Solo Trailer Review: Resident Evil: Retribution

Name of Film: Resident Evil: Retribution

Year Released: 2012

Genre of Trailer: Action Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 7/10

What happened in the trailer?

It starts off with what seems to be a ‘normal’ family morning until a zombies attack. The mother, the protagonist, and daughter run outside only for a computerised voice to repeatedly say “None of this is real” overhead. The mother then wakes up inside a facility run by a corporation that has been experimenting on her. Aided by another woman, the protagonist fights zombies and other human beings as she attempts to escape the facility, while the main antagonist boasts that the corporation has taken over several capital cities and that she will need ‘good luck’ to kill him. The trailer ends as the music builds up to the close and the protagonist throws a pick-axe at the screen.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The misleading opening is a clever twist as it tricks the viewer into thinking the plot is going one way, before shooting off into another. The initial happy family start would start viewers thinking that the trailer was a romance or a comedy, then the zombie attack would make them think it was a simple horror. However, when the protagonist ‘wakes up’ the plot delves deeper into a sci-fi realm, twisting the audiences preconceptions onto their heads.

-          The pacing of the trailer is built simply and solidly. It starts off slow, speeds up for a short section, slows down again and then speeds up. This allows the audience to easily grasp the film in terms of tension and suspence.

-          The narrative is very easy to follow in the trailer; there is an enemy the protagonist needs to defeat in order to escape, she has allies and so does her enemy. There is no room for confusion.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          There are no real jump scares, either during or at the end of the trailer. Instead the horror is meant to come from the onslaught of zombies, but they do not generate any real fear in the viewer. Niether is there any real gore, which is the other branch of horror for zombie films. With a lack of both gore and jump scares, this trailer is not very scary.

Why did it receive that mark?

I gave this trailer a 7 as it was a fast-paced an easy to follow trailer with an interesting narrative. However, nothing really jumped out in this trailer, leaving an adequate but not totally satisfying result. 

Solo Trailer Review: Silent Hill Revelation 3D

Name of Film: Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

Year Released: 2012

Genre of Trailer: Psychological Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 7/10

What happened in the trailer?

A girl, the protagonist, wakes up from a dream involving deformed monsters, before heading off to start at a new school. While at school, she has more visions, ‘falling’ out of one when she bumps into a boy inside the school. She calls her father, thinking she is being watched and starts to head home. On her way home, the father is attack by an unseen person. When she arrives at her home with the boy, her father is gone and a symbol is drawn on the wall. After finding a strange disc, the area around her appears to transform and the boy and dragged away. Venturing outside, the girl finds herself in a strange town filled with monsters. We then see a montage of fast scenes featuring these monsters, the girl being attacked her father and the boy trapped and a larger monster swinging a giant sword at the camera, before the title appears.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The pacing of the trailer is done perfectly; starting with a small jump scare but going slow, then introducing the characters and then speeding up, revealing the scary side of the events in the trailer and setting the narrative and the location.

-          Near the end of the trailer, we hear the protagonist shout “Go to hell!” before someone replies “We’re already here.” These quotes increase the horror of the trailer and help reinforce the psychological side. They show the audience that what happens in this movie is going to be so horrifying that it’s going to be like that characters are in hell. Furthermore, since these lines are near the end of the trailer and can be heard very clearly, they are likely to sit in the mind of the viewer for a while after watching and will probably repeat themselves, making the viewer thinking about the trailer continuously.

-          The repeated use of silence and the sirens increases the tension and suspense throughout the entire trailer. We see and hear repeated section of silence, like where the protagonist attempts to rescue the boy, and then have the siren play after it to highlight the drama of the situation, where the deformed nurses attack the protagonist. This pattern starts about halfway through the trailer and continues until the very end.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          The overall narrative of the trailer is slightly confusing to understand. It starts off easily, with the protagonist having nightmares and visions, then her father is kidnapped. But afterwards it becomes hard to make sense of. We see her running about in a town being chased by monsters and at a few points trying to rescue her father and the boy; however, apart from the monsters, we are not presented with a true antagonist or a main villain, with the exception of one character saying “You were chosen to destroy the demon.” While there is one figure that could be considered ‘the demon’, it is never fully confirmed, meaning that the antagonist is not truly revealed.

