Media A2

1. FILM
TRAILER
ANALYSIS
Katie Li

2. The Women in Black
Horror
The cinematography used in this trailer starts off with an establishing shot to show the audience
where the scene is taking place. This is a typical convention used in most film trailers. They have
used several close up shots of facial expressions and toys to express the characters reaction. This
creates a mysterious and scary mood and leaves the audience unexpected of what to expect next.
The use of toys in horror films is a typical convention as toys are known to be still objects, however,
horror film companies make them life-like to create a creepy and frightening atmosphere. Long
shots have also been used to set the atmosphere of the scene. It allows the audience to know what
the surrounds, in this case, an abandoned, Victorian house. The house shows a past disruption
linking to Todorov’s narrative theory. The lighting of the trailer appears dull and dark, which
connotes the horror genre. This also sets the mood and creates a curious and unknown feeling.

3. The editing of the trailer includes fade outs between different scenes to give the
feeling of the unexpected. This is a typical editing technique used in most horror film
trailers. They have concentrated on using black fade outs which adheres the horror
genre and symbolises darkness, fear and emptiness. Another common editing done in
the post-production is the fast pace shots after the chime of the bells ring. This is to
build tension and also doesn’t give too much of the story away to the audience as it is
quick and snappy.
The sound in a horror trailer plays an important role as it is used to anticipate when
something bad or frightening will come up. The use of the children’s music box
associates with children which connotes the idea of innocence and purity. However, it
is rather slow paced and calm which builds tension and the feeling of uneasiness. The
sound is also played in time with the moving objects throughout the trailer to ensure
that they remind the audience that children will play a significant role in the film which
is a typical convention used in horror films. The non-diegetic sounds of the bell
indicates that something bad will happen soon.
The mise-en-scene includes the characters, location and props purposely selected for
the trailer. They help identify the genre of the film and creates different mood for the
scene. The setting in the forest is a typical location used in horror films, this is because
they are big and people are known to get lost in them. The trees surround the main
character connotes entrapment and confusion. The cross symbols shown in the trailer
are also typically associated with horror and the use of the main character, Daniel
Radcliff, known through Harry Potter, helps target specific audience, in this case
teenagers and helps gain a wider audience.

4. Horror
The Pact
The cinematography used includes many close-up shots throughout the trailer to emphasize
the facial expressions being made by the characters and to give the audience a mysterious,
unsettling feeling as they wonder what is going to happen next. They have used a slow zoom
of a doorway with damaged wallpaper to give the audience an idea of where the action would
take place and the setting of the film. Tracking shots are also used to follow the characters
which make the audience feel as if they are with them in the room. However, the camera is still
which makes the audience forget that they are watching a film.

5. The editing used in the trailer includes fast pace cuts between scenes to show panic
and tension in the trailer. They have used many fade out and cross fading
transitions to show the unexpected and to give off a mysterious atmosphere. This
helps to set the mood of the trailer, by making it spooky and targets the audience
to watch the film as the editing in the post-production is the most important
process. They have also included copy to let the audience make up the voice
themselves.
The mise-en-scene included in the trailer includes the dark, dull setting which is a
typical convention used in horror films as it is commonly associated with death,
darkness and the evil. They have used American actors to cast in the film such as
Caity Loz and Casper Van Dien to target their audience, persuading them to
watch the film because of the cast involved. However, they are not well-known
and majorly popular as it is a low-budget film, like most horror films. The
producers have chosen to set the film based in a house which shows entrapment
and therefore builds tension.
The sounds used in the trailer includes diegetic sounds of the heavy breathing
created by the characters which shows that they are scared and frightened of
something. Another diegetic sound includes the screaming which is a typical
convention used in horror trailer. Dialogues are also used to show conversation
and gives the audience an idea of what the story is about. They have used
crescendo towards the second half of the trailer to build tension and suspense.

6. Science Fiction Comedy
The Watch
The cinematography used includes a wide range of close up shots to long shots and high
angles to low angles. This is because it is a comedy film and they would need a wide range
of different shots in order to show the story and make it look funny, unlike a horror trailer,
they would need lots of close up shots. Low and high angles shows the power of the
characters at that point of the scene. E.g. High angle on a character makes them look small
and powerless, whereas a low angle on a character will make them look powerful and
strong.
Tracking shots have been used to follow the character/s as they go on their mission to
defeat the monsters. They have also used an establishing shot of a building being engulfed

7. The editing used in the trailer includes the pauses of each character with their name on
screen. This lets the audience know who the protagonist/s is and what characters are
important in the film, so they recognise their names. They have also used transitions
between shots to follow the comedy conventions, such as the wipe transition and the fade
in and fade out transitions. Another common editing they have used in this trailer is the
shot reverse shot, to show the conversation between two or more characters. The jump cut
of the four protagonists is used with the slow motion edit, where they are walking towards
the camera in an action-like style. The use of the blue glow around the laser beam
represents the science fiction genre in the film which connotes futuristic.
The mise-en-scene used in the trailer includes the use of well-known American actors to cast
in the film such as Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn and English actor Richard Ayoade
to target their audience, persuading them to watch the film because of the cast involved.
When the public knows the name of a certain character such as Ben Stiller and Johan Hill,
they would automatically know that the film is most likely to be a comedy film.
The sounds used in the trailer begins with a voice over of the protagonist, which introduces
himself and his daily life. This tells the audience a little something about him and what he
does. The use of music played in the background of the trailer is a non-diegetic sound
which adds effect and makes the scene less boring. The use of song choice mainly
depends on the scene, an example of this includes the jazzy beat at the beginning of the
trailer and then it changes to a dubstep song when it shows the alien invasion. A lot of
dialogue is also used in the trailer as it tells the audience what type of genre this film is and
what is it based on. They also include few second scenes of comedy used in the film to
make the audience laugh and wanting to watch more, therefore persuading them to go and
watch the film.