Evaluation of my Trailer: The Play House

EVALUATION OF TRAILERBY LYDIA GOULD

Here is a much more detailed evaluation of my trailer, to accompany my director's commentary…

Doing my format research gave me the understanding and knowledge i needed of the codes and conventions used in horror and thriller films to then pursue to planning and creation of my own. I feel like i mixed typical codes and conventions together to create a horror/thriller hybrid genre, which my trailer fits into and it worked successfully in fitting the genre and looking realistic. 

My narrative follows a thriller convention; consisting of a battle between the protagonist character and the antagonist (Propps theory) when there is a disruption in the equilibrium (Todorovs theory). My trailer then follows a chain of bad events which builds tensions and suspense for the climax- which we don't get to see in the trailer but is the cliff hanger and hook which should make people want to see the film. 

In my first scenes, Adam is stalking Nicole online, this was inspired by a short film ‘take the lollipop’; created to make people aware of the dangers of having your Facebook profile on public. I thought this was a good starting point to introduce Adam because it shows him being creepy, which fits the convention of an antagonist character and gives a hint towards my narrative which at this point is still unclear. It also meant i could set a dark atmosphere, with low lighting. I achieved this and i felt the luminous glow of the computer screen on Adams face was quite intense and dramatic so helped to build up suspense and tension. As these scenes were playing i had soft piano music, which i had found on YouTube, after much struggle of deciding what to pick i felt this fit quite well because piano sounds are pleasant to listen to but when paired with the right visuals can make you feel bit uneasy and spooked out. This aimed to keep the audience on edge throughout the trailer and expectant of some fake scares.

After introducing Adams character, I wanted to introduce the other main protagonist, Nicole, i decided to put her in a natural setting but one that only focused on her. I decided on a bath scene, as its a typical convention of horror movies, such as in the well-known Hitchcock movie Psycho. Instead of having the typically expected scene, i still wanted to create more of a buildup before the chase therefore the bath scene was used to show Nicole unwinding and relaxing. In order to keep the eerie atmosphere, i stuck to low key lighting but instead had tea-lights burning to create a warmer mood as she is being presented as a nicer character.

Nicole is portrayed as a usual girl, showing normal behaviour, at the moment there is still a lot of enigma as to what the narrative is but as the music fades to nothingness there is a sudden change in atmosphere. Nicole disappears underwater to wash her hair, their is a loud sound effect of a heart beat and filming with a waterproof camera, a dark figure is seen above the rippled water, who appears to be wearing a mask. This is very eerie and now the audience start to make assumptions that it could be Adam hiding behind the mask. We let them dwell on this before the mood dramatically changes, the candles are blown out and Nicole pulls herself out the water.

We then experience very quick cuts of extreme close ups of Adams face, we now notice his red eyes (contact lenses) which enhance the association with him being evil. Furthermore, red holds connotations of danger and warning as well as love which fits in with the narrative. A slam of the boot and a dramatic drive through a puddle creating a big splash shows the trailer now picking up pace and shows a change in time.

The scene has now changed again, the audience finds themselves in an abandoned house, the setting is really realistic and its added by the help of the shakey hand held camera and the light gliding over the uncared for belongings. Additionally, i added heavy breathing sound effects, to enhance the idea of fear and vulnerablility, it makes the audience thinks this is a dangerous, scary place to be. In-between these scenes, there are cuts of Nicole waking up in a basement, the mise-en-scene shows dirty white walls and a filthy environment. I used a gag as a prop, as well as a hand tie to show she is not their out of will and is being held captive. We see a montage of Nicole stuck in this room and her feet being dragged through glass which is unsettling. I’ve used a variety of shots and angles in order to show the horrible room she is in and establish the rise-en-scene. I also wanted to show different angles to disorientate the audience and make them feel as confused as Nicole may have felt waking up in that room. Moreover, I’ve added various sound effects and music found off YouTube, called “Abandoned House Ghostly Noises’ to create a continuous eerie atmosphere.

The shots here provided me with a good opportunity to play with lighting and shadows, i used torch light to direct the audience to focus on certain things or lead their gaze. It also plays on peoples fears of the dark; whats lurking and preparing them for jump scares. The masked man also makes another appearance looking up at the camera, this is very creepy and one of my favourite clips because it was inspired by the horror movie ‘the purge’ and i think it worked effectively. It also creates enigma for the audience as they don't know if the masked man and Adam are the same person or if the mask shows another side to Adam etc.

The last thing that appears is the name of my film, ‘The Play House’ as this flickers on and off the screen its accompanied by creepy music which goes ‘If you don't come play with us then we’ll have to kill you.’

This ties in with the tag lines in my Ancillary tasks where we ask the audience ‘Would you like to play?’ hopefully this should make them fearful but also make them feel very involved and hooked. There is then once last clip, of the masked figure grabbing up to the camera which feels quite effective as its as if he is turning it off, i think this bit also relates back to the title of the film and shows its the antagonists house etc. After a piercing scream a title page shows ‘coming soon’ ‘#ThePlayHouse’. The hashtag is a new-ish convention of trailers but i thought it was very relevant to mine as i have focused on media pages a lot, it further helps to link my products and promotional resources therefore i think this is very effective.

At the beginning of my trailer, I also have a graphic commentary to accompany the visual of Adam. It comes on in a type text format and keyboard sound plays to give the effect a doctor is recording adams data. This is my least favourite part of the trailer and the bit i would go back to if i and more time to change, i would consider doing a voiceover instead. This is because i think they come up for too much time and it means the trailer looses a bit of its flow. However, it does give the narrative a clearer structure and my audience feedback shows they like the information and content. I also think it causes enigma and actually fits into Roland Barthes theory of the proairetic code, which follows the idea little actions do not particularly raise questions but helps create tension and build up suspense due to the suspense it builds and the sound effects. 

I’ve mixed cinematics from both horror and thriller genres; they’re quite similar and often filmed in a secluded locations, in the introduction a prologue is sometimes indicated, setting up the events that happened before our story (e.g Adams traumatic childhood). Furthermore used shadows and low key lighting to play with audience fears, diegetic sounds of breathing to build tensions and the use of various angles and montages of shots to show the narrative in which the protagonist is often in the mercy of the antagonist. The story line is designed so the audience think that it could happen to them, which will give it a sense of verisimilitude and make the audience feel scared. My locations mainly hint towards a horror genre, they’re in secluded places or dark, tatty rooms which look creepy. 

My favourite shots were high angle ones because i think they’re so effective in making the subject look vulnerable and helpless. Due to this, i tried to also challenge this convention of the association with the high angle shotand vulnerability and instead shoot down on Adam (a character who wouldn't be shown in a helpless position) with the mask on. In my opinion it did change the strereotype of the shot because Adam still looks threatening and challenging as he looks up into the camera. Overall, this shows just how effective shots and angles are and how we can manipulate them to achieve the desired effect.