For our horror teaser trailer, we have decided to use slasher as our sub-genre. This means that our trailer will heavily rely on make up to give off the effect that bloody/gory actions have occurred such as; gashes, grazes, cuts, opened wounds, body parts through the typical aggressor. These conventional effects allow the audience to enjoy the trailer through visceral pleasure. Make up is very iconic in slashers and is an obvious give away to the audience of what the sub-genre is.
costumes for our trailer will still be required but aren't as relied on as the protagonists in this trailer are teenagers meaning that we can just wear normal clothes, this is very useful as our target audience are also teenagers (16-35) which makes the trailer relatable to them and could make them feel like they are apart of the trailer or that it could happen to them which makes them more likely to want to watch the film through the scare faCTOR OF THE TRAILER .
for the duration of this page i will be presenting how to use costume, MAKE UP PROSTHETIC and props to create a realistic and conventional horror trailer by learning through inspiration from YouTube tutorials on my topic.
costumes for our trailer will still be required but aren't as relied on as the protagonists in this trailer are teenagers meaning that we can just wear normal clothes, this is very useful as our target audience are also teenagers (16-35) which makes the trailer relatable to them and could make them feel like they are apart of the trailer or that it could happen to them which makes them more likely to want to watch the film through the scare faCTOR OF THE TRAILER .
for the duration of this page i will be presenting how to use costume, MAKE UP PROSTHETIC and props to create a realistic and conventional horror trailer by learning through inspiration from YouTube tutorials on my topic.
tutorials for make-up Fx
This video was very useful to us as it taught us how to use liquid latex correctly and shows us how to create a fake scar in this specific situation which we would use as a fake knife wound instead of claws. This was inspirational for a knife wound because it looks really realistic and the method used to apply the latex was effective for this type of effect.
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This video correlates with the video demonstrating how to make claws and it solely teaches you how to use liquid latex without making any wounds which is helpful because it helps you make the base to any conventional make up effect.
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making a slit throat effect for our trailer is useful as the antagonist in our trailer will be using various weapons such as knives to kill their victims. In-addition to this we have had an idea that the aggressor will have several wounds that could be a slit throat to make him more frightening.
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We think that this video would be valuable to us when doing make up effects because we have purchased a zip effect with blood however we will be applying the zip below one of the eyes as it shows that the antagonist likes to torture people which was expressed in the synopsis. It helped us to understand how the effect would look and how it could make the audience feel.
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all about blood, bruising and wound effects
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The beginner mistakes video is highly effective as it informs us how to make different types of wounds and instructs us what to do and what not to do and how to make the wound look realistic. This also shows us how to blend the wounds. Although we haven't actually done it our self it also gives us experience by demonstration.
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This video explains that there are different types of blood, why using different types of blood make the effect look better, how to apply the blood properly, different swatches of blood. In-addition this is good for us as our sub-genre is slasher which means that blood will be applied often.
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This video is essential for our make up effects if we decide to use bruises as this allowed us to realise the multiple types of bruises that can be used to create different looks which would make the audience think and feel a certain way, using certain bruises could show a pattern or could create visceral pleasure for the viewer e.g. feel sympathy for the protagonist if he/she is hurt.
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This video was significant to a slasher trailer like ours because it told us the different ways to use fake blood and what other types of blood to use as they will give a contrasting look from each type to express that the person is dead(if blood looks dry) or if someone has just been cut(blood is dripping from the person and looks fresh).
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products to invest in:
wound FX experiment:
brushes The image on the right is showing all the products that we have invested in so that we can create the correct effects that you have seen in the YouTube videos above, the products that we have chosen have been partially influenced by these videos because the end result was successful.
these products include: liquid latex fake blood blood capsules scars slit throat scar brush(es) sponges brushes blend paint make-up remover |
time lapse of make-up effect
this time-lapse displays our group applying the products explained above to make levi's neck look like is was slit open. to create this effect we used liquid latex, toilet paper, foundation, paint, thin blood, thick blood. to make the slit we applied the latex and paper on top of each other until we was satisfied with the depth of the latex and paper, then we blended the latex using foundation to match levi's skin complexion and then we dried this with a blow dryer. finally we cut the latex open to make a slit effect and applied blood through the opening of the latex and we allowed it to drip through the slit, we then used a thicker blood to make the cut look realistic as it looked like the cut was exposed flesh and to make the cut look slightly old. the blood was meant to drip and look random as it conveyed a real life cut as it would just spray out.
