The Unborn Trailer Analysis

The Unborn Trailer Analysis

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Analysis of Trailers; Saw and Primal

Analysis of Trailers

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Horror Questionnaire results

Horror Questionnaire results

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From the questionnaire me and my group conducted, we received feedback on people's preferences on the horror genre. We found that the majority of people liked the mystery in horror films; finding out who the killer is. Suspense was also something that most viewers enjoyed, which we were glad to find out as we had some ideas on revealing the killer at the end. This structuralist film theory would help people identify that it is a horror trailer. However there were some factors which affected my groups creative decisions. When we asked people what component in horror films scared them the most, a very small percentage said darkness. This affected our creative ideas as we were going to film in a very dark outside atmosphere, as the dark tends to play tricks on people. Initially we thought the darkness would cause fear and tension in a person as their ability to see is restricted, and people are very afraid of the 'unknown'- according to our findings. On the other hand we were pleased that our idea to add realism to the trailer was voted as what most people liked to have within a horror storyline. 

Question 15, Which one of the following horror film posters encourages you to see that film?

Film Posters

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Horror Questionnaire

I have developed this questionnaire which will assist me and my group in making a decision about what to base our horror trailer on. It will help to find out people's interests, such as where they would go to view a horror film or most people's prefrences about horror films, for instance what storyline they like in particular. The results will allow me and my group to create a trailer for our target audience. 

Bussing Scene and analysis

When filming our bussing scene me and my group had a limited amount of time to film enough footage to compose our scene. When filming we realised how much more difficult it would have been if we had not planned our plot and shots beforehand, as it would have taken more time, which we did not have. However improvising a little was good as we thought of better/alternative shots when actually filming, rather than sitting down and writing them up. We used Todorov's theory of narrative; equilibrium and disequilibrium. The equilibrium was the characters normally walking in a group and the sound of the birds chirping; this made the audience feel at ease. Then the moment of disequilibrium was shown through the discontinuity of editing and the fast pace. In post production we actually recognised that the light contributed to the to the atmosphere; it becomes lighter as the protagonist is running away which anticipates she will escape. The stereotypical horror film/trailer is usually set in darkness, so it was difficult as me and my group were shooting in the day time. The question that was posed was; will people easily recognise our scene as a horror film? Iconography is evidently important in a horror film as it creates the genre, so would the setting/atmosphere have a big impact? However we managed to draw up the interpretation/conclusion that the light symbolised the girl's freedom as she ran away. We had to emphasise our camera shots further so the killer was a silhouette- a mystery character dressed in black (stereotype). In addition we applied Propp's theory of eight characters and structuralism. So this ensured the audience would be entertained and scared by the fear of the unknown. The feminist theory was also portrayed as the protagonist managed to escape the killer; breaking the stereotype of the 'stupid' blonde, big breasted, promiscuous female.

Feminism- The Final Girl

Feminism is the belief that women should be treated respectfully and have a role of importance. The belief is more psychological as women have always been depicted as the fragile characters who need saving by a male hero. Stereotypically the woman is immoral, unwise and blonde. However films such as Halloween (1974), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream contradict this image and begin to pose questions such as; are females the helpless characters they are portrayed as in horror films? The Final Girl Theory has been perceived in films such as those as Carol J Clover suggested that the viewers share the viewpoint of the killer at first but then part with that idea and hope that the last girl who is the sole survivor confronts and escapes the killer. The final girl is virginal, avoids drugs, sex and is the intelligent consciousness that drives the narrative forward. This theory argued by Clover suggests that for a film to work well the surviving character must be female and she must experience pain as it is directed with sadistic voyeurism. Many people would not watch a horror film if it depicted a male as the weak character who is terrorized.

In Halloween the final girl theory is anticipated and confirmed as Laurie the timid girl in contrast to her friends survives till the end. Her friends are sexually active and confident whilst she is the complete opposite. Clover states that this final girl becomes masculinized and uses her intellect to escape the killer. Clover also says the last girl becomes masculinized through phallic appropriation when she takes a weapon and is not afraid to use it. This theory is clearly shown in Halloween as Laurie uses weapons such as a knife and needle. Nevertheless Laurie is strangled and has to be saved by a male figure that challenges the idea of feminism. Classic films such as ‘Carrie’ embody feminism. Although she is the killer, the audience empathizes with her because she is represented as a target at first. The Male Gaze Theory studied by Laura Mulvey also gives the impression that women are objects of male pleasure and the theory puts the audience in the heterosexual male viewers standpoint.