Research: Movie Poster Analysis

 

Research: Film Trailer Analysis

For my research, I analysed 3 different film trailers to find out common conventions used in horror movie trailers. Based on this research, I am hoping to have come across frequent features of a horror trailer which I can then add to my own trailer which I will produce. In each trailer, I analyzed it in the concept of mise en scene, camera, sound, editing, institution, audience and the institution which made it. By analyzing these concept, I can apply the features which I have come across with in order to produce a high standard trailer of my own on a movie.

Insidious Trailer Analysis

Mise en Scene

In terms of mise en scene, a conventional horror film is expected to include location, people, costume and props etc. The trailer consists of a stereotypical regular family, who lives in a middle class house in a quiet neighbourhood. The setting of the house is very typical in which normal furniture’s such as beds, chairs, tables etc are present. An addition of some hospital equipments used, as the boy is believed to be in a ‘coma’ is also included in the trailer. A common feature of a typical house is a window and furniture’s such as a bed, is used to full effect to create fear for audience when the ‘demon’ is present. The slamming of doors and a figure of a person’s shadows within windows create fear and ‘creepy’ scenes to the audience. The main prop used for the film is the bed as it helps the plot of the film. The bed has many connotations as it is mainly recognised to be as a place of comfort and rest. Furthermore, the use of the hospital equipments symbolises pain and sickness to which the parents believes that their child is in a coma.

Childhood is included in the main plot of the film as the film is based on the young child ‘Dalton’. To help with the representation of this area, props such as toys and baby monitors are included in the trailer. These props can be modified to acquire the horror genre set for the film. These props can be used to show the presence of the demon by making them move or to have voices played through the baby monitor. The use of these props can provoke the audiences emotions as the main instincts for parents is to protect their child, so to hear a supernatural voice coming from the baby monitors, can trigger fear and panic. Furthermore, the use of the rocking horse is commonly used to show a supernatural presence as it rocks back and forth without anyone touching it. This is very typical as the audience can relate to their own childhood, because this prop is very common.

 Camera

The variety of camera shots used in the trailer, builds up pace and tension as well as to represent a certain object being focused on. An example is the close up shot on the metronome which is used to hypnotise the father. This is then followed by a close up of the father which is a powerful shot as it shows the characters distressed because his facial expression is revealed. It also gives the effect that the father is looking directly at the audience to which he can connect with the audience. The character is atypical of the stereotype for ‘father’ figures as one would expect them to be strong and protective, whereas he is shown to be in clear distress. 

The early introduction is the followed by a montage of shots when the child is in the hospital. It starts with a close up of the parents, showing their distressing emotions, and then changes into an over-the-shoulder shot of the child in the hospital bed. Pain and illness are some connotations of hospitals, so the over-the-shoulder shot gives gaze of the couple at their unconscious child. This can trigger some emotion of the audience, as parents may be able to relate to the couples situation as no one who want to see their child injured. There is also a pan, in which we get the mother’s point of view, as the pan represents her head movement when she is investigating the rooms as she sense a supernatural presence. This create a sense of suspense for the audience as they can only see things from the characters perspective which further adds to the ‘creepy’ tension.

Editing

In the beginning of the trailer, the cuts start off slowly, with cuts from the film studio to the close up of the distressed fathers face and then on to the metronome. After this, the tempo of the cuts begins to rapidly increase showing various things such as locations and characters expressions. It ends with the insidious logo which constantly flashes and cross dissolves throughout the whole trailer. The words ‘insidious is’ cross fades and the words change places to ‘is insidious’. This play of words adds to the ambiguity of the title of the film, in which they linked the definition of Insidious to link to the definition of the film. The word insidious means to ‘proceed in a gradual, subtle way, causing harmful affects’. This means that the words cross dissolves in to each other to say ‘insidious is…is insidious’ which creates a feeling of anticipation for the audience as they don’t know what to prepare for and the subject is unclear.

