The Intruder - ID# 327
Geneva
Movie Trailer
Entry Description
A dream home becomes a nightmare
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/24 10:16 pm - This trailer has a fun, chaotic energy right from the start, with solid pacing, upbeat music, and some interesting lighting choices that really help set the tone. It definitely grabs attention early on! That said, a few technical issues held it back, most notably the masking effects, which were a bit too noticeable, and the dips to black, which felt more distracting than dramatic. Smoothing out those transitions and refining the visual effects would go a long way in elevating the final product. Overall, there’s a lot of creative energy here, just needs a bit more polish to really shine!
- 4/24 6:35 pm - Starting with the crux of intensity and then going to coming into the lovely home is a good beginning. It already gets you intrigued with what can happen. When it does go to the house those edits are kind of fast and felt like they could be slower to go with the song and feel a little bit more. There is something happening with the lighting/color/flash effects through out. It makes it hard to see a little bit. Also, around :13 tt also feels like you added a blur to the background that wasn't done through the camera. It throws off the scene a little bit because the eyes go more to that then what's happening in the scene, especially because you can see how the masked blur is moving a bit. 1:16 is a great shot with framing and lighting. That is a great look for this type of trailer, as well as being able to film at that house and on location.
Judge 1
Positives: Great job! Phenomenal use of location, and the narrative and setup of the piece is clear. Some of the horror choreography works well (ie; the stairway shot) – and the "vertical montage" technique using the John Denver track is effective.
Improvements: A lot of the dialogue feels a bit muddled, like the boom mic or recording device was too far from the performers – ideally, those levels need to be boosted, or dialogue re-recorded. Some of the editorial transitions were a bit abrupt, and the rapid-cut establishing shots at the beginning of the piece feels unintentionally disorienting. Excellent job on your entry this year – there was clearly a lot of skill and talent put into this piece.
Judge 2
Positives: The shadow at the bottom of the stairs. Spooky. The pre-trailer montage is interesting. I would introduce that sequence within the body of the trailer.
Improvements: The music at the end of the trailer pulls me out of the suspense that was built. Perhaps add an effect to the music, echo, slow down the pitch, to add a sense that something is wrong. Not a big fan of the filter on the video. It separates the audience for any connection to the story.
Judge 3
Positives: The audio was solid throughout, and the actors did a nice job selling the scenes. You also picked a great location—it fit the vibe and helped set the tone really well. There were definitely some strong moments that worked for a horror setup.
Improvements: The filter or overlay effect ended up pulling focus away from the trailer itself—it was a bit distracting. For horror, the editing, lighting, and sound really have to be on point to build that suspense, and some of those elements felt a little off here. You might consider shortening it a bit, swapping in adult actors for a stronger performance, and dialing in the lighting to really sell the mood.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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