Plot - Ideas

Genre

I have decided that my plot for my Media project is going to be based on the horror genre.  This is because horror is my favourite genre and so with this advantage I will be able to produce a creation that will express my ideas, and give me the best opportunity for a better grade in my overall Media course.

Audience Type

As my media project is going to be a horror genre my audience type will be 15+ because, the teaser trailer has horror and disturbing images that might affect a child negatively. Both men and woman will be my target audience too as this teaser trailer can be viewed by both genders.

Idea 1

Haunting:

One thought I had was to have my teaser trailer based around the idea of a haunting; where it would show you a character starting to see mysterious things in the corner of their eye and items move without nobody next to them. My trailer will start by briefly explaining a reason of how this started to happen; for example: Moving into a new house, having a curse put onto them or using an Ouija board that will attract dangerous ghosts/ demons. As the trailer progresses the ‘things’ start to become more realistic and grab the viewers attention. This can be done by having pop-ups that scare the audience  and  using more supernatural effects added onto the trailer; for example: more creepy music or static noises.

Idea 2

Murder Case:

(This idea would be a hybrid genre of psychological horror and thriller.)

Another idea was to start my teaser trailer recording a crime scene where forensics would be collecting evidence of the crime. Effects such as still images would be used to link into the idea of the forensics taking pictures of the evidence needed. The teaser trailer would then start to show you a character walking down a street; as though the trailer went back in time ( before the crime), but the body language of the character would show you they are nervous, and maybe paranoid as they keep on turning around as though somebody is following them. The trailer would then start to show fast moving shots/clips of the character running to get home while somebody is following him/her.  This fast moving effect will carry on showing you the character at home hiding to picking up a weapon. Another character wearing a mask would be introduced as this would make the audience presume that this is the ‘bad guy’. As the trailer moves to the end, the clips shown will show more suspense scenes; for example, the character being followed is hiding under the bed then suddenly the masked figure drags him/ her out by the feet. Dramatic music/score will be used to create the effect of somebody being followed and in danger. The trailer would show a lot of scenes where the audience will feel on the edge of their seats and will want to see the full movie.

Idea 3

Infection:

This idea came from the movie REC and Quarantine, where humans get infected but they don’t come back as zombies. This will give my teaser trailer the twist from other ‘infection’ typed movies. My teaser trailer would consist of people getting bitten but then turning into either demons or just humans who carry rabies; this would make the humans really aggressive to the point they would bite other humans; thus passing on the disease.

Demons

 If I deicide the trailer would be about demons, I would start the trailer showing you a Christian family in their home while they hear strange noises coming from the back yard, the father would go out while the mother and child stay in the house. The electricity in the house will then go off; I would make the trailer then show no images/film to make the audience feel as though they are in the dark too. In the pause of trailer the audience would just be able to hear static noises, deep breathing and the panic of the mother and child. When the mother finds a torch she puts on the light to where she thinks the door is (where the father went out), and it lights up the face of the child; making the audience jump, creating the suspense and fear. She will turn to where the door actually is and the father will be stood in the door way, he will then suddenly dive towards the mother ( the camera view is as though it is the mothers eyes; so it looks like the father is diving at you) while his face changes into a twisted mess ( like a demon ). The rest of the trailer would then show you fast moving clips of the main character trying to get away from the infected, focusing on the scariest parts; for example the infected running after different people (as this will make the audience feel as though they are being chased). Dramatic and creepy music will be played to get the audience feeling fear and ready to watch the full movie.

Rabies/ Aggression:

However if I made the teaser trailer of the idea of the humans getting rabies when they are bitten, I would start the trailer from people rushing into a house where a woman called the hospital saying her husband was having seizures and foaming at the mouth. The main character would be a trainee paramedic and he/she would be getting the medical equipment from the ambulance, (the camera will stay on the patient to show his reactions). However when the main character gets into the house the patient dies from having a sudden heart attack. Questions would start to be asked about how he may have become in this state, the wife replies by saying he was viciously attacked by a stray dog.  The trailer would then start to play creepy music to signal something is not right. Fast transitions of fades ins and outs would then show small clips of the patient quickly rising up under from the white sheet put over him and biting the closest person near him/her. The trailer would then show clips of the bitten quickly transforming into the infected and biting other humans in the house too. Clips of the infected quickly changing will be shown to signify that these are a different type of infection and not just ‘slow zombies’. It will create fear in the audience as they will think of being in a situation like this and what would they do.  Throughout the trailer it will show the main character battling for their chance to survive, whilst the infected will be shown to be aggressive and killing anything what is alive. Creepy images and film will be used that will grab the viewers attention and make them be scared after watching this trailer. The music will be creepy and also dramatic to show the audience tension and to create the factor of pop-ups/shocks.

Idea 4

Summoning:

My next idea would be about a cult that would have to every 13 years stop a powerful demon from returning to earth. The teaser trailer would start by explaining about how the devil fell from heaven and how he created demons, it would then show you scriptions of how to stop the demons and the evil they contain; for example newspaper articles to books on the supernatural. It would then show you the cult going to sacrifice a shrine maiden to the underworld, because she would be a vessel for the demon to cross between worlds. However, something goes wrong in the ritual and it’s too late to stop the demon from rising. The trailer will then show disturbing pictures of demons possessing people from the cult, and the possessed killing people in a local village. More fast transitions will be made showing the cult trying to stop the demons from possessing other humans; the music will be full of screams and chants made by the people in the village, creating a sense of evil and the unknown. Next, there is a sudden pause in the trailer, where all that can be heard is deep breathing and a strange chatting, suddenly a group of demons tied up scream as they are being exorcised; making the audience jump in fear. More transitions will be show of the panic, possessions and evil created by the demons. Overall the music will be dramatic and yet gentle to give a contrast feeling to the images shown; for example the omen and the exorcist movie soundtrack is that of chanting and singing, when listened to it can give the audience chills as though they are being watched by something evil and as it contrasts with the filming been shown.

Idea 5

Possessed Object:

My last idea would be associated with a ‘haunted/possessed object’ that would most likely be a doll. My teaser trailer would start of by the main character helping her nana move into a new house. While she’s in the attic sorting out old boxes from the woman who lived there before; the woman died in the home and was the only one left out of her family, so nobody claimed the leftover belongings, the main character finds a Victorian styled doll. My teaser trailer would then start to show the audience how as soon as the main character puts the doll in the bin, strange things start to be seen; for example: dark figures can be seen in the background of the camera shots taken. This is to create the tension in the viewers as they don’t know what this figure is. The doll throughout the trailer will play a significant part as even though the main character chucks it away, it somehow ends up always finding its way back to her. I would use different locations to set the tone of the trailer, and to link into the genre of horror; I could use places like graveyards to dull areas that people don’t go to, this will create suspense.  I will try to use pop ups in the trailer to create fear within the audience, and to make the audience want to view the full film. Fast transitions will be made to create a tense atmosphere within the trailer; it can also show most locations and effects as the audience will get small glimpses of the film. The music will be creepy to fit into the idea of a possessed doll; dolls normally belong to children and sometimes children in horrors are seen as the scariest part.  I would use different sound effects to build up the atmosphere of different scenes in the trailer, making the film seem more realistic and professional.