Picking our music

After looking at the conventions and techniques used in horror films and trailers we realised one of the key elements was music. In nearly every modern film there is a soundtrack this could be with music or just with sounds. We realised that in order to make our trailer more realistic and convetnional we would need a soundtrack so we began searching for one.

Jacob found a very suitable piece of music by a band called the ink spots who released a lot of popular songs in the 40's they were a rhythm and blues band mainly and helped to define the genre. The song we found was called maybe which was released in 1940. There were two main reasons why this song was a very good choice.
one was the tone and pace of the music it fitted perfectly with our idea for what our trailer would be like. it is important to have the right tone because music helps to set the scene and draw emotion from the listener. Another reason why this song was a good choice was because it is more than 50yrs old this means that it is copyright free and so we do not have to worry about copyright laws.


 We performed some sound test on the audio as well for example adding an echo to it to make it sound more sinister. We did this to ensure that it would sound right in our trailer.

2012 teaser trailer analysis

The trailer begins with the production titles Columbia. Accompanying the production titles is eerie sounding background music. We then see the first shot of the Himalayan Mountains where we hear a loud drumming noise at a constant tempo in the background along with the eerie music. The next shot shows a monk running up a mountain towards the temple > The next shows the monk running towards the temple from a different more close up angel the drumming noise is joined by the sound of a bell chiming the two sounds are out of sync so one drum goes and then the bell goes. The next shot shows the monk bursting through ht doors of the temple there is a sense of urgency in the trailer. It then cuts to a shot of another monk sounding the bell that we hear earlier in the trailer however this bell is out of sync with the others making three separate background drumming noises one after the other constantly repeating. You can also see flags in the background that are blowing violently showing there is a lot of wind this is a symbol of things to come.

The screen then fades to black and the text ‘how would the governments of our planet’ it then cuts to another shot of the monk banging the bell and in the background the shot of a mountain, which could be Mount Everest. The screen then cuts to black again and the text ‘prepare six billion people’ appears this is linked to the text seen earlier. This is like the other trailers we have analysed where text is put into the trailer intermittent with shots from the film. The text is normally put in to explain a little more about the trailer. There are more background sounds of about five different drums all out of sync joined by the sound of a symbol at fast pace slowly getting louder and faster building up to a crescendo. There is another shot of the priest from a different angle banging the bell. We have not been shown any other parts of the film and are not sure about what is happening. It then cuts to another piece of text saying ‘the end of the world?’ this piece of text has a question mark on the end symbolising the end of the sentence that has been shown. The music at this point is hectic with lost so different sounds playing it is hard to identify what sounds there are.

There is then a shot of the mountain being covered in water this is showing the end of the world as we can only guess that the entire planet is covered in water. The water is filling over the mountains showing that nothing to tall will stand in its way we then see another shot of the monk looking onto the distance it is obvious he has seen his impending death. The next shot show the temple bathed in water and completely destroyed the music then crescendos and stops as the screen cuts to black again. The text ‘they wouldn’t’ then appears on screen implying that the government’s would not warn the public and it would be a disaster of biblical proportions. There is then a large drum sound and the title 2012 appears on the screen it then fades out and the text ‘find out the truth appears’ the trailer is playing on the concept that the governments of the world would perform a cover-up if they knew that the end of the world was coming.

Location scouting pictures

These are pictures of the location we chose to use. It is joshes sisters house and is a converted church which is nearly 1000 years old. we are all very positive that this location will have the kind of setting we need t produce a good trailer.

Conventions of horror films

Horror films are designed to frighten, excite, engross and thrill audiences. This is achieved through different techniques and conventions. These techniques are widespread across the horror genre some of these techniques are ;

v    Low key lighting.

v    Point of view shots from the killer.

v    The use of the unexpected.

v    Music

One of the most common conventions that we see in horror films is the use of low key lighting this is generally because most horror scenes are set in dark areas which is a convention in itself. An example of a film that uses low key lighting is the ring.

As you can see there is only one source of light here and we cannot see what is really happening apart from what is on the screen this gives a sense of ambiguity it also gives the audience a better perspective because they can see as much as the person on screen.

A good definition of low key lighting is found on Wikipedia “The term "low key" is used in cinematography to refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a predominance of shadowy areas. It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer, hence is commonly used in film noir and horror genres.”

Another technique used in horror films is point of view shots from the killers in the film. This useful because it gives more than one perspective also it lets the viewer know what is really happening however leaves them powerless to stop it. A good example of this is from jaws where point of view is used alot from the sharks eyes showing it about to kill its prey

Point of view is also usefull when viewers do not know where the point of view is coming from and so do not know what kind of horrors await.

