How does your product develop on or challenge the use of generic conventions?Trailer

IntroMy trailer begins by opening with the use of the mandatory Green Certificate generic convention that outlines the ages appropriate to view the following trailer I chose to use this generic convention as it presents the product as more professional. The scene following this depicts an establishing shot of the two protagonists, Will and Charlie, as they move into a new house. The use of an establishing shot at the start of a trailer is a popular generic convention as it informs the viewer of where the majority of the action will take place. The overall atmosphere perceived from this scene is one of peace and hopeful new beginnings although the melancholic score presents a slight atmosphere of foreboding. This is largely in line with the popular generic conventions as most trailers start with an uneventful, peaceful scene and a score that suggests innocence and a positive atmosphere however my product does differ in the fact that the score used in the intro is not a popular lyrical song as is the case with most horror trailers. Shortly after this we see the Linemedia Pictures company logo which is in keeping with seeing an animated production company logo at the start of a trailer to inform the viewer of which company produced it. The continuation of peaceful, fairly uneventful scenes follows this when the protagonists take a trip to the library. During the library scene the boys are questioned about their new house Will claims its good whereas Charlie states that its alright the fact that Charlie has a lesser opinion of the property than Will suggests that he knows something Will doesn't which furthers the atmosphere of foreboding popularly portrayed at the start of horror trailers.

Introduction of AntagonistAfter the peaceful and fairly uneventful introduction, my trailer begins to introduce a Horror film atmosphere by presenting the audiences first look at the Antagonist. We know the hooded figure to be the Antagonist as the popular generic convention of changing from an innocent score to a sinister score is used upon the instant we notice the figure conveying the notion that this person will be responsible for future horrifying events. The use of costume also follows a generic convention in that the antagonist is not only dressed entirely in black (a colour which represents evil and death) but also using a hood to keep his identity secret, leading the audience to assume that he intends to carry out some form of crime. This not is later backed up when we see that the antagonist has acquired a mask that will cover his entire face, the use of a mask in the antagonists costume is also a popular generic convention (See images below). Prior to this however the figure is seen watching the protagonist Will from a distance and scratching at photos taken of him, this presents an atmosphere of Predator & Prey as though the antagonist is staling Will with the intent to commit violent crimes against him.

Mid Sections & KidnappingIt is around the mid point that I build the suspense and tension in my trailer by showing the antagonist grow closer to the home of the protagonists, the mysterious masked antagonist is knows where the protagonists live and is clearly not afraid of violence (shown though the now bloodied mask). It is in these mid scenes that we see the antagonist first make contact with the character of Charlie through the form of a package through the door that reads LEAVE WHILE YOU STILL CAN. After finding out the antagonists motive and link to the house Charlie is kidnapped by the antagonist, an attack on a primary protagonist by the antagonist is a common generic convention amongst horror trailers as it shows that no one is safe not even the central characters.

Immediately after the kidnapping we see Will investigate a barn that appears to be abandoned. In this barn Will discovers Charlie tied up as though he is being held hostage, being held in this manner is a generic conventional scene often found in horror trailers as it suggests torture and so further violence which is a major attraction to the horror genre. I also timed a jump cut to the score during this scene which is a generic convention of horror trailers used to suggest an atmosphere of antagonistic interference. Following the discovery of Wills whereabouts the antagonist appears out of the shadows with a chainsaw to confront Will, this is a typical generic convention of horror trailers as it shows the primary protagonist in a seemingly inescapable high stakes situation that leaves the audience questioning whether they will escape and so heightening the tension. What follows this is an elaborate chase scene that shows the antagonist pursuing Will through a forest with an axe, showing a series of horror moments in this fashion is a generic convention of horror trailers used to showcase the violence and threat posed in the film. The forest chase ends with the protagonist stepping out from behind a tree in time with a drop in the score, this is a jump scare and is commonly used in horror trailers to surprise and scare the audience.

Barn Scene & Forest Chase

End ScenesThe trailer finishes on the use of another jump scare that sees the score decrease in volume as we see Will fleeing the scene in a car, the silence is then broken by the reintroduction of the antagonist masked illuminated by the headlines. Ending on a cliffhanger scare is a generic convention typically used horror trailers as it leaves the viewer wanting to find out how the scene ends and what happens to the protagonist. 2 captions follow the final scene detailing the title of the film, release date and website. This gives the viewer the information they need to research the film and buy tickets.