Trailer AnalysisThe conjuring

Trailers• Trailers are a form of advertising which give the target audience a little feel of the

whole movie. There purpose is to promote a film to the potential audience hoping the will buy it on DVD and go and see it at the cinema.

• Horror trailer are certain elements through mise-en-scene and cinematography which make them build up tension and scare the audience through fast pace editing, something you wouldn’t see in a romance movie trailer.

• The choice of characters shown in the trailer normally represent the target audience, this makes it clear for viewers if the film is aimed at them.

The Conjuring

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPxWnvUTwS

Having these two characters are the opening shot of the trailer tells the audience they are going to be important through out the film.

The black background and the white faces instantly makes the trailer seem quite spooky, clearly showing the viewer it’s a horror trailer.

Just after the beginning of the trailer there’s a close up of the characters from the opening scene, now introducing the audience to these characters.

The trailer uses close ups to show the fear on the characters faces.

An extreme close up was used to show the family all looking very happy, which is the only part in the trailer where they do all look happy.

A middle shot was used to show the children from the family. It shows them looking unhappy and the youngest one is hugging her sister because she’s probably quite scared of what is happening in their house.

A long shot was used to show the house at night looking scary, this introduced the setting to the audience. From having this shot looking dark and gloomy the audience instantly knows things are going to happen inside.

Before anything happens in the trailer to scare the audience, they are shown the family home on a bright day using a low angle shot.

Editing• Towards the end of the trailer the editing uses lots of fast cuts with lots happening, this builds

up tension and creates a sense of fear. It also makes it hard for the viewer to see what’s happening. This may make the audience to go and see the film in cinema or buy the film on DVD.

• The trailer also includes a lot of black outs with text, this gives a bit more information about the film and makes the trailer flow more.

• When the ‘scary’ parts happen in the trailer, dramatic sounds have been used to create the tension before it happens to make the audience werey of whats about to happen. The rest of the sound in the trailer is dialogue from the characters, which gives away a bit more of the story to the viewer.

How is the narrative portrayed in the trailer?

• In the opening of the trailer it shows a man and woman looking around in the cellar trying to communicate with the paranormal activity happening in the home. They have proper equipment suggesting they could be experts that have done the same sort of thing before. The it goes on to show them talking to university students about paranormal activity, meaning they are experts. From this we instantly know that the film is set in the 21st century as there is a projector. And the clothes the characters wear are quite modern.

• As it gets further into the trailer it shows more shots of the house and it’s surroundings, making the audience a bit more aware of what the film will be like.

• They also used flashbacks to the 20th century of old stories. This told a bit more of the story to the audience.

• Towards the end of the trailer there are lots of fast paced cuts of the frightening parts of the film, this is done to fit a lot of what happens in the film into the trailer. This gives the audience more of an idea into what happens in the film, which will allow them to see if they’ll like it. And make them go and see it in the cinema.

Target audience

• As the film is certificate 15, it obviously targeted at people 15+. However I think it could be a family film. This is because it’s based on a family in their family home. Because of this it appeals to adults and teens 15 years and over. This is quite good for the popularity of the film as a wider range of audience may go and see it at the cinema.

Who does the trailer represent?

• Firstly the trailer represents quite a middle class husband and wife. This is suggest as they have quite professional jobs. They were also shown giving a talk at a university, meaning they’re quite intellectual.

• Then a sterotypical working/middle class family is shown. They move into a big house with a lot of land, meaning they may live in the country side. They are shown as quite a typical family in the 21st century.