Through examining the results of our questionnaires from the projects of last year and this year, we were able to choose the direction in which our film would be aimed.
Last year, our questionnaire found that possessive/supernatural films were popular, although less popular than other sub-genres of horror such as slashers or psychological.
However, through examining trends in current and recent cinema releases we have found that possessive horror films are continually being created. This has especially been seen in recent years with the themes of ghosts, possession and demons recurring in cinemas. Examples of these are seen in 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' and 'The Exorcist', both of which focus on the idea of being possessed by spirits or demons. The popularity of this sub-genre of film is also seen in the re-creation of past films, such as 'Night of the Demons', which was a successful film in 1988 and was remade in 2009. The remaking of past horror films shows the popularity of the genre and also the success of similar ideas.
Another theme in recent cinema and television is the idea of urban legends being retold or examined. This can be seen in cinema releases such as 'Boogeyman' and the less successful 'Don't Look Under The Bed', and is the underlying premise of successful television programme 'Supernatural'. We thought that this was interesting so decided to choose a topic that is surrounded by legend on which to base our film. The theme we settled on was the idea of ouija boards and the possessions that can occur if not used correctly or with respect.
Linked with remakes, it is common for Japanese horror films, which are usually of the possessive/supernatural sub-genre, to be remade. This is shown in films such as 'One Missed Call', 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge'. Due to their popularity we decided to take into account the Japanese influence in our film.
Through these findings we decided to make a possessive/supernatural genre film teaser trailer, as we felt that as well as its popularity and therefore probable success with audiences, it would also be interesting to work with through make up and the less physical threats. The target audiences of possessive/supernatural horrors is similar to other horror film sub-genres, being based between the ages of 15 and 25 due to the use of some gore and upsetting themes. Therefore we chose the same target audience of 15-25 year olds as our project last year, dealing with slasher films. Our questionnaires were put to this demographic, making the information we collected more suitable and reliable in terms of feedback for creating a piece that would be successful. It was found that both male and female viewers were interested in supernatural sub-genres, so this is our target demographic.
The questionnaire that we created this year therefore focussed on possessive films, and we asked what our target audience considered the main features of the sub-genre to be. Reasonably similar answers were received such as the idea of suspense, angry spirits, revenge and unknown supernatural beings.We also asked what they would typically expect to see in a supernatural horror film, and again the answers were quite similar. They expected the houses of the victims to be a popular setting, emphasising their need to be 'creepy' and have gothic features. Other settings such as graveyards and forests were suggested.
We asked what our target audience would expect to see in a teaser trailer in order to shape what we created. A common answer was the idea of quick action shots with unclear focuses, people screaming and unnatural events such as people being thrown around. It was also stated that a concept of how the protagonists' lives were before the haunting must be shown, and then not as much revealed about the supernatural events in order to keep a sense of mystery. Another common answer was the use of darkness to obscure information and create senses of danger.
We asked whether the creature doing the haunting should be seen, and the majority of our target audience stated that they did not want to see the spirit, or not until it was too late. We will echo this by showing the effects of the spirit throughout most of the trailer and then showing the face of the possessed girl right at the end with supernatural make up to make it shocking. It will be at the end of the trailer to create shock for the audience and also reflect that it may be too late for the character.
-Emily
Last year, our questionnaire found that possessive/supernatural films were popular, although less popular than other sub-genres of horror such as slashers or psychological.
However, through examining trends in current and recent cinema releases we have found that possessive horror films are continually being created. This has especially been seen in recent years with the themes of ghosts, possession and demons recurring in cinemas. Examples of these are seen in 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' and 'The Exorcist', both of which focus on the idea of being possessed by spirits or demons. The popularity of this sub-genre of film is also seen in the re-creation of past films, such as 'Night of the Demons', which was a successful film in 1988 and was remade in 2009. The remaking of past horror films shows the popularity of the genre and also the success of similar ideas.
Another theme in recent cinema and television is the idea of urban legends being retold or examined. This can be seen in cinema releases such as 'Boogeyman' and the less successful 'Don't Look Under The Bed', and is the underlying premise of successful television programme 'Supernatural'. We thought that this was interesting so decided to choose a topic that is surrounded by legend on which to base our film. The theme we settled on was the idea of ouija boards and the possessions that can occur if not used correctly or with respect.
Linked with remakes, it is common for Japanese horror films, which are usually of the possessive/supernatural sub-genre, to be remade. This is shown in films such as 'One Missed Call', 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge'. Due to their popularity we decided to take into account the Japanese influence in our film.
Through these findings we decided to make a possessive/supernatural genre film teaser trailer, as we felt that as well as its popularity and therefore probable success with audiences, it would also be interesting to work with through make up and the less physical threats. The target audiences of possessive/supernatural horrors is similar to other horror film sub-genres, being based between the ages of 15 and 25 due to the use of some gore and upsetting themes. Therefore we chose the same target audience of 15-25 year olds as our project last year, dealing with slasher films. Our questionnaires were put to this demographic, making the information we collected more suitable and reliable in terms of feedback for creating a piece that would be successful. It was found that both male and female viewers were interested in supernatural sub-genres, so this is our target demographic.
The questionnaire that we created this year therefore focussed on possessive films, and we asked what our target audience considered the main features of the sub-genre to be. Reasonably similar answers were received such as the idea of suspense, angry spirits, revenge and unknown supernatural beings.We also asked what they would typically expect to see in a supernatural horror film, and again the answers were quite similar. They expected the houses of the victims to be a popular setting, emphasising their need to be 'creepy' and have gothic features. Other settings such as graveyards and forests were suggested.
We asked what our target audience would expect to see in a teaser trailer in order to shape what we created. A common answer was the idea of quick action shots with unclear focuses, people screaming and unnatural events such as people being thrown around. It was also stated that a concept of how the protagonists' lives were before the haunting must be shown, and then not as much revealed about the supernatural events in order to keep a sense of mystery. Another common answer was the use of darkness to obscure information and create senses of danger.
We asked whether the creature doing the haunting should be seen, and the majority of our target audience stated that they did not want to see the spirit, or not until it was too late. We will echo this by showing the effects of the spirit throughout most of the trailer and then showing the face of the possessed girl right at the end with supernatural make up to make it shocking. It will be at the end of the trailer to create shock for the audience and also reflect that it may be too late for the character.
-Emily
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