The WoodsTrailer Analysis

Overview• The trailer is non linear, utilising the

dramatic shots as this is a convention of teaser trailers.

• The use of flashbacks during the confrontation scene explains a bit of the back story of why she is in the woods, but not really giving it away.

• The plot isn’t made entirely clear, just the basics. This will entice consumers to watch the film to see what happens and is a convention of teaser trailers.

Shots Types Used

• Mid shot• Close Up• Establishing shot• Long shot• Tracking shot (hand held)• Over the shoulder shot

The film company and/or production company typically opens teaser trailers. This is both promotion and association- if the company has made a film that is well known or even just known to the consumer it will interest them.

The establishing shot of my trailer is similar to my movie poster. I have done this so that they are associable. The low angle panning also denotes eeriness and of the unknown, establishing the thriller/horror genre.

This mid shot with the actor walking away from the camera denotes a journey. The mise en scene of the woods represents her journey into the unknown. The shot is used to depict action and position.

This mid shot of the actor looking over her shoulder is the first dramatic shot. The viewer can’t see what has startled her and they want to know what it is so will carry on watching.

The shot of the actor running through the woods towards the camera and then away again is dramatic and mysterious. The viewer would wonder why and what they are running from. The camera follows the actor to keep her in frame.

The over the shoulder shots denotes confrontation between the two characters. The only shots with dialogue, so they are quite imperative to the trailer. They are flashbacks, as conveyed by turning down the vibrance to appear more dull, alluding to the past.

I used close ups to convey emotion on the character’s face. This is typically used in a thriller/horror teaser trailer to depict fear and terror.

These long shots are used to show most or all of the actor. A large amount of background can be scene, the mise en scene being the woods and the subject’s clothes. Her dark clothes suit the genre and the eeriness of the setting.

This starts as a mid shot but as the actor is backing into the tree the camera zoom and does a close up of her face. The effect of this is the idea of being chased, backing away in fear and the ‘thing’ getting closer to her. The close up invades her personal space- she is uncomfortable and her face conveys fear.

This is a mid to close up shot of the character turning around and screaming and looking directly at the camera. The dramatic effect is that the ‘thing’s’ point of view is the camera, evoking fear and terror from the subject which the audience will see on a personal level. The diegetic sound of the screaming is a typical convention of the genre.

The high angle mid shots denote weakness and helplessness as they are looking down on the character. I have used this to convey the subject’s vulnerability for dramatic effect. The diegetic sound of her crying is dramatic and exploits her vulnerability in the situation.

The hand held tracking shot is again from the point of view of the ‘thing’. The actor is being chased and the diegetic sound of heavy breathing, running footsteps and the shaking of the camera convey a real sense of something chasing her; the camera being so jolty and unsteady conveys fear and terror.

My trailer contains two captions into the narrative. The two lines are taken from the children’s song ‘Teddy Bear Picnic.’ The reason for this was to incorporate a well known nursery rhyme into something sinister; this is befitting to the thriller/horror genre. For continuity purposes, they are the same font but a larger size for ‘big surprise’ to emphasise the menacing meaning.

The title is the same font as the captions from the trailer, the movie poster and the content feature on the magazine cover. This is continuity and the font becomes associated with the film. It also follows the same colour scheme from the captions.

The trailer finishes by informing the audience of a rather ambiguous release date. This is a common convention for teaser trailers.

Cuts• My trailer uses fade in, fade out, cross dissolve and flash as

transitions between shots.• As found in my research and planning, trailer scenes typically last

about two to ten seconds, depending on the dramatic effect. I have stuck to this convention with the longest shot lasting 8 seconds (the establishing shot) and the shortest being two seconds (the dramatic screaming close up).

• I used flashes when cutting between dramatic shots and cross dissolve or fade in, fade out for more mellow shots.

Use Of Colour• I decreased the vividity on all of the clips. I have done this as my

research shows a typical convention of thriller/horror movies is that the scenes are typically dark and dull.

• Due to filming constraints, my trailer could only be filmed during the day when the sun was out. To tackle this problem I have edited the brightness so that the shots look darker.

• During the flashback scene, I decreased the vividity a substantial amount than the other shots. This denotes time passing and an event happening in the past.

• The establishing shot of the low angle pan of the woods is greyscale- this is because it denotes mystery and eeriness.

Representation• The trailer challenges the convention of having at least one person of the

opposite gender and having more people in the trailer. • The two characters are women- so men are unfairly represented. • However, the one who tells the main character not to go into the woods takes

on a male role- protecting the woman etc. Her leather jacket also denotes masculinity.

• The use of high angle shots conveying the main character’s vulnerability and of her running away in fear puts her in a stereotypically passive and victimised female role.

Music• I created the music for my movie trailer using resources from my school. I used

a keyboard to create various sound effects.• The end results is that it slowly builds tension and peaks as the scenes get

shorter and more dramatic.