Planning: Influences on Production

There are many things that have influenced our ideas for our film:
The overall story line was influenced by films such as the ‘Scream’ franchise, ‘The Ring’ and 'Friday the 13th’. Revenge based crimes which often end in the isolation and death or a group of teens. In these films many of the scenes involve fast paced editing and music that makes the audience jumpy and raises their heart beats as the characters fight for their lives. The trailers start with equilibrium then break out into flashing shots of the characters fear and struggle to survive.

We want to include scenes that make the audience jumpy of the dark to create tension. Surrounding the characters in darkness will make the audience edgy and unsure of what the it is concealing, as films are often viewed in the dark this will make the audience wary of their surrounding as if they are in the characters shoes. The close ups of the characters faces show there expressions and emotions clearly.

We got some inspiration from Scream 4, the idea of a big empty house in the middle of nowhere, this isolates the character making them vulnerable and the scenes more exciting.



 

Often in horror films the antagonist creeps up behind the victim in a shot where only the audience can see the threat to the character, making the viewers want to shout out, encouraging audience participation. This creates more of an effect on the audience, meaning that a trailer will be more effective in capturing the audiences attention and making sure it is memorable.

 

Planning: Example of a successful film

The conjuring is a 2013 American film of the same sub-genre of our film (supernatural) which has been a huge success. The trailer conforms to the conventions of the genre this is reflected in the editing, lighting and mise-en-scene, suggesting that in order to create a successful trailer we must follow suit.  

Planning: Sound track influences

Horror sound tracks have to be very clever manipulating the audience’s emotions and making them feel involved in the film. This forces the audience to become active enhancing their viewing experience.

These trailers show this:


The trailer has an eerie tone that builds up throughout the trailer to create a dramatic climax, making the audience more engaged so they are more likely to go and see the film when it comes out. This conforms to the conventions of the genre, satisfying the audiences needs. It is important for us to mirror this in our trailer.

 



The diegetic sound effect of a ticking clock opens the trailer making the audience feel wary, as if time is counting down for something horrible to happen. During the trailer non-diegetic sounds increase the pace of the film building suspense. In our trailer we want to use diegetic and non-diegetic sounds to similar effect.

The sound of the man’s laboured breathing connotes weakness and fear as her runs away from those perusing him. Often in horror trailers sound effects such as laboured breathing are put in place to make characters look more vulnerable, creating more of an effect on the audience when bad things happen to these characters. The strong beat in the background puts the audience on edge and brings up their heart rate, leading to a climax. Drawing the audience and subsequently increasing the films chances of being a success.

Planning Targets

Well done Bryony! Interview two key actors and explain why they are suitable. Do some intitial soundtrack research. Research and then design some titles that will create brand identity. Include pie charts to support your questionairre. Evidence your initial storyboard. Deadline for Friday - that way you can film some footage over half-term. Well done.

Planning: Influneces of directors and actors

 Actors

Patrick Joseph Wilson starred in Insidious and The Conjuring two massive successes in the genre. Although having actors that feature in other successful films will draw in a target audience, with most horror films famous actors are not main selling points (unlike action films). This works to our advantage as obviously we can’t use famous faces as a selling point.





 






Directors
James Wan is a director known for his successful series of horror films, he may have received a minor fan base for his recent films, but again the rule above applies. Unlike other genres horror doesn’t tend to rely on big glamorous directors to attract attention.

Planning: Moodboard

 

Picture:

1- Represents our antagonist when she was younger, this picture represents the creepy, slightly haunting feel that we want to create around the background of the character ‘Martha’. The General appearance connotes innocence however this is contradicted by the cruel dark expression on her face.

2&3- This shows the character after she comes from the asylum both the images represent the unstable troubled air around the character, her appearance and facial expressions show that she is detached from reality.

4&7- Is the outfit of the antagonist, which is going to be a hospital like gown thing connoting that she has lost her mind, this image links with horror films.

5- Shows our typical and unsuspecting teens that represent our main characters.

