FILM TRAILER ANALYSIS

Katie Li

The Women in Black

Horror

The cinematography used in this trailer starts off with an establishing shot to show the audience where the scene is taking place. This is a typical convention used in most

film trailers. They have used several close up shots of facial expressions and toys to express the characters reaction. This creates a mysterious and scary mood and leaves

the audience unexpected of what to expect next. The use of toys in horror films is a typical convention as toys are known to be still objects, however, horror film companies

make them life-like to create a creepy and frightening atmosphere. Long shots have also been used to set the atmosphere of the scene. It allows the audience to know what

the surrounds, in this case, an abandoned, Victorian house. The house shows a past disruption linking to Todorov’s narrative theory. The lighting of the trailer appears dull

and dark, which connotes the horror genre. This also sets the mood and creates a curious and unknown feeling.

The editing of the trailer includes fade outs between different scenes to give the feeling of the unexpected. This is a typical editing technique used in most horror film trailers. They have concentrated on using black fade outs which adheres the horror genre and symbolises darkness, fear and emptiness. Another common editing done in the post-production is

the fast pace shots after the chime of the bells ring. This is to build tension and also doesn’t give too much of the story away to the

audience as it is quick and snappy.

The sound in a horror trailer plays an important role as it is used to anticipate when something bad or frightening will come up. The use of the children’s music box associates with children which connotes the

idea of innocence and purity. However, it is rather slow paced and calm which builds tension and the feeling of uneasiness. The sound is also

played in time with the moving objects throughout the trailer to ensure that they remind the audience that children will play a significant role in

the film which is a typical convention used in horror films. The non-diegetic sounds of the bell indicates that something bad will happen

soon.

The mise-en-scene includes the characters, location and props purposely selected for the trailer. They help identify the genre of the

film and creates different mood for the scene. The setting in the forest is a typical location used in horror films, this is because they are big and

people are known to get lost in them. The trees surround the main character connotes entrapment and confusion. The cross symbols

shown in the trailer are also typically associated with horror and the use of the main character, Daniel Radcliff, known through Harry Potter,

helps target specific audience, in this case teenagers and helps gain a wider audience.

Horror The Pact

The cinematography used includes many close-up shots throughout the trailer to emphasize the facial expressions being made by the characters and to give the

audience a mysterious, unsettling feeling as they wonder what is going to happen next. They have used a slow zoom of a doorway with damaged wallpaper to give the audience an idea of where the action would take place and the setting of the

film. Tracking shots are also used to follow the characters which make the audience feel as if they are with them in the room. However, the camera is still which makes

the audience forget that they are watching a film.

The editing used in the trailer includes fast pace cuts between scenes to show panic and tension in the trailer. They have used many fade out and cross fading transitions to show the unexpected and to give off a mysterious atmosphere. This helps to set the mood of the trailer, by making it spooky and targets the audience to watch the film as the editing in the post-production is the most important process. They have also included copy to let the audience make up the voice themselves.

The mise-en-scene included in the trailer includes the dark, dull setting which is a typical convention used in horror films as it is commonly associated with death, darkness and the evil. They have used American actors to cast in the film such as Caity Loz and Casper Van Dien to target their audience, persuading them to watch the film because of the cast involved. However, they are not well-known and majorly popular as it is a low-budget film, like most horror films. The producers have chosen to set the film based in a house which shows entrapment and therefore builds tension.

The sounds used in the trailer includes diegetic sounds of the heavy breathing created by the characters which shows that they are scared and frightened of something. Another diegetic sound includes the screaming which is a typical convention used in horror trailer. Dialogues are also used to show conversation and gives the audience an idea of what the story is about. They have used crescendo towards the second half of the trailer to build tension and suspense.

Science Fiction Comedy The

Watch

The cinematography used includes a wide range of close up shots to long shots and high angles to low angles. This is because it is a comedy film and they would need a wide range of different shots in order to show the story and make it

look funny, unlike a horror trailer, they would need lots of close up shots. Low and high angles shows the power of the characters at that point of the scene.

E.g. High angle on a character makes them look small and powerless, whereas a low angle on a character will make them look powerful and strong.

Tracking shots have been used to follow the character/s as they go on their mission to defeat the monsters. They have also used an establishing shot of a

building being engulfed in flames, this shows the impact of the fire.

The editing used in the trailer includes the pauses of each character with their name on screen. This lets the audience know who the protagonist/s is and what characters are important in the film, so they recognise their names. They have also used transitions between shots to follow the comedy conventions, such as the wipe transition and the fade in and fade out transitions. Another common

editing they have used in this trailer is the shot reverse shot, to show the conversation between two or more characters. The jump cut of the four

protagonists is used with the slow motion edit, where they are walking towards the camera in an action-like style. The use of the blue glow around the laser

beam represents the science fiction genre in the film which connotes futuristic.

The mise-en-scene used in the trailer includes the use of well-known American actors to cast in the film such as Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn and English actor Richard Ayoade to target their audience, persuading them to

watch the film because of the cast involved. When the public knows the name of a certain character such as Ben Stiller and Johan Hill, they would automatically know that the film is most likely to be a comedy film.

The sounds used in the trailer begins with a voice over of the protagonist, which introduces himself and his daily life. This tells the audience a little something

about him and what he does. The use of music played in the background of the trailer is a non-diegetic sound which adds effect and makes the scene less

boring. The use of song choice mainly depends on the scene, an example of this includes the jazzy beat at the beginning of the trailer and then it changes to a dubstep song when it shows the alien invasion. A lot of dialogue is also used in the trailer as it tells the audience what type of genre this film is and what is it based on. They also include few second scenes of comedy used in the film to make the audience laugh and wanting to watch more, therefore persuading

them to go and watch the film.