ANALYSIS OF ARLINGTON ROADBy Georgia St. Louis

HOW IS THE TRAILER STRUCTURED?• At the beginning of the trailer, the exposition of the calm, tranquil

setting with the images of the ‘happy family’ and this idea of equilibrium.

• But as the trailer progresses you can see the development of the rising action to the climax, through the editing being quickened and the building up of tension.

• These are some clip-its of some of the main structural focus points of the trailer developing from the exposition to the climax.

WHERE IS THE TURNING POINT IN THE NARRATIVE? WHAT MARKS THIS SHIFT?• The turning point in the narrative is conveyed through the

change in the tempo of the music and the instruments used within the music as it altered to the screeching of violins, so the tension started to build.

• Furthermore, the flash of the image highlights the start of the suspicion and the conflict it brings, leading to the disequilibrium; linking to Todorov’s narrative theory.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF THE FAST PACE EDITING?• The fast pace editing is used to highlight the rising action

and the disequilibrium of the narrative, the tension begins to build up and the suspense amongst the audience starts to develop.

• The use of the quick cuts towards the end shows the crisis that all of the characters have found themselves in and this idea of impending doom.

WHEN DOES THE TRAILER CONVEY INSTITUTION INFORMATION? • This trailer shows the institution information at different

points in the play, the production company screen gems appears at the beginning of the trailer – it has done films such as Resident Evil, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and When a Stranger Calls.

HOW HAS THE TEXT BEEN USED TO CONVEY KEY POINTS?• The serif style typography conveys the idea of the

modernized world and the writing style seems to look similar to that of American style road signs establishing the setting of the narrative.

• Furthermore, the slanted style shows the downward spiral into psychological turmoil.

HOW IS THE GENRE OF THE FILM CONVEYED?• The psychological thriller genre is demonstrated through

the flashing images and fast pacing editing as this shows the deterioration into insanity.

• Moreover, through the idea of deceptive identities shown through the epiphany of the main protagonist about a person close to them.

WHAT INFORMATION IS BEING WITHHELD FROM THE AUDIENCE?• The information being withheld from the audience is this

idea of suspension – audience being left pondering on a thought – whether the button is actually pressed and whether the son is saved.

• This intrigues the audience ensuring that the audience would come to watch the film because of the suspense the trailer created.