wound results from experiment
how we created this slit throat effect:
In-order to make this slit throat effect we started off by putting liquid latex across the volunteers throat (levi) as far across as you feel necessary, we did this one pretty much along the whole neck so that it looked realistic. once you have applied the latex you will need to apply a layer of toilet paper then repeat the process by putting more latex over the paper, do this until you think enough has been adjusted.
the next step for this effect is to blend the latex and paper in with the persons skin so that it doesn't look unrealistic, this isn't an essential because most of the latex and paper will end up being covered with blood by the end result but you will need it. after the blending is completed and the latex is entirely dry you can the cut the latex across the neck so that it looks genuinely slit open.
next you will need to apply blood on the inside of the opened latex, you should preferably use smooth/thin blood so that it can drip down from the fake cut. then to make the gash look even more realistic we decided to use a more thick scabby looking blood around the slit so that the cut looked like there was a lot of exposed flesh and like it had been done a few hours ago meaning that the person could be dead or it could have just happened. this effect would apply to our story highly due to the fact that the antagonist is very abusive and likes to torture his victims through gory methods such as slitting their throats open.
In-order to make this slit throat effect we started off by putting liquid latex across the volunteers throat (levi) as far across as you feel necessary, we did this one pretty much along the whole neck so that it looked realistic. once you have applied the latex you will need to apply a layer of toilet paper then repeat the process by putting more latex over the paper, do this until you think enough has been adjusted.
the next step for this effect is to blend the latex and paper in with the persons skin so that it doesn't look unrealistic, this isn't an essential because most of the latex and paper will end up being covered with blood by the end result but you will need it. after the blending is completed and the latex is entirely dry you can the cut the latex across the neck so that it looks genuinely slit open.
next you will need to apply blood on the inside of the opened latex, you should preferably use smooth/thin blood so that it can drip down from the fake cut. then to make the gash look even more realistic we decided to use a more thick scabby looking blood around the slit so that the cut looked like there was a lot of exposed flesh and like it had been done a few hours ago meaning that the person could be dead or it could have just happened. this effect would apply to our story highly due to the fact that the antagonist is very abusive and likes to torture his victims through gory methods such as slitting their throats open.
real media text examples
media example 1 - leatherface
We have decided to choose 'leatherface Texas chainsaw massacre 2017' for multiple reasons. the main reason being that it follows a typical/conventional slasher which is the same sub-genre as our trailer, we know that this is clearly a slasher due to the fact that there is a huge amount of blood involved in the scenes and there are multiple weapons (some of which are phallic). a Phallic and gory scene is shown at 1:33 were a man covered in dry looking blood is held hostage with a chainsaw held towards his face tat is also dripping with blood, this scene is an inspiration to us as it makes the audience connote that something gory and bloody will occur, for that reason we will use the same sort of idea.
another example of an influential scene would be at 1:26 when it shows a female that is also covered in blood staring at something very suspiciously, these scenes start to show us a pattern that the film will be highly bloody and will have scary moments which is the same sort of intense feeling we want to give our audience, we will also do a similar bloody scene with quick cuts and tension building music to create a creepy atmosphere.
during the trailer we can also see a mask being made by an unknown person which connotes that the antagonist will be hiding their identity which is a typical convention for an aggressor, this mask seems to be made of real skin and we have further evidence from this as it is shown in previous Texas chainsaw massacre trailers/films, this gives a sense of realism as it is using a body part which is very intimidating to think about, this same idea might be used in trailer as we could add prosthetics onto a mask if we decide to use one or we could expose the aggressors face with wounds and tears.
how we will create similar scenes:
we will be able to do the same thing by applying high amounts of blood to the protagonist, we will then follow this up by giving he/she and scared expression and then finally use a phallic weapon to make the scene look more intense and creepy without showing the actual antagonist. IN-addition to this we can make our trailer different from the actual thing by adding scars, gashes, burns and various other prosthetic make-up effects.
another example of an influential scene would be at 1:26 when it shows a female that is also covered in blood staring at something very suspiciously, these scenes start to show us a pattern that the film will be highly bloody and will have scary moments which is the same sort of intense feeling we want to give our audience, we will also do a similar bloody scene with quick cuts and tension building music to create a creepy atmosphere.
during the trailer we can also see a mask being made by an unknown person which connotes that the antagonist will be hiding their identity which is a typical convention for an aggressor, this mask seems to be made of real skin and we have further evidence from this as it is shown in previous Texas chainsaw massacre trailers/films, this gives a sense of realism as it is using a body part which is very intimidating to think about, this same idea might be used in trailer as we could add prosthetics onto a mask if we decide to use one or we could expose the aggressors face with wounds and tears.
