Trailer Analysis

Jordan Harrison

Case 39

Case 39• Cinematography: Begins with establishing shots of the city, panning horizontally and vertically. This

is followed by an eyeline match introducing the protagonist looking at a case study of the antagonist. High angle shots are included throughout looking down on protagonist from the point of view of the antagonist. Many over the shoulder shots are also used to show power and weakness in the characters. Parents of antagonist shown from behind a chain on the door, which could connote they are trapped. Lots of panning shots are added to create tension throughout the trailer. As the trailer picks up speed towards the end, lots of reaction shots and action matches are included. This, added with lots of high angle to create tension.

• Sound: Begins with non-diegetic sound of a strong beat which quickly turns into eerie music. This is added with diegetic sound of the main protagonist talking. Whispers are included which makes it scary. Music picks up pace as parents try to kill antagonist before it stops completely. Equilibrium seems to be restored and this is enforced by the use of calm non-diegetic music playing in the background. Diegetic sound of eerie noises such as doors opening begin and the music begins to change. Many sound stings are then included to add tension. A lot of screams and shouts are included here before the music reaches its climax and the credits roll, this helps make the audience wonder if equilibrium is restored or not (cliffhanger).

• Mise-en-scene: Built up city in America, normal clothes are worn to show normal everyday life, making the film more relatable to the audience. A old looking building which looks haunted is used to show that not everything is quite right, this is enforced with the locks on the doors seen. A secluded house in the suburbs is used as the main location to connotes the protagonist is isolated.

• Editing: Fast paced cuts at beginning showing surrounding, followed by lots of shot reverse shot cuts of characters speaking. When the trailer picks up pace, lots of quick cuts are used, creating flashes distorting the shots, which builds up the tension. When the equilibrium seems to be restored, cuts are much longer and more shot reverse shot patterns occur. Action matches are then added and eyeline matches to add tension added with fast paced edits including reaction shots as the tension begins to build

Scary Movie 4

Final Destination 5• Cinematography: Begins with reaction shots, eyeline matches and action matches

showing a persons death. An extreme long-shot is the shown of a death scene and a zoom is used. Reaction shots then occur before an establishing shot of the city occurs. A series of reaction shots then occur, followed by eyeline matches and panning shots, which are used to create tension and show deaths. Lots of reaction shots occur again during the deaths, added with over the shoulder shots. Close-ups are shown throughout, on both characters faces showing expression and on the objects which are involved in the deaths, this adds tension as we cannot see what is outside the shot. A long shot of the bridge collapsing is used to end the trailer.

• Sound: Slow eerie music added with echoing diegetic sound of someone talking over the credits. The beat of the music then begins to pick up pace and heightening during the series of deaths. Screams and shouts are heard after each deaths, added with sound stings and crashing noises such as the bus hitting the water.

• Mise-en-scene: Normal big city, connected by a large bridge, which is shown many times in the trailer. Collapsed bridges, needles, sharp objects, dead bodies, blood and destroyed cars are then included as the trailer picks up place. Normal everyday clothes are worn throughout, i.e jeans, jackets, t-shirts.

• Editing: Starts off slowly with long cuts building up tension before quickly speeding up with fast edits as a death occurs. Long cuts then follow once again of the city added with the slow music which could connote the calm before the storm. Then the cuts begin to pick up pace a gain as the deaths occur and the trailer comes to a climax. Computer generated imagery of the bridge being destroyed, explosions and fire are also included. Many eyeline matches and action matches throughout.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises• Cinematography: The trailer begins with a medium close-up of a boy singing, followed by a panning

shot of a crowd. A high angle shot of the Bane (the antagonist) then occurs, which lowers into a lowers into a low angle shot, this could connote power and dominance. Establishing shot of the city occurs, the many panning shots and slow zooms follow establishing surroundings, setting the scene and adding tension to the trailer. The trailer then picks up pace and a series of action matches are used to show disruption. A low angle shot of an army then occurs, showing power. The camera also zooms out at this point which could connote the enormity of the situation. Panning shots are then used again to add tension. Dark lighting is used here so the antagonists face cannot been seen. Before a blackout as a switch has been set off. An high angle shot of the protagonist followed by a low angle shot of the antagonist the occurs showing who is in power. Medium close-ups of the characters in a battle then occur before the trailer comes to a climax.

