Groundhog Day Trailer Analysis

GROUNDHOG DAY TRAILER ANALYSIS:

Groundhog Day is a film that is of the comedy genre. The film stars well known comedy film actor Bill Murray, which is s unique selling point. Due to the genre of the film being comedy, as well as being rated PG, the target audience of the film is for audience members of all ages, but mainly families.

Sound:
One type of sound that is used in the film is diegetic. An example of this sound type that we can hear in the trailer is Dialogue. For example, some of the lines that the characters say in the film are used to make the audience laugh. An example of non diegetic sound that is heard in the trailer is narration. This is used to give the audience a brief understanding of the plot and storyline of the film. Another type of non diegetic sound which is used in the trailer is soundtrack, which is an upbeat and jovial pied of music. This is conventional for comedy films, as it sets a happy mood.

Camera:
One effective camera shot that is used in the trailer is a close up. This shot type is used to show the facial expressions of the character and to show the audience their emotions. Another shot type that is used is a two shot of the protagonists of the film. This is effective as it shows the audience the relationship between the characters.

Mise en scene:
The use of having the film being set in Pennsylvania in the United States conforms to the settings of  comedy film, as they are usually set in large well known locations. The use of the protagonist's costume and props that he has shows to the audience his job and social status.

Editing:
The transitions between the scenes in the trailer are mainly fast cuts to show the upbeat mood of the film. The character who is given the prevalence in the trailer is the protagonist of the film who is played by Bill Murray. This is so the audience can empathise with him.

The Exorcist Poster Analysis

THE EXORCIST POSTER ANALYSIS:

One feature of the poster for the film The Exorcist which is effective is it's use of low level lighting. This is used due to most horror films being set when there's a low amount of lighting in the scenes. However, the one main source of light in the image is pointed on the only character in the scene. This is used to highlight that he is the main focus point of the poster.

Another feature of the poster that can help attract the audience for the film is the use of the text with information of the movie, such as the main cast members and the director of the film. This is useful to include on the poster for the film, as it is a unique selling point.

The use of a slogan for the film is effective as it will attract the audience to watch the movie, as well as indicate the genre of the film and set the mood. The Exorcist's slogan on the poster says "The scariest film of all time returns to cinemas." This implies that the film will be extremely terrifying for the audience, which can help attract fans of horror.

The poster shows a house in the background of the scene, which could be used to make it more relatable to audience members, as they could feel that this scene may happen to them outside of their house.

The Conjuring Trailer Analysis

The Conjuring is a film of the horror genre that was released in 2013. The film is directed by James Wan, who has been involved heavily with horror films. The film is based on a true story, a common theme for horror movies.

Sound:
In the trailer for the film both diegetic and non diegetic sound is used. An example of diegetic sound that is used in the trailer is dialogue. The way in which the protagonists speak and the subjects that they are talking about show to the audience that they are anxious and nervous. The other main type of diegetic sound that is used is from the objects. For example if something falls and crashes, the audience can tell that there's paranormal activity in the film. The soundtrack that is played in the background of the trailer is an example of non diegetic sound. It is used to enhance the tense atmosphere to the audience.

Camera:
One type of camera shot that is used in the film is an extreme close up. This is effectively used to highlight the detail of the possessed character's eye, which is used to bring fear to the audience. Another camera shot that is used in the trailer is a two shot of the protagonists. This is effective as it shows that they have a close relationship together and the proximity between the two of the characters is close. One camera angle in the film that we can see is a high angle shot, which is shown when the characters are looking down the stairs to the basement. This is a good angle, as it shows that the protagonists have the higher status in the scene.

Mise en scene:
The location of the film is of a old neighbourhood house, which is conventional for horror films, as it makes it more relatable to the audience. The costumes worn by the audience are old and smart, which shows that the film is set in the past. The lighting that is used in the film is low level, which adds to the creepy mood that the film sets.

Editing:
The trailer uses a lot of slow fades during the trailer to help introduce the characters to the audience. However, quick cuts are also used to build tension in the trailer. No one seems to be given prevalence in the trailer, which is uncommon for a horror film trailer.

Coventions From Media

                                          CONVENTIONS FROM MEDIA TEXTS:


One horror film convention that we conformed to was having the main location of the film in an old, small house. This type of setting is common in horror films, so we thought this would be a good choice for our film. Another horror film convention that our group followed was to make the antagonist of our film wear dark clothing. The use of making the antagonist wear this costume type is that black connotes creepy and fear.