6- Represents the typical setting of a teen horror, a house in the middle of nowhere, this picture gives the feeling of foreboding that we want our setting to have. These settings are associated with the genre.

8- This is supposed to give off the same effect as the first picture, starting a feeling of foreboding as the family appear unnatural.

9&11- Represent the weapons and forms of murder and how the victims are threatened this is designed to scare the audience as the objects are every day and easily assessable making them feel unsafe. The scissors appear scarier as they are a very mundane object.

10- The completely black eyes represent appear uncaring and cruel, this gives the character a scary flair as it implies that she has no mercy or remorse.  

Planning: Narrative

Narrative planning for our trailer:

After researching patterns in narrative of other films within the horror genre we have made our trailer fit Todorov’s and Propp’s theories in the following ways.

Todorov’s:

Equilibrium: Will be shown at the beginning by light, slow paced shots showing happy expressions on the teens faces, accompanied by lighter music connoting equilibrium and peace.
Disruption of the equilibrium: The news report telling the audience that the girl has gone missing, here the happy music ends and darker music signifies that ignorance of the teens.
Recognition of the disruption: Is marked as the teens start to get wary of their surrounding and things start to go wrong.
Attempts to restore: is presents as the group of friends try to get away from the killer and fight her off.
Reinstatement of the equilibrium: is not evident.

Propp’s:

Our trailer ideas don’t really fit to Propp’s theory as although we have a clear villain we don’t have a clear hero, donor, helper or princess. It is quite common for horror films to deviate from this theory as it is important for the films to be unpredictable to a certain degree.

Planning: Questionnaire analysis

 

When we collated answers to our questionnaire from 20 people there was a clear pattern through the answers.
On almost all the questions there was a majority vote.

1. (Which horror sub-genre do you enjoy the most?)
Most people opted for Supernatural horror as their favourite sub-genre of horror. These are films such as paranormal activity and insidious. This works well for us as we have chosen supernatural horror for our film, I think our decision was partly based on the fact that films such as paranormal activity and insidious are the ones most talked about at school by our target audience. Therefore it made sense for us to do a similar film.
To justify our findings, during research we found list of what people thought
the top ten scariest horror films are.
Out of the 10, 9 of them were supernatural horrors, or of a supernatural agenda. Most of them involved a single antagonist who works alone and is seeking revenge of some sort.

2. (Do you prefer there to be a single antagonist (killer) or more than one?)
Most people preferred just one antagonist. As mentioned above most of the top ten horror films had a single antagonist. When working alone killers appear more intelligent and more of a threat. Most of the antagonists of supernatural horror films are motivated by hatred. Therefore for most storylines more than 1 killer wouldn't have the desired effect.
Supernatural antagonists appear stronger and scarier due to their unfamiliar powers. This makes the victim looks more vulnerable and hopeless, making the storyline more exciting.

3. (Do you think there should be a deaths shown in the trailer?)
Most people thought there should be a death in the trailer as it establishes the style of the film. Horror films are fast paced and it is important we reflect this in our trailer. At the start of our trailer we are going to use editing, mise-en-scene, camera angles and music to build up tension, before the climax of the trailer.

4. (What components of horror films do you find most effective?)
Most people said editing. I think this is because if a film lack continuity and realism it isn't scary. Therefore it is important to make the camera shots flow and make any special effects look as real as possible otherwise the film won’t be believable. We must make sure that our editing reflects the conventions of the genre, being fasted paced and jumpy.

5. (How many horror films do you watch a month?)
Most people watch horror films 1-2 times a month this tells us they are likely to be more of a occasional thing. Many horror films such as scream, are based around getting reactions from audience, therefore they are aimed at groups of people.

6. (Do you think audiences should be introduced to the characters in the trailer?)
Most people thought you should get to know the characters a bit in the trailer so the audience has a more personal connection to the film and are more likely to go and see it.

