2. Grave Encounters Trailer
Grave Encounters is a paranormal horror movie which is made to look like the making of a
television episode, such as Most Haunted and Ghost Hunters. Grave Encounters is a low
budget film, therefore suites the fact that it is suppose to be a television reality programme as
the quality of the film isn‟t at the highest standards compared to most films/television
programmes. Grave Encounters can be compared to films such as Paranormal Activity as they
also use hand held cameras to make the film seem more real life based and relatable. This film
is based in a mental institution where several „ghost hunters‟ lock themselves inside the
building and search for the abnormal and discover a number of odd events that change their
lives.

3. Setting
Paranormal based movies are commonly based in areas that people visit regularly and area‟s
which have also witnessed many deaths, such as homes and hospitals. Unlike horror films
which are traditional based in isolated area‟s which have little contact with people, such as
Woods and abandoned warehouses. Grave Encounters is based in a mental asylum which
was build in 1930‟s. This makes the setting more frightening and eerie towards the potential
audience as it is so old and restrained, therefore giving them the impression that the building is
haunted. At the beginning of the trailer, the audience witness the outside view of the building,
reminding them what reality looks like before they enter the building which differs from there
once surroundings. Each scene is set in different rooms of the asylum containing horrific
historical information about the building and the patients who „lives‟ in each room, for example,
shown by the trailer, one room contains writing on the walls to show the audience that a
psychiatric patient was once there and possibly still there, creating fear towards the viewers.
A lot of the trailer uses long corridors to
base some of the horrific events, this is
because they seem endless, therefore
building the suspense, making the film
seem more fear-provoking. All the rooms
used in the building are dull colours and
dark, making it harder to see the „demons‟
as a result, creating a „jumpy‟ experience
towards the audience.

4. Characters
As Grave Encounters is suppose to be acknowledged as a television series, the characters
are presented as a film crew, including the television presenter, camera operator, boom
microphone operator, editor and the director. Each of these characters are presented as
normal, every day people who have a passion for the abnormal, making the film more realistic
towards the potential audience and more relatable. Each crew member have their own unique
style which shows the audience the type of person they are. The costume used for the
characters show that they didn‟t expect the unexpected and weren‟t prepared for the abnormal
activity. On the other hand, the „demons‟ that torment the ghost hunters wear old gowns and
straight jackets to show that were patients in the hospital therefore making them more
threatening and terrifying towards the audience.
The „demons‟ clothing is dull and lifeless, telling
the audience that they are in fact dead and intent
on causing mayhem. The clothing used on both
the dead and the alive contrast and show that the
time period between both victim and „demon‟ is
immense.

5. Props and Editing
Paranormal based films don‟t usually consist of many props as it is mainly based around
editing. Displayed on the Grave Encounters trailer, the equipment used to record the footage is
actually shown within the footage meaning that the film is suppose to be real life based and to
make the audience believe that such events did actually occur. Editing is used to the extreme
in the Grave Encounters as it is what attracts the potential audience. Glitches are used within
the trailer to insinuate that someone is there, for instance a ghostly presence, making the
audience tremble with fear. A face morph is also used as a jump scare and is used as the main
focus of the trailer, making it the main attraction towards the potential viewers. Stock/archive
footage is used to make the trailer seem more realistic, showing the audience how the asylum
once looked with it‟s patients in the 1930‟s.

6. Camera Work
Most Paranormal based films use hand held cameras to make the scenes seem more realistic
towards the audience. Grave Encounters follows this role by also using a hand held camera for
most scenes. Horror/Paranormal based films use a number of different shots to create
suspense toward the viewers as they don‟t know what‟s around each corner. This type of
genre uses close up to its most highest extent to show the most gruesome, terrifying scenes to
it‟s full potential and lets the audience observer the victims emotions when horrific events take
place. Grave Encounters uses many other shots such as a over the shoulder shot as a
trailer/film is presented as a television reality show, therefore having numerous
conversations/interviews with various people. Wide shots are used to show the audience the
setting of the film, in this case the mental institution.
This will grab the potential audiences attention as
they‟d want to witness the horrific events that occur
inside the building. Wide shots are also used to
introduce the characters and show them
together, as a groups to show the audience which
characters play which roles in daunting scenes.
This will create a connection between the character
the audience as they‟d pick a character as their
favourite, whom they can relate too in such
situations.

7. Sound
In a trailer, sound is essential and makes a large impact on the
audience. The use of sounds makes scenes more effective and
thrilling towards the viewers. In paranormal films, the most
common sound used is the scream of the ghost hunters as they
witness the „demons‟, this will create distress towards the
audience and notify them that something frightening is
happening. You can also hear the ghost hunters deep
breathing throughout the trailer as they are terrified of the
„demons‟ they have witnessed so far, causing panic towards the
audience.

8. Poster One
To represent the genre, Grave Encounters use dark, eerie
colours such as black and dull yellow to create fear towards the
audience. The colour scheme suggest that the location is
timeworn and abandoned. These colours contrast each other
therefore making the poster more noticeable and eye catching
towards the potential audience. The main image fills the full
poster with a dark background, suggesting that the areas is evil
and contains the decedents of the devil. The main characters
are placed In the centre of the poster as a long shot, showing the
viewers the surroundings and characters positions. The image of
the mental institution is based at the top of the poster giving the
viewers a taste of the area where the film is based. The posters
is slightly bare, suggesting that the area is isolated and cold,
terrifying the viewers. The title is based at the bottom of the
poster and is the largest text on the page, this is to make sure
the viewers remember the name of the film. The text colour is
vibrant, representing a dark presence and ghosts. The words
“They found it” is wrote in a eerie, horrific text which also
represents the genre. This text is also red, unlike any other text
on the page, making it more noticeable and threatening as Red
usually represents blood, therefore making the audience think of
death.

9. Poster Two
All films create more than one poster for advertising so the film
would be more noticed and recognised by the viewers. Unlike
most horror/paranormal posters, Grave Encounters uses different
colour schemes for each poster. The colour scheme or this poster
consists of Black, White and Green which contrast massively,
therefore making the poster eye catching and grabbing the
potential viewers attention. The Green colours makes the poster
look more eerie and intimidating towards the audience. The main
image covers the full poster, blending as a background. The image
consists of the main character, unaccompanied and afraid with his
camera. This tells the audience that something horrific must have
occurred as he is alone. The ghost hunter is sat in a long corridor
which suggests that the location is threatening and isolated. A
bright, green figure is shown at the end of the corridor, showing the
audience that something horrific and deadly may happen to the
character. The words “They were searching for proof… They found
it” is used to sell the film to the potential audience by making it
seem more interesting. The title is the largest text on the page and
is based at the top of the page. The title is very bright and alive
which contrasts to the background, making it more visible to the
audience and identifiable.

10. Magazine Cover
Empire is a popular film magazine and recommends the best
films available. Compared to other Empire magazines, this one
is less busy and exciting as it is a special collectors edition.
The colour scheme is Red, White and Black which fits with the
genre of films it is recommending. Theses colours contrast
each other very well, making the magazine easier to identify.
The magazine uses a number of images. The most popular or
daunting film has been used as the main picture which is based
in the centre of the poster, followed by numerous other serial
killers from popular horror films underneath. This shows the
audience the type of films that the magazine will write about,
therefore making them want to purchase the magazine to read
the main content. The words “The greatest horror movies ever”
is used to sell the magazine further and grab the potential
readers attention. This text is white and based at the bottom of
the poster, using the second largest text. The colour of the text
contrast the background massively and make it more
noticeable to the potential readers.