Textual Analysis (Trailer) - Tayo
Film Title: Insidious
Year of Release: 2011
Director: James Wan
Production/Financing Company: Stage 6 Films, IM Global, Alliance Films
Principle Cast:
· Patrick Wilson
· Josh Feldman
· Rose Byrne
· Ty Simpkins
· Andrew Astor
· Barbara Hershey
· Lin Shaye
Films Origin/Info: Franchise
Synopsis: Josh Lambert and his wife Renai move along with their three kids, Dalton, Foster and Cali, to a big, new home. Whilst exploring the attic, Dalton falls from a ladder and hits his head on the floor. The following morning, Dalton does not wake up and is instead rendered in an inexplicable coma. Three months later, Dalton is moved back to his home while still in a coma. Shortly after, disturbing events begin to occur. Renai manages to convince her husband to move and soon they all move into a new house. Despite moving house, the supernatural events continue to occur. Josh’s mother, Lorraine, contacts a friend, Elise Reiner, who specialises in the investigation of paranormal activity. Elise explains to Renai and Josh that Dalton has the ability to astral project while sleeping. The reason that Dalton is in a comatose state is because he has fearlessly travelled too far into different spiritual worlds. Josh also can astral project and was terrorised by an evil spirit during his childhood. Elise suggests that Josh should use his ability to find and help return Dalton's soul, to which Josh agrees. Later on, Josh manages to retrieve Dalton from “The Further” following difficult confrontations with other demons. Despite the family being happily reunited, Elise still senses something and takes a picture of Josh to make sure, to which he responds by strangling her to death. After hearing loud noises, Renai returns to find Elise dead but with no sign of Josh. Upon uncovering the camera used to take his picture, it is revealed that Josh is in fact possessed by a demon seen very early on in the film.
Genre: The sub-genre of Insidious is Psychological. The majority of psychological films follow the usual conventions and often feature some sort of demon, entity or possessed being and Insidious is no different. I think the idea of paranormal and supernatural events taking place in the film is reflected through the setting and props used in the trailer. There is a part in the trailer in which we see a rocking house rocking but the reason isn’t made apparent. Also later on in the trailer a loud, demonic voice is heard from the baby monitor, despite their only being a baby present in the room. The quick cuts in particular are commonly used in Psychological film trailers.
Narrative: In the trailer there appears to be a clear equilibrium and disequilibrium but no clear resolution as that would ruin the film. The equilibrium shows the family playing together and no sign of any suspicious, paranormal behaviour from any member of the family. The problem/event that appears to reflect the disequilibrium is the inexplicable coma that Dalton ends up in. This then triggers a whole host of events most likely leading up to the eventual resolution. I don’t think the trailer is aiming to create any mystery about the film but instead just simply trying to psych the audience out and show them that this is a film in which scary things happen.
Location: Often horror trailers have clear establishing shots of the location and although it is not right at the beginning of the trailer, Insidious has one too. Roughly 10 seconds into the trailer, we see a shot of the house in which a lot of the paranormal events take place. It is not made clear if both homes are shown in the one trailer although there is a moment when a lady says “It’s not the house that’s haunted” which could suggest they had moved to escape the demons but to no avail.
Characters: During the beginning of trailer the entire family is portrayed as a loving family. Just before we see Dalton fall off the ladder and enter his coma, there are quick cuts of what looks like a happy, stereotypical family. We even see Renai helping Josh with his tie which suggests he’s off to work while she stays home and looks after the kids. They are represented in this way so that the idea of anything supernatural happening to them seems more unlikely because they’re just “normal”. More and more often, since films like The Omen, Psychological film directors are in fact using children as their possessed beings instead of adults and this is something evident in Insidious.
Voice Over: There is no narration in the film. We can only hear the characters dialogue.
Theme: I think a theme that is heavily evident in the film is Survival. At one point in the trailer we hear Renai say “I wanna leave. I wanna leave this house”. It appears that surviving the paranormal events surrounding the house long enough to save their son from his possession is what is being implied in the trailer.
Pacing: The pacing within the trailer definitely varied from beginning to end. The pace generally got faster as the trailer progressed in an attempt to create tension. The pace was increased by introducing more quick cuts and speeding up the sounds in the background. Although the pace did progress further into the trailer, there was a brief moment when it slowed down again, before it continued at the fast pace it had reached. Increasing the pace when showing demons appearing from nowhere allows the audience to know what to expect without taken away the element of surprise when they’re watching the film at its normal pace.
