Product Research - Film Trailers

This trailer begins with the licence which allows all audiences to view this trailer. Most people expect to see these licences at the beginning of film trailers. This then cuts to the production company, to establish whether it is mainstream or independent. Since this film only has one production company it suggests that this is an independent trailer. A very loud animal-like growling sound is heard which unsettles and shocks the audience, which is followed by a very loud continuous buzzing sound which is continuous throughout the whole trailer. Plain white text then appears on a black background giving us a history of the story. This clip is also shown right at the beginning of the movie, and being included in the trailer, at the start, suggests that this is the most important aspect of the film. This then cuts to a hand-held shot of the woods and a quotation from a review by ‘Newsday’ is shown on top of the shot. Whilst this is being shown, we can hear a lady screaming and crying in the background making the audience wonder about what is going on. There is some sort of eerie chant in the background which is also continuous throughout the whole trailer. When this shot cuts to another hand held shot of the woods with another review quotation from ‘Entertainment Weekly’, a very loud, unsettling lightning sound is heard during the transition. This sound unsettles the audience as they are unaware that they are going to hear something like this, and it is much unexpected, surprising the audience. The shot is not very clear and this confuses the audience as they do not know what is going on. However, the quotations may persuade the audience to go and watch the film because if it is getting good reviews, the audience may feel that the film is worth going to watch. This quotation form ‘Entertainment Weekly’ then cuts to another hand held shot of someone running through the woods. The man is screaming someone’s name very loudly and is very out of breathe suggesting he is very scared and is trying to run away from something, at the same time, trying to find his friend. The lightning sound is again heard as this transition takes place, again unsettling the audience. When this shot cuts to the title of the film, which is on a plain black background, the lightning/screaming sound is heard and is very loud and is very long in duration. This shocks the audience. Another plain background shot is shown with ‘This Summer’ written on it in a plain, white font. At this point, we can hear a woman screaming and crying but we don’t see who it is, intriguing the audience as they want to find who she is and why she is crying. After this shot, the film’s website is shown, and here we can hear people screaming, crying and out of breathe, suggesting that they are, or have been, running. The audience may feel that they are not told much as they have not been able to see much in this trailer. The lighting is very dark and the whole trailer is in black and white, making the audience wonder what actually happens. Because the audience are kept in isolation, and do not actually get to see the people in the film, it may want them to go and watch the film to find out what actually happens. All of these techniques are conventions of horror film trailers.
(The duration of this trailer is 40 seconds).



The trailer starts with the logos of the different production companies involved. This establishes whether this film is going to be mainstream or independent. Since there are several production companies, it suggests that this is a mainstream movie. There is then a shot of the moon which cuts to a high angle shot of two cars on an empty road. The darkness and moon implies that something bad is going to happen. The music from the beginning of the trailer is sort of techno, dance music, but this then cuts to eerie, empty sounds when the shot fades out and into the text. This causes the mood to change and surprise the audience. The text which appears has a fire like background, and the colours used are orange and red. These colours are usually associated with danger. The text which continuously appears on the screen after the movie shot fades out. The text is only a sentence long, and tells aspects of the narrative of the film at different times. This technique is used to try and persuade the audience to watch the film because they may feel as if they now want to find out what happens at the end, being told what happens at the beginning. Scanning and tracking shots are used to establish the isolated setting. The six friends are shown from different angles implying they are being watched from everywhere. This is then shown when it cuts to a point of view shot of someone looking at them through a window. We only see their hand which creates suspense and makes the audience wonder who is watching them and why. There is a worm’s eye view of two friends walking up the stairs which suggests that by entering this building, they will be placed in danger. The music consists of drumbeats which get faster and louder as the two friends decide to have a look at the building. When inside, there are very short duration shots of the different things inside, and of the friends themselves. These shots are broken up by fades which creates mystery for the audience as they are not getting to see the full picture properly. This then cuts to a very unclear, dark image and only a creaking sound is heard. This suggests to the audience that something unexpected is going to happen. This immediately cuts to a very fast paced montage of close ups of the friends screaming and breathing very heavily. The close ups allow the audience to see the fear in their eyes. These shots are very unclear and are in the dark which unsettles the audience as they do not know what is going on. The action begins after this shot, and the music becomes very fast paced and is still quite eerie. The music increases in pace and volume until it reaches a crescendo. It then goes back to the drumbeat which mirrors the audience’s heartbeat. The texts which appear now are explained by the shots used. Such as ‘There is a reason they look so real’ is shown between one of the friends who is stuck in a chair and is having hot wax poured over him. This cuts to the title of the film, melting, as it is made with wax. The music becomes very eerie at this moment, unsettling the audience. This then fades out with the voice of one of the friends saying ‘what’s going on?’ but we don’t see her face. There is a close up of a hand coming through the wax wall, and then it cuts to the website of the film and ‘Coming Soon’. The audience think that the trailer is over, but there is another very short duration shot right after which surprises and scares the audience as they were not expecting something else to appear. All of these techniques are conventions of horror film trailers.(The duration of this trailer is 1 minute and 55 seconds).

