Audience Research 1a: Class Poster

Audience research 1b: Class Poster Feedback

Plot details of your idea:

Lenny grew up on a farm with his mum and dad. His parents died when he was seven and he took it upon himself to look after the farm. A pack of crows ravaged him one day, disfiguring Lenny. He vowed to protect the farm so any trespassers he sees he kills, dressed as a scarecrow. A group of drunken teens wander onto the farm for a party, and this doesn’t bode well for their survival.   

Positive responses from class members:

Class members said that we had a good narrative and history for Lenny. The bad guy is iconic and memorable. And also there is an element of realism to the villain, making it that bit scarier, the suggestion of child abuse linking to a horrible real life event.  

Negative responses from class members:

Some people said that some features where a bit too crazy, especially the ending where we wanted Lenny to be eaten by crows. However after looking back on this idea it would be very hard to film. So we changed the ending to having the scarecrow alone in the field and then a crow lands of his shoulder, and then he starts to move. We felt this change was needed so the realism was maintained.

How many voted to say that they watched the film, where did it come out of all the groups:

We got 19/19 in votes from the class, meaning we finished as the top idea for the whole group. This shows why we decided to take it on for our trailer. The idea was clearly very popular with the class, and they are our target audience, so picking the film was the right choice.

Are you happy with the score? Do you think the idea is worth making?

We are extremely happy with the score as it is top marks. It shows that this idea is exactly what the audience are drawn to. We feel that this is worth making, as we could do it. We feel we could make a really good trailer from this idea which we get us a high grade.

 

Audience Research 2: Stereotypical Horror fan and Class Poll

Our stereotypical horror fan, mainly like action horror, but doesn’t mind elements of gore and psychological horror in the films that he watches. Wears casual clothing like jeans and a t-shirt. Generally goes to the cinema with a few friends. His appearance doesn’t bring across that he is a huge horror fan. Probably plays video games in his free time Generally fits into the C2 and D1 demographics, but can also be above or below that. Mainly mainstream, doesn’t have all the characteristics of a mainstream psychographic, because he also adapts to what society is like at the moment (clothing etc.). Usually around 18-35 years old. They see themselves as a mainstreamer. They like whatever is popular at the time, however also show signs of reformer. They see things in the world aren’t perfect and they want to change it. They enjoy horror movies as they twist stereotypes and like the forward thinking. They like the fact there are black and women heroes, it shows how the world is changing and that just because you are a certain sex or race doesn’t mean you can’t do things.
Their favourite horror movies would be:

• The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
• Dawn of the Dead (2004)
• The Crazies (2010)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) 

Below is the class horror poll that we conducted in October, 2012. It was carried out with 8 males and 9 females, and confirmed that females generally prefer psychological and action horrors, while males prefer gory horrors. The results were close, however, which suggests horror can appeal to both genders.

Own trailer review 1: Grave Encounters (2011)

What happened in the trailer? 
In the trailer, a team of 'paranormal investigators' lock themselves into an old mental asylum for a tv show pilot episode. Supernatural stories are told by various members of the public, and there is also some video evidence shown. Whilst the crew are in the building, supernatural occurences happen, ranging from carvings on chests to lights getting blown out.
Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?
The trailer creates suspense and horror, especially at the part when the window opens mysteriously. the trailer shows a lot of action and screaming and not a lot of the film, so it makes the film worth watching because you haven't already been told everything that happens (and in sequence)
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful? And what would put off it's target audience?
I thought that the trailer shows too many scary parts of the film, and it seems to spoil what I think would be the best scares.

Own trailer review 2: The Descent (2005)

  
What happened in the trailer? 
In the trailer a group of women go into a cavern for to explore it. They get trapped after a rockslide and have to navigate their way out, with the company of other cavern dwellers.
Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?
The trailer uses a small amount of gore when the woman rises up out of the blood, but other than that none is used. I think it gets across the isolation of the situation and also the tension of the unknown.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful? And what would put off it's target audience?
I think that the trailer uses too much restricted narration. Not enough gore is shown, considering it is a gory 18 film. The fast montage of shots near the end would be good, but the shots are to dark, so hardly anything can be seen. I think that this trailer appeals to a different target audience than would actually enjoy the film.

Own trailer review 3: Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

 What happened in the trailer? 
A family moves into a new house in Connecticut and find that there is a locked room in the basement. Strange artifacts are found under the floors, and visions of ghosts are seen by various family members. The happenings get worse and the priest crashes, whilst seances are taking place at a table.
Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?
I think that the film uses collision cutting to create jumps at suitable intervals. The shots are edited together so that they tell the story as best as possible. There is also an extreme use of collision cutting used at the end, where there is a fast montage of shots, an inter-title, then a very slow shot with a very loud sound. I aim to create a memorable ending in my trailer using collision cutting.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful? And what would put off it's target audience?
I thought that possibly the trailer tells too much of the narrative, and doesn't really leave anything to the imagination. I think that it would appeal to its target audience, but is maybe cloudy as to exactly what sort of horror this is.

Class Trailer Review 1: The Toxic Avenger (1986)

The Toxic Avenger (1986) Score - 1/10

 
What happened in the trailer? 
In this trailer, a boy from high school is being picked on by other pupils. Consequently leading to him jumping out of a window and into a truck of toxic waste. The Waste mutates him and he gets revenge on all the guys from his school.  

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?
The trailer showed a lot of action, and also showed that there will be quite a bit of gore. Its shows this by using restricted narration, just suggesting that something is going to happen, then cutting to something else.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful? And what would put off it's target audience?
I thought that the trailer showed way too much of the film. It is too long winded and needs to be a lot shorter, there are way too many highlights, negating the effects and purpose of a highlights trailer. Also the voice-over is very annoying, mainly due to the amount of times he says "Toxic Avenger". The action parts that it shows aren't as exciting once you've watched 2 minutes of the trailer.

Class Trailer Review 2: 30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007) Action Horror     Score - 7/10

What happened in the trailer? 
The trailer starts with a woman in the kitchen and her partner watching TV, and something lunges through the window, dragging the woman outside and under a building. Other creatures are then shown attacking the village and people are shown trying to hide from them.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?
The start of the trailer uses collision cutting from quiet to loud when the woman is washing up in the kitchen and the creature lunges through the window. This makes people jump because of the sudden change in sound. The trailer establishes a male hero, as well as a final girl. Low-key lighting is also used to hide the creatures and put them in silhouette when they are circling their victim. I would like to create a memorable killer, like the vampires in our trailer, so people are genuinely scared of it.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful? And what would put off it's target audience?
I think that the trailer shows too much of the vampires, because we would not be as shocked by what they looked like when we actually watched the film.

Class Trailer Review 3: Evil Dead (2013)

Evil Dead (2013) - Gory Action Horror     Score 10/10 

What happened in the Trailer?
In this trailer 4 teenagers go to a cabin in the forest to have a holiday, when one of them finds the book of the dead (The Necronomicon) and reads one of the incantations, summoning evil spirits which consequently start killing and possessing the teenagers.
Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?
I thought that the trailer used the most memorable parts from the original Evil Dead and turned them even more gruesome, which makes old fans want to see the remake. It uses parallel music very well, timing the music to the actions. I would like to include the level of gore that this trailer uses, especially the slicing of the tongue at the end.
I also think that the trailer establishes the character stereotypes well, as we can work out who the male hero is, as well as the female victim and the final girl.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off it's target audience how is it disappointing?
I did not think that there was anything wrong with the trailer, apart from maybe showing a little too much gore, because we will end up not being shocked by it if it is seen again.