On-Screen Graphics/Captions: The captions used in the trailer were very repetitive and featured roughly after a number of shots. The captions, ‘Insidious’, ‘Insidious Is’ and ‘Is Insidious’ were all shown at certain points in the trailer with the later two often chopping and changing into one another. The caption ‘Insidious Is’ almost acted as a cliff hanger, leaving the audience to question what caption could follow. The captions themselves were white in a very horror themed, Sans Serif font and they were always presented on a dark background so the words were clear. Towards the end of the trailer, the follow up words to ‘Insidious Is’ is revealed to be ‘everywhere April 1’.
Editing & Post-Production (special effects): The trailer features a lot of quick cuts. This is because the film is heavily based on playing on the psychological fears of surprise and things suddenly appearing. Quick cuts simply allows the audience to see what may or may not appear without giving away when it will appear, allowing the psychological fear of surprise to remain within the film. CGI is not apparent in the trailer nor is it featured in the film. Instead the director opted for makeup effects to give the demons their disturbing looks along with other special effects to give their movements a much more scary edge. The pleasure this creates for the audience is that the demons appear more tangible as opposed to computer generated.
Music & Other Sound Effects: There was a calm introduction to the sound, as with most horror films, but this one had a heavy bass to it. As well as this, there was a continuous ticking noise in the background that was used when building up the key parts of the trailer. The is a point in the trailer in which the sound suddenly increases in tempo and this is about the same point in which faster quick cuts are introduced. The combination of the two helps to create a sense of unease and confusion within the audience. The sound that is used is purely non-diegetic because it has been placed on top of the already shot film in post production. However some of the characters dialogue that can be heard is diegetic.
Camerawork: The camerawork in the trailer mainly consisted of MCU, MLS or the Josh and Renai’s POV. Using the MCU shot size, we were able to see a lot of NVC from the parents and Dalton, particularly when they appeared to be scared of something and also when Dalton worryingly shut his bedroom door. There is a part in the trailer when we see a bird’s eye view shot of Renai looking up towards the top of the staircase as she put the baby monitor to her ear and hears a demonic voice scream “NOW!” This could convey a supremacy that the demon may have over her and her family as she is unaware of its presence but immediately looks up. Around that same part there is almost an over the shoulder shot of Renai as she looks around the baby’s room with a look of shock and confusion. They chose to show us her NVC as opposed to a view of the room and this could also convey a sense of vulnerability. As if she knows they’re there, we know they’re there, but no of us can yet see them.
Year of Release: 2011
Director: James Wan
Production/Financing Company: Stage 6 Films, IM Global, Alliance Films
Principle Cast:
· Patrick Wilson
· Josh Feldman
· Rose Byrne
· Ty Simpkins
· Andrew Astor
· Barbara Hershey
· Lin Shaye
Films Origin/Info: Franchise
Synopsis: Josh Lambert and his wife Renai move along with their three kids, Dalton, Foster and Cali, to a big, new home. Whilst exploring the attic, Dalton falls from a ladder and hits his head on the floor. The following morning, Dalton does not wake up and is instead rendered in an inexplicable coma. Three months later, Dalton is moved back to his home while still in a coma. Shortly after, disturbing events begin to occur. Renai manages to convince her husband to move and soon they all move into a new house. Despite moving house, the supernatural events continue to occur. Josh’s mother, Lorraine, contacts a friend, Elise Reiner, who specialises in the investigation of paranormal activity. Elise explains to Renai and Josh that Dalton has the ability to astral project while sleeping. The reason that Dalton is in a comatose state is because he has fearlessly travelled too far into different spiritual worlds. Josh also can astral project and was terrorised by an evil spirit during his childhood. Elise suggests that Josh should use his ability to find and help return Dalton's soul, to which Josh agrees. Later on, Josh manages to retrieve Dalton from “The Further” following difficult confrontations with other demons. Despite the family being happily reunited, Elise still senses something and takes a picture of Josh to make sure, to which he responds by strangling her to death. After hearing loud noises, Renai returns to find Elise dead but with no sign of Josh. Upon uncovering the camera used to take his picture, it is revealed that Josh is in fact possessed by a demon seen very early on in the film.
Genre: The sub-genre of Insidious is Psychological. The majority of psychological films follow the usual conventions and often feature some sort of demon, entity or possessed being and Insidious is no different. I think the idea of paranormal and supernatural events taking place in the film is reflected through the setting and props used in the trailer. There is a part in the trailer in which we see a rocking house rocking but the reason isn’t made apparent. Also later on in the trailer a loud, demonic voice is heard from the baby monitor, despite their only being a baby present in the room. The quick cuts in particular are commonly used in Psychological film trailers.
