The first website we found which provided royalty free music was called incomtech, however, it didn't have quite the sounds we were looking for.
We soon found another website called bensound.com which had exactly the sounds and music we wanted, so we downloaded quite a few tracks from this website.
We made sure the music which we selected was royalty free in order to not get copyrighted for using somebody else's music without their permission.
The most useful and beneficial research we conducted to work out the best way to create fake scars and wounds was watching video tutorials on YouTube.
For us, this tutorial was the most helpful as it not only provided us with the exact look we wanted to create, but also had clear instructions with easy to understand clips, allowing us to make the best wounds we could.
In our trailer there will be scenes which involve the characters walking so I have done some extra research into how a zombie should walk.
I found this video useful as it explains what to do in writing, as well as showing you what it looks like.
I was particularly inspired by the step which says 'drag a limb.' I would like to include this in our trailer during the scene where Keiran is walking towards his house.
In the midst of researching conventions of trailers and learning about zombies I thought it would be a good idea to take a step back and realise the actual purpose of a film trailer.
Below I have answered some questions relating to the purpose of trailers and how audiences can interact with them.
After research into my subgenre, I came to realise that the majority of Comedy Horror films are rated between 12 and 15. The requirements for a 15 movie are:
strong violence
frequent strong language
portrayals of sexual activity
strong verbal references to sex
sexual nudity
brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
discrimintory language or behaviour
drug taking
The requirements for an 18 movie are:
very strong violence
frequent strong language
strong portrayals of sexual activity
scenes of sexual violence
strong horror
strong gore and blood
real sex (in some circumstances)
discrimitory language and behaviour
My target audience will be....
Gender: Male and Female
Age: 15-18 years old (and will be rated a 15)
Interests and hobbies: people who enjoy watching and reading horror related texts, but also like to laugh at comedy
Social group: peers who show an interest in the same genre of film
This article discusses how zombies work and act, drawing upon their conventions.
Many of the concepts which are spoken about in this article were created by Romero and then widely used by many other directors including Edgar Wright for 'Shaun of the Dead'.
However, some zombie films actually challenge these conventions such as '28 Days Later' where some of the zombies are seen to be intelligent and fast moving.
After I had read this article, I had a wider knowledge of what to include in a zombie related trailer. I have decided that in my trailer I want to mainly stick to the traditional conventions of zombies, however, include a bit of a twist as well.
I don't necessarily want our zombie to look like the typical 'bad guy' and villain. I also think an intelligent zombie would be interesting.
I asked whether they were male or female so I could get a better understanding of who my target audience were.
Analysis: 75% of the respondents were male, while 25% were female.
Age is an important question to ask as the age of my audience will determine what sort of content I will include in the trailer.
Analysis: The majority of people were aged 14-15, but there was no one under this age.
I asked the audience what they thought the most important part about a trailer is
Analysis: The most important part about a trailer for my audience is that they are left with questions which makes them want to go and see the full movie. They don't want to know the full story straight away.
I also asked them what part of the Comedy Horror genre do they prefer.
Analysis: Nobody preferred Horror the most, but there was an equal split between people preferring Comedy and both.
Finally I asked what they expect to see in a Comedy Horror movie.
Analysis: I provided many options for this question, but people have decided that gore, interesting storylines, enigma and funny characters are what they expect to see from a Comedy Horror film.
The sub-genre I would like to focus on is Comedy Horror.
I would like to do this because both genres really contrast each other so putting them together is going to be an exciting challenge for me.
The well known films, Shaun Of The Dead and Zombieland have inspired me to try working with this sub-genre. These films are so entertaining but you can also see the amount of effort and precision there must have been in making them.
Due to the contrast of the two genres coming together I will also have the opportunity to experiment with different paces and different music types. I especially look forward to trying out new ways of producing sound for this trailer.
This trailer is particularly inspiring because it directly relates to the horror-comedy genre, which is what we are considering doing for our coursework, I love the idea of the news report and the TV show being tied in, and I would think about using something similar in my own trailer.
2. The Fault In Our Stars
I found this trailer inspiring because it really keeps your attention the whole way through. I like how the music used, depended on what was being shown in the scene, and the pace of both always matched. However, I do feel as through the trailer gave away too much of the storyline.
3. Shame
This trailer has really good titles, they were eye catching and relevant but still allowed for me to watch the trailer without being distracted. The placing and timings of the titles is really important and this is shown in this trailer.
4. 50/50
This trailer was really funny and captured some of the best moments from the film. The entire storyline or ending was not given away which is very important.
5. Zombieland
This trailer was inspiring because again, it is a horror comedy which is the same genre that we are thinking of choosing for our coursework. I've learnt that it is important to show both sides to the genre, i.e. both horror and comedy, and not just one.
The general colours of this poster are quite dull which is really effective as it allows the bright blue eyes to stand out. The colour blue also has connotations to sadness, which relates to the film title.
Example 2 - Avatar
The close up allows us to realise that this person on the poster is not an ordinary person as we can distinctly see the eyes and the way the facial features all come together. I think it's interesting and this works well.
Example 3 - Cinderella
The great detail on her dress makes this poster eye catching. The dark clouds give the clue that it isn't just going to be a happy story and that there will be some sort of 'storm' or villainous characters.
Example 4 - Poltergeist
The use of shadows and contrasts gives a scary and mysterious feel to this poster. It's very clear that this movie is going to be a horror, and it's important that the audience know what genre it is going to be.
Example 5 - Fast and Furious 7
This poster is eye-catching due to some of it being in black and white and some parts in full colour. It's different and there is quire a lot going on, as there's a car, a city landscape, a gun and more.
Firstly, I thought this documentary was successful because it included all the conventions you need for a documentry such as voicovers, interviews, cutaways and lots more.
The interviews in particular were effective as it gave an insight into the band member's own lifestyles and we got a glimpse into how they balance their musical interests with school work.
Lastly, I personally really liked the cliffhanger at the end. It made me want to watch another episode to find out what their bad news was, and I liked how they followed the idea of having a several part documentary rather than just one long one.
Firstly I thought it was an effective piece of coursework because there was a large variety of camera angles and camera shots used throughout. This made it interesting and different as it wasn't just the same height and angles all the time
Secondly, the use of transitions were good because it helped make clear what were flashbacks and what were not.
Lastly, the sound they used made this short films effective. The score music matched the genre at all times and the sound effects such as the wind were realistic and were used effectively.
Firstly, this is an effective trailer because it shows you everything you need to know about the film, without actually giving away the plot or using spoilers.
Secondly, throughout the entire trailer it is clear that the genre is a horror/comedy. The make up that they used on the zombie is very effective as it is obvious that she is not like the rest of the characters in the trailer.
Lastly, the changes in music and sound, depending on what is being shown has also been used really effectively. At some points the sound adds to the humour, and at other points (like at the beginning) it can make the audience feel uneasy and anxious.
I have researched what my A2 course is all about and what it will consist of in terms of coursework and the exam. I learnt that one part of the exam is actually about our coursework which I thought was quite different and interesting. I also know about the effect of the combination of both our AS and A2 grades together.