7. (What is your favourite features/styles of horror films?)
The option chosen the most was paranormal which is what we predicted however we thought there would be more of an even spread as all these features are essential to make a successful horror film. However we will take this into account and make sure we take care in making our trailer include paranormal effects that are effective and realistic.

8. (Do you think the identity of the antagonist (killer) should be revealed to the audience in the trailer?)
The answers we got for this question were very varied. All the people asked thought there should be a death but maybe just tease the identity of the killer. Some films like paranormal activity work off mystery in not knowing the identity. However other films such as Insidious use the identity and information about their killer to attract attention.

 

Planning: Questionnaire

To gather information on popular styles and themes within the horror genre we asked 20 people within the target audience 8 questions. This will help us to decide what to include in our trailer scene and check that we are on the right track.

Here are the questions we asked:

(Select one for the multiple choice questions)

1. Which horror sub-genre do you enjoy the most?
-Comedy horror
-Teen-horror
-Monster-horror
-Slasher
-Supernatural-horror
-Zombie-horror

2. Do you prefer there to be a single antagonist (killer) or more than one?

 

 

3. Do you think there should be a deaths shown in the trailer?

-Yes
-No
 

4. What components of horror films do you find most effective?
-Editing
-Mise-en-scene
-Camera shots
-Sound effects/music tracks

5. How many horror films do you watch a month?
-1-2
-3-6
-7-10
-10+

6. Do you think audiences should be introduced to the characters in the trailer?
-Yes
-No

7. What is your favourite features/styles of horror films?
-Gore
-Thrills
-Paranormal effects
-psychological messing
-Lots of deaths

8. Do you think the identity of the antagonist (killer) should be revealed to the audience in the trailer?
-Yes
-No

Planning: Audience profiling

The ring audience profiling:

The Ring is of the same genre and style of our made up film, therefore they will attract similar target audiences. This means we can infer from the graph bellow who our film will predominately attract. The 15-24 age group was the highest percent of viewers, this suggests that we should model our scenes around teens, and have main characters of a similar age. The male to female ratio is pretty even, but female is slightly more. Mainly middle class are going to watch the films so we should therefore be based around this social group.

Further research:

Research:
Research has suggested that various motives for horror films include; the need for excitement, the desire to feel intense emotions, and distraction from everyday concerns. Horror films include violation of social norms and the portrayal of things that don't often happen in everyday life.
This type of violent entertainment appeals more to males. For many young people and adults horror films are a good topic of conversation. People tend to watch horror films in groups often to prove they can tolerate it, watching them in groups allows the people to prove to their friends that they can withstand the violent and often gory scenes.
When horror films include aspects of humour, the reactions of audiences will be milder. When violence is too real it can lose much of its appeal.

Areas to be considered when trying to please the target audience:
We plan to use scenes of intense horror to give a sense of achievement to enduring the film, this is something the target audience want to get out of watching such films.
We want to create scenes that can become talking points for social interaction as, mostly the target audience use media as social stimulants.
The target audience will watch horror films for the thrill and excitement; we aim to do this by creating scenes aimed at making the target audience jump.

Research Targets

Excellent effort Bryony - a great start to this year's coursework portfolio! To improve your research further aim to revisit posts and make sure all of the following areas have been addressed: Genre Target Audience Characters Narrative Engimas Titles Camera Composition Sound Mise En Scene Unique Selling Points Pace of editing Make sure you are adding some images in - like in your certificate analysis - to make your blog even more presentable. A really good start - well done!

Planning: Patterns in Narrative

From the trailers I have analysed I can see clear patterns of how much of the narrative is revealed to the audience in effective horror trailers. For most, the trailers show evidence of all but the last stage of Todorov’s theory, revealing enough to entice the audience without giving the whole plot away. Most of the trailers allow the audience to establish the personalities of the characters and the roles they fit into of Propp’s theory. This allows the audience to feel like they know the characters so they feel like they have a personal connection to the film.
The only trailer that doesn’t fit with this general rule is the scream 4 trailer, but being a part of a well-known franchise less of the information is needed to entice the audience in.