There are also some editing with the sounds throughout the trailer in which some diagetic sounds overlaps non-diagetic sounds. The ‘tick tock’ of the metronome continuous during the fast paced cuts in which it may build as sense of suspense or waiting which further adds to the tension. However, the ticking may also suggest ‘time’ is limited as it mimics the sound of a clock.

Genre

The genre of the film trailer is trailer and this is clearly shown in the trailer, as it contains most of the typical conventions of the horror genre the audience would expect. However, this horror film can be categorised further into sub-genres as it also contains other subject related to other genres such as sci-fi and religion. The film merge with religion as it deals with spirits, whereas, it also deals with science fiction subjects, as parts of the film involves an ‘imaginary’ place. This suggests that the film is a hybrid as it is a mix up of different genres and does not only focus on a specific genre.

Institution

The main institution which is in charge of the film is ‘Filmdistrict’. Filmdistrict is a company which is concerned with the acquisition, distribution, production and the financing company which focuses on the wide release of films. In addition, the trailer shows the previous media films which was produced by the maker of insidious. The trailer states that insidious is made from the makers of ‘paranormal activity’ and ‘saw’. This suggest to the audience that the film is made by people which has previously worked on successful horror films. This may set a certain standard to the audience as they know that the film will be to a similar standard to previous films made. 

Audience

The target audience for this film are people who are interested in the horror genre because the film contains the common conventions of a horror film. In addition, it may attract individuals which are interested with supernatural and spiritual objects as the films deals with demons and spirits. The age target for the film has a large range because it may attract young teenagers up to adults, especially parents as they can relate to the emotions felt by the parents in the film for their injured child.

 

I Am Legend trailer analysis

Mise en Scene

The trailer opens with a bird’s eye shot of the main character Will Smith in the bath. The props used for this are a machine gun and the bath. Based on this view, the character can be seen as vulnerable, alert and scared because the carrying of the gun and sleeping with a dog alongside him suggest that his character wants to be protected from any danger that comes. This idea of the character fearing something is shown by the posture of his character. He is curled up and tense, whilst clinging on to his dog and the gun.

The setting of the film is also important because the film is set in New York city which is a place that is often linked with high population and a busy town because of the amount of jobs, buildings and shops etc present. This idea is challenged by the film as it shows it to be as an isolated area that has been abandoned or has killed its entire citizens. During the beginning of the trailer, it shows various scenes with crowds of people running or panicking but this changes when midway through the trailer, the setting seems to be abandoned and the only one left is Robert Neville.

       

Another media language of the film is the costumes used by the character. In the beginning, Robert Neville’s character is presented as part of the military, clearly seen from what he is wearing. Connotations linked with being a part of the military will include being strong and fearless which contradicts the first shot of the film with his character, being shown to be scared and in distress, whilst laying on the bath. In addition, being a father figure, one would expect him to be in control of things and not panicking which separates his character from stereotypical father figures because in many close-up shot, his character is often seen as in distress and not in control.

Furthermore, the use of lighting is a very important aspect of films, specially in the horror genre. A common feature of the horror genre is to use low key lighting which adds further to the mystery and the sense of tension and suspense. This feature is typical of horror trailers because this aspect can be seen various of times in the trailer. The fact that dark colours and low key lighting is used emphasise the mystery involved with the film and sets the mood for the trailer.

Sounds

The use of narrative is complicated in trailers because they don’t want to reveal too much information about the plot of the film. In this trailer, there are only two main dialogues which interacts with the audience. In the beginning of the trailer, Will Smith’s character opens with ‘Nothing happened the way it was supposed to happen’ which suggest that the film will be about a disaster. The second dialogue is again by the same character in which we find out more about his character and what he is doing. ‘’Day one thousand and one, my name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. I am broadcasting on all AM frequencies. If you are out there, if anyone is out there, please..’’. This dialogue is very important in terms of finding out about what the film will be about. It shows that the film will revolve around the character of Robert Neville who is a survivor of the disaster and is looking for other survivors, as well as a solution to the problem. In addition, the dialogue sets the setting of the film, ‘New York City’. Furthermore, because the dialogue is unfinished, it creates a sense of enigma for the audience as they want to know more, which may attract them to go see the film to find out the story.

