Initial Storyboard

Analysis of The Amityville Horror Poster

The main image on the poster is that of a person with his back to the audience, whilst standing in front of a dark, rural wooden house typical to one you would find in the USA. It has been 'smeared' or 'wiped' by something, to give the impression that you (the audience) is looking out of a dirty window whilst watching the action unfold. The text on the poster is all relatively small, with the title of the film being the largest. It is a very dark poster with little sources of light in the actual image, with the figure wielding some sort of weapon. This suggests that the snapshot could be taking place at night, which is typical of horror genre movies. This immediately helps the audience in realising that this is a horror film. Also, the name of the film, "The Amityville Horror" tells the audience it is from the horror genre as it has it written in the title, which matches up with the sombre mood shown in the image. The Poster uses a very dark and monochromatic colour scheme, with only the title really standing out. The three main colours used are; black, greyish green and red. The dark colours represent the horror theme and have been used in the background image, whereas the red has been used for the film title so that is it stands out to the audience and is easier to read from a distance.

The tag-line for the film is "Based on a true story", which portrays the film as being extra terrifying as it has references to the real world, immediately letting the audience know it can happen and isn't a farfetched tale. The common view is that if a horror movie can, or has been based on a real world event it will be scarier due to the imagination of the viewers who put themselves in the place of the protagonist. Also, at the top of the poster it states, "From Michael Bay, the producer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". This informs the audience that the film has got a 'scare factor' to it, as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is viewed to be one of the scariest films of all time, coming in the top 25 of films voted by the public.

Again, like "28 Days Later", there isn't a film rating on the actual poster itself. It leaves the audience to research it in their own time on the internet or at the cinema. Even if the film isn't legally allowed to be shown to some younger audiences, the company doesn't want to turn people away straight away. Even though the BBFC restriction isn't shown on the poster, many people will view it as either a 15 or an 18, as this is the common classification for movies within the horror genre.

Analysis of 28 Days Later Poster

The main image (and only) image on the poster is that of a person in a radiation suit and a breathing/gas-mask, which is being portrayed through a close-up shot looking at the side of it's head. It has been 'eroded' to make the text and image on the poster seem older and more forceful about the contents of which it is denoting to the audience. It is very reminiscent of western 'WANTED' posters, giving the poster a feel of authority. The connotation of the poster shows the audience that the film may include some sort of virus, health risk or radioactive inclusion by hinting at words such as; "quarantine", "warning!" and "protect". These three words point towards the film poster being that of the horror genre. The Poster uses three main colours, which are; red, brown and cream. They are being used to create a contrast, as the cream and minor white text is being used on the red background, whilst the red text is being used on the cream background.

The tag-line for the film is "MAINTAIN THE QUARANTINE", which is a strong and authoritative phrase which is out to grab the attention of the target audience. The tag-line uses capitalization; firstly to mirror the influential "WANTED" posters, which a large majority people have seen before as they are eye catching and stand out. Secondly it grabs the audience's attention because of it's authoritative demeanor as it could actually be mistaken for a real life governmental poster, not that of a film. The film name accentuates the 'bio-hazard' logo, reiterating the liability that this film contains some sort of illness or pandemic.

Like most film posters, the age limit by the BBFC is not indicated. To find the rating of a film, you would look it up online, as the poster is designed to pull people in and make them want to see it. Whereas if you put a restriction on the poster you are turning people away at the first hurdle, making that specific decide against it straight away. Whereas if the restriction isn't shown the 'word of mouth' advertising will still take place and appeal to a larger audience of people at first glance. Finally, the poster doesn't give that much away to what the film is about, but it's rememberable design leaves people with the inclination to find out more online to what this film is about.

