Trailer construction

At this point I am going to explain the film plot so, this will give the trailer grounding and you will see that although a resolution doesn't happen in the trailer it will happen in the film.

The young modern day family, mother and young child set off for a walk on a rainy day. They get separated and while the desperate mother is searching for the boy we are aware of a resting place of a young girls. Her ghost is held to the point of death until it is disturbed by the boy. The ghost of the girl connects with the boy and is then able to be taken from the forest to the home of the family. The connection grows stronger and strange things start to happen to the boy and the mother. The girl ghost is angry and steals the boy. She want the mother to resolve the puzzle of her death. This has to happen for the boy to be returned. In a difficult and dangerous journey paged by an impatient angry ghost the mother seeks revenge for the ghost and calmness is resolved.

Construction of trailer

Before and during putting my trailer together I changed my initial plan, this was for many reasons including having some unrealistic plans as well as feeling as though it wasn't as effective as it could be. Not only this I was also inspired by things I'd filmed and came up with new scene ideas.

To start my trailer I put in a trailer certification screen as this is a common convention on horror trailers and makes it look more professional.

I then put a logo screen in with my production company's name on, this is good advertisement and is another common convention. The logo was constructed on Photoshop elements and showed a good strong image to the company name. The back ground to this was made and will be repeated in the trailer for continuity. The end scene will have this this will give the audience a feeling of recognition at the end of the film when the information is viewed.

I added a clip to show the setting of my horror trailer to give the audience an idea of where they are, this establishing shot is a common convention in horror trailers as well as being effective. I played calming music over the top of this clip as a common convention for most horror trailers to emphasise the change in mood later on in the trailer and will allow me to create juxtaposition. I also put the sound on the original video up to 400% so the audience can hear the window wipers clearing the rain, I did this not only so these diegetic sounds give the audience a sense of reality but because it's the start of Todorov's theory of everything being calm and in equilibrium.
   
                                  

The next section is a transition screen with the same background as my logo screen, using the same text as I had for my logo screen, this gives it continuity and follows conventions. I also continued with the same music as played from the first scene.

I then did another setting shot as this one suggests they would be entering the woods not just driving through or passing them. The same calming music as I had in the first scene continues and again the sound from the original video I pulled up to 400%, however this time there is no diegetic sound of the window wipers, this suggests to the audience that something bad will happen, I felt as though doing this would create tension for the viewer.

My next scene was another setting shot however this was a pan shot going up a tree, this represents the fact that they have now entered the woods, it clear to the audience the change from car to walking making the family more venerable.  This was another establishing shot. This scene was difficult to film as it took a lot of steady hand work to create the scene I wanted. Again this scene has the same calm music continuing. In this scene I didn't add any diegetic sound as I feel this may make the audience feel uncomfortable and creates a kind of suspense, all common conventions of a horror trailer. 

I then did a long shot of the mother and son walking, while wearing casual but appropriate clothes for the setting to create meis-en-scene. At this point the audience are introduced to the modern family and for a short moment everything is how it should be. It was important that they were holding hands to show love.

The same calming music continues and there's also the diegetic sound of the boy talking to the mother, I did this to give the audience some sort of relation to the scenario. 

I then had the boy walking alone from the point of where the last scene ended, using the same shot with him wearing the same costume. The calm scene is very quickly taken from the viewer showing the boy on his own. This may lead the audience to assume that he has wondered off or is lost. I wanted to have the audience feel panic that a young boy was alone when they know things are going to go wrong. Feedback from some older audience suggests this thought would be terrifying. The same calming music still plays however there is no diegetic sound, again making the audience feel uneasy.

As the same non diegetic music continues I then added a low angled tracking shot going through the woods where some of the trailer is set, this gives the audience the feel that they are being lead into the woods, giving them the sense of fear that is needed in a horror trailer. The POV gives the audience a sense of the boy being chased down. This was another scene where I found it difficult to film due to the camera angle but felt as though this shot was important to the trailer.

There is then a medium close up of the boy previously seen, he is alone again, making the audience believe he is lost.

The next scene I created was a close up of the bath with objects in, such as a toy wand and a skull, this was to open part of the story to the reader by suggesting something bad happened there, representing death. This was an important scene which I ended up filming twice because the first didn't look good in editing. In this scene I am showing the physical element that the ghost is attached to. the skull which represents death and the child's toy that represents innocence all leads up to the introduction of the ghost.

