First draft feedback

First draft feedback

Following the presentation of our first draft, we received some suggestions on how to improve our trailer, these include: using better music, faster shots, make it less chronological, don't use the scream at the end, don't use the report at the start and use inter-titles (e.g. Scariest night of your life).

We need to use faster shots in order to make it feel more like a trailer; at the moment a lot of our shots are too drawn out - especially towards the start -  which isn't suitable for a (thriller) trailer. The faster shots will also make it more exciting. This is also somewhat related to the fact that it is too chronological; it could give too much of the story away.

We were also told not to use the report at the start of the trailer, but instead to use it somewhere else. This is used in the trailer for The Snowman, the start is somewhat slow paced and follows a woman who presumably gets kidnapped, this is then followed by the news report.

In addition, we need to use music. We currently have a track that is used to build up tension by gradually increasing in volume. We did plan on using some music, but forgot to add it during editing.

Also, we were told to use inter-titles. The inter-titles could be used to draw interest to the film, one suggestion was to use something like "The scariest night of your life". They could also be used to provide information such as: release date (which we've done), reviews, etc.

Sharpie - First draft (Link)

First draft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-qfQHDB8G8

Sharpie - Characters

Characters

The characters in our film consist of: four young adults (two boys and two girls) and a killer.

These protagonists are somewhat stereotypical for a thriller film as shown in the The Last House on the left. The main protagonist is a young adult who meets up with her friend of a similar age. The friend then gets killed off which is also similar to our film where only one of the main protagonists is killed. The characters from TLHOTL are also stereotypical teenagers; the reason they are captured is because a boy promises drugs, our characters are shown to enjoy alcohol as one of the first times they are shown is in the pub.

The protagonists are going to be wearing normal clothes expected of a teenager/young adult to make it feel more realistic, this could create quite an eerie atmosphere as the antagonist is quite sadistic, and if the viewer can relate to the characters then they will feel what the characters are feeling towards Sharpie. They will also, act like the stereotype - a lot of teenage films focus on relationships which is a key paradigm of the teenage/young adult demographic. As a result, we want to imply that the characters may be in a relationship but not make it too explicit as it is not a key convention of thrillers.

The antagonist (Sharpie) will be dressed in all black (and maybe wear a mask). The colour black has many connotations, including: danger, death, fear, etc. These are things we want people to relate Sharpie with. The colour black is also a key paradigm of thrillers; in the trailer for V for Vendetta, the masked man is shown to wear all black, and a white mask (the black draws attention to the mask, which is his defining feature). He will also use a knife rather than guns or other weapons. We wanted him to use a knife because it needs more skill, the masked man also prefers to use knives to guns. The fact that it takes more skill connotes that Sharpie (and the masked man) is more dangerous.

Changes to bird's eye view

Changes to bird's eye view

Unfortunately, there was an issue with recording with the drone we had initially planned to use for a bird's eye view of the school. We were unable to retrieve the files that the clip was saved on, meaning we had to improvise. Fortunately, we were allowed access to the roof of the sixth form center, which grants a view of the whole school. Following this, we used a panning shot crossed with a bird's eye view to capture the entire school and part of the field, which we felt was important because it is where the narrative takes place, and it allowed us to demonstrate this.

Changes to pub scene

Changes to pub scene

We were originally going to introduce the characters by having them drinking together in a pub, but we decided to remove this from our first draft due to the difficulty of filming in there. Whilst the pub said it would be ok to film there, they weren't open on the days that were convenient for us/when all of the actors were free. As a result we decided to remove it, we would like to use it in the final product. If we were to include it in the draft we felt as though it would've come off as rushed or not to a high quality.

Changes to production company logo

Changes to production company logo

Originally our film company logo was this:

Initially, we wanted to have a scrunched up paper background but, most logos have a black background behind them, for example: MGM, Capital films, Touchstone films, etc. The white, scrunched up paper therefore, looked a bit out of place. We then thought about making the paper black, but it didn't resemble paper anymore, and made it look quite weird.

As our logo was a mixture of all of our names, following one of the members leaving we decided to change it again. We changed it to "Stak" (a mixture of Adam's last name and my first name). I personally prefer this to the older designs; the word "Stak" is very similar to existing words. This may cause people to think of our company when they see a word that resembles it, making it more popular. Also, the fact that it is not an actual word makes it unique for us and allows us to stand out more. We did keep the design, as we liked the idea of the old contrasting with the black however.