Research: Certificates

Most horror films are certificate 15 however some will be 18 or 12 it depends on what is included in the scenes.

 

12 are films suitable from people aged 12 and over, some are 12As allow parents to judge whether a child younger can go see it. A 12 is the lowest certificate that a horror film can be given. When it comes to language the guidelines say the use of words such as F*** can be used but infrequently. Moderate use of words such as b*tch and tw*t.
Nudity and sex scenes should be brief and discrete, verbal sex should be suitable for young teenagers and crude references are disallowed. Violence is allowed detail should be minimal, there should be no emphasis on blood or injuries however brief shots are permitted. Sexual violence can only be implied. 12A is the youngest certificate a horror film can be given an example is 'The Woman in Black'.

 

Certificate 15 can include a lot more then 12 Strong language, violence can be used. Strong references to sex can be used as well as sex can be displayed and nudity is permitted. Brief scenes of sexual violence is allowed as well as discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking can be displayed. There can be strong threat and menace (as long as it’s not in a sadistic or sexualised way) any images of the strongest gore are not permitted.

 

 If the film is certificated 18 then the content is not suitable for those under 18 and is likely to affect those who are of age. The content of 18 is not restricted in most ways the only restriction is promoting the misuse of drugs. All the bellow are allowed; very strong violence, frequent use of strong language and very strong language C***, strong portrayals of sexual behaviour, strong scene of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore and discriminative language and behaviour.



We are going to certificate our film 15, so that it restricts younger viewers and we can include strong language, violence, as well as strong threat and menace.

Research: Horror Sub-genres

Comedy-Horror

Comedy-Horror films aim to scare the audience, but also provide comical outlets that let the audience laugh at their fear. These films are more the thrillers that build up the tension until a realise that makes the audience jump.

Teen-Horror

Revolves completely around a teenager or a group of teenagers. Typically, these movies have a large cast and a clear hero or heroine. Teen-Horror films often play upon traditional teenage issues, such as dating and prom, and turn them into suspenseful and thrilling situations.

Monster-Horror

Centers on a struggle between human beings and a monster or monsters. Often, the monster in the film has been created in an “experiment gone wrong.” The monster usually serves as a villain, and the film portrays a hero or heroine that ultimately saves the world from the monster.

Slasher

Revolves around a psychopathic killer. This killer stalks and murders his victims in extremely violent and memorable ways. Though it centers on a specific killer, the violence is what sets Slasher films apart from other horror films. A Slasher film will devote more screen time to portray murder and mayhem than a traditional Horror film.

Supernatural-Horror

Includes ghosts, demons, or other depictions of supernatural occurrences. Supernatural-Horror films are not limited to specific religious elements and can contain more vivid and gruesome violence. They centre a group of people trying tp figure out what killed their friend or family and trying to defeat it.

Zombie-Horror

Portrays mindless human beings who are raised from the dead. These films often include a Zombie invasion, and center around Zombies feasting on human flesh. The plot of a Zombie film then revolves around the struggle between the living, and the living-dead.

Research: Influences of films

What influences horror films?

In a lot of films influences come from budgets and famous actors. The more famous the actors are the more likely people are to go and see it. However with horror a different rule applies. The scarier and higher the certificate the better the horror film. However, like in action films, graphics and special effects can have a big influence. The more money spent on these the better it is likely to be.
However in some horrors the simpler the better. The continuity of horror films can be ruined if too many effects are put on the film, it could look unrealistic and so it would appear less scary. Continuity and realism are the main influence of horror films, if they are not sustained throughout the film, the tension and horror of the film will be ruined, and the appeal will dwindle.

Horror films are not known for their famous casts, and it is rare you will get Alist actors playing parts in horror films. This plays to our advantage.