            Another important aspect of the sounds used are the non-diegetic sounds of music or special effects. These sounds are used throughout the trailer which gives it a sense of mystery about the feeling, whilst also making the audience feel scared. The trailer opens with a non-diegetic sound in the beginning which starts off calmly but then begins to increase the tempo of the beat. This sound is above the fast paced editing which begins to increase its tempo before ending when the bridge is shot down. The music then stops whilst the dialogue of “Day one thousand.....” takes over in a slow paced dialogue. This adds to the dramatic tension of him being the ‘last man on earth’ as it sounds like he is pleading for other survivors to appear. This is then followed by an eerie sound whilst the camera follows his car with an birds eye view which is got further and further away, during which, the tempo of the eerie sound is increasing before finally ending. The last scene then ends with no music but instead just diegetic sounds of Robert Neville’s character. The heavy breathing and footstep adds to the climax of the trailer because the audience does not know what to expect. When the character seems to have been attacked, a loud bang ends the trailer and the title comes up on the screen which further adds to the mystery because the audience does not know what happened to him.

Camera

The trailer opens with a bird’s eye shot of the character of Robert Neville in the bath shows the posture of the character which may suggest some things about how he is feeling. Because the camera angle is high, it is clear to the audience that he is curled up, which suggest that the character is in fear of something. This shot is then followed by some fast paced editing which are close up shots of the main character and his family. The close up shots reveals feelings and emotions to the audience, which was mainly distress and the sense of vulnerability because the characters were either crying or looked concern. This ends with a crane shot of the panicking crowd which may indicate to audience the setting and the idea that there is going to be a disaster. This long shot is then followed by a low angle view of the ‘Manhattan Bridge’ being blown up.

            The crane shot is evident throughout the trailer and is seen multiple times. The use of the crane shot allows the environment or the setting of the scene to be established, thus revealing parts of the narrative which may be unclear. An example of when the crane shot is used is when the character of Robert Neville, is showing a grassy field in Time Square. At first it is just a high angle shot of the character but then begins to lower and show his location. If the camera angles was left at the high angle shot, it may be left unclear to the audience of the whereabouts of the character is.

Another shot which was used to maximise the effect is the high angle shot. The opening of the trailer begins with this shot of Will Smith’s character in the bath. The shot clearly points out his weakness and inferiority to a superior. This suggest to the audience that there is something out there which is superior to his character as his body language further adds to the idea that he is afraid of something.

Finally, another feature of the film which may appeal to the audience is the casting of an A-list star to be part of the cast. By acquiring Will Smith to be the main character, the audience may be attracted to watching the film because he has previously worked with successful films and can be another way of setting a standard for the audience. The fact that Will Smith has such a high status as an actor, the film uses it to its advantage by setting the story around his character and the fact that many types of shots explores his character suggest that he is a unique selling point of this film.

Editing

The texts which interrupt the scenes in the trailer are very important in terms of telling the narrative of the trailer. The fact that the texts appear one at a time and not continuously, may appeal to the audience because it means that they need to watch the whole trailer in order to put the texts together. The trailer opens with the first text “In five years time”, and the other texts of “mankind’s struggle for survival”, “will be lost.” randomly follows after. Towards the end, the final two text are “The last man on Earth”, “is not alone.” Through the text, it is clear that there is some clues to what the plot will be about and who the main character of the film is. The effect of editing these text in randomly, creates a sort of appealing effect towards the audience because they will need to wait and keep watching the trailer to find out what the next text will say in order to make sense of the film/trailer.

Another way editing has been used in order to reveal the progression of time in the trailer. This aspect of the trailer is very important because it is very important for the narrative of the trailer. They showed this progression of time by using the same type of shot but one at night and one during the day. In the trailer, it cuts from during the night time of when the bridge was blown up by jet planes, to a close up of Robert Neville’s character to show his emotion about the disaster into a brief black background into the day time view of the bridge. It shows the bridge to be shorter and the city to be as deserted which suggest the progression of time. Due to the same type of shot being used, it is effective in showing the progression of time.

