Leila Alimadadi

Horror

The Woman in Black trailer

The film trailer for The Woman in Black follows typical conventions that are commonly used in many horror film trailers. From the moment we begin watching, it is evident that the genre of the film is horror because of the conventions that have been used. For example, the narrative of a young child holding supernatural powers is common convention of a horror film narrative, as we are left feeling feared and scared of the young child. The use of eerie/scary non diegetic music also adheres the conventions of the horror genre and fits with the haunted house location that has been used. The fact that the trailer did not use a voice over is typical of horror films as the diegetic sound of the dialogue and captions do the work in telling the story. However no copies were used in this trailer, a part from a few words such as house to emphasis the importance of this location.

Cinematography: The trailer starts off with an establishing shot of the surrounding location to give the audience a look into where the action will take place and familiarize the setting to the audience when they come to watch the film in a cinema. Additionally, tracking shots are also used to give the audience an insight of the haunted house that is the main setting of action of the film, which enforces the feeling of anxiety and fright about this house. Throughout the trailer they are cuts between establishing shots and close ups which are important in the genre of horror as the facial expressions of the characters are the central focus in reaction to the setting. By using close ups to show characters faces, the fear and distress they feel is emphasized to the audience. Close ups are additionally used to focus on scary objects that play a role in the actions and disruption of the film. (Disruption linking into Todorovs theory of narrative.) Two shots are used in the trailer to display conversations that are had by the characters and are effectively used in this trailer as we tend to hear a conversation that is followed by an insert cut of what they were talking about, in this case the house and who may be in it.

Editing: As a film of a horror genre, we would expect that most of the editing would have been done in the post production stage. A typical convention that has been used in the trailer is the fade outs between each scene to create a tense and spooky atmosphere. The use of the colour black for these fade outs also adheres with the horror genre as it is a typical colour that is commonly used and associated with horror. The face past editing of the shots towards the end of the trailer has been done in order to build on the tension created through the narrative of the ghost of a young woman.

Sound: The overlapping of sound at the beginning of the trailer creates tension for the audience as they are anxious to find out what that particular sound is, in this case it is ambient sound of the engine of a train along the tracks, within the field of vision. This technique is a typical convention used in horror film trailers in order to create tension and build fear within the audience watching the trailer. Sound is of huge importance in horror trailers as it is used to draw on the anticipation of something bad about to happen and adds tension to the watching of it. In this trailer, a non diegetic sound of a nursery like song is played in the build up of the disruption, creating a tense atmosphere before the music turns to a more series down beat rhythm that fits with what is going on in the narrative, after the disruption has began, in this case the protagonist has learnt of the spooky events happening. In particular parts of the trailer where the scenes are cut through either an action or motivated cut, the non diegetic sound stops for a few seconds before speeding up again making the audience jump or panic as they watch. This is again typical of horror film trailers to have this jumpy aspect to them. The sound of a childs voice is also used in the trailer which enforce the scary and eerie atmosphere created as we can hear the voice but not see the child. The use of childrens voices and nursery like music is a stereotypical convention of horror film trailers. Mise en scene: the different elements of mise en scene including location, characters and props are all evidently of the horror genre. For example, the chosen setting of the isolated surroundings and the scary/haunted house are stereotypically associated with horror and scary films. The overall feel of the trailer connotes old age, death and fear which has been effectively portrayed through each elements of mise en scene. Symbols such as the The Cross are typically associated with the genre of horror. The use of dark colours and shadowing of figures and objects creates a tense and spooky atmosphere. In addition, the stormy like weather is also a typical convention of horror films that we see in many films. The use of such elements make the audience feel nervous and frightened as they watch the trailer.

Fright Night
Fright Night is a hybrid film that combines the two genres of horror and comedy together, using a combination of elements of their elements. The film is a remake of Tom Hollands 1985 film. By combining the two genres to create a hybrid, the film becomes more appealable to a wider range of audience as fans of the comedy and horror will want a film that has both these two genres in that work effectively to create a interesting film. (Reaching out to the demographics of a wider audience, thus gaining more sales and leading to profit). The opening of the trailer does not use conventions of the horror genre but more so of the comedy genre as we are introduced to the protagonist in a school setting, where the equilibrium at this point is not disrupted. In addition, the characters appear to be normal and ones the audience can relate to. However the trailer does display conventions of a typical horror film from the dark and gloomy lighting used to the sinister music in the background. The trailer uses a mixture of dialogue and non diegetic music throughout.

