Some More Researchin'

 I want to kick start the week by doing even more research to entertain the...uhh... three of you reading this right now (just a rough estimate). I already have an idea for the trailers, and one of the storyboards has been worked out, so that's coming soon - and I'm really excited to talk about it and my actual project more in-depth. 

I've been looking at some more psychological thriller trailers, and I found one in particular that stands out to me:

This trailer includes more of the dramatic elements. It still plays heavily with light, and uses some shakier camera movement. That movement makes it feel more hectic and unnerving. I want to see if I can copy that shakiness and add a little bit of that to potential chase scenes. I also love the mirror shots. In both this trailer and Last Night in Soho's emphasizes this mirror concept. I also have something like this in my trailer concept, so working it out and seeing what techniques I could use will definitely be something coming up (and a blog topic I'll get into later).

The editing also has a lot of things working for it. There is a constant black screen transition that comes in, which is more typical of horror movies. There is also a themed background for the text that comes in, which is something I might do. It adds more for the trailer and isn't just that cliche black background. And there is also constant movement in this trailer. Though the editing does help with that quicker pace, just the movements in each shot make the pace seem quicker than what it really is. Unlike in Soho, which adds a lot of those quick edits and seemingly drags you from scene to scene, this trailer makes you sink into it a little more. And this is purposeful, because of that previous drama element to it. It isn't a typical horror movie, and that little bit of genre-blending is what helps make it a thriller for me. It's that contrast of slow drama with quick scares and thrills. That constant tension that keeps viewers glued to their seats and having to chomp on popcorn or crunchy candy to relieve their stress (speaking from personal experience after watching A Quiet Place).

And again, that music is working numbers for this trailer. Even if the visual on the screen isn't exactly the pinnacle of horror, the background violins and eerie sounds create that tension. It might be hard to do with mine since I don't have the money to create an original score for the trailer, but I will have to make the trailer music a priority (and try to have some synch with the editing to give it more of that punch).

I've also looked up some other videos to help with this particular project:

This was great for learning how shot composition can be vital for a thriller. It's always been a weak spot of mine, so watching this was very eye-opening. Even if some of this is common sense, it actually helped me a lot. Especially with thinking up some more shots for my storyboard, because I figure I'll not seem really creepy shots to mix in for that fast-paced thriller edit at the end (a convention for my genre's trailers).

This is a really good commentary by Jordan Peele. I love his thrillers. They are psychological, really, even if they are more slowly associated with horror. Just hearing him talk about what makes for a good thriller is really educational. And I love having the scenes from Get Out as context.