Narrative: In the trailer there appears to be a clear equilibrium and disequilibrium but no clear resolution as that would ruin the film. The equilibrium shows the family playing together and no sign of any suspicious, paranormal behaviour from any member of the family. The problem/event that appears to reflect the disequilibrium is the inexplicable coma that Dalton ends up in. This then triggers a whole host of events most likely leading up to the eventual resolution. I don’t think the trailer is aiming to create any mystery about the film but instead just simply trying to psych the audience out and show them that this is a film in which scary things happen.
Location: Often horror trailers have clear establishing shots of the location and although it is not right at the beginning of the trailer, Insidious has one too. Roughly 10 seconds into the trailer, we see a shot of the house in which a lot of the paranormal events take place. It is not made clear if both homes are shown in the one trailer although there is a moment when a lady says “It’s not the house that’s haunted” which could suggest they had moved to escape the demons but to no avail.
Characters: During the beginning of trailer the entire family is portrayed as a loving family. Just before we see Dalton fall off the ladder and enter his coma, there are quick cuts of what looks like a happy, stereotypical family. We even see Renai helping Josh with his tie which suggests he’s off to work while she stays home and looks after the kids. They are represented in this way so that the idea of anything supernatural happening to them seems more unlikely because they’re just “normal”. More and more often, since films like The Omen, Psychological film directors are in fact using children as their possessed beings instead of adults and this is something evident in Insidious.
Voice Over: There is no narration in the film. We can only hear the characters dialogue.
Theme: I think a theme that is heavily evident in the film is Survival. At one point in the trailer we hear Renai say “I wanna leave. I wanna leave this house”. It appears that surviving the paranormal events surrounding the house long enough to save their son from his possession is what is being implied in the trailer.
Pacing: The pacing within the trailer definitely varied from beginning to end. The pace generally got faster as the trailer progressed in an attempt to create tension. The pace was increased by introducing more quick cuts and speeding up the sounds in the background. Although the pace did progress further into the trailer, there was a brief moment when it slowed down again, before it continued at the fast pace it had reached. Increasing the pace when showing demons appearing from nowhere allows the audience to know what to expect without taken away the element of surprise when they’re watching the film at its normal pace.
On-Screen Graphics/Captions: The captions used in the trailer were very repetitive and featured roughly after a number of shots. The captions, ‘Insidious’, ‘Insidious Is’ and ‘Is Insidious’ were all shown at certain points in the trailer with the later two often chopping and changing into one another. The caption ‘Insidious Is’ almost acted as a cliff hanger, leaving the audience to question what caption could follow. The captions themselves were white in a very horror themed, Sans Serif font and they were always presented on a dark background so the words were clear. Towards the end of the trailer, the follow up words to ‘Insidious Is’ is revealed to be ‘everywhere April 1’.
Editing & Post-Production (special effects): The trailer features a lot of quick cuts. This is because the film is heavily based on playing on the psychological fears of surprise and things suddenly appearing. Quick cuts simply allows the audience to see what may or may not appear without giving away when it will appear, allowing the psychological fear of surprise to remain within the film. CGI is not apparent in the trailer nor is it featured in the film. Instead the director opted for makeup effects to give the demons their disturbing looks along with other special effects to give their movements a much more scary edge. The pleasure this creates for the audience is that the demons appear more tangible as opposed to computer generated.
Music & Other Sound Effects: There was a calm introduction to the sound, as with most horror films, but this one had a heavy bass to it. As well as this, there was a continuous ticking noise in the background that was used when building up the key parts of the trailer. The is a point in the trailer in which the sound suddenly increases in tempo and this is about the same point in which faster quick cuts are introduced. The combination of the two helps to create a sense of unease and confusion within the audience. The sound that is used is purely non-diegetic because it has been placed on top of the already shot film in post production. However some of the characters dialogue that can be heard is diegetic.
Camerawork: The camerawork in the trailer mainly consisted of MCU, MLS or the Josh and Renai’s POV. Using the MCU shot size, we were able to see a lot of NVC from the parents and Dalton, particularly when they appeared to be scared of something and also when Dalton worryingly shut his bedroom door. There is a part in the trailer when we see a bird’s eye view shot of Renai looking up towards the top of the staircase as she put the baby monitor to her ear and hears a demonic voice scream “NOW!” This could convey a supremacy that the demon may have over her and her family as she is unaware of its presence but immediately looks up. Around that same part there is almost an over the shoulder shot of Renai as she looks around the baby’s room with a look of shock and confusion. They chose to show us her NVC as opposed to a view of the room and this could also convey a sense of vulnerability. As if she knows they’re there, we know they’re there, but no of us can yet see them.
