draft which we will then decide which one we will actually use as our magazine front cover.
Film poster: Each member of the group will draw up two drafts of the film poster, then they will each draw up final draft which we will then go on to decide which one we will actually use as our film poster.
Production label- I will create a selection of potential production labels, then as a group we will decide on the final one.
Story board- This will be drawn up by Ella.
Pictures- All Pictures will be taken by Beth.

Trailer Planning - Settings

When looking through our research as a group we came up with a list of possible places that a thriller would be set these were:

1.Ocean
2. House
3. Woods
4. Grave Yard
5. Desert
6. Hotel
7.Island

We chose to use House and Woods as this would be easiest and we think that they would have the best effect when used together.

First we began looking at choices for our house, this had to be either one of ours or a friends house, it also had to be fairly remote so as we didnt get complaints of noise. We had three main options for our house:

House 1

House 1 has a classic victorian style to it, this old house look is often associated with the paranormal making it suited to our genre. Becasue the house is detatched we could film it not showing the houses on either side giving the isolated effect we need for our trailer, obviously we would still have to warn the neighbours about the potential noise on the days we shoot the trailer so as not to upset them. The house aslo has a garage attached which we may decide to use in the trailer as they are often associated with thrillers as hiding places or places where people get trapped. This house is also situated right next to one of the choices for our woods, this would make it very easy to film as we wouldnt need to travel to our other location.

House 2

House 2 has a more homely feel to it than house 1 which could be useful for creating a false sense of security for the audience at the beginning of our trailer. This house is a detatched house, we would have to be considerate of the neighbours with times of filming. This house also has a small driveway, this makes it very close to the road and takes away the sense of isolation which is usually key to thiller locations. Altough this house is close to another one of our wood locations we would still have to walk there about 10 minutes with all the equipment and cast.

House 3


We then had to choose the woods that some scenes would be shot in. These had to again be remote becasue of noise, have the right effect for the scenes we are going to shoot in the woods and we had to make sure they would also be safe for us to film in at night. Again we had three main options:

Woods 1

These woods with this misty effect look very paranormal which if perfect for our genre, however they are very open and we think we want a more enclosed location within the trees to make it darker and more claustrophobic.

Woods 2


Woods 3

Marketing Campaign For Supernatural Thriller - The Shining

Poster Analysis

• The film title has been placed at the bottom of the poster because this logically is the last thing the audience will read, however it has also been put as the boldest, biggest and clearest of all the text so that it is obvious that this is the title.


• The main image is of the male character breaking through the door supposedly (from the look on the woman's face) to harm the woman. This is notably the most famous scene within the film. This image unusually makes it obvious before the audience have even seen the film who's the villain and who's the victim. This image makes the audience question why i she attacking her? Will he succeed?


• The main box office draw 'Jack Nicholson' has been mentioned below the title in the billing block. The Writer has also been mentioned as he is well known for writing really good thrillers 'Stephen King'. These box office draws will be big bonuses when advertising because people assume that films with big names will be good.


• The director and producer have also been named in the same way as the box office draws, below the title in the billing block.


• The poster doesn't really have a tagline, it only has a quote 'The tide of terror that swept America is here' this has been placed at the top of the poster so that it is the first thing the audience will read, and instantly promote the film as it doesn't give any of the film away it only says that America loved it.


• The release date hasn't been advertised on the poster, this means that it is probably, on the trailer for people to see.

Magazine Cover Analysis

• This issue of Empire was to promote the thriller film 'The Shining' not as a new release but as one of the best 500 films of all time.


• This magazine issue has been aimed at all the late teen upwards film lovers. It is a special issue of the normal issues of Empire. This is shown in the colours used on the cover.


• On this special issue of Empire there aren't many cover lines about the contents, this is mainly becasue the whole issue is based aroud the one content of '500 greatest movies of all time' which has been made part of the masthead.


• The main image takes up about 95% of the cover, this is the famous image from the film 'The Shining' this is very good advertisement and promotion fo the film itself, as well as informing the audience of what the magazine contains.


• Bright colours have been used on the masthead and main cover line to make it really stand out in the sales rack. The masthead (title) is in the well known font of Empire magazine.


• The title of the magazine Empire doesn't explain the contents of the magazine, however becasue of how well known the magazine is people know the contents as soon as they hear the name.