Why did it receive that mark?

I gave this trailer a 7 out of 10 as I believe it created a good atmosphere of tension and fear while also providing an original plot and an adequate about of scares and thrills. 

Solo Trailer Review: House at the End of the Street

Name of Film: House at the End of the Street

Year Released: 2012

Genre of Trailer: Psychological Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 8/10

What happened in the trailer?

It starts with the main character walking down a road before getting into the car of the other main character. They talk, setting the backstory of the male character and presenting the antagonist. Then we see a montage of events from the film, cultivating with the main female character being attacked and trying to escape from a house. The trailer then ends on a jump scare.  

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The montage in the middle of the trailer heightens the tension and excitement of the film, reinforcing that it is a psychological horror film.

-          The creepy setting of the trailer, a house in the middle of some woods, is very effective is this trailer. It highlights the secluded feeling of loneliness as well as the feeling of being unable to escape and there being nobody around to help.

-          The jump scare at the end of the trailer helps give the trailer a lasting impression on the viewer, helping the trailer stay fresh in their minds.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          The pacing of the trailer is very dragged out, making the first half of it rather slow. This can make the viewer bored and could cause them to turn off the trailer. It also provides an overload of information on the characters and the plot, which could instead have been reduced to more basic information to keep the trailer short and snappy.

-          The plot seems fairly cliché in horror terms. There is a house in the woods. The protagonist is a young woman trapped in the house trying to escape. It is a plot that has been used several times over and could therefore dissuade the audience from viewing the film itself.

Why did it receive that mark?

I gave this trailer an 8 out of 10 as I thought the pacing was good, the trailer kept the suspense and fear up throughout its entire length and the jump scare at the end was well used. 

Class Trailer Review: Cloverfield

Name of Film: Cloverfield

Year Released: 2008

Genre of Trailer: Action Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 8/10

What happened in the trailer?

Starts slowly with a party and people talking to the camera, then what appears to be an earthquake hits and the partygoers rush to the roof. Suddenly, a set of explosions go off and there is a quick montage of static-y cuts as people fall over trying to get inside the building. Then it cuts to the street and we see another explosion before the head of the Statue of Liberty crashes past. We then cut to a clip of one of the partygoers talking, before ending.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The use of handheld camera is very clever as it makes the trailer seem as if it could be real, like a found footage movie or a documentary.

-          The news report in the trailer also adds to the reality of the trailer, making the events seem more realistic and dramatic.

-          The scene at the end with the party-goer saying “It’s going to be the best night ever” adds dramatic irony to the trailer, as it is obviously filmed before the explosions and earthquake happen, so the audience know it is not going to be a good night. It also adds to the expectations of the audience, telling them the movie is going to be exciting, maybe even one of the best they’ve ever seen.

-          There is a heavy element of mystery to this trailer. We see no title or release date. Instead, we are only told who the producer is, J.J Abrams, and who it is produced by. This increases the curiosity of the viewer, making them want to learn more and thus forcing them to actively research the film.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          The handheld camera could produce problems for some people watching it. Handheld camera is very shaky to watch and can cause some people to feel ill, putting them off seeing the film.

-          The CGI with the head of the Statue of Liberty is obvious fake, taking away from the realism of the trailer.

What was the trailer's average score in class? Why did it receive that mark?

The average score from the class on this trailer was 7.5 out of 10. This trailer was more exciting and interesting than the others, but a few people were put off by the handheld camera and the overall lack of scares.