Analysis of FILM Magazine

The magazine brand name is again clearly shown at the top of the page in a bold, red font which makes it easy to distinguish when it is on the shelves of a newsagent, or in a shop in general. (Just like Empire magazine) Bold brand names are a convention for movie magazines. Similar to Empire, the main focal point of the magazine front cover is the large image in the very centre of the page, which overlaps the brand name. This image takes up 1/3 of the space on the front cover and is being used to draw in the target audience and due to it's size, it would one of the first things your eyes are drawn to when you first see it. There are also three smaller images on the front cover, which are above the brand name. These are smaller because they aren't supposed to grab your attention first. Either side of the main image is the text and a pug that is informing the reader what is inside the magazine. None of the other text on the page overlaps with the the images, which has been done so that both the character and text can be clearly shown to the audience without causing any confusion. The more informative contents are shown on the left hand side of the magazine along with a pug, so that when they are stacked on the shelf the reader will be able to see what is inside just by glancing at the cover. On the right hand side of the page, the smaller articles are listed, which include actors/actresses, other films and film related content. As it isn't as important, font size and position portray the smaller significance these have in comparison to the other features on the page.

There is one main image on the front cover of 'FILM Magazine' and it's of a model called Megan Fox. The other three images show the sneak peaks of up coming films. They entice the reader to open up, or buy the magazine, as they can show screenshots or exclusive images to a film that may not have it's trailer out on release yet. Giving them a chance to see early insights into upcoming blockbusters. The image is portrayed to be sexy, revealing and feminine by the way she is posing against the white background, which theoretically takes the place of a wall. The facial expression is almost a blank stare out of the the magazine that makes eye contact with the reader. In the image Megan Fox isn't wearing many clothes, only a small cheerleaders outfit, which would be appealing to teenage - late 20's target audience the magazine is aimed at. The image is made up of two main parts, the character and the background. The background is all one colour which doesn't feature on the characters, showing a huge contrast between the two. It intensifies the way the image jumps out at it's audience.

The text on the front cover is again split into three main pieces; the brand name, the first third and the last third. They have been strategically placed there to inform the audience about what features are inside the magazine, what the main image is about and what the magazine is called. Which is exactly the same as what 'Empire Magazine' does, this appears to be the convention of movie magazines and other genres available to purchase. The text also varies in size on the front cover depending how important the information it is representing is. The brand name is the largest text on the page as it is the brand's identity and it has to stand out and be easily recognisable from a distance. This is why is is the largest font on the page and is a different colour to the rest of the text on the page. On the left hand side of the page the font is larger as it is the second most important text on the front cover, as that needs to be able to be read from a distance and be easily readable at a quick glance. On the right hand side of the page, the remaining text is significantly smaller in comparison. It is simply justing informing the reader of what else is featured inside the magazine as a quick overview.

The colour of the front page is mainly white, blue and red. The red and the blue have been used because they appear vibrant and eye catching when placed upon the white background . The white background acts as a plain backdrop for the rest of the conventions of the magazine, so that they stand out more. The red brand name stands out really well in comparison with the white background, making it easily recognisable from a long distance away. The brand name isn't the only place where red is used on the front cover this time, as it is also used on some smaller font. The character shown in the centre of the page - Megan Fox - is made up of three main colours; blue, yellow and pink(ish). The blue mirrors the colour used on the smaller text, therefore keeping a continuous theme throughout the front cover. The yellow is used to contrast with the other colours being used on the front cover. Like 'Empire Magazine' the main image overlaps with the brand logo to create the 3D effect which jumps out at the audience. The remaining text on the page is represented by a grey/silver colour, which has been done because it is still easily able to be read, but isn't as sharp as black on white. As the front cover promotes a more calmer, softer feel when compared to "Empire Magazine".

The Unique Selling Point of this front cover is exactly the same as how "Empire Magazine" attracts it's target audience. Due to the way it appeals to both genders who may consider purchasing the magazine. The image of Megan Fox appeals to the female gender because some may want to look or be like other female celebrities, hence buying a magazine that features a glamourous model. The male gender would buy the magazine because of the physical attraction some may feel towards her.

