Horror Trailer Conventions

As we are now doing a horror trailer, it was imperative that we did our research into horror trailers. I looked at some trailers such as, Insidious, The Orphan, The Grudge and Scream. These trailers helped me to get a wider understanding of the codes and conventions of a horror trailer. This will then help us when creating our own production. 

MISE EN SCENE-

Setting-  
In a horror film the setting can be anywhere. In the trailers that i have researched they are all set in a different places. Either in the woods, in the home or in the middle of nowhere, however they all tend to be isolated from the rest of society with only the villain and the victims there. This helps to create tension and suspense towards the audience helping them feel gripped and enticed by the action happening on the screen, knowing that something is going to happen, but not knowing when helps to create an adrenaline rush.

Props- 
 - Fake blood is used to show injury and destruction of the villain.
- weapons such as knives, guns and saws are used to show/suggest danger and violence and also the fear of being hurt and in pain, for example in the film e.g Saw in 2003.
- masks are also often used to hide the identity of the killer, e.g Scream in 1997

Colour Schemes- 
- The colours of the text are predominantly black, white or red. This is because these colours can represent death, murder and darkness. The colours work well together to create the effect of horror and evilness. The colour red helps to emphasise danger and blood, which are connotations that audiences would be alarmed by.In addition to this,
. Black represents darkness and mystery, it also relates to the phrase 'the black sheep' which is an outcast from family or society. This is generally the case within horror, when the villain is neglected from society. This is usually the reasoning as to why they are a villain in the first place.  White can suggest coldness, which can relate to the personality of the villain.
The colours are used on the text within a trailer, from my research it is usually white writing on a black background or in the trailer thirty days of night its red text on a red and black background which gives emphasis on the vampires within the film. Having black and white against each other helps to create a strong contrast,making texts and images stand out well. 

Costume, Hair and Makeup-

-The way the characters are dressed usually gives the audience a good indication of what type of character they are, for example if the character is dressed in dark clothing and is covered up-so the identity is not revealed then typically they are the villain. The make-up used on a villain, will generally be really pale so the features are emphasised e.g. pale face, with dark eyes to give them a creepy look. A good example of this would be the Joker in Batman. The victims (protagonist) are usually dressed in casual, everyday, outfits so that they look 'normal' towards society, whereas the villain will look different and will possibly stand out more (against the norm of society). However, this is not always the case and there will be exceptions to the rule, an example would be when when a villain is not obvious and are shown as part of the group.

SOUND-

Diegetic Sound- 

 -Diegetic Sound is almost always used in teaser trailers, it is sound that is within the 'film world'. An example of this within horror would be a victim screaming, the sound of a door opening or the sound of a gun shot. As film trailers have to be suitable for all ages, the trailer cannot show disturbing/violent scenes and cannot show any fright into much detail. Thus,they have to rely on sound and effects to make these elements evident e.g hearing a scream without seeing the attack. The use of character interaction (dialogue) will help the narrative along and will help the audience to understand the events within the trailer. Using this within a trailer helps show the narrative of the film and helps create suspense, tension and enigmas. The "Foley Process" can also be used during horror films. For example, snapping a carrot in half to a speaker, can be the sound effect of a bone breaking in the film. 

Non-Diegetic Sound-

-Is sound that has been added during post production. Within horror trailers, the sound used is generally music that will create a spooky effect or will create tension. Sounds such as a heartbeat can be used to create a scary effect and suspense.

For example in the high pitched sound in the music in the trailer for Thirty Days Of Night gives a sinister feel to the film and helps create tension along with the visual in screen.

Sound Bridges- 

- The same music or sound that links two scenes together, to make the action scene interrupted. This would be use in the middle of the trailer as it will be revealing the action within the film, it helps to keep the continuity within the film by carrying on with the same source of sound.

CAMERA-

Establishing shot-
- Is used at the beginning of the trailer to set the scene and to show equilibrium. Normally you will see the soon-to-victims leading their normal lives before the disruption occurs.

Close up - 
- This shot shows the detail of a subjects face. It's used within horror trailers to show the fear and emotion of the victims and making the audience to feel their pain. It can be also used to show the face of the villain, or an extreme close up may be used to show just a section of their face for example their eyes. This will create an enigma as the audience won't be sure what the villain fully looks like.