Product Research - Film Posters

The colours used in this poster are very dark. The background is black and there is an image of the woods at the top of the poster. This image is in shadow creating a mysterious feel. The logo for the film is placed in the centre of the poster with the text explaining the history of the film. This text is shown at the beginning of the trailer, and also at the beginning of the actual film; and now that it is placed in the centre of the film poster suggests its importance. Underneath this text is a close up of one of the men in the film. The bottom half of his face has been cut off by the camera suggesting that he took the picture himself. This reflects the actual film as the whole movie has been done by the men themselves using a hand-held camera, and this image allows the audience to get a sense of this type of movie. The name of the title is directly below the image of the student and it is in a plain white font. It is a bigger size to the rest of the text, but is still quite small and may confuse the audience. Underneath the title are all the names of the companies involved in this movie, and the logos of their companies are also shown. This font is also in white keeping the whole poster consistent with just two colours; black and white. This reflects the trailer as the trailer is in black and white as well and allows the audience to expect a similar thing in the film.

The poster for this film has very dark, consistent colours. These are black, dark blue and a dark green/aqua colour. These reflect the genre of the film as horror film posters usually use dark colours. The names of the actors are the top of the poster to allow the audience to firstly see who is in the film as there are no images of who is actually in the film. The font’s used are plain, and very bold (san serif).The main image is of a wax figure lying down, and melting. This gives the audience an idea of what the film is actually about. The image is the largest aspect of the poster, as it draws attention to the poster. It is placed quite high in the poster, and the bottom half of its face is in shadow giving the impression of the unknown. Underneath the image is the tag line of the film; ‘PREY SLAY DISPLAY’. This tagline is in the same font as the actors’ names’ keeping the poster simple and consistent. Each word of the tagline is on a different line creating emphasis on each word. Underneath the tagline is the title of the film. The title is in a larger font to the rest of the text to show the audience that this is the name, and so they don’t get confused. Again, the font is bold and san serif implying the harshness of the film. The colours reflect the image of the wax woman, highlighting the consistency. The consistent dark colours attract the audiences’ attention as they can see how the image and title all link together. Since the colour of the tagline and actors’ names’ are the same, it suggest that the tagline is applying to them. Below the title are all the names of the production companies and those involved in the making of the film allowing the audience to see whether it is a mainstream or independent movie. The colour of these names is again the same as the image and title. The production company logos are also shown. Directly below these names is the release date. The size of this font is bigger than the production company names and the colour is also different so that the audience will be able to clearly see which section is together. The background of the poster is black, giving the poster an overall dull, dark, mystery feel, attracting the audience as they might want to know what the poster looks like, or what the film is about.

Product Research - DVD Covers

The front DVD cover for this film again has the same image as the film poster. This is so that the audience can identify with that image and relate it to the film. The image is in black and white, reflecting the film and poster, so the audience can make references. One of the differences between the poster and DVD cover is that the DVD cover does not have the text about the history of the film on it. The title of the film is also placed in the centre of the cover, above the image, whereas on the poster, it was below the image of the student. On the right hand side of the title, there is an age certificate logo (15) showing the audience that only those 15 or above are allowed to buy and watch the film. On the bottom right hand corner of the DVD cover is the DVD logo, the same as it is on the House of Wax DVD cover. This shows the audience what format this version of the film is.

