1. Analysis of Past
Students Work
Matt Mosey

2. A2 Media Trailer “Trapped”
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=8IW0AUD5CCw
This film trailer is very similar to the Blair which product in the sense that it has the same idea of having a horror film with purely scenes recorded by the
characters in the film. This is a story of three boy that go into an abandoned house which is supposed haunted.
Good things
• The use of different camera angles is good as it reflects the notion of not being able to look all around the room constantly.
• The use of quick cuts at the start give the impression that it really is amateur film where the camera man turns on the camera at the time he feels like it.
• The “jumps” have been placed well to first build suspense and then to hit the audience with a “jump” for example a figure running past the door way or a
face coming towards the camera at high speed.
• The use of sound effects at the beginnings of the trailer have been used well to build suspense for the audience and to convey the conventions of a horror
film well to the audience.
Bad things
• The idea of the narrative isn't explained very well, although this is a horror film based on amateur footage there could have been a few more intertitles
explain the narrative further
• Some points of the trailer needed a faster editing pace to show the speed and terror which occurs in the trailer.
• Although it is representing amateur filming, the camera work was at times to wobbly to be able to make out anything in the shot.
• The script felt slightly “made up on the spot”.
• Overall I would say this is a poor trailer as although it does abide by many horror conventions, I am not clear ( as a viewer) what the main storyline of the
trailer is. I therefore would not go and see the trailer as I am not clear what the film is even about.

3. A2 Media Trailer “The
11th
Day”
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=0HHkXU34
74c
The trailer for “the 11th day” is about two boys who live in England where a mass attack on the state has started. A mass out break of a disease is spreading
across the country. The boys need to adapt to survive to the new world by going to extreme measures to stay alive.
Good things
• Narrative is clear and explained clearly in the trailer
• There have been a range of interesting shots such as over the shoulder shot, long shot, mid shot, match on action and close up which all show the best angle of
the sense depending on the context, for example when the solider with a gas mask goes to the ground with a gun a close up shot is used to show the inteceity of
the drop and to highlight the sense of action in the film.
• The students have used a range of props which are appropriate in the content they are used in for example guns and crowbars which are typical in any hard
hitting action film.
• There are a range of special effects which give a professional effect to the trailer, they also are not used casually and are only used in specific and appropriate
places in the trailer to get the full effect of the intensity of the action which the audience must feel to be existed to then go on to purchase or go and see the
film.
• The initially establishing shots of the London immediately give a good indication of were the film is set, these clips are powerful in the fact that they tell the
audience a lot in a short amount of time, once the audience know where the film is set they start to make assumptions about the rest of the film.
• The music has been used to abide by the action film conventions but also to create a good sense of action and power for the audience to pick up on and
understand how the film is going to be played out.
Bad things
•
•
•
Some of the extra footage ( from 9/11) is slightly to much
Although due to action film conventions the editing has to be fast paced, on occasion the editing is so fast paced and the clips and so short that it is very difficult
to understand what just happened in he sequence that just paced.
The name of the film is not very explanatory or clever.

4. A2 Media Trailer “Fragments”
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=tVU0gLxlB1c
Fragments is about a young lady who, after taking photos of a graveyard, is haunted by the soul of the gravestone she took a picture of. The young lady is
haunted by a ghost named Maria who want something returned to her, as it is a trailer we don’t know what they something is or if the young lady really took it.
Good points
• The use of hollowing, quite and haunting music throughout the trailer is a good effect as it keeps the feeling of horror and disturbing thoughts in the
audiences minds.
• The use of the fast cut editing and various match of action shots which show the ghost moving at high speed and being barely noticeable by the young lady is
a well done as it puts the audience in the eyes of the young lady who also only briefly sees the ghost.
• A creative idea which worked well for the students was the use of the writing on the window after the ghost breathed on it, this gave a cold, icy and white
effect to the ghost which is following the conventions of the ghost.
• Good use of props and costume. The ghost costume was clearly thought to ensure that the costume connoted a ghost but also a young girl. The knife and the
bloody cereal where also nice touches and showed how the ghost is starting to play with the young lady and make her life more difficult.
Bad points
• The narrative is slightly to revealed and the trailer almost seems like a short story as we as the audience know what happens throughout the film, although
there are some details left for the audience to find out by watching the film, the general narrative revealed to extensively.
• The inter-titles were not thought of careful and they do not abide by the horror conventions which the rest of the trailer abides by, the text is also poorly
thought about.
• Some of the scenes made little sense to the rest of the trailer, although I believe this is a continuity error, it is quite obvious and would be confusing for a
casual watching audience.

5. Conclusion
Overall the student film trailers that I analysed were of mixed quality and all
had there positives and negatives' have learnt a lot from analysing other
students work as I can see where they ( as students) have gone wrong and
either they have used a technique which has looked unprofessional. I have
also gained some techniques which I can use in my production to abide by
conventions more thoroughly and to get a stronger effect when trying to
leave a lasting impression on my audience.