how we will create similar scenes:
we will be able to do the same thing by applying high amounts of blood to the protagonist, we will then follow this up by giving he/she and scared expression and then finally use a phallic weapon to make the scene look more intense and creepy without showing the actual antagonist. IN-addition to this we can make our trailer different from the actual thing by adding scars, gashes, burns and various other prosthetic make-up effects.
media example 2 - jigsaw 2017
for our second influence we have chosen jigsaw as this is the most inspirational, similar and and relatable to our trailer, this trailer is clearly similar to ours as it is a slasher meaning that we share the same sub-genre. this is good and helpful for us as it gives us easy guidelines on how to make a typical and conventional slasher horror trailer. the main reason that this would be our biggest influence is because our trailer like jigsaw's is based around teen punishment and relies on the pleasure of torturous events occurring, we know this as it is demonstrated through the duration of the trailer for example at 0:27 seconds we see a dead corpse with a chunk of skin removed which was in the shape of a puzzle piece, not only is this a trade mark from the aggressor but it is a highly torturous method of hurting someone and could be replicated slightly in our trailer to give the audience a freaky vibe.
another example is shown at 0:45 seconds when a group of innocent people (teens) have been locked into a head guard that is attached to a chain that when activated it will drag the victim(s) into electric blades which will slit their throat open and take heir head off. this is a big give away that the film will be a slasher due to the foreshadow of extreme gore and the variety of deadly phallic objects used to penetrate the antagonists victims. this could be useful to us as we could use some method of torture that is similar to this.
another example that makes this film a slasher is at 1:49 when a detective uses a torch to discover large amounts of blood on a huge blade, this could be used in our trailer as we could apply blood to an intriguing and different phallic object to create a tension building scene/moment. in-addition to tension building we once again can see from the last photo that the antagonist has a mask used to cover their identity which is very typical in this type of horror sub-genre, this tells me that the use of a mask is highly recommended to ensure that the trailer is successful in the conventions of a usual aggressor.
how will we create similar scenes:
in-order for us to successfully make our trailer slightly identical to the real thing we will need to use unique ways of death/ torture to make the trailer look well thought out and we will need to use unusual and intriguing phallic objects that make these scenes look atypical from others and gives the viewer a cathartic feeling. we could also create similar scenes by rarely showing the antagonist as he was only seen once or twice in the trailer which is a good thing as it creates mystery for the viewers and will make the want to watch the full film.
another example is shown at 0:45 seconds when a group of innocent people (teens) have been locked into a head guard that is attached to a chain that when activated it will drag the victim(s) into electric blades which will slit their throat open and take heir head off. this is a big give away that the film will be a slasher due to the foreshadow of extreme gore and the variety of deadly phallic objects used to penetrate the antagonists victims. this could be useful to us as we could use some method of torture that is similar to this.
another example that makes this film a slasher is at 1:49 when a detective uses a torch to discover large amounts of blood on a huge blade, this could be used in our trailer as we could apply blood to an intriguing and different phallic object to create a tension building scene/moment. in-addition to tension building we once again can see from the last photo that the antagonist has a mask used to cover their identity which is very typical in this type of horror sub-genre, this tells me that the use of a mask is highly recommended to ensure that the trailer is successful in the conventions of a usual aggressor.
how will we create similar scenes:
in-order for us to successfully make our trailer slightly identical to the real thing we will need to use unique ways of death/ torture to make the trailer look well thought out and we will need to use unusual and intriguing phallic objects that make these scenes look atypical from others and gives the viewer a cathartic feeling. we could also create similar scenes by rarely showing the antagonist as he was only seen once or twice in the trailer which is a good thing as it creates mystery for the viewers and will make the want to watch the full film.
media example 3 - cabin in the woods 2012
for our third influence we have decided to use cabin in the woods as it masters the use of wounds such as; gashes, cuts, fleshy wounds and blood in general and this is apparent through out the trailer and even more so in the film. In-addition to the good use of wounds they also use low key lighting in a scary way to make the scenes look more suspenseful and helps tension build up for the audience. moreover this trailer is relatable to ours as it is clearly a slasher due to the fact that there is a lot of blood involved and several different phallic objects that are used to penetrate its victims. having this trailer as our influence is very useful as it allows us to see how to use certain lighting and certain wounds in particular scenes. moreover using this trailer as our template will help us use different types of phallic objects to put a fear factor into the viewers which will make our trailer look conventional and like the real thing.