• This cover has an unconventional pug, the price is down in the right hand corner with the bar code. Conventionally this would be placed in the top left or right hand corner to catch the audiences eye.


• This issue doesn't have much chance to use persuasive language to attract the audience but it still squeezes some in. An example of this is using the word 'Greatest', this is a positive word describing the cover line feature and therefore making the issue some attractive to the audience.

Final Genre Choice

After me and the other members of my group met up to discuss what we had researched we were able to settle on the genre Supernatural Thriller.

We have now begun discussing the synopsis of the film we will be making the trailer for, and running through possible story boards.

We also have gone through possible magazine front covers and posters.

X Men Origins Magazine Front Cover Analysis

• The target audience for this issue would be predominantly males aged between 20 and 40, this is shown through the colours and the features used on the cover.
• The masthead is written in the recognised Empire magazine font, to appeal to the existing fans.
• The price pug is in the same place that all the Empire prices are place in the M so that it is seen and like the other issues there's no persuasive techniques used to promote the price.
• The magazine has advertised in the headline that it is an exclusive with this film, this is to make the magazine more appealing to customers because they feel they are getting there moneys worth as they cant get this feature any where else.
• The headline is bigger and bolder than the cover lines as it is the biggest feature in the magazine this month. Not much else is mentioned other than the fact that it is an on set exclusive, this gives just enough away for people to become interested but not enough where they don't need to read the article.
• There are a lot of other cover lines surrounding the main image, but there all around similar genres and subjects as the main headline, this makes it easier to target the magazine at one audience rather than having to market it to various different markets.
• Empire magazines puff is 'The worlds biggest movie magazine' this is placed under the masthead so that it reads as if it follows on from the title (Empire, the worlds biggest movie magazine). Having a puff like this one help sell more copies because if its the biggest people automatically assume that it is the best.
• The main image takes up about 90% of the space on the cover, The image is of the main character from the main featured film, 'X Men Origins'. Having this as the main image allows the audience to see that the magazine is up to date with the new releases as well as being a good way to promote the film itself.
• The magazines web address has also been written below the masthead, this is to attract people to visit the website to view extra features.
• There are lots of persuasive techniques used on this cover, one example would be the use of the words 'Massive' and 'First' these are both positive descriptions used in cover lines to entice the audience. The have also used box office draws to to make the articles seem more important and interesting.

The Dark Knight Magazine Front Cover Analysis

• This issue of Empire is focused on the world exclusive of the dark knight, This promotes both the magazine and the film itself.
• The magazine has been targeted at young males 20's to 30's, its aimed at males through the features and the colours used on the cover in the main image and the fonts.
• The masthead is written in the recogised Empire font, large, bold and clear.
• The pug has been place in the top of the M in empire, this makes sure the audience see it, but unlike other price pugs this doesn't contain any promotional persuasive techniques.
• The exclusive has been placed above the masthead so that it is in a place where it will definately be read, it is also written across the width of the magazine cover in a big clear font so that it is one of the main things seen when people first glace at the cover.
• The headline is written in a bigger font than the cover lines and has more information about the article than the cover lines. The headline has also been made to sound personal 'Meet the Joker', they have also added that theres a 'one to one'. A quote from the film has also been used to inform those who are unfamiliar with the 'Joker' what sort of character he is.
• The cover lines mention the features that are similar to the headline feature, this makes it easier to target and one audience. Not many other cover lines have been featured becasue they dont want to take the attention too much formt the headline article.
• The main image takes up around 95% of the cover, it is a picture of the main villian form the headlining film The Dark Knight, this is who is being interviewed in the exclusive feature. They have used the actor in costume rather than in normal clothes to promote the film rather than the actor.
• The web address for the magazine website has been placed below the masthead, this will let the buyer know they can find other features on the website.
• Persuasive language techniques used on this cover are using words like 'worlds first' and 'world exclusive' this attracts peoples attention by giving them a feeling of being in the loop, knowing more than oithers, therefore persuading the audience to buy the issue.

Inception Magazine Front Cover Analysis

• This magazine is the Total Film issue promoting the release of Inception, and successful psychological thriller.


• The target audience for this magazine would be predominantly male and in there 20's to 40's, the colours and features all draw in this main audience.


• The masthead on this issue is in the usual recognised font of the magazine, but it has Incorporated part of the main image.


