Still Image Analysis

Establishing shot to show the setting

CameraworkThis wide shot is an establishing shot of the college to show the setting of where the trailer takes place. There are lots of people in the shot showing that the place is quite busy. The college tends to sit in the background of the shot and the trees seem to cover the majority of the scene.

Mis-en-sceneAt the beginning, where this shot is presented an equilibrium is created; this is where everything is happy and peaceful. This is represented through the high-key lighting which has been used. The people in the shot seem to be wearing smart/casual clothes which is expected for college. This consists of trousers, sweat tops and shirts. The setting is immediately established through this shot which seems like a normal, perhaps posh place to study.

RepresentationAt this point in the trailer, everything seems happy and peaceful due to the high key lighting and non-diegetic soft music which is playing in the background. The college is presented in a ‘normal’ way through this establishing shot, this could perhaps give a connotation that sinister things can happen to ordinary people who go to college and study hard.

Conventions of form/genreThrough using an establishing shot of the setting at the beginning of the trailer it is conventional of form as usually this occurs in all trailers in order for the viewer to visualize where the trailer is actually taking place.

Close up of Rebecca’s eye

CameraworkThis is a close-up shot of Rebecca’s eye opening as soon as she sees her room mate come home late from the party. The close up of the eye suggests that she is watching her therefore connoting something weird between them. As the eye opens there is a non-diegetic sound to emphasize the fact that her eye is opened and therefore she is watching her room mate.

RepresentationThrough the eye opening it shows that Rebecca is keeping a close eye on her room mate. This can be interpreted as quite odd and therefore weird because it gives a connotation that she is obsessed with her room mate. And because it is a trailer, we don’t know why which helps to draw the audience in. The low-key lighting and the fact the eye makeup is dark helps to emphasize that Rebecca is quite a weird and creepy character.

Mis-en-sceneThe lighting in this shot is low-key and therefore dark suggesting something gloomy an odd is about to occur. The eye specifically has black makeup in order to emphasize something gloomy is bound to happen. This shot pursues the disequilibrium to take place as from this shot onwards everything is dark, sinister and gloomy.

Conventions of form/genreLow key lighting is a conventional element in which the horror genre uses frequently. This is because the darkness suggests gloom and sinister. Through using black it helps to add tension.

VIDEO OF EYE OPENING?Sound

As the eye opens there is a non-diegetic sound to emphasize the fact that her eye is opened and therefore she is watching her room mate.

Aerial shot of nightclub

CameraworkThis is an aerial shot of the girls partying/dancing in a night club. However, the shot has a blue tinge to it which is associated with the disco cultured lights in the club. This specific shot is used to represent the college girls as normal and therefore give a connotation that the girls, like most other teenagers like to party and have a good time.

RepresentationBy including shots of what the college girls get up to, such as going to parties shows how the audience can possibly relate to the characters within the trailer. After the night club scene in the trailer, everything tends to go bad as the room mate (Rebecca) is not impressed with her friend staying out late with a boy. This gives a representation that sinister things can happen to ‘normal’, college girls and that perhaps young girls shouldn’t be naïve and trust anyone.

Mis-en-sceneEveryone in this shot seems to be wearing going out ‘party’ clothes such as dresses which can be seen in the still image. The characters are wearing classy going out clothes due to the fact it is set in a nightclub. The lighting is low-key although there is a splash of blue which seems to brighten up the shot slightly.

Conventions of form/genreAerial shots are often used in trailers because it makes the protagonist seem smaller than they actually are and therefore much weaker than the antagonist. By using this type of shot allows the antagonist to seem superior and therefore powerful because they are usually more dominant over the protagonist. This technique is conventional to the horror genre when showing the antagonist versus the protagonist.

Close-up of friend’s face

CameraworkThis is a close-up of the girl’s face. This type of shot has been used to show that the girl is in pain due to the fact she is screaming. Along with this, her facial expressions represent her as scared due to her mouth being open and her eyes being closed.

Mis-en-sceneThe lighting of this shot is low-key in order to represent darkness which can therefore connote that something gloomy and sinister is about to happen. In this case, Rebecca stabs the girl in the face with a weapon which looks like a sharp pin/earring. Through the use of a weapon which is helped to cause harm to the blond girl it is a conventional element of the horror genre as weapons signify danger and violence. Also, this scene takes place in the bathroom whilst the girl is in the shower so she cannot hear Rebecca come in. The bathroom is often a place used for violence/killing in horror films which therefore shows it to be a conventional setting.

Conventions of form/genreClose up shots of faces is a very conventional method used in trailers as it presents the characters as scared which therefore engages the audience in to finding out why this is. As well as this, through the use of the weapon it shows a convention of the horror genre as weapons are often used to cause harm/kill others through violence. Also, the bathroom setting of where the violence occurs is also quite conventional of the horror genre because when the shower is running the protagonist cannot hear much and is therefore an easy target.

RepresentationThe low-key lighting is used because it suggests that something dark, gloomy and therefore sinister is about to occur. As well as this, the facial expressions of the girl give a representation that she is screaming/crying and therefore representing her as extremely scared. The peculiar weapon which has been used to harm the girl suggests that Rebecca is violent and aggressive. However the fact it is an earring-type weapon it gives a representation that anything big or small can be used to harm others. The setting of the bathroom is used where the violence occurs as it represents the girl to be completely oblivious to the killer because she could not hear her due to the running water. This type of setting is used so that teenage girls can relate to it, perhaps making them more weary when showering.