Textual Analysis (Trailer) - Devonte
Film Title- A Nightmare on Elm Street
Release Date- 30th April 2010 (American)
Director- Samuel Bayer
Produced by- Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller
Starring-
Originated- Original made in 1984 “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
Synopsis- The film is about a maintenance worker called Freddy Kruegar who works in a nursery in the daytime however he rapes the little children that attend the nursery . The mother's and father's of the children then find out and chase Freddy toward a big empty warehouse and kill Freddy Kruegar by burning him alive in the warehouse,however he is dead in the real world but in the dream world he kills all the people he had raped as children as they were the reason for his death .
Mise-en-Scene-Lighting- In the trailer there is a lot of dark lighting because the film was filmed in the night this therefore create the sense of something being unknown and create a extra spooky effect.
NVC- In the trailer there is a lot of angry and revenge express by the gestures and body language which connote that there hurt because of what Freddy Kruegar did.
Setting – At the beginning of the trailer we see a LS of the empty warehouse. As we get to the middle the setting then changes and we see a MS of a girl in her bedroom with snow covered on the floor. As we reach the ending of the trailer we then see a fast pace of different setting which including two houses and a boiler room
Pacing- The pace of the trailer start slow as we see the Freddy Kruegar getting cased which create suspense towards the audience because that want to know what is gonna happen next. However this immediately changes has we reach the ending of the trailer and we see the pace of the film dramatically change into a multiple of different camerawork such as mainly CU, MC and long shot which then gets the audience scared as the different victims die.
Genre- This genre is Horror and the sub genre is Slasher which is seen in the teaser trailer as there is a lot of blood and he’s carrying a deadly weapon which is a machete which is seen in the middle part of the trailer in a CU which show Freddy Kruegar using a props and scratching his four blades against the metal pipe which is a convention that most horror, Slasher contain. This is a main convention of slasher than is also carry out in other film such as Friday the 13th.
Narrative- The teaser trailer is told by dialogue of the film, the first one is “I’m having these dreams and there’s this man and he’s burned but it not told in a narrative but in the dialogue in the actual film. Also example would be Freddy’s rhyme: one two Freddy’s coming for you, three four Better lock your door, five six Get your crucifix, seven Eight gonna stay up late, Nine Ten Never sleep again!, This is a link to children nursery rhyme has he used to work in a nursery. Also we do get a:
Equilibrium- Freddy Kreugar get chase by the parent mother and father's by a car who then corner him and is forced to go into a empty warehouse and lock himself in
Disequilibrium- They then tell him to go out in a angry, aggressive tone of voice and use a angry nvc in a CU on the face which expresses his angry gestures
Resolution- They then throw the bottle of petrol and light into on fire however this is done in slow motion and then he get burnt alive.
Characters- The characters that are in this teaser trailer are Freddy Kruegar, The children and parent who can also be called the antagonist at the beginning of the trailer but has the trailer continues we can that Freddy Kruegar is really the antagonist. However the film does follow the convention of normal trailer as teenagers are always or most the victim/antagonist.
Location- The trailer does reveal the location at about 1 minute into the trailer we see one shot of the sign saying Elm street and also a view of Elm Street.
Editing & Post-Production- As the trailer begin there is a fast cuts which gives the trailer some pace as well creating some scary effect to the audience. However by the middle of the trailer the fast cuts were limited used to slow the trailer down so the audience know what was happening. There were no CGI used
Music and Other Sound Effects- The music in this trailer is a very important part because it create a scary, heart beating reaction towards the audience, However this music varies between a low and high pitch which was used to create the tension in the trailer as there Foley sounds and haunting tones such as scream and painting which are one of the main convention in horror
Camerawork- The camerawork in the trailer is very significant and importance has this catches the audience eye and this trailer uses the camerawork very effectively . This trailer consist of LS with a tracking shot that follows Freddy Kreguar being chase by the angry group of parents at the beginning and we move further ahead in the trailer we see a CU of the parents angry NVC which is address toward Freddy because of what he has done. Also as it reach this point there is a slow motion effect of the bottle of petrol being throw through the window and then spreading . When we reach the middle of the trailer we see a extreme close up of the victim scared NVC which tell the audience that something bad is going to happen to her. As we reach the ending o trailer we see a close up of a zoom lenses on Freddy Kreguar weapon scratching the pipes.
Release Date- 30th April 2010 (American)
- UK-7th May 2010
Director- Samuel Bayer
Produced by- Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller
Starring-
- Jackie Earle Haley
- Kyle Gallner
- Rooney Mara
- Katie Cassidy
- Thomas Dekker
- Kellan Lutz
Originated- Original made in 1984 “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
Synopsis- The film is about a maintenance worker called Freddy Kruegar who works in a nursery in the daytime however he rapes the little children that attend the nursery . The mother's and father's of the children then find out and chase Freddy toward a big empty warehouse and kill Freddy Kruegar by burning him alive in the warehouse,however he is dead in the real world but in the dream world he kills all the people he had raped as children as they were the reason for his death .
