Setting/Location Research

One of the most important elements of planning a thriller trailer is deciding what locations to use. To do this, I watched several other trailer and researched the most common locations.

School (The Gallows)

Although the film is set in a school, it mainly take place in the auditorium so it is not necessarily recognisable as a school. However this shot includes lockers which is common in a school, meaning the audience can instantly make that association. As almost anyone who watched the film will have gone to school, this adds a layer of verisimilitude and is likely to scare the audience more.

Forest (Last House on the Left)

The forest, and being surrounded by trees, is a common setting for horror trailers, as it often creates the feeling of the unknown and being lost.

Bedroom (Carrie) 

 

Another common setting for thriller films is a bedroom. Like the school setting, the verisimilitude of this location is likely to scare the audience more, making it ideal for such a genre.

 

Car (Catfish)

 

As part of the Catfish film is him making a journey, one setting is in a car. Due to the low keylighting and clothing of the people in the shot, this isn't necessarily a scary shot, however it perhaps shows that not all the settings have to be overly scary.

Fairground (When A Stranger Calls)

 

 

Although a stereotypically happy environment, When A Stranger Calls, manages to twist this location into one that should be feared, mainly using juxtaposition. This is interesting as it proves that locations don't have to be stereotypically scary.