As long as we maintain the continuity and realism throughout our trailer, we shouldn't need to use a whole lot of special effect. As our film wont be edited to a professional standard it will be best if we have little to no special effects. Really the only editing we will do is putting the shots together, making them flow, and changing the contrast of the colours of the slip to appear more sinister.

Research: Comedy Magazine cover; The Hangover

Hangover 2 magazine cover analysis

 

The masthead 'entertainment weekly' is big and bold in yellow which connotes happiness and laughter typically associated with comedy as a genre, it also suggests that the film is feel good encouraging audiences to go and see it. This also tells us that the magazine is a weekly release suggesting that it has very current information, this means the magazine is likely to be a lower price them some of its competitors.

The colours of the poster are predominantly light and warm linking with the masthead and the expressions on the faces of the main characters. Their Faisal expressions are commercial and mischievous linking to the genre. The plan green background suggests that the associations that come with the characters are enough to get audiences interested in learning about the film from the magazine. The position of the character on the page suggests that they are all equally as important and come as a trio, this builds interest into their relationships to each other. The audience will therefore search for answers inside the magazine.

The title of the film is presented in a similar manner to how it is on the official merchandise of the film, making it recognisable so the magazine appears more official. The big text underneath this 'bad boys' suggests the article is more a character profile than a feature on the films story line, the white stands out clearly against the background. However the text bellow reveals scenes and features that occur in the film. The phrase 'bad boys' attracts attention, sourcing from the cliche 'everyone loves a bad boy' attracting a female audience. The other text on the page is Brocken up by differences in text colour making the text on the page assess able and easy to read, therefore audiences are more likely to read it. Information on the magazine cover is unusually more verbal then visual when it comes to advertising the film, suggesting the strength of the characters allure is very strong.

Research: More Horror Magazine cover; The Shining

 

The Shining film poster analysis

The background colour of the poster is white which makes the main image and the text of the poster really stand out. Capturing the audience’s attention and directing it to the most important information on the poster.
The title is in black, which being the opposite of white makes it stand out beyond anything else on the poster, it is in bold front and capital letters showing its importance. It makes sure the audience know the name of the film so they are more likely to go and see it.
The director’s name is in red and slightly smaller than the title text it is placed above, this shows that it is slightly less important than the title itself. The red reflects the horror genre implying that, that is the genre of this film, as well as connoting danger and gore.
The main image on the poster shows a close up of a characters face that is looking out to the right of the poster with a crazed look of anger on his face. His facial expression and eye direction suggests he is looking at a victim (implying that he is the killer). This also suggests that, this image is a screen shot from a memorable scene in the film, and to what this film will later, become associated with.
The mystery of who the killer is looking at and if they survive or not is a persuasive technique used by this poster, to get the audience excited by this film and wanting to go and see it. The poster promises the film to be an escape from reality and scenes of blood and gore (connoted by the red on the poster). The attention to the poster is gained by the shock at the look on the characters face, who was also a well know actor at the time of the films release.
There is not tag line or other text on the poster suggesting that the image is enough for the audience to familiarise with and remember, for when the film is released and they want to go and see it.
The lack of information on the poster suggests that the poster is advertised to audiences in many ways, therefore the poster is not that important to the films success.

Research: More Horror Magazine cover; Scream

 

Scream 4 magazine cover analysis

This issue of the magazine gives the date down to the day, which suggests that the magazine is, released weekly, that and the fact that the magazine is called entertainment weekly. There is no price given on the front of the magazine which would suggest it is quite pricey, connoting quality. Furthermore there is no web address or method of finding out more print on the cover suggesting Entertainment weekly isn’t multimedia, or that everything you need to know or want to know is included in the issue. There is no tag line which implies that everything is said by the central image, which shows us clearly that the point of the magazine cover is to advertise and promote Scream 4. The cover uses well known celebrity names (connected with the film) as a persuasive technique to get the audience interested in buying the magazine. The masthead is white and stands out as the most important information on the page, as it is bigger and bolder then the other writing on the page. Above the masthead other articles are advertised, they showcase very different stories and so attract the audience by showing the diversity of the magazine, they are separated from each other by different fonts to make the information more assessable.
The main article’s information is a lot bigger than that of the article above and features next to its associating image. The text uses words such as ‘bloody’ and the ‘battle’ which associates with the genre attracting fans of horror.
The colour scheme is black, white and red, very traditional colours linking to the genre. This dangerous blood red inhabits the background connoting with all these scary things. The only image on the page is the figure dressed in black robes with the scar face mask on. This image heavily relates with the film which is known for its villains all taking on this same appearance. The audience’s attention will be attracted by the familiar face (or mask) that is the symbol for the well-known film franchise.
There are no other images on the page to distract from the main image representing the key article.

