Creating The Hollow and producing two psychological thriller trailers taught me far more about filmmaking, storytelling, and audience engagement than I expected. From the beginning, my group and I wanted the trailers to feel tense, mysterious, and slightly uncomfortable, the kind of atmosphere that makes the audience lean forward without realizing it. We were very deliberate about using psychological thriller conventions such as low‑key lighting, shadows, masks, restricted narrative, enigma codes, silence, non‑diegetic sound, POV shots, and close‑ups. These weren’t just aesthetic choices; they were tools to control how the audience feels and what they know at any given moment. Barthes’ idea of enigma codes was especially important because I wanted viewers to constantly ask questions without receiving clear answers. The masks, the shadows, and the detectives’ confusion all worked together to create that sense of mystery and uncertainty that defines the genre.
Representation was central to how I constructed the characters and the “big ideas” in the trailers. The Hollow Men are deliberately anonymous and emotionless. By hiding their faces behind masks and keeping their movements slow and controlled, I turned them into a symbol rather than individual villains. This links to Stuart Hall’s representation theory, where meaning is constructed through signs and how audiences decode them. The Hollow Men don’t represent a specific person; they represent fear itself, fear of the unknown, of being watched, of being hunted. Their lack of identity makes them more unsettling because the audience can project their own anxieties onto them. In contrast, the detectives are human, emotional, and flawed, which makes them easier to identify with.
The detectives, all women, were designed to challenge typical thriller representations. In many thrillers, women are either victims, love interests, or secondary characters, but I wanted our detectives to be active, intelligent agents who drive the narrative forward. This connects to Liesbet van Zoonen’s feminist theory, which argues that women are often objectified or sidelined in media. My character is confident, determined, and willing to risk everything to get justice for the victims. She pushes her luck too far and ends up dying because she refuses to back down, which shows both bravery and the danger of obsession. The detective team as a whole represents female empowerment: they work together, support each other, and refuse to be intimidated by the Hollow Men. I describe them as working like “peanut butter and jelly” because their partnership is natural and inseparable. That dynamic was important to me because I wanted the film to show women taking control in a genre that often sidelines them or uses them mainly as victims.
Camera work and mise‑en‑scène also helped construct these representations. I used low angles on the Hollow Men to make them appear more powerful and threatening, while high angles on the detectives in moments of vulnerability suggested that their control was slipping. Close‑ups of eyes, shaking hands, and tense expressions emphasised the psychological side of the thriller, focusing on internal fear rather than just physical danger. The locations' dark streets, empty interiors, and the detectives’ more neutral spaces helped contrast safety and threat. Costumes were simple but meaningful: the Hollow Men’s dark clothing and masks made them blend into the shadows, while the detectives’ more practical outfits reinforced their professionalism and seriousness.
Across the trailers and the social media page, I worked to create a clear and consistent brand identity for The Hollow. I wanted the project to feel like a real psychological thriller franchise that could exist on platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime. The color palette is dominated by dark blues, blacks, and muted tones, which immediately signal mystery and danger. The typography for the title is sharp and slightly distorted, hinting at psychological instability. The mask became the central visual logo of the brand. It appears in the trailers, on the Instagram page, and in close‑up shots that could easily be used as posters or thumbnails. This repetition makes the mask instantly recognisable and ties all the products together.
Sound also plays a huge role in branding. We chose non‑diegetic music that slowly builds tension, with unsettling tones and moments of silence that make the audience feel on edge. Silence became part of the brand’s identity too; it creates a sense of emptiness and anticipation that fits the psychological thriller genre. When viewers hear that specific combination of eerie music and quiet pauses, it becomes associated with The Hollow. This is similar to how real films and series use sound to create a recognisable identity, like the way YOU uses voice‑over and music to build its tone.
The overall personality of the brand is dark, unsettling, and slightly surreal. It’s not a jump‑scare horror brand; it’s more psychological and slow‑burn. That personality is designed to attract viewers who enjoy thinking about what they’re watching, not just reacting to sudden scares. It aligns with fans of shows and films like YOU, The Watcher, The Invisible Man, Hereditary, and Smile, who are used to layered narratives, symbolism, and emotional tension. By keeping the visual and audio style consistent across the trailers and Instagram page, I made sure that everything felt like part of the same “world.”