Analysis of EMPIRE Magazine

The magazine brand name is clearly shown at the top of the page in a bold, red font which makes it easy to distinguish when it is on the shelves of a newsagent, or in a shop in general. However the main focal point of the magazine front cover is the large image in the very centre of the page, which overlaps the brand name. This image takes up 1/3 of the space on the front cover and is being used to draw in the target audience and due to it's size, it would one of the first things your eyes are drawn to when you first see it. Either side of the main image is the text that is informing the reader what is inside the magazine. It slightly overlaps the with the image very slightly, to give the example of perspective, that the character being shown on the front cover - in this case Wolverine - is jumping out at the audience. The more informative contents are shown on the left hand side of the magazine, so that when they are stacked on the shelf the reader will be able to see what is inside just by glancing at the cover. This includes the main feature story/theme of the magazine, as well as any big reviews or new film releases. On the right hand side of the page, the smaller articles are listed, which include actors/actresses, other films and film related content. As it isn't as important, it features on the side that will remain hidden when stacked on the shelf.

There is only one image on the front cover of 'Empire Magazine' and it's of an action hero known as 'Wolverine'. The image is portrayed to be mean, angry, strong and masculine by the way he is positioning and pose. The facial expression also adds to the angry and tough feel being portrayed in the image. The character is staring out of the magazine, but instead of looking into the eyes of the reader, it is shown to be looking over the tops of the reader's heads, as if he was staring at something behind them. Finally, the image is made up of two main parts, the character and the background. The background is predominantly one colour which doesn't feature on the characters clothing, giving a good contrast between the two. It intensifies the way the image jumps out at it's audience.

The text on the front cover of the magazine is split into three main pieces; the brand name, the first third and the last third. They have been strategically placed there to inform the audience about what features are inside the magazine, what the main image is about and what the magazine is called. The text also varies in size on the front cover depending how important the information it is representing is. The brand name usually has to be the largest text on the page as it is the brand's identity and it has to stand out and be easily recognisable from a distance. This is why is is the largest font on the page and is a different colour to the rest of the text on the page. The rest of the text on the page fluctuates depending on the importance factor. Which is most notable on the left hand side of the page as that needs to be able to be read from a distance and be able to be understood in a matter of seconds to which the reader may glance over it in a shop. The rest of the text is relatively small in comparison, as it is predominantly just telling the reader any other other information about more features inside the magazine.

The colour of the front page is mainly blue, red, white and black. These have been used because they contrast very well when placed next to one another. The blue background sets a backdrop for the rest of the features on a magazine. The deep red brand name contrasts greatly with the blue in the background, making it easily recognisable as "Empire Magazine". It makes it easier to read and is more likely to catch your attention from a distance. The brand name is the only place where red is used on the front cover. This has been done so that is doesn't distract the audience's attention away from the brand identity, or so that is can't be mistaken for something else. The character shown in the centre of the page is made up of three main colours; black, white and pink(ish). The white and black are block colours, therefore they contrast with themselves, as well as being clearly distinguishable from the blue background. It has been done to that the character is shown to have a 3D effect, to be coming out of the page. The other text on the page is made up of black of white, again because of the natural contrast, and because of the way it is easiest to read these colours when the font is of a smaller size. Also, it emphasizes the power of the character shown, implying that he has an effect on the surrounding as the colour of the text matches the colours shown on his outfit.

The Unique Selling Point of this front cover is the way it attracts both male and female readers, which in done by the large image shown on the front cover. This is achieved because of the physical attraction of women feel towards the well built, muscular figure being portrayed on the cover. It attracts the male audience by making them want the aspiration be as muscly as he is and the sense of power this figure gives off. This doubles the possible target audience, which would have a big impact on the amount of sales the magazine would get.

Detailed Analysis of Halloween II

Editing;

Halloween II follows a different sort structure to the conventional Freytag Triangle Horror/Thriller movie trailer, as seen in 'The Strangers'. Instead of gradually increasing the tension and suspense of the trailer through establishing shots and apparent peaceful scenes, Halloween II uses the traditional 'scary' shots throughout. However, the trailer does start off with very long edits to set the scene, yet the cutting styles are either directly to black without a fade, or no black at all and just cut straight to the next clip. The reason behind the quick cutting styles and the direct show of action/gore, is because of the film being a sequel. Usually the audience would have already seen the first one, therefore they will already know the back story of what has happened prior to the release of this film. This means that they will want to get straight into the heart of the trailer, instead of watching a recap of events from the previous film. This is why you see the antagonist straight away - as there is no need to build up to the point of seeing it in the trailer - because the audience watching the trailer would have seen him before.

