Analysis of a Horror Trailer

This is a trailer for 'Sinister' released in 2012 filmed in HD. The film opens with a certificate given by MPPA, the film is rated R which means 'under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian' due to the fact the film contains 'disturbing violent images and some terror'. Produced by Summit Entertainment, A Lionsgate company, as shown in the opening of the trailer.

The film unconventionally begins with a somewhat disequilibrium, as it shows a house at night. The dark natural lighting of the night time, and the moonlit house connote that it is a horror genre, but also create a sense of discomfort which is what leads me to believe it is a disequilibrium. Fog is particularly significant in the horror genre and is a typical element you expect to see during the disequilibrium. Fog symbolizes monsters and the unknown, thus why it is commonly seen in horror trailers. The only unnatural lighting is the two lights that make the house stand out, this unnatural lighting again connotes danger as it is minimal making the setting seem unsafe. The establishing shot clearly shows the main setting the house. By using an establishing got the director has used empty space around the house (the vast distance between the house and the camera) this makes the house seem too dangerous to be close too as it points out the empty space and the lack of life around it. There is a slow zoom taking the camera timidly towards the house. This is another technique used directors of horror and typical technique we expect to see within the genre. The slow zoom creates suspense  whilst creating the feeling you are being forced towards the danger, making the house seem more daunting, which, creates fear for the audience. The shot shows the audience the haunting past of the house, which isn't actually significant to the main narrative. The main narrative begins after the a clear sign that says '9 months later'. The director has specifically broken the theory of 'Equilibrium, then disequilibrium  and has begun the trailer on a disequilibrium in order to make the main narrative clearer so the audience is able to understand that the house was haunted in the past. As the house zooms audible is the light sound of humming, again this creates an eerie atmosphere.

The main narrative begins with a shot of the house looking more positive. The establishing shot mirrors the past shot of the house looking haunting by showing it in the complete opposite. The shot shows a moving truck with boxes being taken into the house, showing that there is a family moving in, introducing the main narrative. This shot clearly depicts the equilibrium of the family moving into a new house. This shown through a bright natural lighting which creates a happy positive atmosphere, the bright green grass creates a natural ordinary, comfortable feel in the image. Similarly to the last shot, the shot also zooms into the house, however, the zoom this time is faster, creating excitement and intrigue. A establishing, positive shot of the setting is typical of a horror trailer in order to create a sense of equilibrium to begin the narrative.You are able to hear the positive sound of birds in the background, this strengthens the portrayal of the positive setting. Also heard is the sound of a young girls voice, sounding calm, it also highlights the typical victim of a horror film being the innocent young girl, sticking to the archetypical characters we expect to see in order to create a successful narrative. This calms the audience, as it makes the shot seem ordinary and comfortable.

The disequilibrium is evident when a shot shows one of the children being possessed as the father (the hero) runs to help them. The sound is the sound is the ambient sound of the child screaming however, the sound of the screaming is the amplified and played over the top to make it seem more oppressive and creates more of a discomfiting, scary, thrilling feeling. This is vital for a horror film, it is important as well as conventional that the sound is used in a horror film to enhance the chilling atmosphere of a shot. A close up shot is used to emphasize the fearful expression on the child's face, this again enhances the atmosphere whilst creating fear in the audience. The audience will naturally sympathize for the child and will be drawn to protect them, whilst the fact that is a child possessed creates more fear than an adult, this is because children are unpredictable and seeing a child behave in such a way creates fear. Dark lighting is used to create a dark chilling atmosphere, the left side is darker making it seem that the child is coming out of the darkness, this is also associated with a horror genre, as darkness denotes danger and trouble, thus, emphasizing that the child is dangerous. The director has intentionally shown the child upside down in order to make the shot seem, surreal and distorted which is another typical feature of a horror film. Interestingly however, unconventionally to the horror genre, the 'monster' or 'villain' based on Propp's theory, is not showing a direct address. Conventionally, we would expect the villain to be looking at the audience to create a nostalgic feeling emphasizing fear. There is a lot of empty space around the child, meaning it is a loose frame, this is to draw focus on the child.

