Media Language Investigation

The Woman in Black.

Cinematography: the trailer begins with an establishing shot in order to show the viewer that this is the main setting of where the film will be taking place. The buildings are very old fashioned and rustic setting the time of the plot, the rooms are also old, tattered and destroyed which helps create an abandoned eerie look this is a common convention in horror films. The frequent use of close ups and mid shots show the facial expressions of the characters which portrays their emotions and feelings. The lighting in the trailer is very dark and dull which is typical British weather, however this allows the director to use the drab weather conditions to create natural shadows which enhance the thrill created in the trailer.

The Woman in Black.

Editing: within post production a variety of editing devices have been used. The use of transitions such as fade outs are a common convention in the horror genre as it leaves the screen black, the colour of the screen connotes that the trailer is from the horror genre and it insinuates darkness which instils fear into the audience watching it. The trailer often mentions the words house and women these key words words are emphasized when the director uses motivated cuts in order to give the audience an insight as to who the characters are. Sound: the trailer begins with ambient sound of the wind which creates an eerie atmosphere and an idea of desertion within the house. There is also a voice over of a child telling the story of the film in a nursery rhyme this shows the audience that the child is rather young while creating a sense of fear and dread as the voice over insinuates that the plot involves children in some way, children are often used together in horror films for this purpose. The Childs voice is the only thing that we hear in the trailer to show that no matter what no one can hear your cries and screams for help. There are short takes throughout which have been pieced together in a fast pace towards the end of the trailer to show tension and speed in the action. There has been no copy used either which is usually typical of horror trailers, though this maybe done as the voice over will create a better scary atmosphere for the trailer. Mise-En Scene: The overall mise en scene of the horror trailer is old, dark, death and decay which are all common features of a horror genre. There is also a deserted area the Christ's cross (which is used a lot within horror) and blood all typical conventions of a horror trailer to create a scary location to emphasize the plot and make the consumer feel nervous and scared.

Dead Silence

Sound the sound in this trailer is a combination of both diagetic sound and non diagetic sound. The trailer uses an instrumental backing track in the trailer in order to create fear and suspense however it also uses a voice over in order to instil terror in the audience as the director uses the voice of a small child chanting a nursery rhyme in a monotone voice. The effect of this on the audience is that the use of a child insinuates purity however the lyrics of the rhyme show a potential danger and creates a suspense of evil. Mise en scene the trailer uses costumes from both the older period and from the modern era that the film is based on this helps set the scene of the plot of the story and also explains certain questions the viewer may have. The use of the costumes help create a growing curiosity and fear as it clearly shows that the story is old, the older the story the more frightening it seems.

Dead Silence

Cinematography trailer begins with a long shot zoom in on the non diagetic sound of an old fashioned jazz song being played out of an old radio. A medium close up shows the audience a female character walking past a mirror and then walking back to admire her reflection and briefly touch her stomach and smile, the camera then cuts to a low angle shot of the tape player malfunctioning, the audience then see her call out to a male character that we (as the audience) assume is of some relevance (e.g a boyfriend, husband, brother or son).

The Conjuring

The eerie tone of the movie is portrayed through the dull/dark colours throughout the house. Also the house looks old with all of the antique furniture and decorations, the beaten up walls, and creaky doors. The viewpoint throughout most of this trailer is looking at the mom. Possibly portraying what the spirits see. The music in the beginning is upbeat and happy but it suddenly stops and the mood changes. Creepy music then begins to play and we can tell this movie is going to be scary. The eerie music comes back when she is investigating the basement. Finally, we feel the suspense when there is absolute silence before the spirit claps. The audience is left with unnerved when the trailer ends in creepy music that sounds like it is from a childrens toy.