The film trailer for ‘The Uninvited’ has been conventionally structured.
It begins slowly, giving us a basic outline of the narrative, for example, only seconds into the film trailer, we are already aware that this girl’s mother had died tragically in a fire. As the trailer moves on, we gain a stronger knowledge of the narrative and become familiar with the characters, and the roles in which they play. For example, we are led to believe that the father’s new girlfriend, Rachel, is the antagonist. Like any conventional horror trailer, speed builds up towards the end, and we are presented with a climax of short and scary shots, signalising some of the scary goings on that occur throughout the film. As the trailer comes to a close, the trailer shows the audience one final burst of action, to terrify the audience.
It begins slowly, giving us a basic outline of the narrative, for example, only seconds into the film trailer, we are already aware that this girl’s mother had died tragically in a fire. As the trailer moves on, we gain a stronger knowledge of the narrative and become familiar with the characters, and the roles in which they play. For example, we are led to believe that the father’s new girlfriend, Rachel, is the antagonist. Like any conventional horror trailer, speed builds up towards the end, and we are presented with a climax of short and scary shots, signalising some of the scary goings on that occur throughout the film. As the trailer comes to a close, the trailer shows the audience one final burst of action, to terrify the audience.
At the beginning of this film trailer, I became automatically aware of the genre. This is due to the fact that we immediately find out that there was a fire, and a death. These are two main conventions associated with the horror genre which leads the audience to believe that this is the genre. In the middle of the trailer we are shown creepy footage of scary and evil things happening to Anna, the main character. This again suggests the genre of the film as no other genre would feature footage such as this e.g. a bloody hand reaching out and grabbing her wrist and so on. Just in case the audience do not figure out the genre throughout the trailer, they are certain that it is a horror film due to the sting at the end. This consists of Anna standing still, breathing heavily, covered in blood, with ripped clothing, when suddenly a hand grabs her shoulder, and we are then presented with two or three shots of her screaming. This is followed by some kind of black thick liquid running out of the key whole of someone’s room. The trailer then ends, but due to this final burst of action, the audience are made aware that this is a horror film.
When looking at this film trailer, I am going to be discussing how and why it is being used to promote a film and looking into the ways that it lures in and excites its target audience, and of course, how it scares them. For instance, I am going to be analysing the use of sound, and how it builds tension and suspense, mise en scene elements e.g. lighting, camera and costume and editing.
I am going to begin by looking at the sound devices that have been used in this film trailer, and how they have created feelings such as fear and excitement, and also, looking at how they build tension and suspense.
Like any other, conventional film trailer, the basic narrative is being laid out. We can hear a gentle melody being played in the background over the main female character talking. She says “why can’t I remember what happened that night?” allowing the audience to know that something bad has happened and this also helps set the narrative. We then, as the trailer cuts to a glass lantern falling, we hear the glass smash as the light goes out. This reflects on the idea that this family’s home has come crashing down, as we see in the next part, where the house is on fire. As the action then cuts to the house on fire, we hear an explosive sound, which complements the action happening on screen. A man than says “you lost your mother in a fire, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing to forget, go home, you’ll figure it out” suggesting more about the narrative. The audience now know that this is a person who has lost her mother, in a traumatic experience. So from the very beginning of the film trailer, we feel sorry for this young girl and see her in a vulnerable, confused state, suggesting her innocence.
The melody we heard at the start begins to play again as the action cuts to a bird’s eye shot of a car driving along a road. We then see the girl running up to hug another girl, excitedly shouting “Alex, I missed you so much”. The action has now cut to the two girls holding hands, about to jump into a river, laughing and screaming happily. The audience now think that these are two girls, just having fun, maybe best friends who haven’t seen each other in a while. When the other girl says “I assume you have met dad’s new girlfriend”, the audience are now aware that these are two close sisters. As soon as ‘the girlfriend’ is mentioned, the mood darkens and the light melody previously playing changes into an eerie, quiet hum. This automatically suggests some sort of evil persona that this woman carries. The girlfriend then says to the daughter “I hope it works out so you can stay” at this point, the audience are un sure of what she is talking about, making them curious and want to carry on watching.
The scene now cuts to the daughter sitting on some grass where the father comes over to talk to her. He says “Anna I’m sorry, I meant to tell you about Rachael” suggesting that Anna disapproves of the fact that the father has already replaced her now dead mother. Now Anna is talking to her sister and asks “when did she move in?” with emphasis on the she; making it sound like they find this woman repulsive, and have no respect for her, not even to call her by her name. Her sister then follows on to say “A month ago, she is helping him cope, three times a night”. This part of the trailer is important in the respect that it allows us to see that Rachel is now a fixture within the family life. Because she is providing the father with ongoing physical gratification it makes us think that he will be unlikely to tell her to leave any time soon. More importantly, it is vital in setting Rachel up as a character who we, the audience, think we are not going to like. We are firmly on Anna and Alex's side and see her as an intruder, who is using her sexuality to force her way into the father's life.