 

Research: More Horror Film Poster; Scream 4

Scream 4 film poster analysis

The poster is very dark, predominantly black which connotes conventions of the horror genre such as night, dark shadows and ‘the unknown’.
The white writing in the title really stands out against the dark background attracting attention and fixing it in the audience’s minds.
The red of the 4, the release date and the tag line connects them together, showing that this is a new film in the scream franchise. Red is a very typical colour of horror posters and associates strongly with horror as a genre, as it connotes danger and blood.
The main image on the poster is simple but easily associates with the franchise as it sources off the 2 main themes of the previous scream films. The mask of ‘ghost face’ is the trade mark of the film. When you look at the ghost face mask you immediately think of scream the film.
Having this on the poster makes sure the audiences associated this poster with the scream films. In this way it appeals to the existing scream fans.
The bottom of the mask has been edited to resemble a knife, the signature way in which all the victims are killed with a knife is therefore referred to reminding the audience that these are well established films.
The simplicity; lack of image and information on the poster shows that the films are so well known and have big enough fan bases to be able to keep the poster so simple that nothing is given away.
The tag line suggests that this scream film defies the rules of the previous ones. This is important because a lot of horror film franchises are very samey, so by letting the audience know that this film is different, it is made clear that it’s not ‘just another scream film’.
The intended audience is clearly the existing scream fan base and those who have seen the other films before.
The persuasive techniques used; tempting the audience into going and seeing the new scream film, finding how it differs from the others in the franchise.
The genre conventions such as sharp knives, concealed identity of the killer and colour red.
No characters are featured showing that the film is established well enough so famous actors are not needed to draw interest to the film.
Attention is gained by the familiar face of the mask. The production company is only featured very small and at the bottom of the poster showing it is not a major selling point of the film.

 

Research: More Horror Film posters; New and Old

Old to New

Since the 1980s technology has changed massively, this means that new more adventurous ideas can be explored and more outrages and graphic films ideas can be considered. Ideas now of what is scary and realistic are very different from back then; therefore the film posters are also very different.
Back in the 1980s it was all about colours that connote horror; reds, greens and black. This way the film posters would be scarier making people want to watch the film more. The more outrageous and obvious the poster was the better it would look so the more it would appeal. In the film posters they would give a lot away about the antagonist and how he would kill his victims. The posters are mainly cartoons or drawing as these were the most realistic, as technology was very poor then.
    

 
Today more simple posters are used with mainly black and white colouring, if other colours are used it will normally be only the one or different shades of the same colour. Now the aims of the posters are made to be sinister by being simplistic as well as not revealing too much about the antagonist or how and why they kill the victims. The main styles of the poster are photos edited to appear more eerie, due to improvements in technology companies are able to make them look a lot more realistic. The film posters from now also have more promotion on them, for example the names of the most famous actors/actresses in the casts. This are used as unique selling points for the films.
  

