Forms and Conventions of Our Teaser Trailer

Forms and Conventions of Our Teaser TrailerTobi OduneyeForms and Conventions of Our MagazineEmily Welfare

Our magazine cover does not hold the regular conventions of a normal Sight and Sound magazine, and the reason for this is because we took inspiration from a special edition magazine cover that was made for the film Public Enemies. The reason we were inspired by this cover was because we wanted more of a full body shot of the character in action, which Sight and Sound do not typically do. Also we wanted to make our film appear more unique, having triggered a rare special edition version of the infamous magazine.

Regular CoverRegular CoverSpecial EditionAs you can see, Sight and Sound are very consistent with their fonts in the regular versions of their covers, but the special edition for Public Enemies breaks the rule of their fonts, which is what we wanted to do with our own magazine cover.

MastheadDate/BarcodeMainCover linesCover linesMainImageAs said before, our magazine cover does not look the same as a normal Sight and Sound magazine would. Sight and Sound do not typically use different colours other than red, white and yellow. We kept with this colour scheme for our cover lines, making the main cover line yellow and white, using graphics to make it fade out nicely like our title does in our trailer and poster. We also used different fonts compared to what Sight and Sound would usually use, and this was based upon the special edition, since it too had different fonts to the normal magazine covers. For the regular cover lines though, we stuck with the normal font, that being Times New Roman.

Other than the small differed aspects we applied to our magazine, we stuck with the conventions of a magazine, placing the masthead and date/barcode in the same place it would always be on a Sight and Sound magazine. 5We were sure to apply our image to what we think a thriller film would look like on a magazine cover. We did this by having a dramatic shadow on our characters face, as well as a dull black and white back ground. This also links to the horror aspect we have with our trailer. The expression on the characters face is also serious, showing a few minor injuries on their face, which horror and thriller images tend to have. We also paid close attention to the characters clothing, making sure they were wearing dark clothes. Practical clothes such as the jacket the character is wearing is usually something that a character is seen wearing within a horror film, or even in action thrillers.

When applying the image to our magazine, we kept the background extremely simple, like all Sight and Sound images have, blurring the picture of a field and draining it of colour to make the character the main focus. The dramatic elements to it is what makes it look like a horror-thriller type image.

Forms and Conventions of Our PosterHannah KnightAs you can see, the conventions of a typical teaser poster are shown on our groups teaser poster. One of the conventions would be that the release date (Coming Soon) and the website beneath it, in which the audience can visit if they are interested in the film. The image appeals to the horror-thriller genre by showing a zombie and the blood on it, it also appeals to our target audience. The effects of the image bring out a sharper image than it was when originally taken, for example, the image looked smoother when it was taken. This rustic effect connotes the thriller genre since it connotes something that is worn and sinister, the complete opposite to if the image what filled with bright colours. The use of the same character from the magazine in zombie form also connotes something that may happen in the film.

Staring ActorsReviewsTitleTaglineImageWebsiteComing Soon(Release Date)

As you can see, the poster contains many aspects which present the ways of horror and thriller. For example, the dark colours in the background are typically used within horror films, and even sometimes thriller films such as psychological thrillers etc. The blood on the shirt also connotes horror and even action thriller, since a lot of blood is seen in those types of films as well. We also wanted the character to be wearing red contacts in order to make them look more zombie-like. The use of red further links with the blood and further links with the horror-thriller genre.9Forms and Conventions of Our TrailerTobi OduneyeTitle of The Trailer

When choosing our title, we wanted something that was more unique for a zombie film, and started a survey of various titles, handing this survey out to people to see what title would get the most votes. All of the titles were relatively unique, but after receiving the feedback we found that Pathogen was the one that our audience liked the most. We also liked the word Pathogen, reason being that the beginning of our trailer shows a major science element within it, and the word pathogen does indeed link to science. So after much deliberation we decided upon this title. We also liked it because thriller films, especially horrors, do strain to have unique titles that have never been used before, and we wanted to follow this.

Setting/Location

When choosing the settings and locations, we already had a general idea before we even started planning the trailer. We had many different locations, such as a laboratory for the science element of the trailer that we wanted, so that the trailer linked to the science word used for our title. Secondly we used a house to achieve the darkness that is usually seen in thriller movies. The darkness within the house also links to the horror genre, of which was our sub-genre. We also used the streets of a city with policemen rushing by, which is also a common trait in thriller movies. Our last setting was in a park, because we needed the wide amount of space due to having many cast members. Thriller movies commonly are in cities, so it was a different take to a thriller film, but some thrillers also use wide spaces to have many action shots. Costume and Props

The costumes that we used within our trailer were just casual clothes for the main characters, since they would not wear something special within a zombie apocalypse. In horror films the characters tend to dress like this. For the zombies, we wanted them to wear torn, bloody clothing to make them look more realistic. Also, in the science laboratory we had the mysterious scientist wearing a lab coat, to show he was indeed a scientist and to make him stand out a bit more within the room.