• The pugs on this front cover are in an unconventional place, at the bottom with the bar code rather than at the top in an eye catching position.


• The headline 'Inception' is the biggest font apart from the masthead and has been placed in the centre of the cover over the main image, it is in a contrasting colour to the background to ensure it stands out, and it has been written in a bold clear font.


• The other featured cover lines mostly are similar to the headline feature, relating to the same target audience. The only possible exception to this is the reference to Toy Story3 and Shrek, however these are both good all round films and so also apply to some of the target audience.


• The main image takes up about 90% of the cover. It is of the main character of the film Inception, the headline feature.


• Below the masthead the web address is featured, this will encourage people to visit the website for the magazine, where extra features are found.


• Persuasive techniques have been used in the headline and cover lines to engage the audience and increase there interest in the magazine. Words like Ultimate and Most have been used, as well as mind blowing which has been put in red font to emphasize it, these give the impression that these are the best articles you can find. In one of the cover lines a rhetorical question has been used to increase curiosity of the article and hopefully improving sales.

The Dark Knight Trailer Analysis

Set within a year after the events of Batman Begins, Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent successfully begin to round up the criminals that plague Gotham City until a mysterious and sadistic criminal mastermind known only as the Joker appears in Gotham, creating a new wave of chaos. Batman's struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to "confront everything he believes" and improve his technology to stop him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y2szViJlaY&feature=related

• The trailer begins with the producers logos Warner Bros, DC Comics and Legendary Pictures. This is very influential becasue these production companies have chosen to support good films in the past so we therefore trust there judgement.
• The only typeography used in this fil is for the title and release date the rest is done through images and dialouge.
• There are many visual enigma codes created duing this trailer wheres he going? whats being blown up? who has done it? why has this happened? why when givent he chance did batman not kill the joker? and who is the joker? all of these create a greater interest in the film as the more questions you are left with the more you want ot get them answered and to do this you will go and see the film.
• This trailer unlike others gets imidiately into the action and unusualy used fades between shots rather than cuts, this is becasue the whole trailer consists of action shots so they have to slow the trailer to make it eaiser to take in using fades to switch shots.
• The trailer begins with thunder as the distributor logos appear, the sound of thunder automatically triggers bad feeling within peoples minds imideately setting the atmosphere for the trailer. Dramatic drums are used throughout the trailer this technique is often used for thrillers to build the tension and lead to a climax like this one does where the horns and other string instruments join being played witht he main action shots. Diagetic sounds are also used in the trailer like explosions.
• There is no seperate narrative voice over only dialouge from the film, it begins with the joker talking this isn't used in the scene it is in in the film but to narrate over other scenes. In other shots the dialouge is used from with in the scene from the film itself. The dialouge in this trailer creates more enigma codes leaving the audience questioning whats changed? why? who? what choice? endure what? what plan? The ends with a creepy laugh from the joker which really enforces at the end what genre the film is.
• The penultimate frame is of the film title and the batman symbol, this is the penultimate frame so it is fresh in the aiudiences minds when the trailer ends.
• The final frame is the release date and other information like the distributors and the films web address.
• There isnt alot of narrative used in the trailer, a little is done through the dialouge, however becasue of how well known batman and the joker are becasue of the comics and previous films not much narration is needed.

Unbreakable Trailer Analysis

David Dunn's marriage is crumbling, and he's thinking of moving to New York. Then when he's coming home from a job interview, his train derails and he is the only survivor. More than that, he doesn't have a scratch on him. David is contacted by Elijah Price, who runs a comic book art gallery and suffers from a genetic condition that makes his bones very easy to break. Elijah has been a comic book fan all his life, and has developed a theory that they are what remains of an ancient system of storytelling, and the superheroes they are about are based on real people. Elijah believes David may be one of these people. He has hardly ever been injured or sick, and he has tremendous strength, plus an uncanny ability to tell if someone is about to or has done something bad. David doesn't know what to think about the theory, or Elijah himself. However, events soon conspire to convince him he may be a superhero after all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_f1uCWKZQs