Mise-en-Scene-Lighting- In the trailer there is a lot of dark lighting because the film was filmed in the night this therefore create the sense of something being unknown and create a extra spooky effect.
NVC- In the trailer there is a lot of angry and revenge express by the gestures and body language which connote that there hurt because of what Freddy Kruegar did.
Setting – At the beginning of the trailer we see a LS of the empty warehouse. As we get to the middle the setting then changes and we see a MS of a girl in her bedroom with snow covered on the floor. As we reach the ending of the trailer we then see a fast pace of different setting which including two houses and a boiler room
Pacing- The pace of the trailer start slow as we see the Freddy Kruegar getting cased which create suspense towards the audience because that want to know what is gonna happen next. However this immediately changes has we reach the ending of the trailer and we see the pace of the film dramatically change into a multiple of different camerawork such as mainly CU, MC and long shot which then gets the audience scared as the different victims die.
Genre- This genre is Horror and the sub genre is Slasher which is seen in the teaser trailer as there is a lot of blood and he’s carrying a deadly weapon which is a machete which is seen in the middle part of the trailer in a CU which show Freddy Kruegar using a props and scratching his four blades against the metal pipe which is a convention that most horror, Slasher contain. This is a main convention of slasher than is also carry out in other film such as Friday the 13th.
Narrative- The teaser trailer is told by dialogue of the film, the first one is “I’m having these dreams and there’s this man and he’s burned but it not told in a narrative but in the dialogue in the actual film. Also example would be Freddy’s rhyme: one two Freddy’s coming for you, three four Better lock your door, five six Get your crucifix, seven Eight gonna stay up late, Nine Ten Never sleep again!, This is a link to children nursery rhyme has he used to work in a nursery. Also we do get a:
Equilibrium- Freddy Kreugar get chase by the parent mother and father's by a car who then corner him and is forced to go into a empty warehouse and lock himself in
Disequilibrium- They then tell him to go out in a angry, aggressive tone of voice and use a angry nvc in a CU on the face which expresses his angry gestures
Resolution- They then throw the bottle of petrol and light into on fire however this is done in slow motion and then he get burnt alive.
Characters- The characters that are in this teaser trailer are Freddy Kruegar, The children and parent who can also be called the antagonist at the beginning of the trailer but has the trailer continues we can that Freddy Kruegar is really the antagonist. However the film does follow the convention of normal trailer as teenagers are always or most the victim/antagonist.
Location- The trailer does reveal the location at about 1 minute into the trailer we see one shot of the sign saying Elm street and also a view of Elm Street.
Editing & Post-Production- As the trailer begin there is a fast cuts which gives the trailer some pace as well creating some scary effect to the audience. However by the middle of the trailer the fast cuts were limited used to slow the trailer down so the audience know what was happening. There were no CGI used
Music and Other Sound Effects- The music in this trailer is a very important part because it create a scary, heart beating reaction towards the audience, However this music varies between a low and high pitch which was used to create the tension in the trailer as there Foley sounds and haunting tones such as scream and painting which are one of the main convention in horror
Camerawork- The camerawork in the trailer is very significant and importance has this catches the audience eye and this trailer uses the camerawork very effectively . This trailer consist of LS with a tracking shot that follows Freddy Kreguar being chase by the angry group of parents at the beginning and we move further ahead in the trailer we see a CU of the parents angry NVC which is address toward Freddy because of what he has done. Also as it reach this point there is a slow motion effect of the bottle of petrol being throw through the window and then spreading . When we reach the middle of the trailer we see a extreme close up of the victim scared NVC which tell the audience that something bad is going to happen to her. As we reach the ending o trailer we see a close up of a zoom lenses on Freddy Kreguar weapon scratching the pipes.
Textual Analysis (Trailer) - Alicia
Film Title: The Woman In Black
Release Date: 18th August 2011
Director: James Watkins
Production: Hammer Film Production
Principle Cast:
Film Origin: This film is from the novel The black woman written by Susan Hill.
Synopsis: “Arthur Kipps is a young lawyer who is depressed by the loss of his beautiful wife after giving birth to a son. His son, now grown to a toddler, draws pictures of him with a sad face. He is assigned to prepare a large house for sale on a marsh and travels to an obscure village where he is shunned by most of the townspeople. He visits the Eel Marsh House, the estate of the late Alice Drabow, to look it over, but finds his job has grown more perilous as it is haunted by the ghost of a woman scorned. He learns from the villagers that the ghost of the woman in black seeks revenge against their children because her child was taken away from her. Kipps is befriended by Sam and his wife Elizabeth. They, too, have lost a son, and they help the lawyer to investigate the background of the estate and what happened.”
