Evaluation Question 1

Q1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? on Prezi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D51QgOHrCj0 (link to Blair Witch Project Trailer as embedding is restricted for this video)

MY TRAILER IN COMPARISON TO A REAL HORROR TRAILER (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT):

Mise en scene: My trailer is similar to the Blair Witch in terms of the build-up in the narrative. First it starts off with the characters calmly talking about the ghost of Charlotte Manson. Then as the narrative progresses there is less talking from the characters and more action, e.g. running scenes, just like in the Blair Witch Project trailer.

Sound: There is a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in both trailers. My trailer uses a lot more non-diegetic music unlike Blair Witch Project, to build up the tension for the audience and make them anxious on what will happen next. Screams from characters near the end of the trailer to scare the audience and make them feel uneasy. The non-diegetic music compliments the fast paced cuts near the end of my trailer and also making the audience fearful of what is going to happen next.

Lighting: Combination of shots/scenes in the dark and in the light in both trailers. The dark scenes in my trailer are significant in portraying the dark elements to my narrative and the horror genre as a whole. I believe the most effective dark scenes in my trailer are the scene when a character is being dragged across the floor in the dark and the scene where Charlotte Manson’s ghost moves the table in the church during the séance.

Actors and costumes: Young adults in my trailer similar to the young adults in the Blair Witch project. The characters in my trailer share the curiosity of the characters in the Blair Witch trailer in finding out about the Ghost of ‘Charlotte Manson’ and the ‘Blair Witch’. Their costumes are both casual clothing, mainly dark in my trailer but the character that gets possessed by the ghost of Charlotte Manson is wearing light coloured clothing to contrast with the characters.

USPs: My trailer: the ghost of Charlotte Manson. The Blair Witch project trailer: Blair Witch. Both unique selling points are talked about throughout both trailers and stressed by the characters. This is important because both the trailer promote the unique selling points of their narrative.

Camera angles/shots: The most common camera shot used in both trailers is the Close Up, which is used to show the characters emotion. The shaky camera effect in both trailers gives a sense of realism to the audience makes the trailer look more realistic and raw. I used an Establishing shot at the beginning of my trailer to show that my trailer is based around the church and this is where most of the action will take place, whereas the Blair Witch didn’t. Although, as the Blair Witch trailer goes on, we can see that most of the narrative is set in the woods.

Editing techniques:

Scenes near the end of the trailer are shorter and more action packed in my trailer and in the Blair Witch. This leaves the audiences in suspense and can also attract them into watching the full length horror film. I used a lot of fast paced cuts at the end of my trailer to combine a lot of the action scenes while gripping the audience’s attention. On the other hand, Blair Witch uses almost a standard theme of editing throughout, with a few short scenes; most scenes are the same length with a loud thud/bang sound as the scene changes.

Challenge/Subvert the conventions of horror trailers: One way in which my trailer subverts regular conventions of horror movies is rejecting the stereotype of women in horror films. Women are usually stereotypical represented as being weak, but in my trailer the attacker/antagonist is female and she aims to kill the males in the narrative, making the males look more vulnerable. An example of this is when a male character is getting dragged across the floor in a dark room during my trailer.

On the whole, I believe my trailer developed some conventions used in the Blair Witch but also used standard conventions of horror trailers. Due to my budget I couldn’t hire big name actors, but this suits another typical convention of horror films (not using big name actors/actresses). As you can see my trailer is quite similar to the Blair Witch Project as this trailer was my main inspiration during the creation process.