• The trailer begins with the distributors label fadeig in and out Touchstone pictures.
• Throughout the trailer there are captions of writing on promoting that it is the same writer as sixth sense another successful thriller film, this becomes appealing to the current fans of the sixth sense. Another 2 captions have the names of the box office draws the well known actors Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson, this creates an appeal for the current fans of these actors, then there are the title and website captions right at the end.
• This trailer creates two main visual enigma codes, Why is he the only survivor? and Why does he have no injuries? Both these codes make the audience want to see the film to answer the questions that they have been left with.
• The spped and style of the trailer is classic for the thriller genre. The begining hospital scenes are slow with fades into shots, these scenes are the one containing the main narrative for the film. The shots of the train crash are fast flashes to create the effect that the whole thing happened fast, this is often done withe the action scenes for this effect.
• There is no additional voice over to give the narrative, this is done using dialouge from the film itself. the dialogue is mostly taken from the hospital scene however it is pasted over other scence from the film e.g. bruce willis sitting at the window of the trian before it has departed. The create another enigma code the final voice caption is of the mysterious man (Samuel L Jackson) saying 'are you ready for the truth?' this makes the audience question what is the truth and also offers a challenge to the audience.
• The sound effects used in the trailer vary from the fast action shots to the slower narrative shots. The narrative shots had non diagetic music which was a sort of tingling sound like glass, its calm and creepy to slowly set the atmosphere. During the action shots there are loud fast bangs to creta a tension in the audience and the end of the trailer when the title comes up there is the sound of breaking glass and if the title has burst through it.
• The penultimate frame is of the films web address and the release date, this is put as the penultimate frame so it is one of the freshest things in the audiences heads.
• The final frame consists of the credits of the director and prosucers etc...
• The narrative is done through the dialouge mainly using the part in the film where the train crash is being explained to the character to explain it to the audience also. The shots are also mainly in narrative order e.g. the hospital scene is fairly near the begining for the film, this help the audience to understand how the film will develop.

White Noise Trailer Analysis

This film is about a man Jonathan Rivers who looses his wife Anna. Jonathan is then contacted by a man claiming to have heard from Anna through EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). Jonathan becomes convinced the messages are real and becomes obsessed with trying to contact Anna. Exploring further into EVP on his own Jonathan unwillingly opens a door to another world, allowing the uninvited into his life.

http://www.youtube.com/v/haHHr5_VX7I?fs=1

• The first thing that appears on the trailer is the Universal logo, this advertises that this is the production company, because this company is well known and has produced successful films in the past people trust that this too will be a good film.
• Not much typography is used in this trailer other than small bits to emphasise what is being told by the voice over. The font used relates much to the film as it is written as if it were 'white noise' itself. Typography is also used to display the tagline on the screen towards the end of the trailer.
• Visual codes are used to create questions that the audience will come to see the film to get answered. Clips from the film itself are used to to this, there is a clip of a coffin being taken down the aisle, this creates the questions, who is in the coffin? What happened to them? How does it affect the outcome? The next clip used was a close up of a phone ringing, this leaves the questions, who is ringing? Who is it for? What do they want? Why is it so significant? Another clip used to create visual codes was a close up of a screen and a monster suddenly appearing through the white noise, this makes the audience question, What is it? What does it want? What can it do? How will it affect the film? The final scene used to create a visual code is the clip of the woman calmly falling off the edge of a building, this leaves the questions, Why is she doing this? Is there something forcing her? Will she be saved? Is it real?
• The speed and style of editing started slow with fades of different clips of white noise and peoples faces with typography on top with the names and dates of the people in the trailer being spoken about and shown, this gently eases the audience into the trailer with a slow detailed explanation of what the film is about. Towards the end of the trailer the editing begins to speed up with fast cuts and flashes in between clips, this builds tension with the audience, and tension usually equates to excitement in a film. This use of speed is typical of a conventional thriller film trailer.
• The music used in the trailer is background eerie music created with wind and string instruments, this immediately introduces the audience into which genre the film belongs to. The trailer also contains short bursts of 'white noise' played over the backing track. When the trailers editing speeds up so does the music, drums are also used to place emphasis on the jumpy and dramatic scenes used in the trailer.
• A voice over is used throughout most of the trailer, at the beginning it is used to explain what the film is about 'EVP' rather than what happens in the film itself. The voice over has a really deep, controlled and slow voice, everything in the trailer is said as if it is a warning, this excites the audience and leaves them with the question, why do we need to be warned? What can happen if we don't take notice? At the end of the trailer the voice over warns that some films you watch will change you forever, this uses the theory that if we are told not to do something we are instantly more tempted to do it.
• the penultimate and ultimate frames both contain information, penultimate being a website to go onto to find out more about EVP, the voice over also reinforces this information. The ultimate frame simply says 'coming soon' and has the production companies logo in the corner. Having the most important information in the ultimate frame leaves it fresh in the audiences minds, making them more likely to remember it.