an example of good use of wounds was at 1:27 showing a wound on the right side of the males face, not only is the wound used on a male jock in the film which matches the stereotypical hero character but the wound itself makes the protagonist look hurt yet brave and masculine which is highly conventional in horror movies.
an example of large amounts of blood in the trailer tells us that this will be a slasher film was at 2:17 this part of the trailer made it clear that it would be a slasher due to the fact that there was enormous amounts of blood which scaled and covered the elevator doors and showed hand prints to let the viewers know that people are dying.
an example of low-key lighting is shown largely during the trailer but is used particularly well at 1:52 as the antagonist is swinging a chained phallic object around in the air by a lake whilst the final girl female character is trying to crawl away, this seen used low-key lighting to its advantage as it intrigues the viewer, makes the scene look more dramatic and tension full, and sets the tone and mood of the setting and how the antagonist is feeling. using this also allows the viewer to interpret the mysterious atmosphere in a way that scares them.
how will we create similar scenes:
to ensure that we would successfully create similar scenes like the cabin in the woods we would rely on the use of make up effects to make the wounds look as realistic as possible and we would also need lighting to make the scenes eery, scary and build tension during key arts of the trailer such as the use of a phallic object. lastly for this to be successful we would need to make sure that we use the necessary wounds for the correct scenes and lighting for the wounds to look as effective as possible.
costumes
protagonist:
the first protagonist will be Matthew and he is the conventional hero of the story and in the story he is the third wheel along side a couple which are his friends. however Matthew is not the jock he is actually a nerd which slightly subverts the stereotypical hero character, this is good as it could work as a distraction from the plot twist to make it more surprising.
As you can see from the moodpboard (left) we have decided to pick clothes that are more on the formal side so that the viewers can tell what type of character Matthew will be. we have decided to go with a few different shirts as a nerd would typically wear shirts as this shows he doesn't do anything else other than work. we would give him quite an old backpack because this adds to his character. a prop that we might give him could be books at the start to really emphasise who he is and that he is pure. normal jeans would go well with this outfit as every kind of teenager wears jeans. lastly we would add glasses to this costume as it fits the stereotypical nerd character. the colour scheme for this character will be quite light colours such as blue, green and then maybe some black. these colours will connote that the character is innocent and pure but the black suggests that darkness and death aren't far away. moreover Matthew does die due to the fact that he gives in to peer pressure and drinks, we also find out later that he has cheated with marks girlfriend.
the first protagonist will be Matthew and he is the conventional hero of the story and in the story he is the third wheel along side a couple which are his friends. however Matthew is not the jock he is actually a nerd which slightly subverts the stereotypical hero character, this is good as it could work as a distraction from the plot twist to make it more surprising.
As you can see from the moodpboard (left) we have decided to pick clothes that are more on the formal side so that the viewers can tell what type of character Matthew will be. we have decided to go with a few different shirts as a nerd would typically wear shirts as this shows he doesn't do anything else other than work. we would give him quite an old backpack because this adds to his character. a prop that we might give him could be books at the start to really emphasise who he is and that he is pure. normal jeans would go well with this outfit as every kind of teenager wears jeans. lastly we would add glasses to this costume as it fits the stereotypical nerd character. the colour scheme for this character will be quite light colours such as blue, green and then maybe some black. these colours will connote that the character is innocent and pure but the black suggests that darkness and death aren't far away. moreover Matthew does die due to the fact that he gives in to peer pressure and drinks, we also find out later that he has cheated with marks girlfriend.
protagonist:
another protagonist will be called jessie and is the female of a "perfect" couple as she goes out with a character called mark, a jock thats good looking. in our trailer jessie is going to match the character and stereotype of a slutty character and considered the dumb blonde and although she has a boyfriend she will be flirtatious and will wear revealing clothes that wouldn't usually be worn outside and aren't very acceptable to the adventure that the group goes on such revealing crop tops, short shorts, short skirts, heels, and for her prop she would probably have a bag or make up. lastly she would most likely wear lipstick and make up. wearing these types of clothes will reflect the dumb decisions she has made. however she is quite a smart person but acts to be dumb, this leads to a twist were she manages to adopt male characteristics that allow her to survive the antagonists although she will make mistakes along the way. in making this character it will allow the viewer to watch the trailer through a males perspective, this is seen as voyeurism. the colours scheme is quite similar to the above pictures red, to connote blood and danger, black to connote death also but we will also include the colour white to connote and foreshadow that jessie will pick up male characteristics which help her stay alive which does subvert the stereotype of a dumb blonde, this is what we want as we will use the colours such as red and black to put the viewers into a false sense of knowing that she will die but she will survive.
