EVALUATION FOURTEEN: Use of camera- How did you plan and storyboard the dynamic moments in your trailer.

The camera work in a production is extremely significant as it helps to project different emotions off to the audience. For example, close up shots are an effective way to portray details and facial expressions, where as establishing shots help to set the scene of a location and are therefore commonly shown at the beginning. In our production, we had a wide range of shot types. When we were recording our production, we actually had a list of shot types to include. This way, we were able to tick each one off once we had included it. We feel that different shot types help to make our audience feel a part of the production and keep them engaged. 

Establishing shots: 

 We used a lot of establishing shots in our trailer to help it appear more 'trailer like'. As a trailer is only giving a teaser of the entire film, we had to ensure that there was a range of shots included. The purpose of an establishing shot is to set the scene or location. They are commonly displayed at the beginning of a film, to give the audience an insight into the setting of where the film is taking place. To open our trailer, we followed a similar concept, of displaying our setting. The trailer opens with a slow zoom, establishing shot of an empty house/kitchen. The fact that it is empty is a significant thing to consider. If the house was full of people, it wouldn't suggest an eerie atmosphere, an empty house with the sound effect of a loud thud contributes to create a paranormal and creepy atmosphere.- The silence is almost disturbing. There is diegetic music of a radio playing in the background which also contributes to the idea of setting the scene of a location. It makes it seem relaxed and calm. There are everyday items shows in the establishing shot, such as cushions, T.V's books and wine racks. This makes the house seem ordinary and relatbale- a perfect place for a clown to ruin everything.Establishing shot are also explored later on in the trailer, when the audience are displayed with a relaxing shot of a lake, with birds swarming around. This connotes positive aspects and cements a calming and naturalistic atmosphere, completely juxtaposing the spine chilling clown that is hunting and killing young people just around the corner. Establishing shots are an effective way to show audiences the locations used in the trailer so that the audience get a wide round view of the film and where the film is taking place. Close up shot were also used in our trailer to give the audience an idea into the details and smaller parts of the film. We used close up shots of a record player being shown repeatedly. The fact that in editing we used the idea of 'repetition of shots' clearly suggests to the audience that the record player is a significant and important factor in the trailer. The audience is kept being brought back to the same object, playing the same music, in the same location, this gives the film the perfect opportunity to disrupt the equilibrium by something different happening to the record player, for example, changing the music, which happens right at the end, leaving the audience on a cliff hanger. 


Close up shots: 

We used a range of close up shots in our production to help display emotion, details and facial expressions. We used a lot of close up shots of the clown as we want the audience to be able to obtain all the emotions from the clown.  A lot of the emotion can be expressed by the colour scheme. The colour's used are bright and eccentric. The colour red connotes to blood and danger which are elements that are commonly featured in horror films/trailers. The colour white directly juxtaposes this connotation, but is still a bright colour. On the white parts of the mask there are greyish undertones which helps to add a darkened effect, contributing to the horror genre. The record player is a repetitive shot displayed in the trailer, which suggests to the audience that it is a significant part of the film. We used a monochromatic filter effect on the record player to separate this shot from the rest of the trailer, further emphasizing the difference and significance of the record player. The close up shot is effective, as it fills the frame of the screen, meaning that the audience cannot see any other things in the shot, cementing the idea of mystery-another connotation of a horror trailer. Towards the end of our trailer, we used a close up shot of a candle being blown out in the air. The sheer difference between the lightness and then darkness creates tension towards the audience. It leaves an element of fear to the audience, as darkness suggests that the audience cannot see anything, which is a perfect opportunity for a film maker to add a shocking and scary twist at the end. 

Long shots:


We also incorporated long shots into our production. A lot of our long shots featured the presence of a new location. Similarly, to an establishing shot, we used long shots to set the new location. A long shot of the girls walking down a path near a lake is displayed. Their are cars the background driving past, which suggests that the scene is relatable to the audience as this is a stereotypical thing that horror films include, or is also known as 'setting the equilibrium'. We wanted to initially make our trailer seem like 'everyday' so that our target audience can feel related to it. The composition of the shot features overbearing trees which almost makes the shot seem more dominant and powerful. The trees do not have any leaves on them, suggesting that the season is winter, and therefore gets darker quickly. When a scene is dark it suggests that something negative is about to happen. Therefore conforming to a horror genre. We incorporated lots of different shots of a clown in long shots. This was effective as the audience are able to obtain the body language of the clown. For example, in this long shot, we are able to see that the clown is standing underneath a lamp post. This was effective, as it was the only light source in the photograph that is strongly focused on the clown. In addition to this, the clown is in centre composition suggesting that it has a dominating and powerful nature towards the clown. Regarding the editing of this shot, we featured a 'glitch' effect, to make the clown seem paranormal. The glitch effect made it seem like the clown had just appeared out of no where, conforming to the horror genre as well as adding a mysterious effect. 


Match on Action 

Match on action is an interesting way to make our trailer seem different and exciting. This features the idea of moving the camera to different points for the same shot. For example, in this shot, we had the camera at an angle in the first picture that was longer, and then as the clown moves further towards the mirror, we had the camera at a different angle. The fact that this is displayed when the clown is present on the screen helps to demonstrate the idea of a creepy and paranormal atmosphere, as it gives the appearance that the clown has moved the shot around creating a disruption and uneasy atmosphere to the audience. The match on action can be further explored later on in the trailer where the girls are shown walking under a tunnel The fact that there was a tunnel their meant that we could play around with the leveling of the camera. As the tunnel was enclosed, it created a lot of perspective in the shot which made the girls appear enclosed and shaped by the tunnel. which again, created an uneasy atmosphere. 

Zoom

At the beginning of the trailer, we also had a 'zoom' effect to make the location seem settled and quiet. The zoom was focused on a long shot of the house, which made the house seem smaller as the camera zoomed in. This also helped to set the equilibrium of the trailer. It demonstrated the beginning of what is about to come. The fact that we used a camera zoom on a house is effective. This is because, houses are commonly used in horror films to display a 'haunted house', or a 'possessed house' films such as Insidous, The woman in black, Sinister and The conjuring all feature houses. which helped to make our trailer seem more 'horror' like.