A2 Media- Techniques I Like
- 2. Introduction When creating a film trailer it’s important to consider the techniques and methods of: lighting, camerawork and editing as well as the house style and fonts applied within the media text. In regards to the early development of my own trailer it’s important to conduct research into the aesthetics and techniques I plan to use within my piece. Thus this research will allow provide me with the opportunity to analyse a range of production methods from a range of different media texts, which I can then adopt and develop within my own film trailer piece. In order to correspond with my base idea of creating a film trailer of the horror/thriller genre, I will be selecting the potential techniques that I could adopt or use from a range of media texts of a similar genre and theme (as this will also allow my piece to remain conventional of my chosen genre).
- 3. Lighting- Low key/ Artificial When creating my film trailer I believe that a focus upon the use of limited/ low key lighting within my piece would be effective in creating an eerie sense of foreboding connotative to the horror genre that I plan my trailer to be based upon. The use of such lighting can be identified within the film ‘The Others’ (2001) directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Within this film the lighting exposed within the piece is very limited, this is effective in conveying a lingering darkness within each scene and is effective in connoting a sense of claustrophobic entrapment as communicated by the surrounding darkness, this is also effective in conveying the psychological state of the protagonist, as their mind becomes continually clouded and burdened by the isolation they feel within the eerie expanses of their large country home. This eerie effect is a technique that I would like to apply to my own piece as I believe the intentional application of darkness would be effective in conforming to the dark conventions of the horror genre. The use of shadows would be effective in forming a more enigmatic atmosphere to the settings that I use, through which the areas of darkness will be effective in inciting a sense of unease within my target audience as areas of my chosen settings will be intentionally hidden. This will be effective in not only conveying my film’s genre of horror, but will also be effective in conveying a sense of mystery, as the dark lighting will obscure some areas of the presented footage. This idea links to Barthes's Enigma code Theory, within which he stated that in order for media products to entice it’s audiences, information must be withheld from the audience in order to entice them to commit to the entirety of the piece. This is an effect that would also be highly effective in conforming to the conventions of a teaser trailer as product holds the purpose of presenting a film in an enigmatic and appealing form in order to capture the interest and captivation of potential audience members, in order too persuade them to consume the film upo0n release. Thus the use of such lighting is a definite feature I would like to include within my horror teaser trailer. However, re-creating this technique may possess certain challenges. For example, by using a high concentration of darkness, the recording equipment I use may produce somewhat unclear/ unfocused footage, due to the grainy quality that this can create. Thus, the quality hindrance should be considered.
- 4. Lighting- Shadows Within the action thriller ‘Inception’ (2010) directed by Christopher Nolan, the mixed application of lighting within each scene is effective in conveying an effectively fluctuating darkness which is connotative to the continual action and chaos present within the film. This use of shadows in order to communicate certain emotions and emphasise events within a media text is a technique that I would like to attempt to adopt within my horror teaser trailer. In regards to the methods I could use to adopt this technique I believe that by placing certain characters within the shadows of a scene I could convey the psychological state and character roles of those featured upon the screen. For example, when presenting the antagonised characters within my teaser trailer I could, through the manipulation of artificial lighting equipment, cast shadows onto the flesh of my characters in order to connote their potentially dark and dangerous intent. This is a technique that is found throughout the ‘Inception’ film and alternatively has also presented me with the idea of applying a larger concentration of light upon certain characters in order to present the protagonist within my film. This light would be effective in connoting the pure intentions of the protagonist within the film, as their complexion is not tainted by the enigmatic darkness of shadows. This juxtaposition of light and darkness is a technique that I think could be effective in conveying the opposition of the protagonists and antagonists within my advertised film through which the conflict between the two can be reflected through the dominance of either light or darkness within each presented scene. This opposition formed links to Levi Strauss’ Binary Opposites Theory, through which he stated that within a narrative two opposing forces are always presented, each side possessing traits that contrast the other. One of the challenges of using shadows may be that by purposefully casting darkness upon the characters, the verisimilitude/ believability of the piece may be hindered as the lighting will appear less than natural in the eyes of the audience; losing the piece’s overall effectiveness despite the connotations it could create.