The DVD cover for this film uses the same image as the film poster, keeping everything consistent so that the audience are able to relate to that particular image, or specific colours, back to the film itself. The layout of the DVD front cover is a little bit different to the poster. There is a strip at the top of the cover which has ‘Widescreen edition’ written on it. The names of the actors are underneath this strip, in the same font and colour as on the poster. Below their names is the title of the film. Again, in the same font and colour as on the film poster. This shows the audience what the title of the film is. The image of the melting wax girl is placed in the centre of the cover. It is quite a big image which attracts the audiences’ attention as it is quite unusual and it is the first thing they see. Below the main image is a quotation from a review by ‘Long Island Press’. The size of the quotation is quite large and it is in capital letters so that the audience can read the quote and see what other people also thought of the film. In the bottom right hand corner, there is the logo saying ‘DVD’ showing us that this is a DVD of the film. Right on the bottom of the front cover is the copyright details stating that all rights are reserved by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. This shows the audience that this film is a mainstream film as it is produced by a mainstream production company.

The back cover for this DVD is very packed and shows the audience a lot. The background colour is again kept consistent as it is the same aqua type colour as the melting wax girl on the film poster and front of the DVD cover. This allows the audience to identify this colour and relate it to the film. There is a table at the top which informs the audience of the main and special features of the DVD. On the right of the table is the barcode for purchasing the DVD. Below the barcode and table, there are several images of clips in the film lined up next to each other. Different people are shown in each image which allows the audience to recognise who is in the film, and if anyone they like is in the film. Directly below these images is a very small summary of the movie’s narrative. It gives the opening of the film so that the rest of the narrative is left to the audiences’ imagination. Also, knowing just the beginning of the film intrigues the audience in buying and watching the DVD as they will want to know what will happen in the rest of the film. Underneath the summary, there is a black strip with a close up image of a girl on the left. On the right, there is a list of all of the special features included in the DVD. These include bloopers and a theatrical trailer. These special features may appeal to the target audience and persuade them to buy the DVD as they cannot view all of these special features in the cinema. Underneath this black strip, are the names of all of the production companies and companies involved in the making of the film. This, again, allows the audience to see whether the film is a mainstream or independent film. The logos of the companies are also shown so that the audience can recognise them. Below these names is all the copyright and restriction information, informing the audience of piracy etc. The DVD logo is again on the bottom right hand corner, along with a HD logo telling the audience of the format of the DVD.

Audience Research - Graphs and Results

My audience research consisted of 3 males and 7 females; as you can see from the bar chart. From this result, I have decided that my target audience are going to be females.

The majority of my respondents were aged between 15 and 19, and only 3 respondents were aged between 20 and 25. This suggests that my film trailer, poster and DVD should be aimed at quite a young audience.

All of my respondents were students, therefore I am going to ensure that my film applies to them and they can relate to it.

This bar chart shows that the majority of my respondents like Comedy films. They also enjoy Horror, Thriller and Gangster. Due to these results, I have decided that the genre for my film is going to be horror.

As you can see, 80% (8/10) of my respondents prefer mainstream films to independent films, and only 20% (2/10) of my respondents preferred independent to mainstream films. Therefore, my film is going to be mainstream.

The majority of my respondents said that film trailers did influence their decision to go and watch a film. Only 2 people said that it didn’t influence their decision as much because only the good parts of a film are put into the trailer, and this doesn’t make the whole film good, or worthwhile to watch.

6 out of 10 respondents said that film posters influenced whether they would go to watch it. Reasons for this included; ‘I see if there are actor/actresses in the film I rate as good’ and ‘if the film poster looks interesting, I will eventually be attracted to the film’.
However, those who chose ‘No’ had reasons such as; ‘can’t see what’s going on’ and ‘a poster does not tell a storyline’.

This chart above shows what the respondents get most influenced by to buy a DVD. The majority of the respondents said it was just because they liked the film.