However one change we made that would go against a horror film convention was making all characters wear the same style of costume - casual clothing. In most horror films, there would be a distinctive difference in costume of the protagonists and antagonists.

Although our film is mainly generic for a horror film, we did experiment with differences, such as the costumes of the characters. We wanted to have a more generic horror film, as we thought it would make a more successful film than if we tried to make it completely different to a conventional horror movie. Due to our film being a mainly generic horror film, we didn't develop a new style of film. I feel that the director and producer of horror films, such as Saw and The Conjuring was an inspiration for our group, due to his huge success with the horror films he was involved in.

Post Production

                                                               POST PRODUCTION:


After the production of the opening to our film, we used the software program Adobe Premiere Elements 10 to edit and improve our film.

One editing technique that we used was the zoom feature. This was used to zoom in on the antagonist's face, as she was staring through the window of the house. We thought this was a good editing decision as it would highlight to the audience who the antagonist of our film is. Another editing choice that we made was to add text in our film. This was used to show the audience who stars in our film. The other main editing tool that we chose to use was the lighting feature. Due to certain scenes being either too light or too dark, we used the tool to adjust the lighting, making it easier for the audience to see.

Overall, the editing process that we went through was very useful and helped improve our film. This is because it made the film easier to watch for the audience, as well as making it look more professional.

Research and Planning

                                                      RESEARCH AND PLANNING:


During our task of Research and Planning, we looked at many of different horror films, as well as their target audience. Examples of this include The Woman in Black and The Conjuring. The target audience for these films, are mainly teenagers. This helped us make our final decision to make our film appeal to teenagers, and have them as the target audience for our film.

To help us make a choice on our film's target audience we conducted 2 different types of research: Primary and secondary. For our primary research, we created a questionnaire, where we asked a variety people what they wanted to see in our film. The end result of this was by having the genre of horror. For our secondary research, we looked on the internet to research the most popular of age group that view horror films. The result of this showed that teenagers were the most common audience age group.

For the production of our film, we tried to make it seem like a horror film that our target audience would enjoy. An example of a horror film that we took inspiration from was The Woman in Black, due to it being a highly popular and successful horror film. By doing different types of research, we can help make our film the best for our target audience.

Another piece of research that we undertook was watching the opening scenes to different films. We mainly watched openings to horror films, due to that being our chosen genre, however we also viewed other opening scenes, including to the opening to Mad Max. This was useful, as we were able to look at how successful films began.

Annabelle Trailer Analysis

Annabelle is a horror film that was released in the year, which is produced by the highly successful James Wan. The film is based around a haunted and possessed doll, which is a common theme for horror films.

Sound:
The non diegetic soundtrack that is used in the trailer for the film is tense and eerie music. This is used to make the audience feel nervous and scared, setting the mood of the film. An example of diegetic sound that is used in the film is dialogue by the character's in the film. The dialogue represents to the audience of the characters emotions. For example, if a character is panicking, it sets a mood of tension.

Camera:
One type of camera angle that is used in the film of Annabelle is an extreme close up, which is used to focus on the eye of the possessed doll. This is an extremely effective shot, as it shows to the audience that the doll is possessed, with the eye being the main part of the doll's paranormal activity. Another effective camera shot that is used is an over the shoulder shot. This shot is used when the camera looks over the protagonist's shoulder to reveal the antagonist character staring at her. One type of camera angle that is used in the film is a low angle shot, where the camera looks up at one of the houses in the film. This is used to make the setting seem larger than it appears to the audience.

Mise en scene:
The use of the old, possessed doll as a prop in the film is effective as it's something that the audience would see as a creepy object. As well as this, the film's main setting and location of a normal neighbourhood house is used to make the audience feel more nervous, as it's in a natural location. The lighting that is used for the majority of the film is low level. This has been chosen as it's makes the seen more eerie and uncomfortable for the audience.

Editing:
In the beginning of the trailer, the transitions are slow fades, to set the scene for the audience and introduce them to the characters. However, towards the end of the trailer, the cuts are faster. This is used to show the tension of the film. Prevalence of the trailer is given to the possessed doll, to strike fear into the audience.