Trailers that have had an influence on our ideas

The Ward (2010)

The Ward trailer inspired our ideas as the story is set in a mental asylum and involves someone or something trying to kill some of the characters. We based other parts of our trailer on the ward for example the intertitles are similar to the ones we have created, simple and short to grab people’s attention.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The way The Blair Witch Project is filmed is different from most horror films as it is filmed on a handheld camera. This is where we got the inspiration to film our horror story handheld. It is a different way of filming and we thought it would coincide with the narrative we have created.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

After we had decided on a narrative for our horror film we chose to have base our characters on similar characters in The Cabin in the Woods. As our storyline was similar to The Cabin in the Woods where teenagers stay at abandoned cabin. Our storyline is based on teenagers who go to an abandoned mental hospital.

Shot List

Risk assessment

Storyboard

Storyboard

Recces

Recces

Once we established the type of horror we wanted to make, we needed to think of suitable locations to film our trailer. One member of our group knew of one location (Little Plumstead Mental Hospital), we looked at it on Google maps and at pictures other people had posted from when they had visited and decided to drive out and check if it was going to be a suitable location to film our trailer, we decided it was the best location to film our trailer and that we didn't need to check anywhere else. We considered a few other locations but we felt this was the ideal location to do what we wanted to with our trailer.

Synopsis

Synopsis

The chosen synopsis for our horror trailer was very similar to the original idea we had, in the sense of the paranormal activity going on within our trailer. So we decided that the horror trailer would be based around a group of thrill-seeking teenagers that have decided to go and explore an abandoned mental asylum. The group of teens wouldn’t suspect any danger or suspicious behaviour to begin with until they start noticing ghostly activity going on around them, for example doors closing on their own, things being thrown from no visible person etc. We then decided to include an actual ‘villain’ within the trailer to replicate a conventional horror movie. The teens would therefore be harassed and bullied by the villain until he or she captures each and every one of them. Because of the location being a rundown asylum, we thought it would be an idea to maybe make this villain or ghost a former patient at the asylum who now haunts the building. We decided to go with this idea due to the results we received from our questionnaire. 

Props and Costume List

This is a list of props that we took when we went to film our trailer. These props helped create a horrifying horror trailer that will scare. thrilland make the audience want more. When we filmed we needed to wear typical teenager clothes i.e. coats, jumpers, trainers, hoodies, boots etc. This will help our trailer appear more professional if we are wearing the appropriate clothing and helps the audience to get an idea of character types.

• Black cloak
• Anonymous mask (if possible)
• x2 Cameras
• x7 Torches
• x4 Rucksacks
• Fish wire
• Lighter
• Candles
• Tripod
• Duck Tape
• Lantern

Questionnaire results

Location report

Target audience and Influences moodboards

Mood and Influences Board 

Our main target audience is between the ages ages 15-24, they would enjoy typical paranormal horror films, with conventional endings and events, such as stereotypical characters and locations. This would bring in the majority of viewers of horror fans, as they have molded and grown to the horror as it's developed into new things. The paranormal fan base is continuously growing ever since the first paranormal activity was released in 2009 giving us a wide range to encourage to watch our film trailer. Companies like Facebook and twitter would be an ideal way to advertise and influence people to watch our trailer, as the majority of the generation use social media, and it's one of the biggest revenue streams for advertising and promoting. Which will definitely help us grab our target audience.

 Our influences have came from many other horror films, such as the Blair Witch Project, which uses hand held camera throughout the entire film, which we intend to do throughout our film, but not primarily using a hand held cam. We also used influence and shot types from films either in a similar location, like John Carpenters The Ward, as it takes place in a mental institute, or films with similar paranormal narratives, like the conjuring and paranormal activity.

Record Sheets