65% of my respondents said that they found film trailers the most persuasive advertising. This shows that the film trailer which I will produce will have quite a large audience, as the majority of these respondents have already stated that this is the most persuasive of advertising. The next most persuasive way of film advertising was film posters/billboards. This again means that the film poster I will produce will have a large audience.

AUDIENCE RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND TALLIED RESULTS

Questionnaire
Results – 10 respondents

1. What gender are you?
Male 3
Female 7

2. What is your ethnicity?
White 1
Asian 4
Black African 3
Black Caribbean 1
Other Chinese/Philippians

3. How old are you?
15 – 19 7
20 – 25 3
26 – 30 0
31 – 35 0
36 – 40 0
41 – 45 0
46 – 50 0
50+ 0

4. Where do you live?
Inner London 8
Suburbs 2
Countryside 0

5. What is your occupation?
Student x 10
Music Producer
Part time lifeguard

6. What is your favourite film genre?
Horror 4
Comedy 6
Romance 2
Thriller 3
Science Fiction
Gangster 3
Romantic Comedy
Fantasy
Musical
War
Action/Adventure 2

7. What do you like about this particular genre?
Horror and Thriller - The thrill and scariness it brings
Comedy – Light-hearted, makes you laugh, doesn’t require concentration in following a complex plot, cheers you up
Action/Adventure – It’s fun and gritty to watch
Comedy – I like funny movies
Gangster – It’s gory, can contain dark humour and provides pure unsaturated action
Horror, Comedy, Thriller and Gangster – Because their funny and normally have really good plots and twists within the film
Comedy and Thriller – Thriller – something that makes me think and keeps me on the edge of my seat. Comedy – Just for fun!
Horror, Comedy and Romance – It makes a good film, and interesting to watch
Horror, Comedy and Romance – Enjoy watching it because it can be very emotional and heart-whelming
Gangster and Action/Adventure – What I wish I was like

8. Do you prefer mainstream or independent films?
Mainstream 8
Independent 2

Why?
Mainstream: -
- More interesting
- Better actors and directing, better quality effects and props
- Better quality as more money is being used
- More people to discuss movie with
- Haven’t really watched enough indie films to compare, but I like
special effects
- I feel more into it rather than watching it on my own
- Everyone can relate to one part of the film
- Better quality, hot celebs
Independent: -
- They portray real life more
- Because they always seem more honest and the storylines
seem to have been worked on harder

9. What is your favourite film?
LOTR
The Godfather
The Ring
Don’t have one
I am Legend
Hancock
High Fidelity
Wild Child
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Bollywood film)
SAW’s, Ocean 11, 12, 13, National Treasure

Why?
LOTR – Because the SFX, acting, and script lived up to the legend that was the book
The Godfather – Because it’s fantastic
The Ring - Scary
Don’t have one – (blank)
I am Legend – It was a big epic movie that I loved the whole way through
Hancock – It was so funny
High Fidelity – Because I loved the book; it’s really funny, and I love John Cusack and the way he directly talks to the audience
Wild Child – Because it’s a good girly film and interesting to watch
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Bollywood film) – Has my favourite actor (Shahrukh Khan), and I think the storyline is brilliant and heart-touching
SAW’s, Ocean 11, 12, 13, National Treasure – The LEGEND

10. Who is your favourite film actor?
Dustin Hoffman
Tom Hank
Johnny Depp
Don’t have one
Will Smith
Martin Lawrence
John Cusack
Will Smith
Shahrukh Khan
Nicholas Cage

Why?
Dustin Hoffman – Because he’s absolutely effortless at what he does and makes it seem surreal. The guy’s a legend
Tom Hank – Because he likes to take on interesting roles, and he is very talented
Johnny Depp - Fit
Don’t have one – (blank)
Will Smith – Because he’s funny to watch in every movie he does
Martin Lawrence – He’s funny
John Cusack – Because he’s a brilliant actor and rather handsome
Will Smith – Because he’s hot!!!
Shahrukh Khan – He is BEAUTIFUL! He can portray any role realistically, and show great emotions
Nicholas Cage - LEGEND

