Semiotic Analysis of Saw Trailer

Institution Distributor- Lionsgate films Production company- Evolution Entertainment Twisted

Pictures Director- James Wan Famous Cast- Tobin Bell plays the character ‘Jigsaw’ in all

Saw films. Saw is a franchise which consists of seven feature films. Financial success at the box office-The Saw films

collectively grossed over $873 million at the box office worldwide.

The first Saw film was released in 2004.

Genre

Psychological horror film- Contains a high level of violence and gore.

Thriller- Intense moments in scenes. ‘Slasher’- A subgenre of horror, which

usually involves a violent psychopath stalking and murdering people with bladed tools. (This basically sums up the plot of Saw).

Audience Large audience- Saw went on to gross $103 million

worldwide and is the second lowest-grossing film in the series after Saw VI. At the time, it became the most profitable horror film after Scream (1996).

Teenage audience- Clothing, costumes, toys and theme parks were created to promote the film to advertise to a younger audience.

Age restrictions- The age rating was given an 18, for viewers 18 and over as a result of the high level of gore and intensity.

Fan base- Saw has an established fan base because it is a franchise so fans will want to catch up with the new additions.

Ideologies and Media Values “Let’s play a game”- A reference to a line in the

movie by the serial killer Jigsaw. He would often greet his victims via a sound recording and he would then force them to fight for their life.

Jigsaw- Punishes people because “They don’t appreciate their blessings”.

Violence- Wan said the film "played out like a mystery thriller." It was not until the sequels that the plot focused more on torture scenes.

Narrative “Is someone there?”- The first words included in the

trailer to portray the characters vulnerability and to put the audience into the character’s position.

Laughter- The laughter of what sounds like a Jack in the Box provides a sense of juxtaposition as it is supposed to be a children’s toy which creates tension.

“I want to play a game”- Spoken throughout the trailer by Jigsaw creating suspension and eeriness.

Taglines- ‘Madman’, ‘Voyeur’, ‘Psychopath’, ‘Prophet’. Powerful words shown of how people view Saw. The words are played individually throughout shots.

Media language and Mise en scene Flashing camera- Flashes and camera noises to create a sense that the

main character ‘Saw’ is always watching his victims. Close-ups- A close-up shot of a white blurry figure in the dark to startle

the viewer. Media Institution- Transition to the films media institution ‘LGF’ and

‘Twisted Pictures’ with the sound of the trailer continuing throughout. Television shots- Shots are played between the struggling characters

and the ancient television which reiterates ‘Jigsaw’ being old. The unpredictability of the television screen builds tension.

The time- There is a countdown in red numbers which is the time given to the characters to make their way out of the trap. A clock is also shown but the footage is sped up to demonstrate that the characters are running out of time.

Newspaper articles- Close-ups of writing show ‘Jigsaw’s’ history which is also incorporated with the characters speaking of him being dangerous.

Representation

Gender-The main character ‘Jigsaw’ is presented as possessive and evil which is reinforced by the fact that he is male which suggests why he has a lot of control over people.

Age- The film focuses on the main character being elderly and weak which reflects the stereotype of old people in films who cannot look after themselves. However, the film also countertypes the stereotype by making him a very powerful figure that has control of everything and everyone.