A2 Film Trailer Analysis

1. Paranormal Activity
Trailer Analysis

2. Background information / Narrative
• Paranormal activity was released in 2007
and is strongly based on the horror genre.
• The director Oren Peli turned out to be a
very successful director of horror movies as
he went on to direct Insidious ( 2010 )
which was also very popular.
• The distributer of the film was Paramount
who are one of the so called ‘Big 5’
distributers in the USA. The Paramount
logo also features in the trailer and acts as
advertising in a way as people will
remember paramount to be associated
with the film.
• Blumhouse productions produced
Paranormal Activity and have also been
very successful over previous years and
have been involved in sinister (2012) and
more recently Mockingbird (2013).
• The film only cost $11,000 dollars to
produce and received $107 million total
gross therefore proving the film was a
success.
Narrative
“Soon after moving into a suburban tract home,
Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah
Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what
appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping
to capture evidence of it on film, they set up
video cameras in the house but are not prepared
for the terrifying events”.

3. Camera Shots
• The majority of the camera shots from
the trailer are point of view shots as the
characters are filming their house using a
handheld camera. This allows the
audience to connect with the characters
as the majority is filmed from their
perspective therefore the audience
experience events at the same stage as
the characters.
• The use of camera movement is very
effective throughout the trailer as it is
often shaking, this represents that the
characters are filming the incidents
themselves as it doesn’t look professional
to the audiences perspective. This is also
a convention with the horror genres as
thee is a selection of films that use a
point of view perspective throughout the
film. This effect also makes the film feel
more realistic to the audience as you can
see everything that the character can so
the jump scares become less predictable
and have a bigger impact on the viewer.

4. • In the trailer there is an original feature
which is unconventional to other horror
films and that is the camera shots that
are filmed from the audience
perspective that are watching the film.
The shots are mainly over the shoulder
shots as it gives the viewer the opinion
that they are sitting in the audience
watching the film.
• However in certain places the trailer is
very effective in showing the audiences
reactions throughout the trailer, this is
done with a mixture of close up and
medium close up shots. These shots
occur during the trailer at certain jump
scares or tense moments therefore the
audience will look shocked and enticed
in the film therefore the potential
customers will be interested after seeing
the audiences reactions and how
interested they are in the film.

5. Editing
• The cuts throughout the film are very fast paced and occasionally throughout the trailer a
white noise transition is used between shots, again this is another convention associated with
horror films however it is very effective as it confuses the audience as they don’t know what
happens, this encourages people to watch the full film after viewing the trailer as they want to
find out what happened when the camera becomes faded.
• This method of using the fading technique reminds the audience that the characters are
filming from there perspective and that they are not professionals as this acts as a so called
mistake as in films that are not filmed form a POV perspective this doesn’t happen.
• Like all trailers it uses a montage method. This involves short snippets of the film that are put
together in order make the trailer interesting and appeal more to the audience. At the
beginning the shots are much slower and much more calm therefore acting as the equilibrium
where all is seen as normal and the audience learn about the setting, characters and the
narrative.
• Finally there is also a use of transitions in the trailer. Some of the transitions contain
information about the film used to interest the audience, an example of this in the film is the
transitions that say ‘ Experience it for yourself’ . This connotes that because the film is mainly
shot with POV shots, it leaves an effect on the audience and they can feel like they are faced
with the situation themselves.

6. Sound
• During the trailer there is a minimal amount of sound used and there is no background music
in the trailer which makes the clips feel calmer however this is the complete opposite as when
one of the characters screams for example this is much clearer and louder to the audience
therefore it creates a more effective jump scare.
• However during the trailer there is conventional screaming and loud bangs which is created
using the diegetic sound method. This often occurs in horror films as once again it is a
technique used to maximize jump scares. These sounds like slams are associated with violence
which is why the sounds are only played during a frightening scene.
• Once these sounds occur the shot changes to the audience where they are often captured on
the camera looking scares which we can tell by there facial expressions. This proves that the
sounds are intended to relate to fear and are used to add tension to the film.
• Finally there is a white noise sound when there is an interference with the camera which again
reminds the audience that the characters are filming the events themselves and also creates a
sense of confusion between the audience and the characters as the audience don’t know what
happens which will intrigue them and make them want to watch more.

7. Mise en scene
Setting
• The setting is very clear from the trailer to be
an ordinary family household in an urban area.
The house looks like it belongs to a middle
class family and it just looks like a regular
house, this may be because the producers
want the audience to relate to it. The house is
owned by a young couple in the film trailer
which is represented by how modern the
house is, this means that it is easy for the
audience to get a general idea about the
characters even before they are seen in the
film.
• However older features do occur in the trailer
like the chandelier which is associated with
much older houses however this is a
conventional feature in horror films.
Lighting
• Throughout the trailer low key lighting is used
to create a gloomy atmosphere in the trailer
which is associated with horror films like ‘The
Purge’. The low key lighting also makes the
audience more scared and it is effective in this
film as visibility is dark and because its from the
characters POV it makes jump scares more
sudden and effective.
However in some cases high key lighting is used to
focus in on certain objects, the lighting is made to
look like a torch and as the lighting gets brighter the
audience focus in on it more which is intended.
• Finally a juxtaposition is used between white
and black colours, as black connotes evil in the
film and white promotes a calmer atmosphere
therefore this may represent the contrast
between good ( the family ) and bad (
supernatural ).

