Research into Synopsis'

A film synopsis is a general guide line to the storyline behind the film. This includes the directors name and some of the actors and actresses who are playing main parts of the film. They are not very detailed as do not give any part of the story away so that people will have to see the film to find out what happens next. Below is an example of a synopsis from 'Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones'.

The first thing on the synopsis is the age certificate for the film which is clearly marked a 15. The BBFC then offers advice to the consumer. This warning is before they hear the plot so that anyone who wishes to view the trailer is of a suitable age and to see if there is anything in the trailer they may take offense to. I knew what a synopsis included before this research however i did not know that they listed other information at the bottom of the synopsis such as the release date, the genre, the running time and the distributor.

The World War Z synopsis was a full synopsis which is in a lot more detail than the general synopsis. It has separate pages for Cast and Crew which shows the detail put in.There is a very big difference in information given about the film in the full synopsis. With this valuable information in mind I will have to decide which type of synopsis to do for my trailer. I think I will do a full synopsis as I think it will make the audience want to watch it more to see what happens and how it is filmed rather than saying a basic outline and choosing whether to see it or not depending on the music.

Iconic Sound of Trailer

Sound is definitely the most important part of a horror trailer. it is the sound that causes the scare when someone is watching a film. This sound could be silent to build up or change in pitch when rising up to the climax. I have collaborated together my favorite sound effects from trailers and have analysed carefully.




Personally my favorite sound from any trailer is the shower scene form 'Psycho' directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This sound fits perfectly and its so simple. The sharp and shrilly sound of the instrument used to make this sound signifies the sharpness of the weapon used in that scene. It is the most iconic sound from a horror trailer as hasn't been used in another film due to it being so unique in pitch. It makes the audience have hairs on the back of their necks. As the sound carries on in length the pitch intensifies to reflect the 'sharpness' of the weapon being used at the time.















Another of my favorite sounds from a film is the use of something sweet and innocent and then creating a loud percussive tone to scare the audience. This has been done in the film of paranormal activity. 2 girls look into the mirror and repeat Bloody Mary three times then something supernatural. The easiness and innocence of the girls speech calms the audience down to a neutral level. Then the sound is used to create a jump with the audience putting their ease off balance and causing an uncomfortable surprise.

I think it is the repetition of low percussive sounds  make the best soundtrack for films. The best examples of this is 'Jaws'. It may not be a horror film but that the sound begins to play the audience prepares themselves for what is going to happen. Depending on how well this is done it can cause trauma for people through its key effects.