Sharpie - News report

Sharpie - News report

This is the news report that we are going to use at the start of our trailer. It explains that someone died last night, the next scene will then be a shot of the young adults together, connoting that it was one of them who died.

Sharpie - Props

Props

There aren't a lot of props that we are going to need, the main one we are going to need is the knife (or other sharp weapon). This will be somewhat difficult to bring into a school environment. However, as we are filming after school (where there won't be many children), this should hopefully be less of a problem. An alternative - safer - option would be to use fake props, however, this would be costly (as none of us own realistic looking, fake knives). In the trailer for V for Vendetta, the masked man is shown to use knives a lot, even though he has a wide variety of weapons, he still uses predominately knives. This could be as knives take more skill to use, in comparison to something like a gun, due o the user needing to get close to the victim - this therefore emphasises the fact that the masked man is a highly skilled "assassin". Alternatively, it could be because knives could be seen as more fear inducing than guns; most people own a knife (meaning anyone could use one), and the fact that the user needs to get close makes them seem more threatening also.

We will also need to use phones, whilst not a key paradigm of thrillers, they are an identifying feature of our target audience and main characters. The fact that the main characters are so concerned with their phones could also play a part in attracting our audience as a result of the main characters being more relatable. The proof behind teens/young adults being obsessed with phones mainly comes from my research on teen angst films where technology is used a lot, e.g: the opening for Clueless takes place inside of a computer which is commonly associated with our target demographic.

Similar to phones, we will need "alcohol" due to its association with our demographic. We will likely not use actual alcohol due to most of the cast being underage, as a result we will use drinks that look like alcohol. The alcohol sets up the narrative; it connotes that the protagonists may be drunk, implying that they aren't capable of thinking for themselves - leading them to break into the school and get trapped. Alcohol is similar to phones where it is not widely used in thrillers, but is used in teen angsts where a majority of the cast are teens/young adults, for example: one scene in Mean Girls involves the main protagonist throwing a party and getting drunk, which is very stereotypical of teens.

Sharpie - Settings

Settings

Our film is primarily going to take place in and around a school (Longsands Academy). We have chosen this setting as it fits in with the idea of our story, where a group of teenagers/young adults decide to break into somewhere. We thought a school would be suitable for this as, the protagonists are around the age of 18-20 which would mean they are past the school leaving age. This would imply that they have recent memories of the location as they may have attended the school.

We plan to film in different locations throughout the school, as part of our research we found that suspenseful scenes take place in places where the characters can hide as it makes it easier for the antagonist to jump out at them. An example of this is at the start of the trailer for V for vendetta where a woman gets jumped by two men as she is wondering through a small alleyway. Whilst we were looking around the school for possible locations, these were the ones we thought made for good hiding places:

They mainly consist of small alcoves surrounded by walls or corridors/isles. This means that the protagonist's vision will be impaired, making it easier for the antagonist to sneak up on them - making for better, more action-packed scenes.

We also tried to look for entrances to the school where it made sense (and was believable) for the protagonists to be able to sneak into.

On top of filming in the school, we would also like to film in areas around the school; this gives the situation a greater sense of urgency as the situation has now spread to other areas. As a result, it would likely be suitable for a finale where the antagonist and protagonist(s) face off against each other, which would make for a lot of action packed shots (in the montage)

There were also some other locations we though would look good (in the montage):

We felt this corridor would be useful for showing Sharpie's somewhat sadistic character, as we could have him standing at the bottom of the corridor, weapon in hand, and with the lights flickering on and off. This makes him seem creepy as the dark is associated with danger, and the flickering lights could play on the viewer's feelings of safety (when they are turned on); when they are turned off the sense of safety disappears. This is also somewhat similar to a scene in the clip for V for Vendetta, where the masked man is shown to be stood in a secluded place, with others (the antagonists) around him.

This is one of the wood/design technology classrooms. We felt this would be a very effective and suitable location to film in as a lot of the machinery can be very dangerous which is a key feature of Sharpie's character. It could be very useful in the montage with non-diegetic tool/machinery sounds which connotes that Sharpie has decided to use the machinery as weapons.

The use of the stage would work similar to the corridor, where it is used to emphasise Sharpie's character. An idea we had was to have Sharpie stood on the stage with the lights shone onto him which makes him appear as the most important in the scene.

This is the pub we are planning on filming in. We wanted to film in a pub as a lot of young adults are shown to enjoy going to the pub. The way we are going to film it is that after the news report, the protagonists are shown drinking together. We did this because thriller trailers usually start with a case of urgency, followed by establishing the narrative. This is used to an extent with the trailer for The Snowman; it starts with a woman walking down a street, followed by a scream, and then cuts to the main protagonists who are detectives.