Weapon/earring

Close-up of Rebecca

CameraworkThis is a close up shot of Rebecca’s face. This shot is used to portray her as quite crazy and delirious due to her smirk and her naturally dark eyes. There is also a lighter in the shot which is placed in the foreground which also helps to connote that she is crazy due to the fact she is playing with fire.

Mis-en-sceneThe shot is quite highly lit due to the use of the fire which highlights Rebecca’s face. However, in the background of the shot there is darkness and a splash of red. The black is used to represent that something gloomy and sinister is about to occur; which in this case Rebecca is going to kill off her room mate’s boyfriend because she is jealous. However, the red is used to suggest danger and therefore connote that Rebecca is dangerous and therefore a lunatic. The fact that the prop is a lighter suggests that Rebecca is crazy because she does not seem phased by playing with fire. Along with this, weapons are a conventional element of the horror genre as they show violence and aggression.

RepresentationThe fact that Rebecca is playing with fire and therefore about to kill her room mate’s boyfriend it represents her as delirious and in fact a lunatic. The use of the prop also gives a representation that she is violent and aggressive due to the fact she is going to use it to kill. Rebecca is represented as a lunatic and quite a ‘fruit loop’ due to the fact she is playing with fire and doesn’t seem to blink an eye lid at it although it is so dangerous. The darkness in the shot is used to represent something sinister and gloomy is about to take place. And the red splash represents Rebecca as dangerous which is connoted through the fact she is playing with fire.

Conventions of form/genreThe colours red and black have been used in the background of the shot. This is conventional of the horror genre as red signifies danger and black signifies darkness and gloom. Along with this, the use of the lighter is a conventional prop used within the horror genre as it can result in death.

Composition of Rebecca and Sarah

CameraworkThis is a mid two shot of Rebecca and Sarah. However, Rebecca is placed in the background of the photo as she has just walked past her room-mate and turned around to see if she noticed it was her. However, Sarah looks quite stunned according to her facial expressions, suggesting she has realized it is Rebecca in disguise.

Mis-en-sceneThe lighting is low-key due to the fact it is outdoors at night time. Sarah tends to be wearing casual clothes which are items most teenage girls have, such as a leather jacket and a scarf. In contrast to this, Rebecca is wearing a disguise which consists of a full-black outfit including a gloves and a hood suggesting she is up to something. The setting of the college halls looks quite gloomy due to how the darkness is lurking upon it making it seem more sinister.

RepresentationSarah looks very shocked when passing her room mate due to her confused facial expressions. However it isn’t certain that Sarah knows it is her room mate due to the startled look presented on her face. So this connotes that she is perhaps scared of the unknown person covered in black and believes it is slightly obscure and therefore eerie. The low-key lighting suggests darkness which therefore represents something sinister is about to take place. The fact that Rebecca is dressed all in black with a hood and gloves suggests she is perhaps going to kill due to the dark clothing which disguises who she is. The black clothing she is wearing gives a representation that she is up to mischief and is perhaps a criminal/murder, especially as she is wearing gloves to avoid her fingerprints being left.

Conventions of form/genreThe low-key lighting is conventional of the horror genre as it represents darkness, gloom and sinister. As well as this, black clothing/cloaks and gloves are also a conventional costume of the horror genre as it gives a representation of a criminal/murderer.

Mid shot of Sarah sleeping

CameraworkThis is a mid/wide shot of Sarah sleeping. However, in the background the antagonist is positioned behind the protagonist; which looks as though she is stroking her. However, the antagonist/Rebecca is barely seen and is almost shadow-like which creates an eerie effect to the shot.

Mis-en-sceneThe lighting in this shot is low-key which creates a shadow-like effect. This is shown through the fact that Rebecca looks like a shadow/ghost because only her hand and face can be seen due to the low-key lighting and therefore the black background. This shot is set in the room the two girls share due to the fact that Sarah is in bed asleep, or dead.

RepresentationThe low-key lighting represents something sinister and gloomy to have taken place. As well as this, the low-key lighting adds to the effect of making the antagonist look like a ghost/shadow lurking in the room which therefore adds an eerie effect to the trailer. As well as this, due to the fact the antagonist is stroking the protagonist’s arm gives a representation that the antagonist is very strange and perhaps psychopathic.

Conventions of form/genreOften the antagonist is placed behind the protagonist in horror film trailers without them knowing they are there. This creates an eerie effect and is conventional for the horror genre. Adding to this, low-key lighting which creates dark scenes is a horror genre convention used to create suspense and often used to represent sinister and gloominess.

On-screen text

EditingThis still shows on-screen text which is used to give the audience more information on what is occurring in the trailer. Also it is used to create suspense as each caption of text will follow on from one another with normal footage from the trailer in between, leaving a moment for tension to be built.

Mis-en-sceneThis scene consists of low-key lighting suggesting darkness and gloom. This could then be interpreted that something sinister is going to happen. The text is in a sans serif font style and is white in colour. The white works well due to the contrast it has with the black/grey background.

RepresentationThe fact that low-key lighting/darkness has been used behind the text represents darkness and gloominess and therefore connotes that something bad is going to happen.

Conventions of form/genreOn-screen text is a convention for all trailers as it is used to give the audience deeper background knowledge which may help them understand the plot more fully. And, in this case it is used to create tension and suspense due to the time gap in between of each slide of text which also engages the audience. Along with this, the use of dark scenes is also a conventional element of the horror genre as it suggests something evil and sinister is about to occur.