Pathetic fallacy with the weather outside- it’s a storm;
Connoting danger, unrest and turmoil. Used in many horror movies, claps of
thunder can actually be the sound to commence a movie/trailer, also used for
jump scares (lighting is a non-artificial jump scare- it’s a real noise). 1982
poltergeist takes place with a stormy setting, Friday the 13th uses
a storm for its pinnacle scene on the night of Halloween. Linking to the storm
which associates with setting and mise en scene also the idea of shadows and
darkness used throughout the trailer is conventional of horrors as having lots
of shadows not only gives depth to the scenes themselves when being filmed but
also gives a sense of constant following which is a chilling concept, relevant
to this trailer as in the beginning the woman’s shadow is constantly present
and synchronous with her- foreshadowing perhaps her descent into darkness (as
she dies).
Usage of old photos, and monochromatic old film editing to
make it seem like the storyline is true and has historical context. Common in
horror movies- as themes and storylines rooted from far back in history make
them seem more realistic and believable.
Traditional fear triggers such as clowns, grim reapers
insects cloaked figures, and dolls etc. are fear triggers for
audiences/nightmare creations. Here the clown is used and after watching the
movie I don’t feel it has much relevance to the plot- however for the scene in
which it is used its purpose is for a chilling jump scare.
Camera composition:
Millisecond and split second shots don’t give too much away,
we didn’t even get to properly depict what was bloodstained and being dragged
along the floor until we slowed the trailer right down and managed to quickly
pause it to realise it was a hand. Also effective in creating brisque jump
scares for audiences- and not revealing antagonistic characters/beings in
details so it remains an enigma during the film.
Eye line match and pov shots makes audiences feel like they
are in the film too- almost like the new 360 degree Facebook feature where you
can view round you, a bit like virtual reality. In this respect the jump scares
feel more directive and personal and scare audiences more.
We thought the shot from a low angle looking up at the old
man as he unzipped the bag was particularly effective as it maintained the
enigma of what is actually in that bag…once again also makes audiences feel
that they are inclusive in the films plot.
Narrative:
A lot of the narrative is mainly audio of this character assumed
to be the protagonist. He speaks both diegetically and non diegetically showing
he has a prevalent role in the storyline both when he is present in the plot
and when he is off screen. We recognise however the challenges/oppression as a
protagonist he may face with multiple high angle shots that look down on him
belittling him, hinting our narrative may be altered/controlled by a powerful
antagonistic character/being. Narrative to the trailer doesn’t give too much
away, and is authentic because the film itself doesn’t have a narrative voice
speaking over the top of the film so this trailer is almost different and doesn’t
give too much away about the film and how it is structured and how the plot
pans out. Once again as we said earlier with referring to historic context and
themes our protagonist speaks to other characters that expand on the historic
roots for the film making the narrative seem to be based on what has happened
throughout history. This historic context is further emphasised by the setting
of ravens fair which is depicted in a mid-shot with the towns sign. This is
actually a real place so further makes the film have a sense of realism making
it even more chilling, and the legend of Mary Shaw who is the antagonistic
spirit in the film is a true folklore legend here. There are also books that
feature this same setting so it seems almost storybook like in the narrative
however this is completely contrasted with the fact that this film is an adult
horror.
Sound:
There are intervals where only a black screen is shown with
no visuals only audio non diegetic sounds of screams, drum snares and sound
effects…this gives the trailer a sense of the unknown- triggering the scare
factor as everyone fears the unknown. Also it puts audiences into darkness so
they do not know what’s happening, so a following jump scare scares them even
more.
Sound usage of 1900s’ often 1950s musical renditions and
songs is often chilling and particularly conventional in contemporary horror
because the songs sound so old and historical to modern society making them
eerie and scary. Tiptoe through the tulips is an example of this used in
insidious.
Editing:
When we slowed the trailer down and managed to have an in
depth look at certain camera shots from the montage edit we analysed how the
antagonist of the movie- the ghost of Mary Shaw was depicted not in human form
played as an actor but was filmed with an extreme close up using cgi so she
looked more like an animatic creation. This is not something we would consider
for your own movie as we felt it didn’t appear very realistic.
The usage of light we thought was very important to editing
with red lighting connoting danger, and extremely bright lighting causing
camera blurring and making scenes feel bold and stark. Also with most horror
movies using very dark lighting this usage of extreme bright hues and lighting
makes the trailer stand out and seem more original. For our own movie we wanted
to introduce torches and non-artificial lighting to create a sense of realism.
Titles:
The repetition of the release date stood out to us as it
reinforced the date to audiences so they are sure to anticipate the release.
The unique selling point of the director prior to this film directing saw
stands out as audiences will view this director as credible for horror movie
creation. We also when making our own institution logos want to stylize them to
fit in with the horror theme like here where the universal studios logo has
been changed to a dark hue.
Mis en scene:
Outfits almost Victorian like, eerie which fit into themes
of folklore rooted in the plot. Lighting is minimal and natural making it seem
realistic.
Obscure and dark locations, lots of scenes of seemingly unexplored
and unhabited locations e.g. the gorge valley in an establishing shot in one of
the scenes. We wanted too to go to derelict places for our trailer to make it
seem more eerie.
Representations:
Frequent appearance of the elderly- once again linking to a
historical context and basis. Also old people connoted with archaic history,
folklore tales, ghosts etc. no youths making the film seem a non-contemporary
horror such as unfriended friend request etc. with recent themes of social
media.
Masculinity- the two supposed protagonists and opposition
force against evil are men. Men with guns suggestive of their power. Filmed
from a low angle giving them prominence and importance. Have the final shot of
a male face in many parts of the trailer. Females perhaps implied as the weaker
gender as the first female to be depicted in the trailer dies.
No comments:
Post a Comment