The Dark Knight Poster Analysis

• The title of the film is written in a small but clear font however stands out against the dark background becasue it is written in white. It has also been placed over the the batman logo, this signifies that batman is 'the dark knight', this leaves the audience questioning why is he a 'dark' knight?


• The main image is of chaos and batman standing in front of it with his back to it. On the building behind him the batman logo in flames, this suggests that he has caused it and is now walking away. The shot has been taken as a high angle shot giving the power in the image to batman.


• There is a line above the title of the box office draws including Christian Bale, Micheal Caine, Heath Ledger and Morgan Freeman, these are the main most well known names in the line. These names are known for being successful in the thriller genre, this attracts more people to see the film as it suggests that the film will be similar to there other films.


• The tagline 'Welcome to a World Without Rules' promises lots of action and adventure. This tagline doesn't suggest a lot about the film, it only ties the film into the thriller genre. It is put at the top of the poster because it is one of the first things you then see, this creates a story of the poster and explains why the picture is how it is. This tagline also cretaes the questions why are there no rules? What happens when there are no rules? Who will fix the situation?


• The director and producer are mentioned in the billing block selling the film to the people who have seen and enjoyed films by this combination of producer and director.


• The release date is placed below the billing block in bigger font to draw attention to it as it is the most important part of information on the poster.

Unbreakable Poster Analysis

• The title 'Unbreakable' is written in the centre of the poster over a crack in glass and it is beginning to crack itself, this is a contradiction of the title itself, making the audience question why is something unbreakable breaking??



• The main image is a close up of the two main characters one is placed each side of the crack through the middle of the poster, this suggests that the characters are enemies. Both have an indirect mode of address, but the directions they are looking makes it seem like they are going head to head. This leaves the audience with the questions, are they enemies? Why are they enemies? The character played by Bruce Willis being above the other character suggests that he is the hero and the other guy is the villain. There is also a cloaked character in the middle standing in the rain taken as a long shot, this is presumably a scene from the film, this small addition to the images leaves the audience asking yet more questions, who is it? Why is he there? Is it one of the characters already shown? Good or bad? All the images have a blue tint to them fitting in with the colour scheme of the poster, these blue, white colours give the film an icy atmosphere. the images also all fade into the black background leaving mystery surrounding them.



• The poster relies heavily on box office draws, 'Bruce Willis' and 'Samuel L. Jackson' are both written in large font at the top of the poster, so that they are easily seen and can catch the audiences eye.



• The tagline on this poster is placed at the bottom, but not as much emphasis has been put on this as was on the bow office draws, the tagline has been written in a smaller font. Although it is small and not a main part of the poster this leaves the audience questioning the film even more like, what is the truth? Who's going to reveal it? Is it good or bad?


• Beneath the box office draws, an emphasis has been put on the fact that this film is by the same man who wrote and directed 'The Sixth Sense', they have used the success of the sixth sense to promote the new film, to appeal to the audiences that enjoyed the sixth sense, using this to promote the film leads the audience to assume that this film will be of the same quality and a similar content.


• A billing block and release date hasn't been featured on this poster because it is a teaser poster, relying heavily on its other promotions to give more information.

White Noise Poster Analysis

• White Noise the title is written in a similar font to what the picture is showing. This font with the colours used gives a cold atmosphere to the film, which prepares the audience for what the film is going to be like.
  
• The main image consists of an electrical pulse, where the shadows created are made by people, presumably the ghosts. Becasue the image is meant to be its own sourse of light, this is the only light along with the title on the poster, this shows the dark nature of the film.


• 'Micheal Keaton' is the main box office draw, his name has been put right above the title, although it is small, the font used is very clear and simple making it easy to read to ensure it is seen so it can influence the audiences positive response.


• This Poster has two taglines. The one at the top of the poster explains the title, however it doesnt give away too much of the film, it leaves the audience questioning, a portal to what? The second tagline follows on from the first, it answers the initial question, however lease the audience with another, why are they trying to contact us? What do they want? These taglines are effective becasue they give the audience a better idea of what the film is about without revealing too much and making it pointless to go and see the film.