There is then a cut to the bedroom door, behind which they are clearly having sex, which reinforces our notion of her as sexual predator and anchors the meaning of Alex's words. Just after this cut, we see a glass ball smash on the floor, accompanied by a dramatic, loud crash. This is similar to the lantern smashing earlier on in the film trailer, again reflecting the idea that Anna’s world is coming crashing down. There is now a quiet, eerie hum drifting through the background whilst we cut to a shot of Anna and Rachel in a cafe/ restaurant. Rachael says “Listen Anna, I know you are supposed to hate your dad’s new girlfriend, but I’m really hoping that we can make this work”.
We now cut to a shot of a funeral service, with Rachel laying down a rose on a coffin. As she leans over, there is a sharp noise and then we see a little girl walking behind her, saying “You’re too late”. The previous dialogue of Rachel saying that she wants to work things out is then contradicted by what this little girl is saying, even though we don’t know who it is or who’s funeral they are attending and we now, even when the audience had a slight change of thought, to think Rachel wasn’t in fact bad, believe to think that she is evil, and something is going to happen to Anna and her family.
A loud, high pitched noise is then played as we cut to a shot of Anna waking up where the audience will now think that this was all a dream. As the first strap appears on screen, a melody is being played, which sounds like one you would hear in a drama, such as ‘The Bill’ suggesting to the audience that something dramatic is about to happen. As the melody becomes quieter, we hear Anna saying to her sister, “Alex, something has happened” with Alex replying to say “Yeah?” Anna then goes on to say “I had a dream, there were children, I think they were trying to warn us”. This suggests to the audience that these children are relevant to the narrative and there ghostly appearance reflects the idea Anna has, that Rachel has killed them. As a dead black out appears on screen, the sound of symbols crashing against one another can be heard. Tension is being built up with this melody still playing, as it is fast and loud. The audience feel as if they are being led up to something that is going to happen, so they become unnerved and on edge. We then see another character enter the scene who says to the father “your daughter has got it into her mind somehow that your fiancé killed the family she worked for”, which backs up the audience’s previous suggestion when seeing these children.
As we cut to a shot of Anna and her sister sitting at a computer, we hear Anna say “look at this”. A trio of loud stab sounds can be heard as the action cuts from a newspaper article, to a knife, to the little girl. The melody previously playing comes to a stop and so does the action on screen. So for a split second, there is a black screen with no sound. Silence is one of many sounds that film makers use to create suspense and to build up tension. The fact that they have used silence here makes the audience feel that something has happened, and they are now just waiting to become very frightened.
We are then presented with a shot of Rachel standing on high ground, we hear Alex say “we need to find out who Rachel Summers really is”. The audience are now aware that there is some kind of secret that is going to be revealed and that these two girls are going to find it, no matter what. The father says to Anna “I want you to think about whether you are ready to be part of this family” which makes us feel that he has been brainwashed and we now feel even more sorry for Anna as she is being made out to be the bad one. As Rachael tightens a pearl necklace around Anna’s neck, we fear for her as Rachel says “you know what Anna? I don’t think this is going to work out” followed by a loud crashing stab sound. At this point we are scared for Anna’s life and despise Rachel even more.
A shot of Anna in the kitchen follows, when she hears rustling coming from behind her. She turns around to see a bin bag moving, and goes over to see what is inside. As she goes over, we hear nothing and then a range of shots are shown of Anna looking for something. As she looks under a bed, silence is still intact and tension and suspense is building. A loud stab sounds breaks the silence, already making the audience scream and jump, but is then followed by a bloody, dirty hand grabbing Anna’s wrist from under the bed, and then a scary, evil voice saying “you’re next”. We hear Anna breathing heavily, and then hear her say, I thought that I was dreaming, but I wasn’t, look” as she puts out her hands to her sister to show red marks around her wrists. As the action flashes and we hear a sound of lightening, we hear Alex say “ok, now I’m afraid’”. This makes the audience more afraid now as well because Alex has been the calm, level headed one throughout the trailer, and now that she is afraid, there is definitely something to worry about. We see someone pulling a kitchen knife out of its holster, which makes the noise as it would, followed by the sound of it being swung through the air. This symbolises the fact that this knife is going to be used as murder weapon, but who’s?
As we enter the climax of the trailer, a beating of drums is being played, as action cuts from shot to shot, building up tension and suspense. As we see a creature rising we hear “pretty little Anna” and then a scream, again adding to the fear and making the audience feel unnerved and on edge. Rachel then says “you’re not going to ruin this for me” creating confusion as to what she is talking about. The beating stops and we are presented with a loud eerie sound that seems to be leading up to something. As we cut to the little girl, she drops a glass of milk, like the lantern smashed, and the glass ball, it crashes to the ground. All sounds stop, and all we can hear is Anna breathing. The audience are now afraid and are waiting for that final burst of action. Suddenly someone grabs Anna’s shoulder, where we can hear a skin crawling scream and then a ghostly hum. This sting of action makes the audience jump, and the previous sounds building up tension and suspense, has been leading them up to that piece of action. Audiences are now excited and adrenalin is pumping around their body making them feel the urge to go and see this film in the cinema to experience more of these feelings, and to find out what happens.