Understanding and engaging the audience was a huge part of the project. Our target audience is mainly 15–30‑year‑olds who enjoy psychological thrillers, horror, and mystery. They are used to streaming content, scrolling through social media, and consuming short‑form video, so I knew the trailers had to hook them quickly. Using Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory, I focused on entertainment and emotional experience. This audience seeks suspense, fear, curiosity, and sometimes even the satisfaction of solving a mystery before the characters do.
Trailer 1 works as a slow‑burning teaser. It uses restricted narrative and enigma codes to give the audience just enough information to be intrigued but not enough to fully understand what is happening. We see glimpses of the Hollow Men, hints of the detectives’ investigation, and fragments of danger, but nothing is fully explained. Trailer 2 is faster, more intense, and reveals more of the threat. The pacing is quicker, the cuts are sharper, and the stakes feel higher. I wanted the second trailer to pull the audience in and make them feel like they needed to see the full film to get answers. This two‑trailer strategy mirrors real industry practice, where studios release a teaser first and then a more detailed main trailer later.
Social media was another keyway of engaging the audience. Our Instagram page for The Hollow used mysterious posts, character teasers, and close‑ups of the mask to build hype. We could have used polls, questions, or story interactions to get feedback and make the audience feel involved in the process. Even just posting behind‑the‑scenes images or short clips helps turn casual viewers into more invested fans. This reflects how real films and series now rely heavily on social media to create anticipation and maintain interest before release.
Research was essential in shaping both the style and structure of The Hollow. I studied trailers and scenes from psychological thrillers like Hereditary, The Witch, The Invisible Man, Smile, and YOU to understand how they build tension and represent fear. I paid attention to how they used lighting, sound, pacing, and framing to control the audience’s emotional response. For example, many of these texts use long, slow shots to create dread and then suddenly cut to something shocking. They also rely on sound design, drones, whispers, sudden silences to make viewers feel uneasy. I applied these techniques to my own work, especially in the way I used slow camera movement and silence before key moments.
At the same time, I didn’t want to just copy conventions; I wanted to challenge them. One of the biggest ways I did this was by having two Hollow Men instead of one. Most thrillers focus on a single antagonist, which allows the narrative to build towards a confrontation with that one figure. By having two, I increased the sense of danger and unpredictability. The final shot of both villains walking down the street toward the detectives’ house goes against the usual slow‑reveal structure and leaves the audience stuck in Todorov’s disequilibrium, with no resolution in sight. There is no clear return to equilibrium, which keeps the psychological tension alive even after the trailer ends.
Technology and practical skills were also a major part of the project. We used a Canon EOS R50 to film everything, which gave us clean, sharp footage and allowed us to control exposure, focus, and lighting. The exposure dial became one of our most important tools because it completely changed the mood of each scene. Turning it down made the shots darker and more suspenseful, which was perfect for the Hollow Men. Turning it up made the detectives’ scenes feel safer and clearer. I learned how much camera angles, framing, and movement affect the mood. A slow, creeping shot can make the audience nervous, while a sudden fast cut can shock them.
For editing, Ethan used CapCut, which actually worked really well for layering sound, adjusting pacing, and adding transitions. Even though it’s a simple app, it gave us enough control to create a professional‑looking trailer. Working with Ethan and Madison on editing taught me how important timing, sound layering, and transitions are. I helped choose the music, which took a long time because we wanted something that perfectly matched the tension. Watching the editing process helped me understand how editing controls the entire emotional experience of a trailer, from when the audience breathes to when they hold their breath.
We also used Blogger to document the entire process and Instagram to create a marketing page for the film. This combination of platforms mirrors how real media products are now produced and promoted. Blogger acted almost like a production diary, while Instagram functioned as our marketing campaign. Together, they showed me how modern filmmakers don’t just create content; they also have to think about distribution, branding, and audience interaction.
Overall, creating The Hollow made me realise how much thought goes into every detail of filmmaking from lighting to pacing to sound to representation. It wasn’t just about making something that looked “cool”; it was about making something that communicated meaning and emotion on purpose. I’m genuinely proud of what we created. I feel like I’ve grown significantly, developed new technical and creative skills, and made a project that reflects the kind of filmmaker I want to become: someone who uses psychological storytelling, strong representation, and careful craft to keep audiences thinking long after the screen goes dark.
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