With the props, the survivors had weapons. Thriller films always have weapons, mostly guns and knives, but they can include other weapons as well. We also tied in the horror element, since in most horrors the survivors or victims grab any weapons they can, which is what the characters in this trailer have done. Also, in the science lab we spent a long time setting up the science equipment. We put many mysterious things in the test tubes in order to create the feeling of mystery, which thriller films include. Camerawork

When shooting the shots for our trailer, we wanted to use many shots that would typically be used within a thriller-horror trailer. Thrillers tend to have a lot of action shots and close up shots, which we have. For example in the laboratory setting we had the close up of the scientist, not showing their face to make it more mysterious. We also wanted to include many shots that had a dark element to it to include the horror genre within the shots, for example the silhouetted character by the door. We did also include many action shots, such as the zombies running at full speed towards the survivors, a survivor going to hit the camera (Point of view of the zombie) and another survivor spinning round with a terrified expression. We also included shots that connoted the survivors demise, such as a zombie grabbing a survivor by the legs and knocking them over. These shots are commonly used in thrillers and horrors, because the connotation of death and pain is what causes the tension. Editing The Three-Part Structure

The three part structure takes place in nearly ever trailer, especially in thriller trailers. The first part establishes the characters and a basic storyline without revealing too much, and we did this by having various settings and shots to establish new characters. For example the News scene establishes the storyline.

The second part is where the fast paced editing is, including all of the action and such. We did this well by having various fighting and running shots.

The last part of the structure usually slows down again to a conclusion, but because we had horror as a sub genre, we linked it to a more horror-type trailer. Horror trailers tend to end suddenly in order to make people ask questions and find it mysterious, which is what we did with the static noise and the zombie attacking the camera.Captions

Captions are used within trailers in order to create enigma codes, break up shots and to sometimes reveal a trait about a character or some of the storyline. In horror and thriller trailers, the captions tend to be enigma codes or questions for the audience to mentally answer.

For example one of our captions has a question saying, Do you know what terror is?, which allows the audience to mentally answer that question.

Our next caption then says, You are about to Which assumes that the audience has said yes or no. This caption is then followed by all of the action shots of the zombies attacking in order to show the fear that the survivors are feeling, and therefore links to the trailer very well.How The Trailer Suggests The Genre

There are many things in which this trailer could suggest a thriller genre. Our trailer breaks away from the thriller genre sometimes though due to the fact that our sub genre is horror, so we had to apply some of our conventions to horror as well. Weve shown this genre through the props, costumes, characters and settings, as well as the special effects that give the dark aura to it.

We were influenced by both films and games, those being Resident Evil, 28 Days Later, Left 4 Dead and ZombiU. These games and films inspired us to make a trailer that involved real zombie infection survival rather than drama.

There are some obvious things that are seen throughout the trailer that link it to the thriller and horror genre, such as the melee weapons, blood, action sequences etc.Key Character Traits

Our characters typically fit both the thriller and horror genre. For example, thrillers typically have the strong male characters, in which two of the survivors are. Strong, confident male characters are often seen in thrillers and therefore we wanted to keep that trait. We also have two strong female characters, which in some thriller films has proved to be very effective. We also have the scientist who is male, and usually in thriller films the smart villains tend to be male.

Now linking to the horror genre, the group of survivors have a good balance between male and female, which horror films tend to have. Usually in horror films there is a good balance between both genders for the elimination of the characters to be fair. Special Effects

The special effects we used are commonly used in thriller trailers, such as the fade to black in which causes suspense and lengths the shots, and dissolves to make the transitions more interesting. We also added a special effect that is named Paint Splatter, which would splatter the image onto the screen bit by bit. We reversed this so the title was disappearing in splatters, and it made it look as if the title was being eaten by zombies. Special effects also cover the make up we used, and we had over 20 cast members wearing zombie make up in order to make the film more believable. The make up consisted of latex that was textured and peeled off in places to look like peeling skin, further using fake blood and face paint to make the actors look dead. Trailer Length and Soundtrack

The trailer length came to about 1:30 minutes, and even though our original limit was one minute, we had done so many great shots with plenty of potential, and we couldnt let them go to waste, so we added them anyway.The length of the trailer was also due to the fact that the production company and distribution company made the trailer much longer than it would have been without the two companies at the beginning. But we didnt want to cut the trailer because of the good shots we had and therefore kept it the way it was.

The soundtracks we used were mostly just instrumentals of dramatic songs, so we could make the suspense and tension within our thriller trailer more emphasised. We also used the soundtrack Perfect Day, since we wanted to show a major contrast. This idea was that the song would say, Its such a perfect day, which would contrast what is happening visually as the survivors get attacked, and the contrast would leave a major impact on the audience.