 

Research: More Horror Film poster; The Strangers

 

The Strangers film poster analysis

The colours of the poster are very warm which is contradictory of the genre; this however does make the dark masked figure look even more sinister. The colouring could also be used to lull the audience into a false sense of security.
The character in the middle of the poster appears to be the victim as her facial expression and posture makes her look vulnerable. Her bare feet suggests that she is in her home which makes the presence of the masked figure even more menacing.
The room is very dark suggesting the film is set at night; the shadows suggest mystery and the unknown. The mise-en-scene of the room portrays a normal home which would relate to that of the audiences. The film is automatically scarier as the audience is able to visualise the plot happening to them in their own homes.
The masked figure is typical of the genre, his position; concealed by the dark shadows means that the audience are unable to tell what he is, drawing on the fear of the unknown.
The intended audience appears to be those who do not scare easily, people who enjoy other films of the genre.
Conventions such as strangers in the victim’s homes and having hidden identities are referred to in this poster.
This poster doesn’t seem to offer an escape from reality as the audience are likely to be reminded constantly that the plot could happen to anyone throughout the film. This is re-enforced by the tag line which prevents self-reassurance that everything is fine; that there is ‘nothing to fear’. This makes the audience themselves feel vulnerable so they can more clearly see themselves in the shoes of the victim.
Beneath the title the words ‘inspired by true events’ tells the audience that some of the scenes in the film have happened in real life. This makes the film all the more believable making the audience more susceptible to fear.
The title has smudged letters that shine out of the page attracting the audience’s attention and making sure they know what the film is called.
At the bottom of the page there is a web address urging audiences to find out more about the film, that way the production company can use more than one type of media to their benefit, trying to persuade the audience to go and see the film.

Research: More Horror Film poster; The Ring

The Ring film poster analysis

The white, black and blue of the poster give it a cold and sinister feel. The black shadows around the centre figure make it seem as though something is hiding in the shadows. The white text stands out against the dark background capturing the audience’s attention.
The figure in the middle is also lit up against the dark poster showing that this is a central character. The hair over her face gives off the same shadow effect produced by the black around the outside of the page; interest to what the girls face looks like is triggered. This suggests that the film is supernatural and implies that this character is the killer, making the audience more interested in going to see it.
The whole look of the poster is distorted with a slight static TV effect. This gives the impression that this image is on a TV screen, giving an insight into the plot.
The ‘O’ of the word ‘Two’ (in the title) is larger than the rest of the text in the title.
The message of the poster is predominantly visual there is very little writing on the poster (only the title and the tag line). The tag line again brings up the idea of a circle, linking in with the title and the large ring behind the head of the character.
The is no mention of famous actors, directors/producers or production companies showing that they are not a main selling point of the film, suggesting that the plot itself is strong enough to attract attention.
Attention to the poster is gained by the shadowy figure as interest causes the audience to try and work out who the person is or what they look like.
The tag line is built to create even more intrigue around the plot and what happens. All this makes the audience more likely to go and see the film.  

Research: More Horror Film poster; Mirrors

Mirrors film poster



Red is the stereotypical colour of evil this along with the general cold colour theme, suggests the film is a horror. The title is the biggest text on the poster and so draws the audiences eyes straight to it and makes sure they know what the film is called. It is positioned right at the top of the poster showing how important it is. The 'R's in the title are turned to face each other as if they are reflecting each other. This is very clever because it links to the concept of mirrors, and suggests that reflections have an important role in the storyline. The writing above this is slightly smaller and in a cold grey it tells us the name of the main character that is very famous, this puts him as a main selling point of the film. The tag line states 'there is evil on the other side’; this writing is broken up by the reflection of the young boy in the water, suggesting that he may be the cause of the evil. There is very little other writing on the page which draws more attention to the picture, implying the film doesn't need any more advertisement, making it appear superior. The majority of the poster is low lighting, this represents the evil, and the characters are shown in higher lighting which suggests they are the goodies. The two adults are standing above the child which would suggest their dominance, however there contrasting body language appears apprehensive towards the child who appears at ease, suggesting his dominance.

The mise-en-scene suggests danger and mayhem as water covers the floors and their clothes look damp and worn. Nothing on poster appears to be obviously created by special effects, this gives the impression that what we are seeing could actually happen in real life. This makes the film more believable so it’s scarier.