- 5. Camerawork- 180 Degree Rule In regards to the potential camerawork that I could incorporate into my piece I have found that a particularly effective method of filming is that of the breaking of the 190 degree rule. The 180 degree rule is the line in which the characters within a scene are placed upon, this line acts as a figurative guide for actor placement within a scene, and holds the purpose of ensuring that an accurate continuity between clips and character composition is retained throughout the entirety of the film. However, although this line is important in regards to continuity editing is can also be challenged in order to create an effectively unique shot within a scene. For example within Alejandro Amenábar’s ‘The Others’ the 180 degree rule is visibly challenged through which the camera rotates from in front of the protagonist’s to their backs. This turning of the camera as well as the long length of this shot is effective in forming a rising feeling of suspense within the audience, as the consistently moving camerawork contrasts the lingering stillness of the characters, having the effect of communicating a building sense of eeriness and rising anticipation as the audience fear potential oncoming events. This build in tension is something that I wish to achieve within my teaser trailer, as this would be effective in enticing my audience ‘s captivation of the piece and thus successfully incite a sense of curiosity and desire within my audience members, persuading them to consume the entirety of the advertised film. This suspense will also be effective in creating a piece conventional of my chosen film genre of horror, as this will allow me the opportunity to build up a rising sense of fear and dread within my audience members signaling an oncoming threat within the narrative of my piece. I believe that this technique is one that could be effectively enhanced within my teaser trailer as by applying this technique at the end of my trailer, by which the scene is abruptly cut off, the rise in tension formed will linger within the mind’s of the audience and will thus effectively leave a sense of curiosity clinging to the mind’s of my audience members and thus rendering them more likely to consume the advertised film. However, I believe that the only potential issue with this technique is that of the long nature of this form of shot, This is an issue as this may limit my creative options in regards to conveying a range of quick short extracts from my film, as this shot will take up a greater length of time within my piece, which may counterproductively disturb the fast paced flow of the teaser trailer as well as form a piece that is unconventionally long. In screen-time. Thus before applying this technique these issues will need to be considered.
- 6. Camerawork- High/Low Angle Within the sci-fi, action-thriller ‘The Matrix’(1999), directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski (known also as The Wachowski Brothers), the camerawork applied within this film is highly dynamic. This can be seen particularly throughout the films application of contrasting/ binary shots and angles, effective in connoting both a sense of opposition occurring between the characters as well as conveying a sense of energy and excitement trough the continual fluctuation of shots. One of the greatest examples of contrasting shots can be identified during the opening scene of the film in which the antagonist, Agent Smith, is in pursuit of the protagonist, Trinity. Within this scene the use of contrasting high and low angles when focusing upon the characters are used and thus is highly effective in conveying the power struggle between the two , which emphasises a sense of danger and energy during the scene's chase. This emphasis upon the action and representation of character relationships and roles within a scene is a technique I would like to incorporate into my horror teaser trailer. This is because I believe that the application of these contrasting angles would be effective in allowing me to reemphasise the danger that my film’s protagonists’ must face, through which I believe the focus of a range of low angles upon the protagonist and high angles upon the protagonist, will be effective in making the protagonists seem smaller then that of the antagonist and thus less powerful and outmatched in strength. This will effectively emphasise the danger that the antagonist presents and will also be effective in inciting fear into the audience as they will feel intimidated by the antagonistic presence within the trailer, and thus the dark, fearful conventions of my chosen genre of horror will be conformed to and confirmed. However a potential challenge would be achieving these angles effectively, as we would require a location that will allow us to create the dramatically juxtaposing angles that we desire; something that may be difficult with our potential settings limited to local areas. And a lack of high level equipment (such as tripod height limitations).
- 7. Camerawork- Focus Pull Within the action-thriller, ‘The Matrix’ (1999) and horror/parody ‘Scream 4’ (2011), directed by Wes Craven, a range of focus pulls are used in order to raise a sense of anticipation and suspense within the audience of the film. A focus pull is a shot by which there are 2 centers of focus within the shot, one within the foreground and the other present within the background, these focuses are then narrowed down to either focus upon the foregrounds subject, obscuring the background or vice versa. This technique is one I find particularly appealing as it creates both an interestingly visual shot, however also allows narrative information to be communicated to the audience in regards to areas of significance within the film. For example within ‘Scream 4’ a focus pull is used to focus upon the concerned protagonist, in the foreground, to that of the surrounding trees within the background, this switch is effective in allowing the producers to steer the audience attention to areas of narrative significance through which, in this case, a sense of fear and suspense can be built as the audience harbor both a captivation and concern towards the new film focus. This technique is effective in prolonging shots, allowing time for audiences to form their own ideas of upcoming events within the film before the truth is revealed. This technique is one I would definitely like to attempt to integrate into my teaser trailer as this will allow my audiences to gain small snippets of narrative information as certain narrative significant symbols (such as that of certain props or perhaps obscured characters present within the background) can be revealed to the audience in order to captivate their curiosity whilst at the same time leaving my audience members eager to consume more of the product. Thus I will use this technique in order to increase the narrative appeal of my teaser trailer's film. However, this technique possesses a particular challenge in regards to achieving a successful focus pull effect. As this technique can only be accomplished upon recording equipment with in in-built ability to do so; and can be difficult to achieve if a foreground and background figure are not accurately framed. Revealing this technique to require practice and the correct equipment.