Horror comedy hybrid

Cinematography: the opening of the trailer sees a two shot of a male and female character sharing a romantic moment when the male receives a call from his mother. At this point the narrative appears to be one that would be of the comedy genre due to the young teenage characters used and the awkward phone call he has with his mother. We cut to an establishing aerial shot of the city, which displays a typical normal everyday setting to the audience. Two shots are used throughout the trailer, similar to the previous trailer, to display the dialogue between the characters which is vital in this trailer as the dialogue allows the audience to understand what the films narrative will be based on. Similar to the horror trailer, we tend to hear a conversation between two character followed by an insert cut to what they were talking about, in this case the neighbour who acts as the films villain. The close ups of the protagonists face present the fear he has as he learns more about his new neighbour who has been behaving strangely. The introduction of the neighbour, in a low angle shot connotes the power he has and enforces the feeling that we should be frightened of this character. The audience is familiarised with the house of the neighbour through the master shots and medium close ups. The tracking shots are used to the audience an insight into the house and enforce the feeling of fear and anxiety about what really goes on in the house. The lighting becomes darker and the conventions of the horror genre are evident as the plot progresses in the trailer. This contrasts with the earlier feel of the film that relates more to the genre of comedy. Editing: Being a hybrid film and containing elements of the horror genre, we would expect that the majority of the editing would have been done within the post production process. The use of the colour black for the fade outs between the shots adheres with the horror genre, used similarly in The Woman In Black trailer. As the plot evolves, the transitions between each shots is of a much faster pace which has been done in attempt to create tension and anxiety as the audience watches the trailer. The shot of the hand against the window has been edited to look distorted and as if it we are seeing the hand from a night vision lens, relating to the genre of horror. Editing is a essential part of making the trailer look like a horror hybrid , such as making the villains eyes red and the fire explosion scenes. The final shot of the villain crashing into the back of car with the victims is an example of a shot in the trailer that was edited effectively to make the audience jump as they watch the trailer and in creating a dramatic finish.

Sound: We hear a diegetic sound of a mobile phone ringing at the start of the trailer, where there is dialogue between a son and mother. Dialogue is typical of both horror and comedy genre, however this type fits more into the comedy genre as the conversation between the two characters may make the audience laugh. The sound transitions from the dialogue to the diegetic sound of a bell ringing, as a sound bridge as we hear the bell before we see the setting of the classroom. An upbeat soundtrack has also been added in the post production process during the first few scenes that convey the genre of comedy. The volume of this soundtrack varies as it tends to decrease in volume when we get dialogue between the conversations of two characters. At certain points of the trailer the music stops which creates a dramatic pause and signifies the importance of that certain shot. In addition, the stopping of the music is also common of the comedy genre as it gives time for the audience to react to the scene, perhaps making them laugh. Voiceover is also used in the trailer as we hear more about the new mysterious neighbour and what he could be up to, giving the audience an insight. Once the disruption of the plot is evident (disequilibrium) the soundtrack changes to a more downbeat and serious tone, as the protagonist finds out that hes neighbour could be a vampire. Screaming and blast sounds are used as the shots transition at a fast pace, adding tension for the audience who are watching the trailer. Towards the end of the trailer, as the protagonist looks to find a solution (solve the disruption and gain victory Propp) the music transform into a more calm but fighting tone as he tries to gain power. The trailer finishes off with diegetic sound of dialogue and screaming sound effect. Mise en scene: A variety of locations are used in the trailer due to the combined genres of comedy and horror. The setting of the city and school relate more to the genre of comedy as wed expect comedy films to be set in these types of locations. Whereas the setting of the house where the victims are kept locked away along with the darkness of the night scenes fit more within the genre of horror. The use of the props also relate to the horror genre, such as the weapons purchased by the hero for protection. Costume is also key as the villain is made to look pale and mysterious which are stereotypically features of a vampire as well as the fangs and red contact lenses. The overall mise en scene portrays the two genres, in particular horror from the dark and eerie atmosphere created .