Group member leaving

Group member leaving

Unfortunately, towards the start of the production of the trailer, our group member Josh decided to leave which meant that we were down a person, leaving just Adam and myself.

We were planning on using Josh's camera to shoot focus pull shots, allowing for a more suspenseful atmosphere. However, as a result we are no longer able to do this. It also means that Adam and I will need to put in more work to get the product finished, which should be fine. While we were all planning on doing small parts throughout the production, Josh's primary role was editing, meaning Adam and I will need to put more time into that.

Sharpie - Media theories

Media theories

Roland Barthes' theory of enigma codes:

The use of enigma codes is very important for our film; it relies on it to make the main antagonist seem even more disturbing. The theory refers to the fact that not everything is known about something/someone, or there are some things that are unclear. We are using this theory in relation to our main antagonist, the viewer doesn't know who he is, why he is stalking the group, etc. The Snowman is another film that relies heavily on this, the viewer has no idea of who the killer is, besides the fact that he leaves notes relating to snowmen when he has committed a crime.

Todorov's theory of equilibrium:

Todorov's theory states that a film will start peaceful (in equilibrium), there will then be a conflict which disrupts this, followed by the recognition and solution which turns the narrative back to equilibrium. As we are making a trailer, the last two do not apply as, it would give too much of the story away. If a trailer gave away the entire plot of a film (or any media product) then there would be no point in the audience consuming the product as they already know. The trailer does however start in equilibrium with the protagonists drinking together, they then decide to break into the school, unaware of Sharpie (the conflict), and then face many problems as a result. This is not very conventional for thriller films as they usually show the conflict first, this is why we decided to use a news report at the start explaining the situation.

Laura Mulvey's theory of male gaze:

This theory states that females are just a tool in film and are used to give male's more character. An example of where this theory is rejected is in The Last House on the Left where the mother defends herself and her husband from an attacker who assaulted their daughter. It could be argues that The Last House on the Left is more of a horror film, but it also has elements/paradigms of the thriller genre. In our film, we want males and females to be represented as equals which is why we have an even split of male and female protagonists - with the antagonist's gender remaining unspecified but connoted as being male due to the dark clothes and more masculine build.

Hypodermic needle/Cultivation theory:

The use of the hypodermic needle theory isn't immediately obvious, it involves the product "injecting" ideas and messages into the audience. Sometimes however, these ideas can be wrong which links to the cultivation theory where (wrong) ideas can grow and alter people's perception of a demographic and build (negative) stereotypes. We want to use these theories to show that both genders are equal and can both handle themselves (this may however not work as well as planned, as one character is said to die at the start of the trailer).

Stuart Hall's audience perception theory:

Stuart Hall is a well-known cultural theorist and is responsible for the perception theory which states that depending on a person's cultural upbringing and exposure to certain demographics, they will perceive a product differently than others - it includes a preferred, negotiated and oppositional reading. This is highly prevalent in the film V for Vendetta as the main character is somewhat controversial. The preferred reading could be that he is perceived as a freedom fighter, this would mean that the oppositional reading is that he is a terrorist/criminal as a result of his exaggerated means of expression (blowing stuff up and wearing a Guy Fawkes mask). The negotiated reading would be somewhere between the two - the audience perceives him as a freedom fighter but thinks he goes too far with his means of showing it. As our characters are stereotypical young adults/teens the negotiated reading of the viewer feeling sorry for them would likely be shared by those with similar psychographics to the characters, and those who are binary opposites may feel joy or boredom in the fact that they are in the situation.

Propp's narrative theory:

Propp's theory states that the role of the characters can be determined through the narrative of a product. The role of our protagonists isn't immediately obvious due to how stereotypical they are. However, the role of the antagonist is shown clearly as they demonstrate key features of a criminal in films; stalking his victims, unnoticed until he decides to try and do something to them.

Levi Strauss' theory of binary opposition:

This theory states that the meaning behind a narrative revolves two opposite objects/ideas/psychographics. This is established in almost every film, an example being The Dark Knight where The Joker is the antagonist and is not serious but very deadly, whereas Batman is the protagonist and is very serious and doesn't kill. In our film, the idea behind the antagonist's name comes from this theory; it relates to the fact that they use sharp objects and also that they draw on/around people (with a Sharpie marker). As a result, we felt it would be appropriate to call him Sharpie. The protagonists and antagonists are also binary oppositions, the protagonists are loud (somewhat obnoxious) young adults and Sharpie only says about 1 line.

