MEDIA TRAILERS ANALYSIS: CHERNOBYL DIARIESBy

David Ballantyne

• 00:00 – 00:12

• There is a montage of different shots showing us the group of friends we will be following and the good times they have had. It starts with one of the male characters saying “here we go” this is done so it show the start of the story and journey. Throughout this montage there is upbeat music to compliment there mood. We see different shots of iconic buildings all over the world e.g. Eiffel tower, Big Ben and the Roman Coliseum, this informs the audience on the type of people that they are.

• The proxemics between the friends shows that two of them are in a relationship and the others are friends this shows that the group are very close and comfortable with each other.

• There is a sequence of close ups of the characters talking about going to Chernobyl, throughout this sequence whips cuts are used which aren't conventionally used in horrors this pushes at the conventions of a horror and makes the audience feel safe and happy.

• It then shows a news report about the Chernobyl disaster this informs the audience about the disaster and how badly affected everything was.

• There is then a montage of clips about the evacuation at Chernobyl with a voice over of one of the characters is talking about it. This helps to amplify the amount of terror and disaster there was at the time of the disaster which will make the audience associate the grounds of Chernobyl with terror and disaster.

• Production companies logos pop up simultaneously followed by two non-diegetic bangs this draws the audiences attention to what is on screen. The background is of a sheet of metal rusting away which symbolises death, aging and derelict. This links to the remains of Chernobyl.

• We then see a van containing the group of friends and their guide drive past a sign written in Russian, this tells the audience that they have entered Russia and are on there way to their destination.

• There is a high angled long shot of the van arriving in Chernobyl, this lets the audience know how derelict the surroundings of Chernobyl are which is a convention within horrors.

we hear one of the main characters ask “is it safe?” this shows the audience that they do not feel safe and changes the mood of feelings in the air.

• We see a mid shot of a childs doll, this tells the audience that there have been kids here and they might still be here. Children are a convention within horrors so we can play on their innocence.

• We see a sequence of shots of the tour guide playing a prank on the group of friends this creates a visceral response for the audience. This is done to try and make the audience connect to the characters as much as possible.

• We see a sequence of shots of one of the characters taking photos of the area then discovering a ghostly figure in one of the windows of the buildings. This creates enigmas around the site and allows the audience to start elaborate themselves on the antagonist.

• We see a long shot of the group laughing and chatting about this experience. This shows the audience that the group are starting to feel more safe in the area and arent as uptight.

• We see an extreme long shot of the groups van from one of the buildings whilst a childs giggle is played over in the background. This plays on the antagonist being a child that was left to die after the disaster.

• We see a wide long shot of the group going back to the car and a voice over saying “ we should go it is going to get dark soon”. This tells the audience that everything after this point isn't planned and wasn’t part of the trip

• We see a mid shot of the group back in the van and discovering that the van wont start because the wires have been destroyed. This tells the audience that they are alone and isolated from civilisation, this is a horror convention.

• We see a mid shot of part of the group in the van hearing a babies cry this starts to build the tension of the film. Then there is a long shot of the van and we hear a character ask “are you sure were out here alone

• ?” this also helps to build the tension.

• We then see a mid shot of the group exploring the site to try and discover what the noise was. This is done to tell the audience that they are now vulnerable and don’t have the safety of the van anymore.

• We then see a sequence of shots of the group discovering the antagonist for the first time. This tells the audience that they aren't the only ones there and that they have discovered the antagonist.

We now see a mid shot of part of the group searching the grounds and hunting the antagonist, one of them has picked to arm themselves this tells the audience they are scared.

• We see a mid shot of the group in part of the compound checking there surroundings after hearing a screech, this tells the audience that the antagonists are now hunting the protagonist.

• We see a mid shot of the group trying to figure out where they are because they are lost, when we see a figure of a child in the background. This creates enigmas around what the antagonist is.

• We see a mid shot of one of the female characters trying to hide, while one of the antagonists creeps up on the character. This is done to show that the protagonists are cunning and this shows a new element to the antagonist.

• We see an extreme long shot of the group running through the compound saying “there following us” and another saying “there not following us, there hunting us”. This tells the audience that the protagonists are making this a game which adds another level of horror.

• We see a close up shot of one of the characters being taken by one of the protagonists and letting the others run away. This allows the audience to see into some of the characters personalities.

• There is then a montage of shot of the group going through troubles, this is to show the limits of the horror within the film.

• This piece of text is shown to make sure the audience know the name of the film, so they can research into it with more detail.