• The Production company and director names along with other actors and actresses are featured on the poster, however not heavily, the font used to show them is very thin and quite dark, this could be becasue the director isn't that well known so although they want it featured no emphasis is put on it as it probably wouldn't be that much of an influence on the audience.
  
• The release date is written in the same font but a contrasting colour to the background unlike the billing block. This is obviously one of the main features on the poster as this lets people know when they are able to experience the film.

Supernatural Thrillers

Combining the edge-of-your-seat tension of the classic thriller with such basic horror oriented ingredients as ghosts, the occult and psychic phenomenon, the supernatural thriller combines the best of both worlds in creating a frightening but often restrained film that will have audiences hearts pounding and palms sweating. Generally staying away from the more graphic elements of the horror film in favor of sustaining a mood of menace and unpredictability, supernatural thrillers often find the protagonists either battling a malevolent paranormal force or trapped in a situation seemingly influenced or controlled by an otherworldly entity beyond their comprehension.

Awake (2007), The Box (2009), Dark Water (2005), Devil (2010), Don't Look Now (1973), The Haunting in Connecticut (2009), The Others (2001), Paranormal Activity (2007), Premonition (2007), The Skeleton Key (2005), The Unborn (2009), What Lies Beneath (2000), White Noise (2005).

Psychological Thrillers

Sometimes the suspense comes from within one character, where they must resolve conflicts with their own minds. Usually, this conflict is an effort to understand something that has happened to them. These conflicts are made more vivid with physical expressions of the conflict in the means of physical manifestations.


Characters are no longer reliant on physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies (which is often the case in typical action-thrillers), but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state.


Strangers on a Train (1951) , Donnie Darko (2001), Unbreakable (2000), When a Stranger Calls (1979), Psycho (1960), Phone Booth (2003), Secret Window (2004), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Jacob’s Ladder (1990), The Sixth Sense (1999), Basic Instinct (1992)

Thriller Questionnaire

I have written a questionnaire to get an idea of what the audience will want to see in our groups trailer, poster and magazine front cover. Hopefully these results will help us make decisions on what to include in our trailer, poster and cover.

This is the questionnaire that I gave to 25 people to fill out, I mostly gave them to what we expect our target audience to be, however I also gave about 5 to the older generation 31 - 35 to find out if there ideas were any different from the younger target markets.

These are the results of the questionnaire, I have put them into a table for each question. Question 1 doesn't give us much information but it does show the range of people i gave my questionnaire to. Question 2 is much the same as question one, however i chose to five the questionnaire to more boys as they are the gender who are most likely to go and see a thriller. Question 3 shows that thriller is a very popular genre, this may be because of the amount of boys in the survey, however this is a good thing as they will be able to help us when it comes to the conventions of the thriller film promotion trio. Question 4 shows that the most popular of the thriller sub genres is Supernatural, this is films like white noise and paranormal activity. Question 5 will help us when it comes to planning our trailer, the majority of people said that it is best to use a mixture of bright and dark colours as well as a mixture of low and fast paced sections, and the majority said that they expect some typography flashing up in the trailer. Question 6 asked the people taking the questionnaire what they expect and thinks works on a promotional poster, the results show that dark colours work best on a thriller poster, and its pretty even but most people thought that a simple poster works better than a busy one, and the majority preferred poster that made the genre obvious rather than displayed it subtly. Question 7 asked the participants which sold a film to them most, a poster, trailer and magazine feature, the majority of people by a large way said a trailer.

New Genre Research

A genuine, thriller is a film that provides thrills and keeps the audience at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the character is placed in a menacing situation, mystery, or a dangerous situation from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a potentially deadly situation.

Sub-genres consist of Conspiracy, Crime, Disaster, Legal, Mystery, Psychological, Religious, Supernatural.

As a group we are at this point unsure of what we definitely want to do so I have decided to research Supernatural Thrillers and Psychological Thrillers, this will help me build ideas and decide which would be best to continue with.

Genre Change

Unfortunately at the start of year 13 and my A2 Media course my new teacher has requested that we don't do our coursework on the horror genre, due to personal preferences.

This has lead to me changing to a similar but acceptable genre of Thriller. In doing this change i have come together in a group with two other girls. We have all decided to independant research on the thriller gnre so that when we come together we can make a more informed choice in making our trailer, posters and magazine covers.