Website research.

PIRANHA 3D- WEBSITE

http://piranha-3d.com/site.html#/home

Piranha is a Horror about a Teen gathering every year at the same lake, and this time something happens that cracks the ground and piranhas break through, its a very Gorey film with lots of blood, boobs and booze. It may not necessarily be a Paranormal website, however its still a horror website and they all share similar Forms & Conventions. I also wanted to choose something a little different compared to what i have looked at.

When you first click on the website it comes up with a simple loader that is a strait line, which is plain red, which makes you think 'blood'.

You then enter the websites home page, and its best to go to the bottom right hand corner where you can change the sound and choose full screen, if you click full screen its easier to see everything. The website begins with beats and a scene from the actual movie where they are partying, and then the camera drops into water and you can see people's feel and piranha's swimming around. This gives you a good insight to what to movie is about and creates tension.

You can also see the facebook and twitter site, where you can see updates from the film, and the sound or

full screen button. There is also a game you play in the bottom right hand corner, which is where you shoot the piranha's before they eat you. The website looks fun and gets it message across at the same time. You can also see small < ^ signs on the faded square in the centre, when you click on this the background changes to either above water or another angle of the underwater, by giving you opportunities to explore and do things for yourself it makes you feel allot more involved in the whole process.

The menu in in the top right corner, and you just hover over home to see your drop down list. The dark red background emphasises horror because you assume blood, which is what the person who created this wants.

You can go through the website and look at everything it has to offer, so if you haven't seen it, you can get the motivation from the website to watch the film, when you click from page to page the loading parts are really good as you will find out fr yourself. The story is only brief on the website and doesn't go into major detail or minor, its like a taster for the reader, a little like a trailer, however its a script. It also tells you some of the actors/actresses and the director.

The next section is cast and crew, you get to find out more about a couple of cast members and the roles they play in the film, it also tells you what other things the actors do such as recent offers, acts they are asked to play, famous family members, again bringing you closer to the movie.

The next part is the gallery, its layout is really cool, it has four images that are really dramatic parts of the film, and they all look HQ which makes you think its really cool, you can only see four because there is no point in showing 20, if you did that you would give to much of the movie away.

Then there is the trailer for the movie, which is not really relevant to paranormal, but the website shares similar forms and conventions to other 'HORROR' websites.

You can also get exclusive downloads from the website, things like posters for iphone and music, which is all to advertise the film, which is a key part of the website, in order to attract you have to offer, the page looks really cool to!

And finally there is a game, this would be very difficult for us to achieve cos we are not experience in making games, however the concept is brilliant 'kill the piranas' i have screen shotted the part where i died :(.

I think the website itself is very consistent and easy to use which are great assets to have, if its more accessible more people will go on it, i really like the font used and the colour, its not in your face and doesn't distract from the scenery and doesn't get lost in the background, i think this website is excellent quality and offers its viewers fun and entertainment, ultimately promoting the film.

Forms and conventions of Horror Trailers.

I have looked at these trailers and distinguished differences and similarities between them, and also searched for ideas that i would like to use, and what i think doesn't look so good. I now look at forms and conventions in more detail to help me grasp the concepts i need to put in my trailer.

Horror film usually inflict fear to the audience through unsettling on-screen action which startle the viewers.
Props in horror films include of, especially gore based films like Hostel or Saw, knives, hammer, chainsaw and other weapons which are harmful and inflict pain. The more harmful the weapon is, the more shock or anxiety it will build within the audience. Blood is heavily featured in horror films which are very effective in building suspense and worry.

The locations used tend to be very dark and isolated (Jeepers Creepers), which again helps create suspense. Locations can include woods, the graveyard etc. However, films like the scream series have included places which are not isolated which doesn’t fit the stereotype of a horror film.

Horror films feature an antagonist (CAUSE)  which their aim is to cause harm and fear to the protagonists (EFFECT). The antagonist sometimes has an abnormality which makes the audience unable to identify with the character and they are usually dark and mysterious which adds to unidentifiable character. There is often a main character, which tends to be a female known as the ‘final girl’. The ‘final girl’ is usually masculinised and often has a unisex name like Billie or Laurie and show signs of intelligence and vigilance. The other character types included in this film are usually people who are shown as less powerful and significant as the ‘final girl’ and are often killed in the movie.

The editing pace is generally fast, jumping from various shots to another very quickly which builds tension greatly making the audience jump making the film more thrilling to watch.
The music plays a vital role in horror films; the music tends to be mainly quiet throughout but becomes louder to encourage suspense as the antagonist makes his move.
The sound effect helps bring the action alive and makes the film more life-like.

EvaluationAs i have said before, I believe that creating a horror trailer would work particularly well as the locations are easily accessible and work very well. Horror films themselves tend to not need big budget productions (Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project), but limited budgets as it is not necessary to use a big budget. Both Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project were hugely successful as they were seen as more reality than supernatural as they are more home-like. A horror only necessary needs actors, dark locations, sinister music, sound effects, props and fake blood. These props are easily accessible and therefore the finished product could be very effective.