The final shot is of the 'attic' which seems to be the main setting inside the house that exhibits the most danger, thus, when a shot of the attic is shown the audience expect something scary to happen. Attics and dark spaces such as this are commonly seen in the horror genre, this is because they are places you wouldn't commonly see within a house, and they are dark and irregular which creates fear. The final shot shows 5 zombie like children sitting on the floor looking at the camera (subsequently the audience) they are gesturing the audience to be quiet. The audience will associate the way the children are sitting and the gesture they are doing with school as it is something that wouldn't seem out of place in a classroom. However, taking the position of the teacher is a scary figure in a mask that is being projected onto a screen. The main light source is visible on the screen no, enhanced lighting has been used, this means there is a very low lighting in the image that is lighting the children and the masked figure from below. Lighting someone from below distorts their features, another common feature of a horror film, as it creates fear. You are able to hear loud banging noises and the sound of a reel of film, these unusual sounds create fear and they are surreal and scary. There is a slight zoom in this shot that creates the feeling you are being drawn to the danger, there is no escape. A loose shot has been used for this long shot in order to create empty space around the danger, emphasizing there is no escape. However, I feel this message would have been stronger if a tight shot had been used. The fact that the trailer ends in a disequilibrium is typical of a horror movie trailer, this is so the end is not spoiled and to entice the audience to watch the film.

Audience response to 'Narrative Pitch'

Characters:

The audience felt that the main character was a unique selling point and could play as an intriguing appealing character, being the typical unexpected hero. However, they felt that there may not be enough characters, just the protagonist, the princess and the three aiding characters. They felt that there may not be enough characters to create a strong interesting narrative. Taking this into consideration I have thought of a stronger structure of events to create a better more intriguing narrative, taking into consideration the responses from the horror target audience survey. They felt that the horror villain typically being a ghost was particularly strong as, based on the survey responses ghosts are the scariest thing in a horror and it being an unknown entity.

Setting:

The main setting would be the school and the underground metal structure of the mechanical room, where they go to turn the lights back on. The target audience felt these were both strong settings for a horror movie, the office being eerie, with clinical oppressive lighting and hospital white walls, this will create fear as in terms of the narrative this is where our protagonist feels safe, which is ironic as it is a scary place for the audience, thus creating suspense. The underground room was particularly appealing to the target audience as they felt being underground typically connotes fear and a feeling of isolation and clostraphobia. They also felt pathetic fallacy could be a strong feature in the film, the underground being dirty and cold connotes more fear and creates a chilling atmosphere.

Narrative:

The audience felt that the narrative was particularly strong as typically seen in a horror there was a twist in narrative, the real villain being the anonymous. This was appealing as it created an intriguing, horrific narrative, which hasn't been seen before. It also appealed to the target audience capturing both their fears of supernatural villains, and physical real life villains, creating the most scary horror, making the most out of my narrative. They did feel however, that the opening equilibrium may be hard to tell clearly so that the audience understand the ordinary nature of the camera being used. However, they did feel it would create fear strengthening the genre as it made it more real, and natural.

Analysing Responses to 'Horror Research'

Q1 Are you male or female?

I asked this question in order to find out what sex my target audience are, this will encourage me to consider who whether my choice of female protagonist is a good decision. I feel that by having a female protagonist, that plays as both the princess and the hero I gain a new unique selling point, having an inspiring character as the lead, rather than a more typical attractive, unintelligent lead character. It also means by having a female protagonist this is appealing to the male audience.

Q2 What do you find the scariest?

By asking my target audience what they find the scariest I can clearly see what is the best choice of villain to create fear, and a successful appealing horror film for my target audience. It also means that I can create a clear selling point, by having a villain that appeals to the audience. Thus, my villain, a ghost, is clearly the best choice. 

Q3 What attracts you to a horror? (e.g. the actors, the fear)

For this question I have collected all responses and created a wordle of responses, the most popular words used are the largest. As you can see 'fear' and 'ghosts' are the largest words on the image meaning these are two elements I must include in my horror in order to attract my target audience. Similarly setting and the narrative are very important aspects that will attract my target audience.

Q4 What within a horror creates fear? (e.g. the unknown, the suspense)



For this question I have collected all responses and created a wordle of reposes, the most popular words used are the largest. The most popular responses were suspense, the unknown and blood. This enables me to see clearly important aspects of a horror I must have in my horror in order to create horror. 

Q5 What do you feel is the strongest form of advertising?



I asked this question in order to see which forms of advertisement would be the strongest in order to promote my film. As you can see Adverts are the most popular then posters and billboards. This means I can clearly see how to attract my target audience creating a stronger company image. 

Q6 What typical things do you expect to see within a horror? (e.g. a death, blood, a monster etc)



 For this question I have collected all responses and created a wordle of responses, the most popular words used are the largest. The two most popular res ponces to this question were blood and death, thus this leads me to believe these are two elements I must include in order to create the image of a typical horror, and attract the target audience, by clearly showing the genre.