Influences in Production

For my trailer, I looked at various horror/thriller trailers to inspire parts of my filming. Finding trailers that were quite conventional of the genre were the easiest to get inspiration from as I wanted my film to be as effective as possible. I watched many trailers on YouTube and the two trailers that influenced me the most were 'Hush' and 'The Darkness'.

The trailer for 'Hush' was influential for me as it related to my film idea. The aspect of the antagonist following/stalking the main character is similar in my trailer, and the introductory establishing shots of the location is also very similar. The mysterious nature of the trailer links to the type of film I want to create, through the use of the ambient noise of the location, the slight use of soundtrack at the end which puts you in the characters shoes and the montage of events leading up to the antagonists face. These conventions are key in heightening tensions and making the audience feel as though they are in the trailer. The montage helps to not give any big parts of the film away and entices the audience to go and see it. The use of sound motifs towards the end of the trailer is effective as it builds tension up until the sound cuts out for the title. This is common in horror films and is something I want to include to make my film look effective and professional. 

The trailer for 'The Darkness' is less like my idea, however, I still got some inspiration from it. The broad establishing shots and use of sound influenced me as these are commonly used to build tension and allow the audience to feel like they are in the film. The slow deterioration of the boy to the curse is interesting as it plays on the theme of innocence turning to darkness. Using the theme of innocence is something I want to explore as it would be unsuspecting and scarier. The link between the darkness and their home is also influential as it becomes relatable to the audience and far more realistic for them. Use of the family house and the desert as the locations is clever as it is unconventional for a horror film. The trailer gets darker as the curse gets stronger which builds tension and makes the film look scarier and more exciting. Using conventions of lighting, camera and sound will make my film look effective, and the trailer for 'The Darkness' incorporates these very well.