The use of the unexpected essentially means a shock or fright it usually occurs after the viewer is lulled into a false sense of security. A good example of this kind of unexpected fright is in the film ‘seven’ by David flincher

Another very useful technique is music. In modern times most films have soundtracks and usually they are crucial in helping to tell the story or set a scene. Music can be used to manipulate people’s emotions and to make them scared or angry or tense and works very well in horror films.

We are going to use and develop these conventions in our trailer in order to get the best effect possible.

Audience expectations

This is a questionnaire we asked people to fill out to find out what they expected from a horror film.


Horror Audience Expectations

Star Trek teaser trailer analysis

The trailer begins with the production titles accompanied by a rather ominous low pitch sound that is hard to identify. There is the sound of a man attempting to light a welder although this is not apparent until the first shot which shows a welder lighting up and the sparks flying onto the face of a man who is unknown wearing glasses. There is then another shot of a different man removing his glasses he looks tired and sweaty this suggest he has been working hard all day. The screen then fades to black and the sound of a man most likely in a mission control centre saying ‘thirty seconds and counting’ this is linked to the launch of a spaceship into space and the countdown before the launch. This noise is heard during a black screen there is then a succession of shots, which show different people performing construction a large structure.

During an intermission between these shots the text ‘the Future begins ’ is shown this is the same in most teaser trailers, which have text intermittent between shots. It is not apparent as to what the structure is. This is accompanied with the sound of welding and other construction noises and famous quotes which are related to space missions that have happened in the past for example ‘the eagle has landed’ which is famous from the first moon landing. And also ‘one small step for man one giant leap for mankind’. It then cuts to a shot of the bottom of the ship and you can see construction happening all over the ship showing it is still under construction.

There is then a crane shot showing the bow of the ship through some scaffolding on the bow of the ship is the name ‘enterprise’ which is the name of the starship in the first star trek shows and films and so from this point it is apparent what the film is. As this is happening there is also the famous soundtrack form the original show which will be know by any original star trek fans. As this music begins you also hear Leonard Nimoy say the infamous words ’space the final frontier’. The music then crescendos and the screen fades to black . Then the famous symbol from the original star trek appears on the screen. The icon is an everlasting symbol of star trek and is so recognizable that the production did not feel the need to put the title of the film in the trailer.It then fades back to black and the words ‘under construction’ appear on the screen this is a play on the theme of the trailer which shows the starship enterprise under construction. It then shows a date and title. The trailer then ends the trailer only has roughly 15 shots In it which is like most teaser trailers.

Intial plot synopsis

The story revolves around two characters, a father and a son. The father is the main character of the film and has recently lost his wife in a car accident. He decides to move away with his son to escape a setting that reminds them of a troubled past. They find a house in the country, remote from their usual urban surroundings. The father and son move in and try to adjust to a more solitary life when bizarre events start to occur.

The electricity power to the house frequently cuts out, but upon investigation of the fuse board, there never seems to be a problem. The gramophone of the house repeatedly switches itself on and starts to play old 40s records. At night, the father hears footsteps and doors opening and closing, and suspects that someone is tampering with the house. The father starts to question his son, asking him why he’s trying to cause trouble, as he is the only plausible suspect. The son denies all accusations concerning tampering with the house.

One day the father wakes up to find his son missing from the house. He starts to search the woods surrounding the house, shouting out his son’s name in an attempt to find him. Panic ensues, as there’s few signs or traces of his son in the woods, and he starts to get lost as he moves deeper into the forest. The father starts to see shadows moving across the scenery and hears menacing sounds. The father sees one silhouette standing still in the distance and as he starts to move towards it, the silhouette starts to run away. In a mad rush to catch the enigmatic figure the father stumbles across his son crouching in a forest alcove. The son won’t answer his father as his father asks him why he ran away. From here onwards the son seems to be afraid of his own father.

One night the power cuts out again whilst the two are eating dinner. The father tells his son not to move whilst he finds a torch. Upon returning to the dinner table his shines the torch light at his sons seat but his son is missing. The house starts to make menacing sounds again, and the father cautiously searches the premises. Entering the kitchen he finds all the draws open and several kitchen knives lying around the countertops. Moving over to the gramophone playing he stares at it to hear his son from behind him say ‘I’m scared’. The father quickly turns and shines the torch at his son to reveal the boy standing there with phantom/demon like features. Panicking, the dad drops the torch, scrambling to pick it back up and shines the torch back at his son standing right next to him now but now in a normal state. The lights flicker back on, but from here onwards the father starts to suspect that his son his possessed or evil.