Genre: This film is based around ghost and the afterlife therefore the sub-genre is Supernatural.
Narrative (Todorov theory applied):
Location: The main setting for the trailer is an old dirty grey house in a grey sad dull village.
Characters: the trailer focus on the main character who is wearing a suit which connotes wealth compare to the characters who are dressed in plain clothing. The other characters are dirty which connotes they have manual labour jobs unlike the main character who is neat and clean.
Voice Over: there is a voice of a young girl who could have been one of the victims as the villain killed children. The child at the end says she is coming which could be a warning to the other children.
Camera: Establishing shot is used to show the setting used in the trailer
Release Date: 18th August 2011
Director: James Watkins
Production: Hammer Film Production
Principle Cast:
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Ciaran Hinds
- Janet McTeer
- Liz White
- Marco Beltrami
Film Origin: This film is from the novel The black woman written by Susan Hill.
Synopsis: “Arthur Kipps is a young lawyer who is depressed by the loss of his beautiful wife after giving birth to a son. His son, now grown to a toddler, draws pictures of him with a sad face. He is assigned to prepare a large house for sale on a marsh and travels to an obscure village where he is shunned by most of the townspeople. He visits the Eel Marsh House, the estate of the late Alice Drabow, to look it over, but finds his job has grown more perilous as it is haunted by the ghost of a woman scorned. He learns from the villagers that the ghost of the woman in black seeks revenge against their children because her child was taken away from her. Kipps is befriended by Sam and his wife Elizabeth. They, too, have lost a son, and they help the lawyer to investigate the background of the estate and what happened.”
Genre: This film is based around ghost and the afterlife therefore the sub-genre is Supernatural.
Narrative (Todorov theory applied):
- Equilibrium- Arthur a young lawyer travels to an obscure village to try and sell the House.
- Disequilibrium- Children are influenced by the woman in black to kill themselves
- Resolution- Kill the Woman in Black
Location: The main setting for the trailer is an old dirty grey house in a grey sad dull village.
Characters: the trailer focus on the main character who is wearing a suit which connotes wealth compare to the characters who are dressed in plain clothing. The other characters are dirty which connotes they have manual labour jobs unlike the main character who is neat and clean.
Voice Over: there is a voice of a young girl who could have been one of the victims as the villain killed children. The child at the end says she is coming which could be a warning to the other children.
Camera: Establishing shot is used to show the setting used in the trailer
Textual Analysis (Trailer) - Shannon
Film title: The Conjuring
Year of Release: 2013
Director: James Wan
Production/Financing Company: Newline cinema, Safran company, Evergreen media group
Principle cast:
‘The Conjuring’ is based on the real life events of Ed and Lorraine Warren (paranormal investigators) and the Perron family, who experience demonic activity within their new home in Harrisville, Rhode Island, USA in 1971. The story follows the family and the Warren’s in their quest to overcome this paranormal presence.
Brief:
The trailer includes “based on a true story” and “from the director of Saw and Insidious” that make this film more credible.
The tone of the movie is portrayed through the dull/dark colors throughout the house. Also the house looks old with all of the antique furniture and decorations, worn out walls, and creaky doors. The trailer is more focused on the mum which could be what the spirits see.
The music in the beginning is upbeat and happy but it suddenly stops and the mood changes, which brings anxiety to the viewers. Creepy music then begins to play and we can tell this movie is going to be scary. I feel suspense when there is silence before the spirit claps. The audience is left with unsettled when the trailer ends in creepy music that sounds like it is from a children’s toy.
I can tell the mum is confused in the beginning of the trailer because she takes off her blindfold and searches the closet. When investigating, she looks very worried and walks cautiously. This indicates that she is scared. We also see the clapping gesture in the beginning and ending of the trailer.
Pace:
The tension is built up by the suspense of longer cuts, rather than the build up of many quicker cuts, This most likley due to the fact that it is a psychological horror so there is no need for jump cuts or quick cuts, or simply because it was not needed for the completion of the trailer.
Sound:
The sound in this trailer is effective in creating the right mood and atmosphere. We first hear the door opening and the shouting of the whole family as they come through the door, we can hear kids talking about rooms which creates a family feel. And right after this, we can hear the song called ‘Time of the Season’ by The Zombies. This song is from the album ‘Odessey and Oracle’ which was released in 1968 and because this film is set in 1971, it really ties in and we get the feel of the era.
Brief:
Again, the trailer is divided up into three acts seeming like the equilibrium, the disequilibrium and the resolution. When the first act ends and the wardrobe door opens and this is when the feel of the trailer changes as the music stops and we can hear an eerie silence which creates suspense . We see the first glimpse of the thing that is haunting the family. In act two Text on a black background comes in here, and unnatural music is played. The last act shows the haunting developing and becoming more serious, we see the woman become engulfed in darkness and we hear her scream. This would leave the audience curious as to what happened to her, which would entice them to go and see the film.