- 8. Camerawork- Extreme/Close-up When creating my teaser trailer another technique which I am particularly fond of is that of the use of a range of close-ups. This is a technique I find particularly effective within films that seek to build a sense of suspense and can be found frequently within the action thrillers of ‘Inception’ and ‘The Matrix’. For example within ‘The Matrix’ a range of close-ups are used when addressing the antagonist, Agent Smith, through these close-ups a sense of mystery and ill intent is exerted from this character as these shots are effective in limiting the audiences view of the character. For example during the antagonist's pursuit of the protagonist, Trinity, a close-up of his shoes and looming shadow incites a sense of unease within the audience as they are limited to a ground view of the antagonist. Thus shot is effective in making it difficult for the audience to predict the antagonist's upcoming actions, inciting a sense of fear as the audience lack a sense of control over the character's potentially dangerous and threatening actions. This close-up is also effective in making the audience feel smaller than that of the antagonist, as the viewer can only gain a view of the character’s placement upon the ground. This again, is effective in allowing the antagonist to exert a sense of intimidation which is not only registered by the fleeing protagonists but also reaches that of the audience. This impact and ability to enhance character representations and intent is something that I seek to form when applying this technique, as this will be effective in inciting enigma codes (as explained within Barthes Enigma Code Theory of withholding narrative information) into the audience, by granting audiences a limited view upon characters and events, as well as form a sense of enticing intimacy as a result of the closeness of this shot, thus improving the chances of audience enticement and the success of my film teaser trailer. When creating this technique, a potential challenge may be finding a place for this shot within my piece, as a close- up is only effective when focusing upon a subject of high significance to the piece. Thus when planning the camerawork within my teaser I will need to consider this technique’s use and meaning carefully before carrying it out.
- 9. Camerawork- Hand-held Another technique I find appealing is that of the use of handheld camerawork. This technique is effective in connoting a sense of chaos and a lack of control and is a technique I found to feature often within the action sequences within the film ‘Inception’. For example during a scene in which the protagonists are sheltering from an incoming attack within a near by abandoned building, the panic of the protagonist’s is emphasised and communicated through the shakiness of the camera, in which their fear and an overall realisation of the danger within the scene is conveyed with intensity. This tension and chaos is an effect I seek to create within my teaser trailer as I believe that along with the conventional fast pace that my teaser trailer will present as it’s content cuts from one piece of footage to the next, I believe that the ruggedness of hand held camera will be effective in enhancing the sense of energy and excitement within my piece, thus will be effective in retaining the attention that the trailer receives form my target audience. Also I believe that this technique will be useful in conveying the horror genre of my teaser trailer as the shaky handheld shots could be connotative to that of a character shivering, fearful nervousness, thus communicating the danger that the protagonist’s within my piece may face as well as inciting a sense of fear into the audience, as they identify the horror elements within my piece. However a potential challenge that I may face with this technique is retaining the overall quality of my teaser; as by deliberately creating unstable footage, his could potentially hinder the professionalism of the piece, thus this technique should perhaps only be used in moderation.
- 10. Editing- Filter In regards to the editing techniques that I wish to incorporate into my teaser trailer I find that of the application of filters upon footage to be particularly effective. A filter is a form of colour manipulation, which can be applied after footage has been filmed, a filter is effective in editing the hue and colour saturation within a film and is effective in forming a certain atmosphere within a scene that can be difficult to capture during production. For example within ‘The Others’ when addressing the enigmatic room upon the highest floor of the protagonist's home, a dark filter is applied to the setting which has the effect of forming a cold and unwelcoming atmosphere, reflective of the danger that lingers there. This atmosphere is something that I wish to create within my own piece, as through the lowering of the saturation of colour I too can replicate this cold and eerie effect, which will be effective in allowing my piece to connote it’s dark thriller genre as well as emphasise the overpowering danger that the protagonist’s face. Thus inciting a lingering sense of inescapable fear within my audience as each scene is beholds a lingering atmosphere of dark foreboding. However, when applying this technique I should make sure to retain a tone of realism in regards to the manipulative colour choices I create, as if overdone, then the piece could lose the rough verisimilitude that I wish for my product to maintain (as a sense of realism will help to incite paranoia into my audience as they become more likely to accept the ideas and narrative that my trailer presents, interpreting it’s content as possible within reality).