• Sound: Begins with diegetic sound of a boy singing a crowd cheering. This is followed by diegetic sound of a conversation. The singing then slowly fades out and a sound sting changes the pace of the trailer. The boy singing then comes back into the background with yet more sound stings and diegetic sound of conversations and whispers to add tension.The chants of the crowd comes in which a strong backing track increasing the pace of the trailer. Diegetic sound of the antagonist the occurs before the background music reaches a climax and three sharp booming noises occur, at the end of the trailer. Noise of a storm in background could connote something bad is about to happen.

• Mise-en-scene: Batman costume, Bane mask, Catwoman costume. A big city (Gotham City) with normal people living everyday life. Policemen and Army. Tanks, Football Stadium. Batmobile. Massive bridge leading out the city, overlooking the sea.

• Editing: Eyeline matches and lots of action matches involves throughout. Begins slowly, long cuts with fades inbetween some shots. Progressively picks up pace, until it reaches a blackout for a couple of seconds. Then the cuts get faster and faster, showing the action scenes of Batman and Bane fighting until the credit roll. CGI and green screen editing has been used to make explosions and fighting and chase scenes.

Comparison• After analysis the trailers, Case 39 (Horror), Final Destination 5 (Hybrid Horror) and The Dark Knight Rises (Action) I

noticed there are both similarities and differences amongst all three trailers. I expected there to be many similarities between the hybrid horror and the horror but I found a few similarities to link them to action films too.

• All 3 trailers started off slowly and picked up pace, with quick fast edits, action matches and close-up reaction shots. All 3 trailers are left on a cliffhanger which engages the audience and makes them want to watch the ending. Also all 3 films have used lighting effectively, for example, when the antagonist is at its most powerful, the lighting is very dark and eerie. The cinematography and sound of all 3 trailers is similar with the use of panning shots and close-ups to create tension as you cannot see what is outside of the shot and also non-diegetic music with sound stings in the background to help the trailer pick up pace. Also all 3 trailers use part of the narrative in them to help engage the audience. The mise-en-scene of all 3 films is very similar as they all are placed in big cities, where everyday life takes place, making the films and in turn the trailers relatable.

• All 3 could link to the hypodermic syringe model, especially Case 39 that does not use any explosions and uses the idea of possession which could be very real to some viewers.

• Also all 3 trailers abide by Vladimir Propps’ theory, this links in as all 3 trailers have an antagonist (villain) and a protagonist (hero).

• The reception theory could apply to all 3 trailers also, which states that individuals could interpret texts in different ways due to demographics and psychographics. (For example, in Case 39, students and young adults in the socio-economic groups D-E, would tend to enjoy the film more as they find it relatable, especially with the child antagonist and thus would find it scarier than people in a higher socio-economic group and become more engaged).

• However the trailers differ in a few ways too. In both the horror and hybrid horror, the trailer begins slowly, then picks up pace until a point where we think equilibrium is restored and then picks up pace again as disequibrium occurs again, however in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, the trailer does not pick up pace until the very end and we do not see a false equilibrium. We also see a long blackout in the action trailer to add tension where this is not the case in the 2 horror trailers where tension is create with quick fast intense cuts, with many close-ups. Also the action film does not give too much of the storyline away and focuses on showcasing the action scenes whereas the 2 horror films, give a big part of the narrative and the storyline away in the film, in a bid to engage the audience. Case 39 differs from the hybrid horror and action film as it does not use lots of explosions using CGI and is the most realistic of the 3 trailers, which is important in a horror to scare the audience. These differences could link to Daniel Chandlers’ theory that genres tend to be based on the notion that posses particular conventions of content (such as themes or settings) and/or form (structure and style)

• For example, Case 39 [horror] – the possessed scary girl, Final Destination 5 [hybrid horror] – the many gory deaths and The Dark Knight Rises [action] explosion & fight/chase scenes.