Class Trailer Review: 30 Days of Night

Name of Film: 30 Days of Night

Year Released: 2007

Genre of Trailer: Action Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 5/10

What happened in the trailer?

1. Starts with a couple in a house, before a jump scare occurs of the woman being attacked and dragged out the window. It then slows down as it introduces the vampire as the antagonists of the film and the setting, before speeding up again as the vampires hunt down the people and the people talk about and attempt to fight back. It ends on a fading shot of the title with the music fading too.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The starting jump scare is an effective way to grab the viewers attention and to wake them up. Since jump scares are commonly used at the end of a trailer, the audience would not expect a jump scare to occur at the start, therefore they will be alert and attentive throughout the rest of the trailer in case there is another unexpected jump scare, meaning they will view the entire trailer.

-          The shot of the vampire in the background behind the window when the camera pans with the view of the boy was very creepy and unsettling. I think this is a very effective shot and, for me, was the scariest part of the trailer.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          Overall, the trailer wasn’t very exciting. It just seemed to present the movie without highlight its exciting and interesting sections. With the exception of the opening sequence, there are no real scares in the trailer.

-          The fade to black at the end of the trailer was disappointing as it did not contain a jump-scare. While in some trailers the lack of a jump-scare is fine, in this trailer a jump-scare would have greatly enhanced the fright of the trailer.

What was the trailer's average score in class? Why did it receive that mark?

The average score in our class for this trailer was 7 out of 10. This trailer appealed to more people, especially those who are not big fans of gory-horror films. 

Class Trailer Review: Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Name of Film: Dawn of the Dead

Year Released: 2004

Genre of Trailer: Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 6/10

What happened in the trailer?

A slow start with Anna, the main character, being introduced. Then, then zombie outbreak occurs with Anna escaping to the mall. We then see a montage of clips followed by the title.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          During the montage, we see the scenes freeze at the same time we hear the blaring siren/static sound. I particularly liked this as it heightened the tension in these scenes and freaked me out slightly.

-          The effect of the film reel burning out after the montage before fading to white to allow the title to appear. I thought this was a very clever way of ending the montage as it didn’t take away from the drama of the montage, and instead made it seem more horrific, as if the events in the montage were so scary the film instead burnt up out of fear, or if someone burnt it to hide what happened in the montage to keep others from being scared.

-          The news report over the radio and on the television adds a dose of reality to the trailer, making it seem as if these events could actually happen. This scares people more as seeing horror films as something that could happen to you scare the viewer more and leave a longer lasting impression.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          The lack of a jump scare at the end of the trailer meant that the trailer didn’t end on making the viewer jump. Jump scares help leave a lasting impression in the mind, while those without jump scares end up fading quickly from the mind.

-          This movie has a heavy emphasis on gore, however in the trailer there is next to no gore at all. This means that the target audience for this film would view this trailer, think there is no gore in it and avoid watching it, when in reality there is plenty of gore for them to enjoy.

What was the trailer's average score in class? Why did it receive that mark?

There average score from the class was 6.5 out of 10. This was because the trailer was good and interesting, generate curiosity about the movie, but it did not really feature any true thrills or scares for the viewer.

Link to trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LUzJAsa-gg (unable to embed video)

Audience Research 1: Practice Poster

Stereotypical Fan

Name: Anastasia ‘Stasia’

Age: 23

Job: Library Worker/University Student

Likes: Reading, Poetry, Thrill-seeking Activities, Coffee Shops, Politics, Protests

Dislikes: Ignorant People, Celebrities,

Extra: Has a natural fashion sense and takes care of her appearance, but does not actively follow fashion. Actively takes part in protests against civil injustice and in marches for human rights. In a stable long-term relationship and is living with her partner with no children. Is currently studying for her master’s degree in history and works at her university library to support herself.

Demographic: C2; Skilled Worker

Psychographic: Reformer, she wants the world to change/ Mainstreamer

Class Research: Favourite Horror Sub-Genre