Research and Planning: Second idea

I have changed my mind about my idea and instead I have decided to do something different, like last time it will be shot in the countryside with the main character dressed in big hiking gear, while scavenging from a body the body jilts and the trailer ends. Each shot is separated by a black screen and the sound of something running. This teaser is much more of a story without a clear ending as when the zombie rises above him the trailer ends, this leads the audience to wonder whether he will be the main character or whether he was just in the trailer. I have created a storyboard for this trailer which will give a much clearer view of what I want from the trailer.

Research and Planning: Outline idea

The trailer begins and a man is sat on bench on top of a hill overlooking a town, he has a bag beside him which is holding pots and pans. There is silence apart from the wind and the man is enjoying it. There is static and a news reporter appears on the screen he is surrounded by darkness, his tie is loose and his sleeves are rolled up he is saying something but it is mostly inaudible, this statics out. The camera is positioned on the floor, something runs past it accompanied by snarling sound effects. The news reporter appears on screen again this time he's stood up with his hands on the desk, he looks panicked and is shouting at the camera but theirs static and he can barely be heard. This fades to black and long shot of a empty street is shown, the camera is low and positioned in front of it is a poster, on the poster is a bio hazard sign and a warning notice, the there is silence apart from birds and a distant alarm which is barely audible, this fades to black. There is a long shot of the man while he puts his bag on starts to move on. Then there's another long shot from a low angle far away which shows the man in the centre, the zombie from before sprints past the camera and towards him. There is a close up of the man as he turns his head, an extreme close up of the man eyes show him close them tightly. The screen becomes black and the name of the film followed by the release date fades from black, it is accompanied by an atmospheric sound.

Research and Planning: September podcast

I have created a podcast detailing what I have done over the past month, in it I have talked about creating my test movie, my test poster and my pitch amongst other things.

Research and Planning: Preferred Audience

After giving people a questionnaire so I could gather some research, looking at the results from my questionnaires along side other research I conducted, I have come to a decision on my target audience for my teaser trailer.
After looking at the results from the votes given to 28 Days Later on IMDB the majority of votes came from males between the ages of 18 to 29, so an 18 seems to be the best choice. To make sure the results were reliable I have also looked at the results from another film of the same genre, this time Dawn of the Dead, which returned similar results with the most votes coming from males 18 to 29. As the zombie genre draws in the most votes from people this age then I will make my film an 18 age rating.

28 Days Later IMDB votes

I believe my audience socio-economic group would be students (Group E), I think they have an interest in the zombie genre through other medias, they may interested after playing video games like Resident Evil or have an interest in the other horror films such as Night of the Living Dead.

Research and Planning: Researching conventions

A teaser trailer is used to advertise an upcoming film, they can show clips of the film and build excitement and mystery around the film. For a highly anticipated film the teaser trailer may not show much or reveal much about the main character but the teaser lets the audience know the film is coming and it will build up a buzz.

Trailer 1


I used this trailer in my earlier analysis and it does parallel what I aspire to create.



I like this trailer because although it shows people that it will be a zombie film their is a lot of mystery around what the zombies will look like because their are no clear shots of them. I think their is a lot of wonder around the trailer and I think the atmosphere is just right, it's something I will try and recreate when I make my teaser trailer.

Trailer 2

This is another teaser trailer but it is not the direction I want to go in.



I'm not going to use this trailer because I believe it reveals to much about the film. I do like the first part of the trailer and if I was to edit it myself then I would end it at 0:49. Dawn of the Dead is a classic horror film and I think it would have created more excitement if they didn't include most of the action in the film at the end of it. This is why I want more teaser trailer to be more like 28 days later.

Conventions

From watching these teaser trailers and other films of a similar genre I have noticed similarities in the zombie horror genre. Survival seems to be a common factor in the zombie genre with usually a somebody trying to survive on their own (I am Legend) or with a group (28 Days later). Jump scares are also frequently used to keep the audience on edge and alert, never allowing them to relax even when they think they're safe.

Research and Planning: Audience theories

Hypodermic needle model
The hypodermic needle theory give a mental image of the direct strategic and planned infusion of a message into an individual, it can be used to spread fear into a populace.

Cultivation theory
The theory which examines the long term effects on television on American audiences, effects which starts off small but has a compound effect like body image.


Desensitisation theory
Desensitization is a psychological process that is in involved in explaining viewers emotional reactions to media violence, continued exposure desensitizes audiences.


Copycat model
The copycat model is used to explain the influence media has on it's audience. Members of the audience may copy what they have seen characters do on screen.

Use and gratification theory
This theory places focus on the audience and asks what we do with the media instead of what media does to us. It assumes people take an active role in interpreting media instead of being passive and having it injected into them like the hypodermic needle model.

Research and Planning: Teaser trailer analysis 2

The second trailer I have chose to analyse is the trailer for I Am Legend, I have chosen to analyse the trailer for this film because I like the atmosphere and the idea the man surviving in the city alone. The trailer is two minutes long which is longer than I was planning on doing mine but I think it captures the essence well and this is definitely an inspiration for what I'll be creating. I like the way the trailer is edited, the fade to blacks show a passage of time and the quick editing around the beginning shows the panic and how quick the devastation happened. The editing changes once it shows him in the city alone, it goes slow which shows that time passes slow on his own and it lets the audience see how to city has changed, and gives them a shock as one of the most recognisable cities in the world has become overgrown and derilict. There is music in the trailer it's used when it's showing how the infection began and how he came to be alone. The music stops when this is over and shots of him passing the time are shown, shots of him playing golf, working out and working with his dog through the desolate streets. Although we know this isn't all he's doing through a voice over which tells us he's searching for other survivors by broadcasting over a radio. The trailer ends which the main actor looking scared, the are also subtitles which say "The last man on Earth, is not alone." I have noticed simalarities with this trailer and the 28 Days Later trailer, both trailers end with the main character looking panicked, which will give the audience an incentive to watch the movie. Neither of the two trailers show the creatures which created a mystery around what is happening to the characters and is something I may think about when I'm creating my teaser trailer.