Finished Trailer.

This is our final trailer. We chose to keep it short, as we felt it would be more effective this way because we were able to make the pace a lot faster. It also makes it easier to hold the attention of the audience, as their interest may have declined if it went on for too long.

Slenderman Logo.

The use of the Slenderman logo was vital in our trailer as it will link it with the poster and the magazine cover. We decided to place it at the very end of our trailer and made it so it transforms the 'A' in Slenderman into a figure.

End Credits.

After watching several horror trailers, I noticed that almost all of them had logos such as Dolby Digital on the end credits. I decided to do the same on our trailer. I also noticed they included promotional material such as Facebook and Twitter pages, so I tried to recreate this.

Sci-Fi Filter.

Throughout our trailer we have used a filter called 'Sci-Fi'. The filter gives the video a green tint, which can then be edited to look like CCTV or video footage. This is effective as it reflects the technology aspect in the Slenderman legend and our film narrative. We plan to use a similar effect in our poster and film magazine in order to create a strong link between all three. 

Restricted Rating.

We put a restricted rating at the beginning of our trailer as this is the rating that most horror films and trailers receive to prevent underage audiences from watching them. At first we were worried that we would not be able to use the american film industry rating screen, however, after finding examples of British horror films and then watching the trailers on YouTube, I noticed that they all used the American rating screen. For example, '28 Days Later'.

Lionsgate Opening.

We chose to use Lionsgate as the production company for our trailer, as we have noticed that a lot of horror films with a similar target audience as ours use Lionsgate. We used the Lionsgate logo at the beginning of our trailer but edited it to make it better suit the horror genre by darkening the video and giving it a red tint.

Trailer Sound Effects.

As well as music, sound effects are extremely important in making a trailer effective. After watching several trailers, I noticed that the majority of them used screams and deep bass rumbles, so I found free samples of these sounds online to use in our trailer. I also used a radio effect and TV static effect as they fit with our film narrative and reflect the Slenderman legend. I used a raising high pitched noise at points in the trailer as it is extremely uncomfortable to listen to and creates huge tension.

Although for most of the trailer the sound from the raw video files was muted, there were some shots that needed their original sound, such as heavy breathing. In order to do this and still be able to edit these clips (eg cutting between different angles/viewpoints), I had to first detach the audio from the clip.

This allowed me to cut between different shots of the same scene without disrupting the audio.

I recorded people talking to go at the opening of our trailer and used a telephone effect to make it sound like they are speaking on a radio or telephone, as if they are being interviewed about their experiences with Slenderman. I did this using a program called Logic Pro, before exporting the sound files and importing them into iMovie. 

Trailer Music.

Using the right music in a trailer is vital as it sets the mood and can effectively put people on edge. I looked at some websites that offered royalty free music, the best one being incompetech.com. This site offered free music from a wide variety of genres, including horror.

Although I did not find any music that could be used for the entirety of the trailer, I did find one track called 'Gathering Darkness' that we ended up using for the opening, which created a build up of tension. 

For the second section of the trailer in which the speed increases, I decided it would be best to use a soundtrack from an existing horror film, as the music has been purposefully made for the horror genre therefore is likely to be effective. After listening to music from several soundtracks, such as The Shining and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I decided to use a track called 'Gotcha' from the film 'When A Stranger Calls', as it sounds like a chase scene and also has different sections to it that change the mood of the trailer. I especially liked the use of Psycho strings in the piece, as they are very effective in creating tension. 

                                     

Rough Cut Trailer 2

Audience Feedback.

Updated Version of Mini Trailer

Pan's Labyrinth - The Pale Man

I have found a clip from the film 'Pan's Labyrinth' on YouTube which includes a creature similar to Slenderman that uses one of his many alternative names - 'The Pale Man'. Like Slenderman, this creature has no eyes or distinctive facial features. This is an example of how legends, including that of Slenderman can be used in modern film and can be changed and played upon to create effective horror movies. 

Trailer Editing.

A short video in which I explain how I have edited the trailer so far.

Trailer Ideas.

After taking a few shots for our final trailer, I have decided to test them out by editing them into a quick mini trailer that could possibly be used as an opening to the real thing.

Location Shots.

While I was out filming for our trailer, I also took some shots of the location which we could possibly use for our poster and magazine cover. I have also edited them using photoshop to make them look more professional and suitable for a horror movie.


Edited photos:

Unedited photos: