"Washed-up true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt finds a box of super 8 home movies that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960"
Similarly to other horror movies such as insidious, the trailer starts of with a green screen warning. It includes the age restriction of the particular film and also includes a logo of the film producer. All this information can be taken in by people watching the trailer as it is done in silence.
After the screen is shown, we hear a non diegetic voice over from a radio broadcast about a murder of a family, this is immediately putting fear into the audience and giving an indication of what the film is likely to be about. Although it is only a voiceover, we still gage a sense of horror from the radio presenter. The photo shown on the screen next circles a young girl, the red pen used to circle the girl can imply murder and bloodshed, usually associations with red are violence. Also, by highlighting the girl in the picture we are already getting a sense of her vulnerability and innocence as a child.
The sound used is a convention of a horror trailer as it is full of suspense and eerie. Another area of the trailer that we immediately see fits the genre of a horror is the location of where the film is set and the low level lighting used to portray it.
There is a clever use of the panning shot a the beginning as it is not only used as an establishing shot of the house, it also gives the audience a comparison as to what the house was like before a family moved in. Not only does this give a sense of unease to the audience, it will also mean the scene will be remembered by them further on in the trailer. The comparison of the clips and how they are put together also makes it seem as if the family moving in are on the same path as the family murdered. This in itself highlights how the movie fits into the horror genre from the beginning.
The transition between each shot is used as a subtle way of slowing down the pace of the trailer. It makes the beginning slow moving which contrasts to the montage at the end. Also by having the dissolving transition the family appear more innocent and naive to what they are entering into.
We then carry on watching the trailer to see the family portrayed as normal and happy. This is an effective technique used in horrors to make the audience members relate to the victims and understand their vulnerability. This trailer again uses lighting to highlight the eerie items found in the loft. There is then a sudden build up of tension and the feel of the trailer changes again by a cut back of any sound. The silence builds tension and engages viewers to watch more closely to what happens next. The music descends into a typical horror movie soundtrack, which sounds almost like a heartbeat, which could reflect the state of the father.
Moving on from the beginning of the trailer, we begin to see high angle shots of the father as they are used to contrast other characters. The policeman can be seen having dominance in the scene due to the low angle used. It is made clear he has all the power in the situation and the father is now the more vulnerable one.
Another key aspect is the low level lighting seen in any clip which has an element of mystery. The lighting levels indicate the state of worry the character is in. As we can see when he watches the clips, he is hidden in dark room as if he himself is too scared to see what is happening. There is then a mysterious creature whose identity is initially hidden from the audience. We are then intrigued but also scared to see what will happen next to the family as we begin to sympathise for their vulnerability in such situation.
A reverse shot contrasts the figure and the character, the figure is mysterious and frightening whilst the character is frightened and worried. The figure then disappears creating suspense for the audience. The editing of the photograph makes the image come to life, making the creature a reality to the man as well as the audience. The over the shoulder shot of the man highlights that somethings not right, cutting to a high angle shot of his Daughter again to show her vulnerable state.
Throughout the trailer we see links to fire. We first see it in the reflection of the fathers glasses. Fire is usually associated with danger and death and therefore the cyclical theme of this gives the trailer all the more edge.
The fire at the end shows the recurring link to burning throughout the trailer, which could possibly mean danger and death of the young children's souls, the figure is evil, and the fire may present Hell.
No comments:
Post a Comment