Throughout this film trailer we the audience are presented with a vast range of editing. Editing is used to create tension and excitement as it shows us the footage in a range of different ways and styles. It can also create suspense if we look at speed, and as speed increases or decreases, different feelings will be created. I am not going to start looking at the editing used in this film trailer to describe and explain why it is so effective at luring the audience in. the speed of editing is very conventional in this film trailer. It begins slowly, setting the narrative, allowing the audience to appreciate the fact that Anna has lost her mother in a fire. As we enter the middle of the trailer, speed begins to increase and we gain a fuller understanding of the narrative, allowing us to know that Anna has gone back home to figure out what happened that night. Then as the climax begins; a montage of eerie and scary shots, speed picks up and moves fast making the audience feel on edge and excited. Before the sting, conventionally the audience are shown a still shot of Anna standing in room, with torn and bloody clothes, this on its own creates fear and due to the rapid pace in speed just moments before, and then the pace suddenly reducing, this will also make the audience feel on edge, and make them expect something. The sting then will begin where the audience are shocked with the footage of Anna being grabbed by an eerie, bloody hand. This makes the audience jump and ends the trailer with the audience yearning to know what happens next.
If we now move onto Mise en scene elements that we can see used throughout the trailer, we are able to gain a fuller understanding of the narrative, and devices such as lighting, entice and excite the audience, adding to fear and luring the target audience in, encouraging them to go and watch the film. The aspects I am going to be looking at are; lighting, character positioning, camera, setting and body language/ facial expressions. All of these devices are used in all media productions as they create effect and audience understanding.
Let us begin by looking at the different lighting devices used in this film trailer. Lighting in general is used to create different views of characters/ settings. For example, an evil and mysterious look can be achieved by using profile lighting and under lighting. A god like, heroic effect can be created by using top lighting, where the light will shine down on the character/ object making them look angelic and ‘god sent’. Again, lighting can create shadows and silhouettes, making settings look eerie and frightening when using back lighting for instance.
Throughout this film trailer, available lighting is used a lot, and creates a sense of realism. Also, by using such familiar lighting devices, that are used in day to day life, it allows us, as the audience, to reflect and relate to the characters and the ordeal that they are going through, allowing us to put ourselves in their shoes and therefore, experiencing the fear that the characters and experiencing. This type of lighting can be found in shots such as when Anna and her doctor/ psychiatrist are sitting in a room, talking, again when Anna and her sister are jumping into the lake, in the café with Rachel and so on. Another lighting device that is commonly used throughout the whole film trailer is low key lighting, which allows a dark contrast of light and dark areas to be created, creating shadows, and it makes the situation seem much more eerie and mysterious. For example, towards the beginning of the film trailer, where Anna is looking through the key hole of her father’s bedroom, we are shown her eye in contrasted way, where her eye is lit, and all other areas are dark, or shadowed.
Props; the use of a prop(s) is conventional for a horror film trailer, yet also, adds fear and aids audience understanding of what character plays what part. For example, in this film trailer, one of the first things that we see is fire. Fire is a piece of iconography that reflects the horror genre, so straight away, the audience are made aware, or at least, suggested the genre of film. Moving onto the middle of the film now, just before we enter the climax, a shot of a kitchen knife that is being pulled from its holder is shown. Again, like fire, knifes are one of those props that are related to the horror genre, so therefore by including props such as these, alongside creating fear and making the audience feel unnerved and on edge, they help aid audience understanding of the genre that the film trailer is promoting. A knife is again shown dropping to the floor during the climax before we see the shot of Anna, covered in blood. This suggests to the audience that whoever’s knife that was, was who done this to the character, and all along, not knowing who it was. This will urge the audience to want to see the film once in cinemas.
All that I have discussed above are the staples needed in order to create both an effective, conventional and successful film trailer. The trailer succeeds in its aim to promote this film as I feel that it is a careful and creative piece of media that has been selectively pieced together in a way that creates suspense, tension and fear; the three feelings a true horror fan wishes to feel. The film trailer aims to suggest that Rachel is the antagonist, which makes the twist more forceful and effective for those who go on to see the film. This trailer helps us to see Rachel in a negative rather than positive light, for example when putting a necklace of pearls around Anna’s neck etc, which is good as the film makers would have intended that it had this effect as they would not want to reveal any areas of the twist that will be unveiled in the film itself. This film trailer has inspired me into creating a similar narrative structure. I love the idea of having a twist at the end that is completely un expected and I feel that with the target audience that I have chosen, they will too.