another protagonist will be called jessie and is the female of a "perfect" couple as she goes out with a character called mark, a jock thats good looking. in our trailer jessie is going to match the character and stereotype of a slutty character and considered the dumb blonde and although she has a boyfriend she will be flirtatious and will wear revealing clothes that wouldn't usually be worn outside and aren't very acceptable to the adventure that the group goes on such revealing crop tops, short shorts, short skirts, heels, and for her prop she would probably have a bag or make up. lastly she would most likely wear lipstick and make up. wearing these types of clothes will reflect the dumb decisions she has made. however she is quite a smart person but acts to be dumb, this leads to a twist were she manages to adopt male characteristics that allow her to survive the antagonists although she will make mistakes along the way. in making this character it will allow the viewer to watch the trailer through a males perspective, this is seen as voyeurism. the colours scheme is quite similar to the above pictures red, to connote blood and danger, black to connote death also but we will also include the colour white to connote and foreshadow that jessie will pick up male characteristics which help her stay alive which does subvert the stereotype of a dumb blonde, this is what we want as we will use the colours such as red and black to put the viewers into a false sense of knowing that she will die but she will survive.
protagonist/antagonist:
for our trailer we have one last character and he is called mark, he will follow the characterises of a typical jock which is that he is good at sport, good looking and gets the hottest girls around him. the clothing he will wear is a stereotypical baseball jacket to follow American horror conventions, the colour red will connote blood, anger and death as his character turns against his girlfriend and friend when he finds out that his girlfriend was cheating on him, therefore turning him into the aggressor as a plot twist. mostly black trainers to connote the darkness, death and vulnerability he will inflict on his victims. a black hat which will reinforce the connotation of the trainers. his prop will be a ball at the start and will clearly lead to him using multiple phallic objects to kill and try to kill his victims by possible penetrating them to connote rape, this applies as his girlfriend jessie is the one who gets penetrated but manages to survive. lastly the jeans he will wear will be white and they will connote good and purity that is in everyone, this will reinforce good v evil as well as teen punishment. to conclude as you can see on the right most stereotypical and iconic antagonist are using masks to hide their identity or they have excessive amount of wounds that cover up the aggressors face to create mystery, so that our trailer is successful we might use masks a large amount of wounds to cover up mark's face so that there is an ominous feeling.
for our trailer we have one last character and he is called mark, he will follow the characterises of a typical jock which is that he is good at sport, good looking and gets the hottest girls around him. the clothing he will wear is a stereotypical baseball jacket to follow American horror conventions, the colour red will connote blood, anger and death as his character turns against his girlfriend and friend when he finds out that his girlfriend was cheating on him, therefore turning him into the aggressor as a plot twist. mostly black trainers to connote the darkness, death and vulnerability he will inflict on his victims. a black hat which will reinforce the connotation of the trainers. his prop will be a ball at the start and will clearly lead to him using multiple phallic objects to kill and try to kill his victims by possible penetrating them to connote rape, this applies as his girlfriend jessie is the one who gets penetrated but manages to survive. lastly the jeans he will wear will be white and they will connote good and purity that is in everyone, this will reinforce good v evil as well as teen punishment. to conclude as you can see on the right most stereotypical and iconic antagonist are using masks to hide their identity or they have excessive amount of wounds that cover up the aggressors face to create mystery, so that our trailer is successful we might use masks a large amount of wounds to cover up mark's face so that there is an ominous feeling.
conclusion
to conclude the costume and make-up topic i have learn't multiple different ways of how to make certain wounds, gashes cuts and how to make them conventional e.g. what wound looks best on who on what area of their body. I have also learn't the do's and don'ts with make-up and how to make it look highly effective i.e. using certain wounds depending on the weapon that caused it and the lighting of the scene/shot. secondly i have learn'y what products are needed in-order for the wounds to be successful and what different types of products can achieve. moreover we learn't the best ways to actually apply the make-up our self and we have gained experience from this so that we know how to do it for our actual trailer and how to do it more efficiently. we have also learn't about costume and make-up through doing secondary research into real life trailers that show a good example of what is expected from a slasher sub-genre trailer, what ways we can intrigue our target audience through costume and make-up. lastly we looked into the conventional characters of horror films, the characters we would integrate into our trailer, the ways the dress and what this denotes/connotes and what these characters result to e.g. the dumb blonde always tends to die at the start.