Analysis of V for Vendetta trailer (Thriller)

Analysis of V for Vendetta trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSA7mAHolAw

00:00-00:06: Age classification for the film shown

00:07-00:13: Close-up of woman, "I wish I wasn't afraid of everything all the time ... but I am", fade to black (ftb)

00:14: (Possibly) Soldiers marching in unison wearing high boots (Short montage)

00:15: Clip of man giving speech with hand in air

00:16: People rallying around man, ftb

00:17: Black screen

00:18-00:20: Clip of wall with shadow on, and someone wearing black walking past

00:20-00:22: Black screen, "People should not be afraid of their Government"

00:23: Man walks out from room, close-up on his boots and cape

00:24-00:26: Shot of something with explosives attached, "The Government should be afraid of its people"

00:27: Close-up of gloved hand holding detonator

00:28: Black screen

00:29: Explosion at spire of building

00:30: Explosion at bottom of building

00:30-00:31: Whole building explodes, fire-works go off from explosion, over shoulder perspective from woman

00:32: Warner Bros Production over red/black cloudy background

00:33: Virtual Studios

00:33: Mertico DC Comics

00:34: Silver productions

00:35: Close up of older man hunched over giving speech, "Those caught in violation of...

00:36: Shot of siren and Big Ben in background, "...curfew..."

00:37-00:38: Shot of siren in same position but in dark street "..will be prosecuted without..."

00:39-00:40: Mid shot of woman in dark alley looking scared and looking around, "...leniency or exception"

00:40: Woman is caught by man in suit

00:41: Long shot of man and woman, "It's past curfew"

00:42: Man pulls out badge with symbol similar to colours at speech

00:43: Long shot of men trying to grab woman, "Help please!"

00:44: Knife appears from left of screen, held by gloved hand

00:45-00:47: Close up on man wearing weird mask who slowly lifts head up

00:48: Mid shot of masked man (MM) spinning knife around

00:49: Mid shot of man pulling out gun, and gunshot

00:50-00:51: Clip of man with gun being kicked by MM into wall

00:51-00:55: Short montage of MM fighting other man with a knife who ends up being grabbed by the throat and thrown against a wall

00:56: Man whimpering "Have mercy"

00:57: Close up of MM, "Oh, not tonight"

00:58-00:59: Mid shot of MM throwing knife which is followed to the other men

1:00: Two men shown laying on floor

1:01: Woman sat on floor, "Who are you?"

1:02: MM flings cape around and ftb

1:03-1:04: Info and red image of mask on left

1:05: First person POV of man putting on mask

1:06: Shot of man putting on mask

1:07-1:10: Meeting involving a group of roughly five people around a screen with the older man from before, on the screen saying, "Gentlemen I want this terrorist found, and I want him to know the meaning of terror" (Continued from 1:05)

1:10: Shot of soldiers with guns storming a building

1:10-1:12: "From the creators of..." text and mask on right

1:12: Man sitting in chair, "We're working on several leads"

1:13-1:14: Police knocking down door

1:14: Woman running through crowd

1:15: Shot of man and woman on computer screen, "Her parents were detained..."

1:16: Shot of baton, "...when she was 12"

1:16: Older man hitting man tied up with baton

1:17: Young girl waking up in bed

1:17: Bloody body seen and woman held on floor with bag being put over her head

1:18-1:19: Woman from start shown saying "It was like those black bags erased them from the face of the earth"

1:19: Young girl shown hiding under bed

1:20: Young girl screams "Mummy" and soldier shines light under bed

1:21-1:22: Cut back to woman who flinches

1:23: Black screen, man says "You have one chance..."

1:24: Clip of girl with no hair and prison outfit (PG) shown huddled in middle of empty room, "...you must tell us the whereabouts..."

1:25-1:26: MM jumps from building and lands on other roof, "...of Codename: V"

1:27-1:29: Big Ben striking 12

1:30-1:32: Scientists in a lab with soldiers behind shown, followed by liquid with blood being injected into it, "If our own Government is responsible for the deaths of..."

1:32: Children running out of school, "...100,000 people"

1:33: Clip of man and woman holding hands, followed by someone falling to knees

1:33-1:34: Man saying "Do you really want to know?" ftb

1:34-1:37: Mid shot of PG crying, followed by a mid shot of MM holding her

1:38: Close up of MM saying "Those who are held responsible will be held accountable"

1:39: Shot of building in thunder storm

1:40-1:42: Bird's eye view of PG stood looking up at rain, older man says "The time has come for you to..."