What happens:
We hear the girl laugh from another room, and her come in and say “You took your blindfold off! I win! I was in Christine and Nancy’s room”. which causes the mother to look curiously into the wardrobe but no one is found there. However, the audience heard the clap come from inside the wardrobe, along with the breathing, and nothing is there which creates tension. After this, It's night time and strange quiet background music is played, and as the woman is folding clothes (she wears white which connotes innocence and peace), we hear the laugh of a child, and footsteps coming from the corridor. Which the mother responds to by saying “Girls, it’s way past your bedtime...” as she goes to investigate the noise where we can hear a long pause of silence. Suddenly, there is a huge crash and we can hear a child’s laugh again and by this time we know that there is definitely something wrong in that house.
The woman presumably the mother goes downstairs to see what is going on (hr nvc is scared but brave), and right after she shouts “Who is that?” we hear a door opening, and a clapping digetic noise . The girls are in bed, so this could be considered quite creepy. Suspense is then created as she goes through the cellar door, She threatens whatever is down there by saying “Whoever’s down there I’m gonna lock you in now!” however, as she turns to exit, the door slams shut in her face, and the light bulb blows. This could, give a fright to the audience, who may not have been expecting this
Now in complete darkness, we hear the mother banging on the door and crying for help. which creates sympathy for her because of how helpless she is at this moment. We hear a match being struck, and we see the flame. Apart from the heavy breathing of the woman, there is silence which connotes that shes scared. There is another clap, and the match goes out. The woman screams, the screen stays black, a music box tune plays, which brings an ominous feeling, mixed with a childlike innocence.
Mise en scene:
The Mise en scene in this trailer gives it a creepy edge. At the beginning, we see the large family rushing in through the front door, dressed in clothes from the 70s, in typical colours of the decade e.g. calm yellows, browns and oranges which have connotations of warmth, and happiness suggesting that this family are happy. Even as the mother is blindfold playing the clap game with the kids, the cloth tied over her eyes is a bright red colour. Red has connotes of danger and blood, which could signify that something very dangerous could happen.
Editing:
The editing also helps to create an unsettling ambiance for viewers. The use of mid shots and soft lighting within the first act of the trailer allows it to follow the characters through their normal business. A tracking shot is also used to follow the woman as she goes on the hunt to fins her daughters in the game. But after the doors of the wardrobe open, the screen fades to black, before a hand held, tracking mid close up shot of the woman is filmed from in front of her we feel that things have changed for the worst. Also the use of shaky camera movements give an uneasy feeling to the audience.
Location:
We see an establishing shot of the house further into the trailer. which is the first time the audience are able to see the whole outside of the house. The darkness seems to have taken over the whole building, with just a single white porch light glowing outside. Even the trees seem to frame the house with their branches, and the slow zoom into the house ensure that this is the centre-point of all events within the trailer.
Overall , I think that the use of editing, sound and Mise en scene was great in ensuring that the viewer knew exactly where it was set in, the era and the theme, The trailer was 2:34 minutes long and showed a lot of footage, but it did not give too much away which is good – as a sense of mystery is definitely left at the end. We know that the family are being haunted, but we are left wondering what exactly is haunting them, and why they chose this house and this family. Through the use of silence and small ambient sounds like the door creaking and children’s laughter, it helped to make a chilling trailer without using blood.
Year of Release: 2013
Director: James Wan
Production/Financing Company: Newline cinema, Safran company, Evergreen media group
Principle cast:
- Vera Farmiga ...
- Patrick Wilson
- Lili Taylor
- Ron Livingston
- Shanley Caswell
- Hayley McFarland
‘The Conjuring’ is based on the real life events of Ed and Lorraine Warren (paranormal investigators) and the Perron family, who experience demonic activity within their new home in Harrisville, Rhode Island, USA in 1971. The story follows the family and the Warren’s in their quest to overcome this paranormal presence.
Brief:
The trailer includes “based on a true story” and “from the director of Saw and Insidious” that make this film more credible.
The tone of the movie is portrayed through the dull/dark colors throughout the house. Also the house looks old with all of the antique furniture and decorations, worn out walls, and creaky doors. The trailer is more focused on the mum which could be what the spirits see.
The music in the beginning is upbeat and happy but it suddenly stops and the mood changes, which brings anxiety to the viewers. Creepy music then begins to play and we can tell this movie is going to be scary. I feel suspense when there is silence before the spirit claps. The audience is left with unsettled when the trailer ends in creepy music that sounds like it is from a children’s toy.
