How to make a horror trailer

In this tutorial, it shows how to make a horror trailer and achieve the basics of making an effective horror movie in Sony Vegas Pro 12. With this video, it shows what to include in a typical horror movie such as the MPAA screen shown at the beginning of the trailer as well as the various features and sound effects to include. One of the key parts to a horror movie or any trailer is to introduce the film with a 'thud' sound effect to set the scene and suspense. I plan on using some of the conventions shown in this trailer in my own film when it comes to editing and filming to achieve an overall and sustained look of a horror trailer. 

How to film cars

This YouTube video helped me to understand how i can achieve smooth car shots when filming my trailer. Particularly at the start of my trailer, it begins with the group travelling to the location of filming, and I as a director want to show a few shots of the group in the car- with a variety of different shot types and angles. 

The method shown in the video is "How to film cars on a budget" and is achieved through the use of a piece of string (i.e. safety string) that you can attach to the camera to prevent it from falling and breaking, a suction cup which will be attatched to the side of the car, a camera of course to film the shots with, a car to shoot & also a car to shoot from (along with a friend). By filming the shots of the cars this way, it is a relatively simple and easy way to get steady rolling car shots, at a cheap price with no major expenses involved.

Research into target audience

The target audience for my film "The Hunt" will be the age bracket of 15+ due to the strong violent scenes shown within the trailer. Although there is not many violent scenes, the trailer shows the lead up to the killings but not the actual death. There may also be the use of frequent strong language which too affects the target audience as films should not really have swearing in them below the age of 15. There are set guidelines set by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) as to what films are age restricted to and what each film can include to bracket underneath that certain age restriction- in this instance, my trailer will fall beneath the '15' category. This film would not be suitable to classify as an '18' film as there is no themes prohibited at 18. My trailer will not include very strong violence, nor will the actual film itself or frequent strong language & such, hence why i have not chosen this classification to best suit my film.

I would like my trailer/film to appeal to young teenagers and to both male and female audiences as with horrors they are very easy to gain attention from both genders. I would like this to relate to teenagers as with Horror movies, demographics show that the majority of people who attend the cinema are 15-24 year old's compared to the older age brackets of 25+. I would like to target this towards teenagers as i believe it will be the best audience to view my film and will be most popular within this age bracket if the trailer is visually appealing and intriguing, making individuals want to see the full film. 

People chose to watch horror films as they believe that it has an added element of entertainment and excitement, as you never know what is going to happen next- keeping you on the edge of your seat at all times. Horror films generally have a "Thrill Factor" about them compared to other genres who's sole purpose is to purely entertain (i.e. action films), horror films provide viewers with a different and more unique experience to viewing movies as their sole purpose is to not only entertain, but create mystery and suspense, often catching the viewer out when they least expect it, giving them a 'Jump Scare'

Research into Roles

Research into roles

As I am working alone I will have to complete all of the given tasks myself. My main roles are producer, cinematographer, editor director and writer. By writing about these roles it will help me become more familiar with my tasks.

Producer:

·                     Location Scout.

Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work that is shot outside of the studio, the search for a suitable place or "location" outside the studio begins. Location scouts also look for generally spectacular or interesting locations beforehand, to have a database of locations in case of requests.

·                     Production Designer.

In film and television, a production designer  is the person responsible for the physical overall look of a filmed event such as a TV program, video game, music video, or advertisement. Production designers have a key creative role in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the director and producer, they must select the settings and style to visually tell the story. The term "production designer" was coined by William Cameron Menzies while he was working on the film Gone with the Wind.

·                     Marketing.

As producer I will have to ensure that I have generated interest in my movie trailer. I will do through my subsidiary tasks and social media. For example, making the magazine cover and promotion poster. This will generate more hype. 

Director:
A film director is a person who directs the making of a film. Generally, a film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualises the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision.

Writer:
The job of a writer is to create the back story for visuals of a movie. This will help me establish guidelines that I need to follow in order to make my trailer look professional.

·                     Storyboard Artist

A storyboard artist, or story artist, creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions. A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story on paper. Quick pencil drawings and marker renderings are two of the most common traditional techniques, although nowadays Flash, Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro and other storyboard applications are gradually taking over. The digital camera is one of the latest techniques in creating storyboards

·                     Producer

SEE PRODUCER.

Cinematography:

·                     Storyboard Artist 

SEE WRITER.

·                     Technical Director

http://www.aact.org/technical-director

The Technical Director has to take care of the technical set including lighting, sound, set design and construction, and coordinating necessary maintenance.

Editor:

The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture. Film editing is described as an art or skill, the only art that is unique to cinema, separating filmmaking from other art forms that preceded it, although there are close parallels to the editing process in other art forms such as poetry and novel writing. Film editing is often referred to as the "invisible art” because when it is well-practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not even aware of the editor's work.

·                     Composer

N/A

·                     Sound Editor

I need to ensure that my sound matches up to my visuals.

·                     Sound Designer 

N/A

Research into posters (Ancillary Task Two)

Research into front covers (Ancillary Task One)