It then goes to a long shot of the same bath which then quickly jumps to the same shot with the antagonist standing next to it, as this happens there is a quick music change and the original music from the start stops and is replaced with a more unpleasant dramatic track, this creates a jump scare for the audience. There's then quick changing shots where the antagonist appears and then disappears, I feel that this builds up tension. I like the way the audience are introduced to the antagonist and felt the in to out editing of the girl ghost help show what she was.

It ends on a shot of the antagonist which I decided to add a zoom in effect on show the audience more of the antagonist and create the effect I wanted.

From here it then goes on to a close up switching between the antagonist and the innocent boy, I tried to switch between them in time of their blinks as I felt this would create more of a connection between them.  

Then I went to a transaction screen, using the same background as the previous one, keeping continuity.

Then straight back to switching between antagonist and boy then continues, again echoing the suspicion that there's a connection between them. The music is edited in time with this and the overall feel is effective.

It then goes onto a medium close up of  protagonist, single parent mother, while the angle changes, causing disorientation to the audience showing them the 'lost' feeling the actress is portraying. The same music continues to play however I put the sound of the original video up to 400% as it contains dialogue which also helps with the effect I wanted to create. Calling for the boy Arthur, helps the audience identify with the character and feel her sense of panic.

I then put it back to the antagonist and boy switching but this time with an extreme close up so that the audience may take the message that their connection is getting closer. This was to show the point in which the antagonist, the ghost girl, has a connection with the boy and he is fixed in a trance like state. The audience because off his age would feel tension and the back and forth editing would help build on this tension.

The next shot I used was a point of view shot of running through the woods, this also creates disorientation for the audience and creates fear as it becomes more realistic to them. The dialogue from the close up of the protagonist is then played again which suggests it is her running through the woods, looking for the boy whose name she calls. This repetition of his name adds to her sense of panic and builds tension to the audience.

I then repeated the extreme close up of the antagonist and boy switching and the same music continues to play. This extreme close show the end of the connection between the two which then leads the audience to wonder what is the fate of the boy.

I then did a long shot of the protagonist on the same track the point of view, this links the two together and suggests the boy won't be found. The same music continues to play as well as the sound effect of heavy breathing, this could lead the audience to believe a number of things, maybe the boy has been walking for a long time, time has been lost to him or it could be interpreted as another point of view shot where someone is watching him. This scene was deliberately done to make the audience think. 

The setting of the next scene then changes where it shows you a close up of one of the protagonists in the reflection of a rear mirror in a car, which suggests she's looking at something. At this point the music then changes, implying to the audience something is going to happen.

There is then another scene which shows the POV shot of the protagonist through the rear view mirror showing the boy. This gives a sense of relief to the audience because the boy is reunited with his mother and all is well.  This then quickly changes to showing the antagonist next to the boy, at this point there is another music change, creating a jump scare to the audience. I also did this scene to steal the feeling of relief from the audience. I found this technique was very effective and audience's emotions are being played with. it also confirm to the audience that there is a connection between the boy and antagonist. This is how the girl ghost is able to follow the family home.

From then I put a medium close up of the antagonist shaking her head quickly which I then sped up using iMovie, which creates the illusion it's unnatural. I did this so that I could make the audience feel uncomfortable and create the atmosphere aimed for in a horror trailer. I have seen this done in other trailers and was pleased to be able to make the common convention work. It reinforces to the audience she is unnatural and that her intensions are unpleasant.

We then cut to a new scene filmed at the family's home, the mise-en scene is of an old house but a normal looking family house. I didn't want to set it in a modern house as this would break conventions.

I then did another medium close up of the antagonist in an old fashioned mirror which I then put a zoom in effect on until it became an extreme close up, at the point the zoom begins there is a music change to create a dramatic effect. This helps to indicates that the ghost is now free from her resting place and attached to the family and their home. At the end of this scene she then smiles, much like the protagonist did in the rear view mirror, I feel this links the two together and gives it a sinister feel.

I then added another medium close up of the boy who was drawing a picture which is of the antagonist, it then zooms in on the picture, as the music changes, showing its significance. This shows the audience the effect the antagonist has on the boy and they can see the picture is not of a sweet girl but a child's drawing of something evil.

The next scene is a medium close up showing the protagonist (mother) putting the other boy (son) to bed as she kisses him on the head. This is yet another scene that I tried to create realism in so the audience could relate.