8. Props
• The props used also connotes that the
family living in the house is modern as
there are laptops and cameras around
the house which signifies that they are
technologically advanced which is a
representation towards younger
people.
• The camera that the characters use to
film the paranormal activity is
noticeably the main prop and
although the audience rarely see it the
audience are often reminded that the
characters are filming as the camera is
repeatedly shaking which connotes
that the person behind the camera are
unprofessional in this area therefore is
still recognized as a prop.

9. Performance
• The actors and actresses that appear in the film are unknown which may be considered as a
negative as people believe that the film wont be as successful however in my opinion this is
better for the story that the actors / actresses are unknown as it means that the audience
can relate to it more and it is more realistic as the viewers wont have to picture famous
people throughout the film.
• The fact that the characters are based in an ordinary house once again make sit more
relatable to the audience mainly because the audience will be able to connect with the
characters.

10. Todorov’s Theory
• Equilibrium – The equilibrium is the opening scene where the characters and setting is
established. So in the Paranormal Activity trailer the equilibrium occurs at the beginning
when the male character introduces the audience to what he and his girlfriend are doing in
there house and why they are doing the paranormal investigation however at this time the
mans tone of voice is sarcastic suggesting that he doesn't’t believe in the ‘Paranormal
Activity’ that his girlfriend claims is happening.
• Disruption – A disruption is when a problem occurs which disrupts the equilibrium. In this
case it is when the couple are woken up at night by a noise and when they go down to
investigate with the camera they can clearly see that the chandelier is moving, this makes the
male character question his beliefs whether the paranormal exist or not therefore is
disrupting the equilibrium.

11. • Recognition of disruption – The recognition of disruption is when something happens to tell
the audience or characters there is a problem. Based on the trailer I would say that this is the
longest section in the film as the audience and characters are made aware of problems
throughout the middle of the story but it starts to become noticeable when the characters
are sleeping and the quilts begin to move and then the door slams shut as this proves to the
characters and the audience that something paranormal is occurring as there is no other
explanation of the door slamming that fast by itself.
• Attempt to repair – the attempt to repair is when the characters try to fix the problem/
disruption. This is only a small section in the trailer however the attempt to repair is when
the characters in the film go to see an expert who tells them that the paranormal activity is
going to follow them wherever they go which tells the audience and the characters that the
attempt to repair has failed as they haven’t had any explanation as to why it is happening.
• New Equilibrium – This is when the problem is solved and basically is how the narrative ends,
however in trailers this is barely seen as the producers want the ending to be a secret and
build up suspense from the trailer in order for people to go and see it. And the paranormal
activity trailer is no different and there is not a resolution at the end.

12. Propp’s Theory
• The hero / heroes in the film is the couple as they are trying to prove and get rid of any
paranormal activity in there house therefore the audience is supposed to want there
protagonists to succeed in there mission.
• The Villain in this film trailer is an invisible force as it is the ‘Paranormal Activity’. This is
perceived as the antagonist as it continues to hurt of effect the lives of the heroes therefore
is seen as a villain. Propp’s theory also suggests that there is a struggle between the hero and
the villain in the story and this is clearly visible throughout the trailer.
• The princess in the film is different between the hero and the villain. The hero wants to get
rid of the ‘Paranormal Activity’ and live a normal life however the villain wants to harm the
family which can be supported by its previous actions.
• Finally the couple (heroes) act as the Dispatcher and helper themselves …
• They are the dispatchers as they decided to investigate the paranormal themselves therefore
they sent themselves on the mission and they also act as the helper as they try to help each
other throughout in order to get to the bottom of there problems with the villain.

13. Target Audience
The purpose of the trailer is to try and intrigue the audience so that they buy the film therefore
increasing sales.
Socio Economic scale
• I think that people in groups B-D would watch this trailer. This is because people in group A
are focused on work therefore would have little time to watch movies and people in group E
are pensioners and unemployed. These are unlikely to watch the film because pensioners are
not associated with watching horror films and the unemployed won’t want to spend there
money on films and other luxury items. Therefore people In groups B-D are less focused on
work but still have a solid income in order to pay to watch films such as Paranormal activity.
ITV sales
• The ITV sales categories that Paranormal Activity would appeal to is ‘Men aged between 16-
34’ , ‘Women aged between 16-34’ and adults. This is because these age categories like jump
scares and horror films and although the film is given the age rating 18+ many people under
the age of 18 still watch the films therefore people from the age 16-18 will be a big section of
the films target audience.

14. Lifestyles
• Egoists is one of the main lifestyle groups that would watch the film based on the trailer. This
is because Egoists are people that want the most pleasure out of life, therefore they want to
have a good time, so the trailer would appeal to them because in the trailer the audience is
shown reacting to scenes in the trailer and Egoists would enjoy this as they would want to
experience the thrill.
• The other main 2 lifestyle groups are Trendies and Groupies as these groups contain modern
people. Therefore they would be up to date with there films, Also these groups try to fit in
with friends and peers so they might watch scary horror films to fit into the groups and
receive admiration from friends.