Camera Ideas

Trailer

The typical camera shots and angles that appear in a movie trailer range from long shots to extreme close ups. Generally they tend to start off with either an establishing shot of where the location is and where the whole horror scene is going to happen or a long shot of the protagonist. Throughout the trailer, we see a range of shots and angles to enhance a scene for example, a close up will be used in order to show the emotions of either the antagonist or protagonist, or to show us the demonic features. By using a range of angles it will give us an idea of how strong or weak the character at the certain scene, like a high angle shot looking down at the protagonist so represent that they are getting watched and make them seen vulnerable and weak as seen in The Shining in the image below.

Camera movement is also important in a horror movie trailer because it improves the scene and adds fluidity to the trailer. Camera movements include tracking shots, crane shots, zoom in/zoom out, pan, tilt, etc. In horror movie trailers, these movements are used frequently, which allows the transitions between shots to flow nicely. An example of a tracking shot is in the Amityville horror is to show how the house is, the environment and the area in which it is located. This is a good way of getting a lot of information in a small amount of time but yet it does not give out a lot of the narrative.

Poster/magazine

When analysing the posters and magazine cover, we have realised that there is a link between the main images and they usually are the same image but with less effects on the magazine cover. The shots that are used are usually long shots, mediums shots or a close up of the antagonist. A long shot is to show us the entire body and any deformities; it lets us see all of the it in one shot which gives us the idea of what is wrong with the antagonist. A close up is to show us the intensity of the demotic possession of the antagonist. These shots have been cleverly used to show the audience exactly what the story is about but they have disguised it well.

Our ideas

We have decided to use a range of shots and movement within our trailer to attract and retain audience attention. Were we to use only a single angle and technique of movement, the audience would soon become bored. To begin our trailer, we have decided to use an establishing shot of a house that pans to a medium shot of a reporter. We will use the movements to link our shots together to give the fluidity needed. Our magazine cover will feature a medium shot to show the audience the demonic possession of the antagonist. This links with the main poster that has the same medium shot but with a longer image that will be reflected in an old standing mirror. The poster will be shot in an over the shoulder fashion to show a contrast between her “normal” state and her possessed state.