The father visits the local church to consult a priest about his troubled thoughts. The priest, unaware that someone has moved into the community, asks where the two have moved in residence. After telling the priest what address they moved into, the priest starts to panic and orders him to leave his parish and never return to the village area again, and even to leave his son behind. From these words the father determines that his son is the problem, and not the house.

One night the son and father are in bed and the son, trying to get to sleep starts to get tormented by the house. Menacing voices tell him to ‘hide or kill’. Shadows start to creep up the wall of his bedroom and the window starts to open by itself as the voices get louder. Staring at the window petrified, the boy then glances back at his wall as he hears the sound of carving to see the word ‘Hide or Kill’ carved in large capitals on his bedroom wall. The boy jumps out of his bed and runs to his father’s room. He steadily opens the door, walks in and stands at the foot of his dad’s bed. He gets his dad to wake up by pushing at his ankles. The dad wakes up in a daze and turns on the lamp to see the walls of his room carved repeatedly with the words ‘I’ll bury you’. The father panics and yells at his son, screaming and cursing, telling him to get out. The son, frightened, runs out of the room and hides in the living room. The father grabs an axe from underneath his bed and creeps out of his room. He turns round the corner to see his son crouching in the corner. The father moves towards his son and sees him scared and nervous. The dad apologises and stretches out one hand to lift his son, but as the son looks up at the dad his face turns demon like once again. Panicking, the father swings his axe at his son, missing narrowly.

The father continues to hunt his son in the house with his axe whilst his son tries to find a means to escape. The sun currently sees his father as a terrible haunting figure as he chases him relentlessly until the boy is crawling on all fours outside the entrance of the house. Just as the father is about to take a swing and kills his son, the priest arrives just in time and shoots the father with a hunting rifle. The priest then takes the boy and puts him in his car to drive away from the house. The son looks out the back windscreen to watch the house disappear over the horizon. The priest tells the boy it will all be alright now, as the son sits forward and looks up at the priest with the same demon features.

Amityville horror trailer analysis

This analysis was done by josh whilst me and jacob were doing other work.

The trailer begins by using the diegetic sound of gunshots to establish its threatening atmosphere. The screen remains black and the audience is focused upon these menacing sounds creating a sense of curiosity on the viewer’s behalf. The trailer is then kicked to life by the sound of a television switching on accompanied by a quick distortion on screen; this makes the events appear factual because its being presented as a television broadcast. The grainy black and white picture also establishes the time period of the events in addition to accentuating the sinister feel of the trailer because of the harsh contrast between the blacks and whites.

The editing is quick with the sound of razors on violins prompting a numerous amount of cuts. A lot of information is transmitted in this opening sequence. There are close-ups of newspaper headlines, one reading ‘possessed’.

There are also interviews with police officers who narrate the action which is happening on screen giving the details of the horrific events “I have never seen anything like that…” The non-diegetic sound of a low pitch instrument (most possibly a drum or a bass guitar) accompanies the diegetic sound casting and continuing the overall ominous tone. Throughout this sequence, and the trailer, the text fades onto the screen almost like it is slowly condensing giving the trailer another depth of tone; a cold and eerie one.

The purpose of this opening sequence is to establish the threat before introducing the helpless to it.

Once a familiar style title, which helps the continuity of the piece, informs the audience that the ‘Luta Family’ has moved into the house we are presented with a home video of the Luta family moving in. The smaller square aspect ratio of the film and the sound of active film reels once again emphasize the time period that the piece is set in.

This would be a happy and perhaps comfortable sequence for the audience if it were not for the distortion made to the sound of laughing children. It makes it a more disturbing experience because the symbol for innocence, children, have been made into an unsettling reflection upon the house. This sequence serves to set up the family whilst foreshadowing their sinister fate.

After seeing the home video we enter the final part of the trailer. This is characterized by the mix of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. For example, the sound of lighting and screaming is mixed with the amplifying sound of violins. It is interesting to note that nature(explicably weather) is used to reflect the atmosphere and emotions of the characters (pathetic fallacy). In the home video the weather was calm and sunny (almost representing the calm before the storm). The use of quick cuts, usually in time with flashes of lighting, quickens the pace of the trailer intensifying the threat through the action taking place on screen. We see a variety of frightening images, for example: arms appearing out of a bath, strange pale eyes, a face of what would seem a dead man etc.

What is a teaser trailer

This is a small video we made describing exactly what different types of teaser trailers there are.