11. Do film trailers influence your decision to watch a film?
Yes 8
No 2

­­­­­­­­­­Why?
Yes: -
- Because if a trailer is boring, I won’t want to see the film
- They show you what the film is roughly about, because sometimes the
names don’t give you much of a clue and show you what to expect
from it
- So that I’m able to see whether it’s worth watching
- You can tell if the film will be good or not
- Because I like to gain a little insight into the film before viewing it
- Because they always show the interesting parts
- They mostly do, because they give an idea about what the film is like
- If they look good with an interesting storyline
No: -
- Because a trailer is the best sections or shots in a film put together.
Doesn’t make the movie good
- Because I follow my heart

12. Do you like film trailers which show a lot of the narrative or those which don’t show as much and create more suspense? Why?
A lot of narrative: -
- Show narrative – then you know what you are seeing.
Create suspense: -
- If a film trailer shows me the majority of the narrative it means I
will not view the movie because I know the storyline. However, if
it is the latter then I am anxious to know more.
- I prefer ones that don’t give too much of the narrative and plot
as they create more suspense and you want to go see the film.
- I like suspense as it gets me more into the film and suspense
makes it more interesting.
- Suspense, because I don’t want to hear the best lines and stuff
before I see the film. I don’t want them to give too much away
and I want it to be all new when I watch it. But I want to see
enough to make me want to see it all.
- I think creating more suspense will influence me to want to
watch more.
- Films that create more suspense.
- I prefer ones that create more suspense because they leave
more to the imagination which makes the film viewing more
worthwhile.
- Create more suspense, because it makes you wonder what
could happen next.
- Which don’t show narrative, because I prefer to watch and
understand the film myself, rather than it being narrated to me.

13. Do film posters influence whether you watch a film?
Yes 6
No 4

Why?
Yes: -
- If the poster is high quality and interesting, I’ll look it up and go see it.
- Because if the film poster looks interesting, I will eventually be
attracted to the film.
- It helps to remind me of when the movie is coming out.
- Sometimes, because I see if there are actor/actresses in the film that I
rate as good.
- If it looks pretty then I will watch it.
- Yes sometimes, it again gives you an idea and clue about what the film
may contain, and genre.
No: -
- Because a poster doesn’t tell a storyline; anyone could make a poster.
- Because even an amazing looking poster can be for a poor quality film, and good films have bad posters. Posters have no relation to content.
- Not much detail.
- Can’t see what’s going on – unless hot guy on the poster.

14. What most influences whether you buy a DVD?
Reviews of the film 2
Genre 1
Narrative of film 3
Actors in the film 3
You haven’t watched the film 1
You just like the film 6
The cover 0

15. What type of film advertising do you find most persuasive?
Film reviews 2
Film trailers 9
Film posters/Billboards 3
Radio adverts 0
Magazine adverts 0
Newspaper adverts 0

16. From the ones who have chosen above, where do you usually see/listen to these advertisements?
Film Reviews – Mostly in Empire Magazine, but it doesn’t have a final say on final judgment.
Film Reviews, Film trailers and Film posters/Billboards – Adverts on TV, cinema, bus stops, sides of buses.
Film trailers – On TV
Film trailers – In cinemas, previews or TV.
Film trailers – On the internet.
Film trailers – TV/Cinema.
Film trailers – When I’m at the cinema/on TV.
Film trailers and Film posters/Billboards – On TV.
Film trailers and Film posters/Billboards – Watch on the television, and see on the streets.
Film trailers – TV, cinema.

17. What aspects of these advertisements do you like?
Film Reviews – Most of the time film reviews are right, and worth reading because if a review says a movie is shit, then it most probably is.
Film Reviews, Film trailers and Film posters/Billboards – (blank)
Film trailers – I always like a preview in a film. It gives me a taste of the film.
Film trailers – The action/comedy/catchy bits they show. The music and actors they introduce. Lets me know if any actors I like are in it.
Film trailers – Able to give more broad insight.
Film trailers – Film highlights.
Film trailers – The excitement.
Film trailers and Film posters/Billboards – Everything, the clothes to the actors.
Film trailers and Film posters/Billboards – Film trailers give you an insight into the film.
Film trailers – Suspense, not knowing.