1:42: Mid shot of PG crying and holding arms out in rain, "...live without fear"

1:43: Long shot of PG, and lightning strike

1:44: Close up of PG saying "I'm ready"

1:45: Shot of MM loading guns

1:46: Explosion

1:46: Woman pepper spraying a man

1:47: Man on screen, "This country stands on the edge..."

1:48: Shot of MM throwing knives, "...on the edge of oblivion"

1:49: Explosion, followed by two scientists coughing and stumbling around the flames

1:49: MM punching a businessman

1:50: Someone slicing sign, older man saying "I want everyone..."

1:51: Man on screen again, "...to remember..."

1:51: PG pulling lever, "...why..."

1:52: Explosion, "...they..."

1:52: Close up of MM, "...need..."

1:53: Shot of army marching, "...us"

1:54: Shot of gun

1:55: MM surrounded by soldiers, commander says "Kill 'im"

1:56-1:57: Flashes of white

1:57:MM loading gun

1:58: Close up of MM saying "My turn"

1:59-2:02: MM flashing knives and throwing them past soldiers, at commander

2:03: Someone pushing down dominoes, music builds to crescendo

2:03-2:04: Woman falls from window and zooms out

2:05: Another shot of dominoes

2:05: Further out shot of dominoes reveals even more

2:06: Shot from inside of gun, aimed at MM's head

2:07: Even more dominoes fall over

2:07-2:08:Statue of children holding hands with two men walking behind it, "I suddenly have this feeling..."

2:09: More dominoes

2:10:Men covering something, "...that everything..."

2:11: MM and PG holding each other's faces, "...was connected"

2:11: Dominoes

2:12: Shot of hundreds of soldiers aimed at group of people wearing black

2:13: Bird's eye view of dominoes begin to reveal red "V" with black background and red outline

2:14: People wearing black march forward

2:15: Dominoes finish falling

2:16: Explosion with fireworks (Possibly from beginning)

2:17: Close up of man saying "Are we ready for it?"

2:18: Close up of MM's torso which zooms towards his face

2:19: More fireworks

2:20-2:20: Logo and title - Ring of fire with a V on fire inside of it, and the title fading in with a fiery texture to it (darker than the logo)

2:22: Close up on knives

2:23-2:24: Camera zooms up to reveal man in dark clothes with a beard and glasses, "The only *something* is vengeance" (Difficult to hear over knife noises)

2:25: Release date

2:26-2:28: Important company/cast info, ftb

2:28-2:30: Black screen

2:30: End

Sharpie - Planning with social media

Planning with social media

We have used social media a lot to plan our film. Social media allows us to keep in touch with one another easily. This allows us to discuss various subjects such as: what we need to do, when/where we need to do it, what looks best, how can the quality be improved, etc.

Sharpie - Script

Script

News reader: Horrific scenes unfolded last night at the local secondary school and sixth form, as one person was killed in a horrific accident. The police have refused to comment at this time.

*voice fades out, cuts to night before, in pub. Lee has his arm around Stacey, Damion is sitting next to Kelly*

Damion: Hey does anyone want another drink?

Lee: Nah mate I’ll get mine, but thanks

Stacey: Not at the moment thanks Damion

Kelly: Can I have another cider babe?

*cuts to them outside, walking past the school, laughing. Sharpie is obscured in the background, watching them*

Kelly: Ugh, I’m trying to call us a taxi but there’s no signal.

Stacey: Yeah I can’t get any signal either.

Lee: Yo, do you remember going here?

Damion: Haha oh god I do.

*cuts to shot of them breaking the door open*

*shot briefly flashes on screen of sharpie following them in, then locking multiple doors around the school*

Stacey: Oh my god, it’s been ages since we’ve been here.

Damion: I know right!

Sharpie: It’s been too long.

*fast paced montage of people in school, scared of sharpie*

*titles on screen*

End of Trailer

*May change*

Sharpie - Production company/Logo

Production company/logo

We were uncertain as to whether or not we were going to stick with our previous logo, but in the end we decided to go with a new one as our previous one had made teen angst films which are not very related to thrillers. We came up with a number of various designs based around one main idea and we decided as a group which one we should use.

