Trailer Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zU3U-9B3fE

Cinematography

An establishing shot of a house lets the audience know the location of the film, it also allows the audience to identify that the house is alone in the woods. This then creates the stereotypical horror genre of an isolated house in which entices the audience to watch the film to find out more. An extreme close up of the main character Jennifer is then used to inform the audience that she is inside the isolated house. An extreme close up is used to display the girl’s blank facial expression whilst asleep, connoting vulnerability. This is further emphasized by the lighting, as it is facing down onto her displaying her innocence, which adheres the stereotypical horror genre containing a vulnerable girl. Throughout the rest of the trailer various shots such as close ups, medium close ups and long shots; these have been used to create a busy atmosphere and build up adrenalin. An over the shoulder shot from the girl is used at the end of the trailer, displaying her view of a man with his hands in the air. This has been done to create a sense of curiosity as stereotypically in the horror genre the female gets killed/is the weaker character. Therefore by placing this shot at the end, it will stick in the audiences mind and may make them want to watch the film more.

Editing and sound

Slow editing starts off the trailer, as it is the calmest part with a slow suspense building up. The screen turns black from every shot, which could represent an ‘eye blink’ as if the girl is being watched upon. Fast cuts are used towards the end of the trailer to create an impact on the audience, by making it look spooky and chaotic. Tension is also built up as the fast pace is in sync with the soundtrack.

Text is written on black misty backgrounds, connoting death and pain. The denotation of the scratched typography connotes destruction which can be linked to the film. Words such as ‘brutal’, ‘crime’ and ‘revenge’ are used displaying the narrative of the film, these words all adhere the stereotypical horror genre. Furthermore the text is in capital letters to create emphasis.The trailer starts off with an ambient sound of silence apart from crickets in the distance creating a calm yet apprehensive atmosphere.

There are various sound effects such as creaking floor boards, and a knock on the door. They have been edited in and mad louder to add suspense. The knock (0.17 seconds) occurs four times, which could represent the girl’s heartbeat as she doesn’t know who is there. The non-diegetic sound picks up speed when the main action occurs, with gun shooting and police turning up.

Mise-en-scene

The girl is dressed in casual clothes that do not make her stand out. This has been

done to display her as any other girl looks and how there are no problems. A gun

has been used in the trailer to create mystery from the audience as they may

question why a gun is being used. This adheres the stereotypical horror genre, as

a gun creates death and pain. Furthermore a rope has also been used, to add to

the pain of the film. At the end of the trailer the girl holds a pair of garden shears,

which emphasizes the brutal torcher she may put the man through. All of the

props used denote the horror genre, and are common conventions.

The first setting of the trailer is the isolated house, which adheres strongly to the horror genre. It’s one of the main conventions, as no one can hear the actions that occur in the house which creates an eerie atmosphere. The rest of the trailer is set in what seems to be a small town, therefore everyone seems to know each other, which often is not a great mix in horror films.

At the start of the trailer, the light is dimmed, creating a mysterious and spooky atmosphere. This adheres the stereotype of a horror trailer, as it makes the audience feel on edge and tense. The lighting in this trailer follows the stereotypical conventions of the horror genre, due to there being no bright lights (symbolic of happiness, which the horror genre does not create).

Theory's

Lauren Mulvey ‘Male gaze’ – At the start of the trailer, the female is made to look

vulnerable, with the lighting and high camera angle shot. Furthermore, the male

characters attack her and in most of the camera shots she is seen to be one the

floor. This creates a male dominant atmosphere. However, towards the end the

trailer subverts this theory, as the female has more of the power as she

kills/attacks the male character. The girl also does not wear any revealing clothes,

therefore is not seen as a sexual object.

Todorov – The trailer adheres to this theory to an extent, as everything seems to

be fine at the beginning, yet the male’s come to the scene and disrupt the

equilibrium in which the girl try's to fix it by attacking them.