Our trailer starts with a screen with a dark wood-like background. Over the top of this is writing that says 'Based on a true story'. We decided not to use a plain black background because using the wood like background gives the audience the impression it is a wooden building of some sort. This links in with our horror genre as abandoned houses are a typical convention of that genre. It also may make our target audience more interested in the film because it is dynamic and gives off a scary atmosphere right from the start. The text over the top is also relevant to our film genre. As it says its based on a true story it makes the audience feel on edge as what they are about to watch could possibly happen to them. Also,as the writing is white it allows it to stand out against the dark background. This means that the audience will be focused on this.
The next shot is a mid to long shot of one of the victims sitting down inside their house. In this moving shot we can see part of the window. This suggests to the audience that the camera is in fact someone peering through the window at the victim. This creates suspense for the audience as they will be concerned as to why this character is being secretly looked at. This then allows the audience to establish which characters are the victims and which characters are the villains. Also, this shot is at a slightly high angle. This gives the effect that the character is being looked down on, also suggesting him to be the victim. It portrays him as vulnerable and weak. Not only this, but the fact that this character is completely unaware he is being watched also portrays him as vulnerable and an easy target.
One of the next shots we see is an over-the-shoulder long shot. We are looking over the shoulder of a hooded figure and further down the path we see the character we have already established as the victim. During this 3 second shot we can see that the hooded figure is walking with his head down as if he is trying not to be noticed. This will lead the audience to believe that this character is the villain. Also, in many horror films, such as Friday The 13th and Scream, the villains identity is hidden. Due to the fact that in our film the villain's identity is also hidden, the audience could conclude that this hooded figure we see is in fact the villain. This could represent our villain as sinister as he is unknown to the victims. As the villain is wearing dark clothing they are conforming to the typical stereotypes of horror film villains wearing dark, concealing clothing. This is effective as it will leave the audience with suspense as they will not be able to see the identity of the villain.
The next shot is a long shot of a house. This allows the audience to clearly see one of the locations of the film. As the shot shows its dark outside it could perhaps lead the audience to believe this house is associated with something threatening due to the fact that most horror films connect their murderers to a dark night- to represent something sinister happening. The next shot is an over the shoulder shot of a girl making a cup of tea. This links in with the previous shot as the audience may conclude that the house they were just shown is in fact the house the girl is making the cup of tea in now. Also as the character is just making a cup of tea it could lead the audience to believe she is the victim and she looks innocent, which is the typical stereotype of victims in horror films.
The shot we see next is a long shot of two of the characters and a third character approaching them. The character that was approaching them is the character we saw in the first shot- the one being followed. This could then make the audience now understand that these three characters are all the victims as there is a high chance the character following him at the beginning has followed him to the location he is at now. The location is fairly isolated so it would seem to the audience that they are easy targets because if someone was to attack them, there wouldn't be anyone else around. This puts them in a vulnerable position to the villain.
This then links in with the next shot as we see one of the victims walking alone through an isolated wooded area. He is walking quite fast which suggests he is frightened of something or someone. Also, he shouts out to his friends which could lead the audience to believe that something has happened to his friends. It could also maybe suggest that he is the main target as he was the one who was followed at the beginning of the trailer and hes now the one who has ended up alone in the woods. The shot is a high angle shot. This is typical of horror films as it portrays the character as weak and vulnerable which makes him an easy target. This makes the audience certain that he is the main victim who is most likely to be killed by the villain.
The next shot is a blank screen like the one right at the beginning of the trailer saying 'Of the Surrey Hills killings'. This obviously suggests that murderers do actually take place which leads the audience to confirm their belief that the victims are in fact targets for the murderer.
The next shot actually shows the victim being dragged along the floor by his killer. The victims body looks lifeless however there is no sign of blood. This could lead the audience to question whether he is actually dead or whether he has been briefly knocked out. This could intrigue them as to how he ended up like this and what has happened to his friend. This therefore would push them into wanting to watch the film so their questions can be answered. These aspects are conforming to the usual representations portrayed in a horror trailer as lots of different scenes are shown that do not provide the audience with an answer. Also, the killer is not wearing the typical clothing a killer would wear. He is only wearing a short coat with the hood over his head. This does not completely hide his identity. This could suggest that he had not planned this murder. It could either be a random killing or the murderer just wanted to do it as quickly as possible. These, again, are questions that the audience would want answered.
However, the clothing of what the killer is wearing in this part of the trailer is different from what we see him wearing in one of the last scenes. In the last scenes he is wearing a long black coat which covers his entire body and his hood is pulled up over his face. From this, we cannot tell who he is which conforms to the usual stereotype of a villains identity being hidden. As the killer is seen wearing two different outfits it could confuse the audience as they will not know what the killer is doing and whether these murderers are actually planned. These are all aspects of our trailer which will make the audience want to watch the full film.
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