Our logo is in a bright yellow font with a gradient effect added to it in order to make it look as though it is golden. This suggests high quality which is what we want our film to be and that may in turn attract an audience as Hollywood blockbusters tend to be of higher quality than British arthouse films and also have a much larger viewing (mass over niche). It also has a black background to contrast well with the gradient that makes it seem as though the logo is glowing. This makes it seem even bolder and eye-catching to the viewer which will make it more memorable. Another factor that may contribute to it being memorable is that the name is not an actual word. The lines on the said of the logo are there to fill the room, as it looks somewhat empty and quite boring without them - despite being such a little change. The font is also quite bold, increasing the fact that it is eye-catching. The logo takes inspiration from a lot of different company logos, some of these include: Warner Bros where the main feature colour is golden, Jac productions where the only colour is gold, the font is bold and the background is black to contrast effectively.

Sharpie - Storyboard

Storyboard

This is the storyboard for our trailer "Sharpie". It gives a brief overview of what will happen in the trailer and makes it easier for us to film as we know where/what we need to film and what we don't.

Sharpie - Target audience

Target audience

Our target audience is older teens/young adults who enjoy thrills. It is targeted at both genders equally, which is denoted through the use of an equal split of male/female cast members. However, the film may appeal to a more male demographic as a result of the thriller genre being more commonly targeted at them, which is achieved through a number of techniques including: a predominantly male cast (with females as side characters/victims), dark colours - in comparison to bright colours which are associated with femininity - etc. The film will likely also appeal to a working class demographic (as opposed to lower/upper class) as the main characters are stereotypical teenagers, making them easy to relate to.

Sharpie - Fonts and titles

Fonts and titles

The main font we want to use for our titles is Biro. This is because it looks as though it has been hand written which fits with the idea that Sharpie uses a marker to draw on his victims. This creates an eerie atmosphere for the viewer as it could feel as though Sharpie himself has written them, making the character seem even more realistic, giving the viewer a sense of urgency as they will understand the protagonist's situation slightly better.

The titles will mainly consist of basic trailer conventions such as: main title towards the end, a release date to notify the viewer when the film is being released, the name of the production company, list of cast, positive reviews from (popular) reviewers to show that the film is entertaining, things like: "from the creators of" to show that we are established as a film production company.

The final design for our title went through many different iterations. We decided to use a Strawpoll (an online website that allows you to create polls and send the link to others so that they can vote) to decide which of the four designs was the best, i the end the second one won 80% of the votes, with the fourth winning 20%.

We feel that the second option was the most popular as it is similar to the others but is the most blurred. The fact that it is blurred makes it seem quit eerie and potentially paranormal which puts the viewer on edge and denotes the film as being weird (which is suitable for a psychological thriller) as a result of the abnormality of it.

Even though option two was the most popular, we may make slight changes to it. One recommendation was to make it look slightly disorientated - with the letters misaligned. When this and the fact that the title is a reference to the antagonist's name is taken into account, this has connotations to the antagonist's mental state; he is somewhat deranged.

The title takes most of its inspiration from the title of the film Se7en. The title is white and features parts of it missing, with a more blurred out version in the background. We took the idea of the missing parts and used them for our film by: smudging the edges as though to represent the smudging of someone's handwriting. We also liked the blurry copy in the background due to it looking quite sinister, and we felt that because the title is the name of the main antagonist, it reflected his character further.

Sharpie - USP

Unique selling point

The USP for our film is that the antagonist kidnaps three of the protagonists leaving just one. The viewer would assume that these characters are dead, but the news report at the beginning of the trailer states that only one person died. The antagonist also dresses in all black which uses the enigma effect to make him seem a lot more eerie and potentially dangerous. This leaves the viewer with a number of questions at the end of the trailer, and would hopefully persuade them to view the film to find out the answers to these questions. These questions and this idea gives the trailer a psychological thriller feel to it whilst also feeling somewhat like a crime thriller as the viewer is the one trying to figure what is happening instead of characters in the film. This may attract a much broader audience (those who enjoy different types of thrillers - both psychological and crime, potentially more) as there is a feeling of mystery and unease, as well as a lot of tension.

This USP takes some inspiration from the plot of The Snowman. The Snowman relies heavily on the use of the enigma effect where the viewer is not aware of what the character looks like but is aware of their presence. This is similar to ours in the fact that there is someone dangerous around, but in our case, the viewer has (somewhat of) an idea of what the killer looks like, and the viewer is aware someone is going to die. But also with our film, only one person dies, so it relies less on the enigma effect and more on suspense and creating questions for the viewer (they are wondering who the one person who died was).