- 11. Editing- Speed/pace Another editing technique that I like is that of the manipulation of the pacing/speed of footage. This is a technique that I found to be frequently used within the action-thriller ‘Inception’ in which scenes of action were slowed in order to dramatise and build a sense of audience anticipation when viewing a character in action. For example when the protagonist, Cob, achieves his goal of finding a way back to his home in America his final progress towards his long awaited destination is slowed , this has the effect of elongating the scene , in which his achievements are emphasised in this moment, building a sense of audience anticipation and satisfaction for the oncoming end of the film. This manipulation of pace in order to emphasise certain actions and events is a technique I believe will work particularly well within my teaser trailer, as by slowing down moments of action, perhaps during a chase scene, when the protagonists is locked in a life threatening pursuit, areas of the action could be slowed in order to emphasise the danger the character is faced with, as well as to further entice the audience as this pace will tease their need to see that the character survives the scene. Thus I believe this could be a highly effective technique in further compelling my audience as well as emphasising moments of suspense within my teaser trailer. However, when editing, achieving a speed that can appear effective, yet natural, may be a challenge; which could potentially create a rather confusing and unrealistic piece if not used upon an appropriate scene. Thus it’s use should be carefully considered.
- 12. Editing- Distortion Another editing technique that I have discovered is that of distortion. This is a technique that incorporates a blur upon the footage within a piece and is often effective in emphasising the state-of-mind of character’s (e.g. Gradually blurring edges could convey the fading consciousness of a character; creating a more immersive/ realistic effect). I discovered this technique within the action thriller ‘The Hunger Games’ (2012), directed by Gary Ross. Within this film a distortion effect is applied to a scene in which the protagonist, Katniss, has been infected with a venomous substance, this blur can be regarded at the edges of the point-of-view shots of the woods, and is effective in conveying the numbing/ dazing effects that the character is experiencing. This technique is effective n conveying the protagonist’s deteriorating health; forming a far more dramatic tone which emphasises the danger that the character is faced with. This example reveals to me that one of the most effective ways to distort footage is upon the outer edges of the frame; as this is effective in symbolising a character's gradually fading vision. However, I believe that when applying such a technique this should not be forced into my piece and should only be considered when attempting to emphasise a character’s psychological well-being (perhaps when within a state of panic or fleeing desperately from an antagonist; conveying their exhaustion and fading strength). However, although this technique can be highly effective in conveying a character's state of mind within a shot, I believe that achieving this technique may be somewhat of a challenge in regards to editing. This is because, when using this technique I would ideally like to distort only areas of the footage, in order to create a fluctuating sense of instability; reflective of the poor health of the character. Therefore when aiming to create this piece I believe initial practice and experimentation in regards to achieving this technique will need to be conducted before applying to my main piece.
- 13. Editing- Limited Editing Alternatively, rather than the application of a range of editing techniques (used in order to emphasise a certain atmosphere within my teaser trailer), I am also intrigued by the deliberate use of limited editing techniques upon my teaser trailer. For example, within the suspense-thriller ‘Paranormal Activity’ (2007), directed by Oren Peli the editing within this film is purposefully sparse, in which the only visible editing appears to be that of it’s transitions from one piece of footage to the next, which softly fade from one piece of footage to the next. This documentary style film is effective in it’s careful selection of editing as by limiting is editing, a believable sense of verisimilitude is formed, in which the audience is able to be easily persuaded of the likeliness of the events within the piece, as the handheld style, and rugged feel deceives the audience into believing the piece to be non-fiction. This realism through a limited application of editing is something I will consider when planning my teaser trailer, as by limiting the editing I can incite a higher level of fear and paranoia into the mind’s of my audience members as they are more likely to buy into the idea that the eerie occurrences within the film could or have (in the past) occurred within reality, thus adding a eerie realism to the piece. However, although this is effective in conforming to the horror conventions of presenting a piece that incites fear within the audience this does have some issues. For example, by producing a purposefully rugged piece, although verisimilitude will be emphasises the overall quality of the product may suffer, also duet o the trailer format of my product, this realism may be hindered as the information my trailer must include will continually remind my audience members of the fictional nature of the film’s content. Therefore although I do like this technique, I am not sure that it’s one that is completely suitable for the media text that I intend to create.