Romance

Dear John
Dear John is a romance film and therefore its film trailer has been designed and produced differently to how a film trailer for a horror film would have been done. Unlike the previous film trailer I analyzed, the trailer for Dear John begins with shots of just the narrative and it is only after a few seconds before we hear any dialogue from the characters. This could have been done to focus on the narrative and characters themselves as opposed to wanting to create any impressions of the film to the audience yet. The trailer includes romantic scenes between a couple displaying their love and happiness, disruptions that affect their relationship and moments of sadness. Thus we would link the narrative to Todorovs theory of narrative as there is a clear equilibrium at the beginning as we see the male and female characters becoming close, the disruption being that the male figure leaves to go back to the army and perhaps the restoration of the equilibrium could be the two meeting each other again after several months.

Cinematography: The trailer begins with a variety of medium close ups of a male who we expect to be the films protagonist, followed by master shots of other people in the same location as this character. We are then introduced to the female character of the film from c lose ups of her to two shots of her with the male character. The style of shots reflect the film genre as the emphasis on romantic films is the growing relationship between the male and female character, who in this case are introduced to us very early on. As the audience, we expect the two characters to grow closer as the film develops. Two shots are used throughout the trailer to show the two characters spending time with one another and by using these, the audience learn of the type of relationship the two characters hold. In addition, close up shots are also effective in this trailer to portray the affection and emotion between the two protagonists and gives the audience a sense of how close they are. In comparison to the horror trailer, the establishing shots of the setting connote a romantic feel to the film and play a important role in the telling of the story. Whereas the establishing shots in the Woman in Black are used to create intensity and fear.
Editing: the transition between the shots are fairly quick and there is a particular part of the trailer where the shots are faded quickly into each other displaying the characters growing relationship. Unlike the horror trailer, the transitions however are of a calm nature as the shots flow into each other. Shot reverse shots are used effectively in the trailer when there is dialogue between the male and female characters. Cross fades to a white screen are typical to the genre of romance, in contrast to horror trailers which use darker colours such as black or grey as the fade outs. The colour white is associated with purity and innocence, which relates back to the genre and the narrative of the film. Special effects are not as evident as ones of horror trailers would be, however there were a few examples. An example being of the males face cut into a night time sky amongst the stars, an image in the females mind as she thinks of her partner.

Sound: The opening of the trailer uses a calm non diegetic soundtrack of a guitar during the shots of the male character alone. Once the female character is introduced and dialogue between the two characters begin, the volume of the music decreases. After this point, the music picks up in volume and pace as we transition through the various shots of the male and female protagonists relationship developing. When the trailer hits the disruption of the narrative, we hear a change of sound as it transform into a piano non diegetic music, connoting the serious nature at this point. As the narrative develops further, getting more intense and reaching its climax, the pace of the sound starts to increase and the beat of the piano becomes more intense to match the action of the trailer. Although there is no direct dialogue at this point, we can the voiceovers of the two character as they speak to each other through the form of letters they send to one another. As the audience, we are able to listen to the conversations of the two lovers as they kept separate because of the males army duty. The two characters reuniting in the later shot sees the music almost reaching its climax as the narrative is growing more intense and it appears that the two may never reach one another. After the white symbolic flash, the soundtrack over the trailer is now of a song type as we hear vocals, which relates back to the genre of the trailer. The meaningful and sad tone of the music suggests there may not be the happy ending that we would expect of a romance film but the calmness of it leaves the audience wondering if the couple will ever be happy together. Unlike the horror trailer, the sound fades out softly as the narrative ends as we hear the last voiceover of the female character and the piano playing. Mise en scene: A variety of settings have been used in the trailer including a seafront, the beach and a army base. Locations such as the sea front and the barn are ones that we typically associate romance films with as they are realistic places and almost relatable for the audience watching. The costume is of a casual form which we would expect of this genre to make the characters appear realistic and relatable. The use of letters between the male and female character connote the romantic relationship between the two as we associate letters between a male and female as love letters. Thus the letters are an important symbol in the film as for a large proportion of the trailer, the communication between the two characters are through this letters, which as the audience we are able to hear.