Influences

Shutter island 

Shutter island is one of the trailers we have researched to gather ideas for our own. This trailer has influenced us in terms of its genre- a psychological thriller. This trailer effectively attracts the audience to the film, by drawing the most exciting and shocking scenes from the film, without producing any spoilers. The abbreviated scenes are separated by fast cuts, fading in and out of black. This is a good way of breaking down scenes in order for the audience to identify the type of atmosphere that the film involves. In contrast to this, there are occasionally quick flashes to create a sense of shock towards the audience, relating to the thriller genre. 

There is a short voice over from the main characters point of the veiw which gives the audience an insight as to what the film is about. In addition certain dialogue from the film is also revealed in this trailer, telling us more about what the film involves. There is a huge mixture of sound effects used in this trailer, there is no pattern or consistency to the sound, create a sense of suspense and mystery, these sounds consist of deep drones, ticking clocks, screams, strings, and hit reverbs. In this trailer a birds eye view shot of the main character in an empty warehouse is used to create a sense of vulnerability. 

Towards the end of the trailer, the deep drums build up, creating a tense atmosphere. Along with this, the scenes begin to speed up and more flashing images are used in order to make the ending of the trailer more dramatic. These fast cuts build up to reveal the title of the film making the trailer appear to be finished. However there is then an add-on at the end of the trailer of a mental patient attacking the main character, this is used to shock the audience and leave them with a heavy sense of anticipation.

Deliver us from evil

This film has recently been released and is still in cinemas. We liked the structural aspects of this trailer as we feel it uses good techniques to build tension in terms of music and visual effects. It also holds two sides of a story - the first half being the hectic business side to his life, and the second half being based around his family at home. This gives the audience a wider insight into the characters life helping them to feel similar emotions.  One thing we found effective was the use of key objects such as flickering lights, opening door and the jack in a box which are all known for being creepy mise-en-scene used in many other horror films. The exaggeration of the sound it makes and the extreme close up tells the audience that something scary is coming. 








We also found the music to be another key feature in this trailer to create anticipation towards the audience - the heavy use of high stretching strings getting louder and more intense. When the scary man appears, flashing and fast moving images are introduced and louder sound effects are added, again creating tension. The scenes in this trailer are broken up by fading in and out of black screens, to avoid revealing too much of the film and help the trailer to flow well. The titles are shown in between the scenes, they slowly fade in and out, creating a haunting feel. The trailer ends with a close up of the characters face looking extremely frightened which also creates a sense fear towards the audience. The title is then revealed at the very end of the trailer, making the name of the film more memorable for the audience.

Blair witch project

This trailer will influence us in terms of its micro/visual aspects. We like the fact that this trailer is all handheld film, making it appear more realistic. The fact that no special effects have been used and the bad quality of the film makes the film more believable and creates a spooky feel due to being personal towards the characters. we liked this trailer because it was different to many of the other horror trailers we have researched, making it stand out. We feel this is a good way of making the film more memorable. The trailer begins by introducing the audience to facts about the incidence in the film:

This immediately gathers the audiences attention, and gives a clear insight into the story line of the film. The most interesting shot within this trailer, is a character holding a cam directly towards her face. She then states an apology to the camera, aiming it to their families as if she won't be alive to tell them in person, her voice sounds frightened and weary. This creates a sense of fear towards the audience, due to a build up of tension in terms of her death. The camera then drops to the floor leaving only the bark of a tree visible. This leaves the audience questioning what is happening, building anticipation. 

When a stranger calls

From this trailer we found most inspiration in terms of the story line and structure also sound effect. The story line is about a babysitter taking care of 2 children, alone in an isolated house. An unknown caller continuously rings the house until the person finally enters the home, We are following a similar storyline, using the unknown caller as the main part of the film. In terms of sound effects the use of exaggerated phone sounds and the use of the flashing images going in time with the heavy sound of the phone ringing. We feel is a really effective technique to emphasise the phone as being the main object in this film, creating a spooky feel as the audience are unaware as to who is at the other end of the line. This builds tension towards the audience making the trailer more memorable.