- 14. Font Type In regards to font types, I have discovered a number of styles that seem to both hold aesthetic appeal as well as cater to the dark conventions of my chosen genre of horror/thriller. One of these being that of a thin, small, and simplistic font. This style of fonting seems to be rather conventional to the film title’s of thriller films, in which titles such as ‘The Fog’ (2005), directed by Rupert Wainwright, ‘The Village’ (2004), directed by M. Night Shyamalan and ‘The Others’ all possess titles of a similarly humble style. This is a font that I find appealing, as the thin quality of the font connotes a sleek sense of stealth in which the pacing between each later is effective in connoting a sense of loneliness and isolation through the absence of conjoined letters. These connotations are effective in creating a rather dark and sinister text, in which the use of an often dark/ shadowed background is effective in forming a font that gives little away in regards to narrative information, allowing for a sense of enigma and curiosity to envelop it’s audience members, enticing them to continue their viewing of the piece in order to discover the concealed meaning behind the title of the film. The simplicity and sharp edged stillness of this font is something I find greatly appealing and believe would be very effective if applied within my teaser trailer for a horror film, as this will form a sense of soft and subtle unease, as communicated through the sharp edged nature of the fonting, conveying a sense of danger and dark (and thus conforming to the conventions of the horror genre). However, one of the risks of using this font may be the over simplicity of the fonting; as this text is somewhat less impressive than other potential fonts and thus may be less effective in appealing/ captivating my audience members (and thus hindering the overall purpose of my trailer).
- 15. Font Type Alternatively, within films like that of ‘inception’ and ‘Paranormal Activity’ I found that there is also the option to use far more dynamic fonts, which possess a highest degree of editing as well as the application of texture and colour. For example, ‘Paranormal Activity’s fonting is effective in forming a eerie, evanescent atmosphere which is reflective of the supernatural content of the film. The use of a black background behind the text is effective in emphasising the brightness of the font’s blue emitted glow, which connotes a sense of eerie energy, connotative to the of fading spirits and the supernatural. The animation of the text is also effective in which the blue glow of the text is continuously fluctuating, this connotes sense of restless energy is effective in both capturing the audiences attention as well as hinting towards the themes of spiritual possession within this film, as the text appears as if it were alive; pulsing with s mysterious energy. This collaboration of animation, colour and a bold, yet mysterious font, is one that I find very appealing and I believe would be highly effective within my teaser trailer. I believe this font would be effectively in conveying the dark conventions of my chosen genre of horror, by which I can communicate a sinister sense of restlessness through the use of colours, such as that of red (connotative to danger and rage) or more cold and sullen colours, like that of blue or grey, and thus effectively create a sense of fear and foreboding within my teaser trailer, in order to achieve an effective audience reaction. However, when applying an animation to my font; I believe that a risk of this technique may be text that appears over-developed/ edited, which could prove in hindering the overall quality/ verisimilitude of he film rather than enforce or enhance it. Thus the effect should be considered carefully and retain a subtle enigmatic quality (in order to avoid a undesirably comical effect).
- 16. In conclusion… After analysing a range of films of genres similar to that of my chosen genre of thriller I have discovered a range of techniques that I find both appealing and suitable in allowing me to create an effective teaser trailer for a horror film. I believe that my piece shall contain dynamic camerawork, ranging in angles, shots as well as stability (through which I shall attempt to incorporate hand-held footage into some of my shots in order to convey a sense of sinister chaos within my piece). In regards to editing, I shall apply filters to my footage in order to create a more intense and cold atmosphere within each recorded scene, however, I will also aim to create a sense of verisimilitude, perhaps through the limited application of transition effects, in which I focus upon the use of subtle and unnoticeable cuts from one scene to the next in order to present a piece that is believable and easily accepted in the eyes of the audience. In regards to my preferred fonting I shall aim to use thin, simplistic and sharp text, in order to withhold narrative information form the audience, and thus compel them to consume the trailer in it’s entirety in order to discover more about the piece. Also I shall consider applying colour and animated effects to the title of my film in order to convey a sense of restless energy connotative to the sinister antagonist I plan to feature within my piece. Thus, through this media text analysis I have discovered a variety of different techniques which I find appealing and will aim to incorporate within my teaser trailer final piece.
- 18. Test Footage