  

Another type of editing used is the fast paced editing. This gave the effect that a disaster was about to take place. This is evident during the start of the trailer when there were fast paced editing between close ups on Robert Neville’s family, the panicking crowd and finally the bridge. It suggests that a disaster was or has taken place. This is overlapped with non-diegetic sounds in the background which beings to increase it tempo to compliment the fast paced editing.

Genre

The genre of I Am Legend is not clear because it can be said that the film can be placed in various different genres such as horror, sci-fi and thriller. Therefore the film is a hybrid because it is a combination of different genres. Common convention of a horror film is also used in this trailer, thus suggesting that the film is linked to the horror genre. The fact that the film deals with ‘zombie’ like creatures alone shows the film will be horror but, common effects such as eerie non-diegetic sounds, low lighting and the feeling of suspense and tension as a result of not knowing what to expect. The low key lighting adds to the suspense as it makes the scene more creepy and the idea that the character cannot see the ‘enemy’, further puts the audience into the edge of their seat. This is clear when the camera focuses on Will Smith’s character with a close-up shot, to show that he is in distress and terrified of what he cannot see. Being the last scene before the trailer ends, before the ‘creatures’ are revealed the trailer finishes, which adds to the mystery of what he is facing. This feature is a common convention of horror film trailers as it leaves the audience wanting more. This could be a technique used to attract the audiences to watch the film and find out the solution to the mystery

Institution

The main institution involved with ‘I Am Legend’ is Warner Bros Pictures, and the co-producing company of the film is ‘Village Roadshow Pictures’. By showing the working studios at the beginning of the trailer, the audience are given some indication about the quality of the film. The association between Warner Bros and Time Warner, which is a major institution, is also shown below the logo (“A Time Warner Company”) to further emphasise that the base of the film is solid and reliable. This shows that the film is funded, produced and distributed by a highly known company which further adds to the audience’s expectation.

Audience

The target audience for this film is unclear because there are various of different groups it may attract. The films genre is a combination of horror, thriller and sci-fi thus making it a hybrid. This creates a big range to the type of audience it may attract as some people may watch it for the action scenes involve.

Saw 3D: The Final Chapter Analysis

Mise en Scene

The trailer opens with a shot of the buildings which suggest it will be set in the city area. This is then followed by a panning shot to the crowd walking around to show the busy environment involved. By setting the trailer in this environment, it makes the audience feel like they are able to engage and link in with the film as it uses everyday settings. The trailer uses the ‘victim’s’ basic and typical career to imply that the setting of the film is very mundane. This creates a realistic situation to which the audience can associate themselves with. By using stereotypical costumes to show their jobs, the trailer can appeal to the audience as it gives a sense of realism in which the audience can connect to as the ‘innocent’ victim may have easily been them. Most of the victims throughout the trailer is presented to be as innocent civilians as they are often dressed in casual clothing. In addition, clips throughout the trailer shows these civilians in captive and under jigsaws trap with a low key lighting. This gives a sense of mystery and their environment to be as unknown to create suspense as they don’t know what is going to happen to them.

 

            Another technique which the trailer uses to attract the audience is that it challenges society’s connotations of the police. Normally, it would be expected that a police officer will be in control as their role in society is to protect and uphold the law, however, in the trailer, a close shot on the police officer trying to control the situation shows them to be vulnerable and in panic. This can attract the audience into watching the film as they would want to find out why the police officer seems to be in distressed. In addition, when the trailer is being cut by text, along with the writing is a special effect of a chain. This chain signifies how the participants in ‘Jigsaw’s’ traps are going to be locked down and will be like his own prisoners. Chains are normally used to lock prisoners or to be used as weapons which a slight insight on the violence the villain uses in the film. The aspect of trapping the victims is clear in the trailer because the trailer shows of different parts of the films where different victims are shown to be trapped and have no way out of his traps. The film uses these different props such as cars, cages etc. to clearly show the poor condition the victims are being placed under and the distress they are being placed in.