There is then a long  shot of the antagonist dancing around then when she stops she looks directly into the camera, because of the lighting the camera took a while to adjust which created a another unnatural look on the antagonist, making the audience feel even more uneasy.

I then did another scene, similar to the one when the boy is being put to bed but in this scene it's the antagonist approaching the boy in his bed, this links the scenes together as well as making the protagonist look vulnerable. Doing this means the audience feel that the mother I powerless over the ghost, whatever she does can be undone by the ghost, this make them anxious for the boys safety.

I then changed the angle of this scene and showed more of the boy. It shows the boy being touched by the antagonist which wakes him, as this happens there is a music change as well as a small sound clip to create a jump scare.  

There is then another music change as the scene and setting changes, it is then a low tracking shot following one previously in the trailer, leading to the bath, shown previously in the beginning of the trailer where the suggestion was made that something bad had happened there. I think this links the entire trailer together. It also represents the power growing for the ghost and the disappearance or boy, who is taken by the ghost.

In this scene I feel lighting was very effective as well as sound, I used a spot light to create the effect that it was searching for something until it finds the antagonist. The music then cuts off and I put the original sound on the video up to 400% as the protagonist cries and calls for her farther, I feel as this is very effective as you see the antagonist as a child not as a ghost and it makes the audience warm to her and feel sorry for her, leading them into a false sense of security. This also suggests that she is 'lost' which is a common description of ghosts.

The music then quickly plays as the antagonist turns around with a blank expression which shows the audience she has no emotion and also creates another jump scare.

It then instantly goes to an extreme close up of the antagonist as there is a quick music change, again creating another jump scare.

The next scene I did is a close up of the protagonist (mother) holding onto a child's toy , which is used in the poster, while different less aggressive music plays. It then changes to another angle showing her holding an image of the boy (the son) while looking emotional, suggesting to the audience that he is gone. I feel this link to photo memories would stir emotions from the audience putting them in the mother's shoes.

The same music continues to play as it then shows another close up of the floor as footprints start to appear, confirming to the audience that the antagonist is a ghost. Although this scene took a long time to film and edit it worked well and gave a clear insight that the ghost was running a mock in the house, playing games with the mother.

 The next scene is another in which lighting played a big part in it being effective. it shows someone, unknown to the audience, under a blanket with a light on until, at the point of a music change the light turns out, this makes the audience feel uneasy and confused about what's happen, making them want to watch more. I also think this is an important scene as the 'fear of the unknown' is one of the most effective techniques in horror trailers.

There is then an extreme close up on the antagonist under a blanket looking down, the light then goes off and there is another music change as they come back on and she's looking directly at the camera, creating another scare. The scares are timed with the music and this adds to the tension.

The same music plays over the majority of his scene of the antagonist blankly staring while rocking on a chair, this shows the audience she's taking over the family house. A new music is added toward the end of this scene so it will fade in better for the next one.

There is then another low tracking shot with the same music playing over it as well as the sound of the antagonist laughing, a home recorded sound. In this scene the tracking almost reaches the bath but importantly doesn't look in. This leaves the audience with a question about what is now in the bath, is it the boy? Ending on an unresolved question leaves the audience wanting more, it pulls them into the plot daring them to watch the full film.

To change from this scene to the next I added a transaction theme from iMovie as there is more dialogue being played of the antagonist whispering ''come join me'' another home recording. After this there is then the sound of a record player starting followed by old fashioned music. While all this is being played the screen shows the film title, company Facebook page, Twitter page and website as well as a hashtag on the same background as all the transition screens I had previously used at the beginning of the trailer. This part of the trailer does many effective and useful things, including the dialogue, creating realism and advertising for the film. 

 Again, using the same background while the same music plays. I then added a screen saying when the film would be released to cinemas, giving more advertisement.

For the final time the same background and music are used again to put the final bits of information into the trailer, including things such as directors and writers, a common convention for horror trailers to give as much information about the film and people involved as possible.

 

I left the last three screens playing for as long as possible to create a calming atmosphere for the audience to make this final scare more effective. I used an extreme close up along with a screaming sound, I also split this clip and put a filter on the end of it making it darker, making the final scare. I think this is extremely important to have at the end of the trailer, after all the information as the audience will finish the trailer with the feelings people seek when watching a horror. I wanted the lasting memory of the trailer to be a scare as this is very effective and is a common convention in horror film.