I can tell the mum is confused in the beginning of the trailer because she takes off her blindfold and searches the closet. When investigating, she looks very worried and walks cautiously. This indicates that she is scared. We also see the clapping gesture in the beginning and ending of the trailer.
Pace:
The tension is built up by the suspense of longer cuts, rather than the build up of many quicker cuts, This most likley due to the fact that it is a psychological horror so there is no need for jump cuts or quick cuts, or simply because it was not needed for the completion of the trailer.
Sound:
The sound in this trailer is effective in creating the right mood and atmosphere. We first hear the door opening and the shouting of the whole family as they come through the door, we can hear kids talking about rooms which creates a family feel. And right after this, we can hear the song called ‘Time of the Season’ by The Zombies. This song is from the album ‘Odessey and Oracle’ which was released in 1968 and because this film is set in 1971, it really ties in and we get the feel of the era.
Brief:
Again, the trailer is divided up into three acts seeming like the equilibrium, the disequilibrium and the resolution. When the first act ends and the wardrobe door opens and this is when the feel of the trailer changes as the music stops and we can hear an eerie silence which creates suspense . We see the first glimpse of the thing that is haunting the family. In act two Text on a black background comes in here, and unnatural music is played. The last act shows the haunting developing and becoming more serious, we see the woman become engulfed in darkness and we hear her scream. This would leave the audience curious as to what happened to her, which would entice them to go and see the film.
What happens:
We hear the girl laugh from another room, and her come in and say “You took your blindfold off! I win! I was in Christine and Nancy’s room”. which causes the mother to look curiously into the wardrobe but no one is found there. However, the audience heard the clap come from inside the wardrobe, along with the breathing, and nothing is there which creates tension. After this, It's night time and strange quiet background music is played, and as the woman is folding clothes (she wears white which connotes innocence and peace), we hear the laugh of a child, and footsteps coming from the corridor. Which the mother responds to by saying “Girls, it’s way past your bedtime...” as she goes to investigate the noise where we can hear a long pause of silence. Suddenly, there is a huge crash and we can hear a child’s laugh again and by this time we know that there is definitely something wrong in that house.
The woman presumably the mother goes downstairs to see what is going on (hr nvc is scared but brave), and right after she shouts “Who is that?” we hear a door opening, and a clapping digetic noise . The girls are in bed, so this could be considered quite creepy. Suspense is then created as she goes through the cellar door, She threatens whatever is down there by saying “Whoever’s down there I’m gonna lock you in now!” however, as she turns to exit, the door slams shut in her face, and the light bulb blows. This could, give a fright to the audience, who may not have been expecting this
Now in complete darkness, we hear the mother banging on the door and crying for help. which creates sympathy for her because of how helpless she is at this moment. We hear a match being struck, and we see the flame. Apart from the heavy breathing of the woman, there is silence which connotes that shes scared. There is another clap, and the match goes out. The woman screams, the screen stays black, a music box tune plays, which brings an ominous feeling, mixed with a childlike innocence.
Mise en scene:
The Mise en scene in this trailer gives it a creepy edge. At the beginning, we see the large family rushing in through the front door, dressed in clothes from the 70s, in typical colours of the decade e.g. calm yellows, browns and oranges which have connotations of warmth, and happiness suggesting that this family are happy. Even as the mother is blindfold playing the clap game with the kids, the cloth tied over her eyes is a bright red colour. Red has connotes of danger and blood, which could signify that something very dangerous could happen.
Editing:
The editing also helps to create an unsettling ambiance for viewers. The use of mid shots and soft lighting within the first act of the trailer allows it to follow the characters through their normal business. A tracking shot is also used to follow the woman as she goes on the hunt to fins her daughters in the game. But after the doors of the wardrobe open, the screen fades to black, before a hand held, tracking mid close up shot of the woman is filmed from in front of her we feel that things have changed for the worst. Also the use of shaky camera movements give an uneasy feeling to the audience.
Location:
We see an establishing shot of the house further into the trailer. which is the first time the audience are able to see the whole outside of the house. The darkness seems to have taken over the whole building, with just a single white porch light glowing outside. Even the trees seem to frame the house with their branches, and the slow zoom into the house ensure that this is the centre-point of all events within the trailer.
Overall , I think that the use of editing, sound and Mise en scene was great in ensuring that the viewer knew exactly where it was set in, the era and the theme, The trailer was 2:34 minutes long and showed a lot of footage, but it did not give too much away which is good – as a sense of mystery is definitely left at the end. We know that the family are being haunted, but we are left wondering what exactly is haunting them, and why they chose this house and this family. Through the use of silence and small ambient sounds like the door creaking and children’s laughter, it helped to make a chilling trailer without using blood.