Another aspect of the film which has been fully exposed in the trailer is the 3-D motion of the film. In the trailer, a clip is shown in which the audience seems to be part of the movie. Special effects such as being locked onto their seats with metal spikes along with metal disk being thrown at them are shown throughout the trailer. The trailer itself is in 3D which sets some sort expectation to the audience about what the film will be like. The 3D element of the film explores the engagement of film with its audience and this element can further attract other audience who has not seen the Saw movie series into watching the final Saw.

            Finally, the film uses the popularity of the villain ‘Jigsaw’ to its advantage. Jigsaw has increased its audience in series of movies Saw to which the whole films revolves around his character. He is a villain which traps innocent ‘victims’ under a trap he devised himself. As the film franchise itself has grown popularity, so has the character of Jigsaw to which the institution or the company has also realised which is why they use his character to build around from. The trailer exposes his character several times and the sound of a ‘laughing doll’ is also used which the audience will recognise from previous films.  

Camera

In the opening of the trailer, a panning shot of the buildings and the busy crowd suggest that it will be set on a city or a town. This is then followed by a close up on the ongoing crowds which shows there concerned reaction. They are then introduced to two ‘mechanics’ who are both working a machine but is then trapped. The close up on their hand clearly show what has happened and fast paced editing between them and the crowd shows their clear distress. This can appeal to the audience as they would want to know what happens to the two mechanics which are in danger of being cut by the saw and would therefore want to watch the movie to find out. After, an over the shoulder shot of Jigsaw’s character being interviewed by police is cut to show an extreme close up of a television which has the trademark ‘jigsaw doll’ in it. This can attract the audience because they would recognise the villain being shown. The close up shot and extreme close ups is constant throughout the trailer as it shows the emotions of Jigsaw’s victims. They are often seen to be as inferior to his traps, which is why they appear to be in great distress and panic. The low key lighting of their environment adds to the mystery and creates fear for both the characters and the audience watching them. In addition, a low angle shot or a birds eye shot is also used which clearly suggest the inferiority of these victims to Jigsaw. Throughout the trailer, there are also some close up to objects and props such as metal chains, spikes, cage and broken glasses etc, to identify what the victims are being put through in. By having a close up on a light, it is suggesting to the audience that the victims are being watched and are put on the spotlight by the villain.

            Another convention of horror which is again shown in this trailer is the panic which is being caused by the antagonist. His plans to jeopardise lives and put others in danger is clear and can be seen by long shots of an exploding building followed by a high angle shot of a cage breaking through a window. The police officers who are meant to be in control are also presented to be as vulnerable as a close up on them shows them to be in panic and is vulnerable to the dangers. A long shot of various of police officer presented them to be as unorganized and unable to take control of the dangerous situations which challenge the idea on police officers as they are often seen as the stronger person who is in control.

            During the end of the trailer, a long shot of a woman chained shows the audience of a final scenario. Fast paced editing between a car and the woman suggest that the woman is about to be run over. The camera is then taken to the perspective of the car and begins to zoom in to give the effect that it is the car and that it is about to hit the woman who is trapped. These effects can be appealing to the audience because having seen the distressed the victims are placed in, they would want to find out what and why they have been placed there and if they are going to make it out alive or will they suffer pain and death. By showing the traps set up by the villain, it suggests that the mechanisms he created are intelligent and show his capability.

Sound

The film opens with a non-diegetic sound of a ticking bell which can be heard throughout the trailer. The ticking of the bell can be suspenseful as it gives the effect of ‘time is ticking’ and adds a sense of waiting, to which may appeal to the audience as they want to know what they are waiting for. It is then followed by a gasp of the crowd and the panicking of the trapped mechanics and their dialogue of ‘help me!’ The gasp of the crowd gives a feeling of concern and as the trapped victims beg for help, the sound of a static television and the dialogue of Jigsaw’s character and his trademark slogan of ‘I want to play a game’. This can appeal to the audience as they would recognise the character of Jigsaw as he is a popular villain which puts his victims in a violent test, in which they are fighting for their survival. By having the same voice and similar dialogues which the audience can relate to from previous film, it sets some sort of standard as the audience would expect a much more improved and different plot from the previous film.