Throughout the trailer, there is a sequence of long scenes which are broken down in to smaller shots. Invisible editing gives us the impression that it is all one shot because you don't pick up the edit style as much as fades or black cuts. The main scenes in the trailer are; in the street with policeman, in the hospital, in the protagonists house, outside on the streets and then lots of differing shots that make up a faster paced ending to the trailer. These shots so much more interaction between both antagonist and protagonist when in comparison to 'The Strangers', where this interaction only really occurred when the trailer was in the midst of the high paced sections. Blunt cuts and flashes emphasize the fast paced sections, when in fact some of the scenes last for a longer duration, this quick transition has the same effect of very short clips.

Overall, the editing styles in this trailer have been used to maximize the potential of scaring the audience into going to watch the film. By using plenty of shots of the protagonists and antagonists, the trailer acts as one big teaser - hence it being called a teaser trailer - that entices the audience in. Unlike some horror trailers where there is social interaction between characters for the first half, leading up to that sudden point of action, Halloween II shows the audience exactly what they will be getting by including moderate gore, action and terror. In some cases, these trailers are more effective in drawing people to see the film, yet it all depends on personal taste in the long run.

Camera and Shot Compositions;

The main effect used in this trailer is the use of a point of view camera angle, where the camera is shaking and being jogged as if the camera were the viewer's eyes. This is a widely used feature throughout the trailer and is being used to draw the audience into the scenes as if they were there watching it first hand. It is mixed in with the traditional steady shot, giving a contrast in the different types of shots that can be used when filming. Usually, the steady shots are the ones that are there to inform the viewer of something or show parts of the story as if they were a bystander to the event. The first hand camera shots make the audience imagine that it is themselves in place of the protagonist, which inevitably makes them feel more scared. Medium close-ups and close-ups are being used most within the trailer, as it is able to show in more detail the expressions and emotions of both the protagonists and antagonists. By using the closer shot angles, the company are able to get the audience to focus on certain aspects far more easily, as a simple close-up will immediately draw their attention to it.

As well as using these compositions, 'Halloween II' practically keeps all of the shots at about waist height or above, making sure that you can see the face of the characters involved and at least some of their neck or torso. It again helps the production company to emphasize any emotions that are being shown in that particular clip. As well as emotion, the camera is kept at waist height because that is where most action is taking place if the character is moving or doing something. It keeps their actions in the frame all the time, showing the audience everything that is happening. There is also the presence of some high angled shots and low angled shots that split up the fluency of the waist heigh shots. High and low angle shots are the convention in horror movies because they have the ability to make the protagonists look inferior, and the antagonists superior. They also have the ability to connote which characters are strong, weak, powerful, etc... Which can be applied to the antagonists in the film as well.

An example of the first person camera shot is between 0:23 - 0:44, where the camera is following a girl on a stretcher along corridors of a hospital. Throughout this sequence in the hospital the camera is being handheld by a person jogging alongside the background characters. Occasionally an over-the-shoulder shot is used, to really make it seem that the viewer is there watching the action unfold. It is a really effective shot to use as it transports the viewer into the room as the action behind the camera is unfolding. As this shot is at the start of the trailer, it's purpose is to draw the audience into the trailer and keep them watching until the very end. If the start of a trailer is uninteresting, boring or dull, there is high chance that the viewer will turn it off or just watch something else. However - as stated above - by drawing the viewer into the action in making them think they are a character in the film keeps them watching in suspense. If the majority of the target audience watch the trailer all the way through and it appeals to them, then there is a much greater chance in them watching the film at the cinema.

Mise-en-Scene;

'The Amityville Horror' is a hints towards a lot of gore, making it an intense and shocking trailer. There is constant interaction between the protagonists and antagonists, clearly showing the audience the intentions that lie within the film. Due to this, there is a lot of features that have to be present in the background. In the trailer you clearly see a knife being wielded by the antagonist, show his intentions. There is also the presence of blood, telling the audience that at some point in the trailer someone it going to get hurt or potentially killed, which is the convention of films from the horror genre. Towards the end of the trailer, there is a clip and it shows the antagonist kneeling down forcefully moving his arm up and down with a knife, which is being accompanied by a "slice" sound effect. You don't actually see the knife penetrate anybody, as it's been censored, however it is a prime example of how it suggests a certain feature to the audience.

Again, like 'The strangers', Halloween II also hides the identity of the antagonist behind a mask. However in this film the mask is a rubber halloween one, as used commonly in Trick or Treating. It is able to show more of an expression than some blank, featureless plain masks, but the expressions shown are purposely designed to scare and portray fear. Just like 'The Strangers' the audience are left guessing as to who, or what, could be behind the mask and what is the motivation behind the psychopathic/merciless vision they possess. The inclusion of the halloween mask matches up with the film name, "Halloween", as the killer is hiding it's identity behind a costume. When blank masks are being used, it's harder to tell whether someone is joking about, or whether they have an underlying evil motive. This is the same with the halloween mask, not so much for the viewers as they have seen the prequel to Halloween II, so they know what the killer looks like. However for unsuspecting characters in the movie, the killer - Michael Myers, could just be seen as another person out enjoying themselves trick or treating. An example of this is shown between 1:19 - 1:23 in the movie where a small child asks the antagonist, "are you a giant?", showing that the typical costume can be misconstrued to portray something other than a killer. Potentially the reason behind wearing costumes when committing crimes in the first place.

Music, dialogue, Sound Effects;

In the trailer there isn't a specific song or background track that plays through the entire duration, there are instead just smaller bits that play intermittently throughout. These are most notably seen at the start of the trailer, and at the end. The start the footage is accompanied with gospel soul music of a woman singing notes, which sounds similar to parts in the titanic. It's a juxtaposition because on screen you are seeing partial violence, but the music doesn't match the footage being shown on screen. It's a slow start to the trailer, however it soon picks up speed once the calm, relaxing music stops. At the end of the trailer the music comes back in again, but is at a much faster tempo. It's faster pace is made up of heavier beats, crashes, drum hits and orchestral singing, which makes it perfect for the action sequence in the trailer.

Dialogue and sound effects are the most used source of sound in the trailer, as this is where the producers want the target audience to focus their listening too when they are watching it. The dialogue in the trailer isn't a long conversation between two characters, it is often a few words or a phrase that are being spoken out at the audience. It reinforces the feel of them being a bystander potentially watching/hearing the events unfold. As well as the dialogue from the characters, there is also a voice over that has been used in place of captions. So that there is a constant flow of clips playing, the voice over tells the audience what they would have been reading if the captions were there. It has been done so that the pace can be kept fast throughout the trailer, and because you can place sound effects and footage behind the voice over as its happening. This isn't usually done with captions because the text on screen has the chance of blending in with the images being shown at the same time, making the voice over the most efficient way to let the audience know what is happening. The person doing the voice over has a very deep voice which adds to the horror theme of the trailer, and he is speaking slower than a normal talking pace.

The sound effects are highly conventional of the horror movie genre as they have all been used to purposely scare or make the audience jump. The sound effects most used in this trailer are screams, shouts, knife related FX, as well as atmospheric sounds such as rainfall and thunderclaps. Each sound effect has been specifically matched to a clip that either involves someone in peril, pain or fear, such as the scream. The atmospheric sound effects aren't being used to frighten the audience, they are instead being used to set the scene of a clip. As well as the sound effects being matched to specific actions in the footage, they are also used for a change in pace of the trailer or to cover up a change of invisible editing. When a shot changes and it is particularly noticeable, a loud 'jumpy' effect will be put as soon as the change takes place. This scares the audience and they don't take notice of the edit, which is also conventionally found at the end of period of prolonged darkness or silence. It's purpose being primarily to scare the audience as much as possible so that the trailer will stick in their minds increasing the likelihood of them going to see it at the cinema.