      

       Halfway through the trailer a voice over begins to play in the background. The voice over is from the voice of Jigsaw’s character himself. As the voice over plays in the background, it is also accompanied by the sound of machines working, along with the sound of chains and breaking glass. In addition, there is a constant sound of victims in distress, panicking and screaming for help. The voice over in the background states that, “since the beginning you have watched others suffer...and now...it is your turn to play”. By having this voice over, it is giving some sort of insight to the audience about what the plot of the film may be about, which is suffering. In addition, it is engaging with the audience itself by using the words ‘you’ thus implying that in this film, they will also be part of the movie. This voice over can appeal to the audience as the trailer ends with the voice over, “Game over. The last piece of the puzzle is YOU!” This creates a feeling of mystery which can further appeal to the audience as they would want to watch how the film series of Saw finishes. The fact that it is engaging with the crowd means that the ending may have something to do with them, which can attract them to finding out.

Editing

The opening of the trailer sets the scene as their is a constant cuts between the city buildings and the crowds in the town. This suggest that the first scene will be set in an everyday city/town which is filled with busy civilians. The editing then changes into fast paced editing between the concerned crowds, the two trapped mechanics and the machine which can potentially kill them. The fast paced editing shows both the situation and the reaction of those who can see. It also adds to the suspense as the audience are urging to find out what happens. The technique of using fast paced editing is evident throughout the trailer which suggest to the audience that the film will be thrilling and is full of suspense which can appeal to them as they know the film will not consist of too much dialogues but, instead full of action. However, the fast paced editing throughout the trailer is often stop by a text which appears to break and slow down the trailer. The text appears and often has writing which links into the film itself.

“The time has come”, “For all to experience”, “The last act”, “of a legend”, by having these text cut the trailer, it can make the audience watch and pay attention to the trailer clearly as they would need to wait to see what the next text will say in order to get the full sentence. In addition, the text is very engaging towards the audience as it aims it at the.

“this Halloween”, “witness the final cut”, “shot in state the art 3D”, “Will you survive”, “until the end”. Along with promoting the film by stating some of its elements, such as being in 3D, it is also addressing the crowd by asking “Will you survive...” This can appeal to the audience as they would want to find out if the film is as scary as it promotes it to be and the fact that it is in 3D can also appeal to the audience as it has never been done to the any of the Saw films. Finally, the text also state that this is the ‘last act’ of a legend which means that this will be his final movie which can again further attract the audience into watching.

  

Institution

The institution of the film is shown at the end of the trailer which is uncommon as most trailer tends to show the institutions or company in the beginning of the trailer. However, in this trailer, they are only revealed at the end where the audience finds out that the film is from the ‘Lionsgate’ and ‘Twisted Pictures’.

Genre

The genre of the film is clear by the conventions the trailer uses. It is clear that this film is a horror because it uses common convention such as the use of violence and inflicting pain on what seems to be as ‘innocent’ victims. The trailer may also be seen as a hybrid of both horror and thriller as it features strong conventions of both the genre. The trailer shows ‘victims’ in great distress which hopes for an end on the misery and pain they are being placed in, along with a ‘mysterious’ killer that has devised the traps. These features are used to the films advantage to adds a greater suspense and mystery as there is no clear evidence that Jigsaw has made these traps.

Audience

The target audience of this film is clearly those off the horror genre as the trailer shows clear conventions of this genre. It may also attract further audience as the 3D element is clearly shown in the trailer which suggests that the film is more interesting and engaging towards the audience as it uses high-tech special effects. The audience would want to see films of the horror genre as it creates a sense of mystery and provides an escape from everyday life. Horror genre can be a popular genre to target as the mystery and the supernatural element of it can be intriguing. The ‘innocent’ victims can appeal to the audience as they would want to find out whether they survive the scenario they are in or whether they fall into the villains trap.