Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

16
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis By Shannon House

description

My analysis of the trailer for Silent Hill: Revelation 3D. I created this for my A2 Media Studies course. I hope you find it informative. :)

Transcript of Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

By Shannon House

The trailer opens with a fade into a foggy establishing shot, accompanied by non-diegetic heavy bass. Fog is a convention of the horror genre as it has connotations of mystery and suspension, as well as the possibility of symbolising clouded judgement, which protagonists in horror films usually have. Additionally, heavy bass is also a convention in horror films as it builds suspense and creates a tense atmosphere. It also makes a scene more dramatic and as it is a low sound, it is usually associated with evil.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

This black screen already seems evil as the colour black has connotations of death, malevolence and mystery. This subconsciously sets the audience on edge because it creates an atmosphere of suspicion. The off-white text spattered with red is written in uppercase letters, so it is almost like it is being shouted at the viewer. This also makes the viewer uneasy as average conversations aren’t normally shouted, so it makes the audience feel intimidated. The colour of the text also arouses suspicion as although the text is pretty much white, which suggests purity, it is also spattered with red, suggesting it is spattered with blood. This unnerves the viewer as it

suggests the purity has been tainted.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

These close ups flash up for less than a second, barely giving the audience time to process what they’ve seen, other than that it’s not natural. This increases the element of horror as it is unsettling and also urges the audience to watch the film as they want to know what the creature is. These short takes get increasingly more frequent as the trailer progresses, building tension and drawing the audience in. This is a common convention of the horror genre as it is a relatively simple but effective way to build suspense.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

In this wide shot, all is dark and chaotic aside from the character in the middle. With the brightly coloured costume and her positioning in the centre of the frame, she is made the audience’s main focus. As the viewer’s attention is drawn to her, the audience can see there is something off about the character as she is walking calmly through a dark cloud of panic and chaos. This creates an atmosphere of tension as she is positively serene in a situation where she should quite clearly not be, unless she was the one who caused it, indicating to the audience that she is an antagonist.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

The sinister text written on the wall immediately unnerves the audience as it appears to have been written in blood, due to the drippy font and the dark colour. Again uppercase letters are used to make the viewer feel intimidated and powerless. The simplicity of the message and the use of the imperative also intimidates the viewer. The use of the light shining through the window highlights the words ‘Silent Hill’, drawing attention to the text and signifying their importance to the viewer. The unknown symbol in the corner creates an uneasy atmosphere for the audience as it becomes another enigma code for the protagonists and, to a lesser extent, the audience to solve. This encourages the audience to watch the film as they want to know the solution to the enigma code.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

The close up on the prop immediately draws the audience’s focus to the object and symbolises that at some point in the film, the item will be important. The intricate design on the item also peaks the viewer’s curiosity as it is unlikely that it is familiar to the audience, therefore intrigues the audience as it is another enigma code to be solved, therefore encouraging the audience to watch the film. Additionally, the similarly-angled close ups ensure the focus is centred on the prop throughout the trailer, signifying its importance.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

The viewer is immediately drawn to the character in the middle due to the unusual costume and centre-positioning of the character. The audience is instantly set on edge due to the large, unusually-shaped mask and the huge sword he/it is wielding. This helps give the trailer a horror element. Additionally, the fire burning in the background makes the audience associate the trailer to horror because fire is destructive and often has connotations of hell, pain and suffering. The character’s defensive stance also unnerves the audience as it looks like he/it is preparing to attack, which is a very intimidating position to be stood in.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

Here, the style of the text visibly changes, the dull grey colour cracking and flaking to reveal what resembles coals underneath. This could foreshadow an event in the trailer/film where it is revealed something is not as it previously seemed. The coals could represent another reference to hell as hell is often pictured burning. The dynamic animation also draws attention to the title itself, and helps the distributor’s name stick in the audience’s head.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

In this medium close up, people can be seen in the windows, staring out at the intruding character. From this perspective, the audience feels like they are standing next to the protagonist and, due to the low angle shot, feels powerless and intimidated by the characters in the windows. This unsettling behaviour adds to the horror element as it is not normal human behaviour and is very unwelcoming. In addition to this, the fog makes it difficult to see the people in the windows, adding another layer of mystery to the scene. Also, at this point in the trailer, each bell toll sound effect coincides with a fade to a new shot. This is a good example of excellent editing.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

In these two shots, the viewer can see humanoid shapes that aren’t quite human. This adds to the horror element in the trailer and also brings in a supernatural element, as it is quite obvious these are not natural occurrences, and also gets the audience wondering if the humanoids used to be human. The over-the-shoulder long shot almost puts the audience in the perspective of the thrashing shadow, immersing the audience in the action and almost making the audience feel responsible for causing it. The wide shot enhances the horror element as the audience can see the full extent of the ghastly events going on in the scene. It also makes the viewer morbidly curious about the events that have transpired in the storyline, encouraging them to watch the film.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

In this two shot, the protagonist is dressed in normal, modern clothing whereas the other character is dressed in unusual, old-fashioned clothing. This mise en scene is unsettling for the viewer and suggests the other character has been isolated from society for a long time. Due to the fact that the rest of the town is dressed in a similar fashion, it suggests to the audience that the entire town has been isolated, probably for a good reason. This adds an element of danger to the trailer as it is unknown why the town was isolated from everywhere else. Furthermore, the protagonist’s facial expression is one of shock or terror, suggesting something out of shot is disturbing the protagonist. Because the other character is not turning around, it suggests to the audience that it is a regular occurrence for the town and could be the reason why the town was isolated. An eyeline match next shot confirms the audience’s suspicions and creates another element of horror in the trailer.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

This long shot shows a spider-like creature crashing down through the shelves, scaring both the protagonists and the audience. These shots of the creature, coupled with shot-reverse-shots of the protagonist’s face help add a layer of horror and terror to the trailer. Additionally, the positioning of the camera and the lower angle puts the viewer in the perspective of the protagonist, immersing the audience into the action and increasing the fear element of the trailer.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

This medium shot shows the same weirdly-dressed character from earlier, although this time, he’s swinging the giant blade. This confirms for the audience he is an antagonist in the film. The swipe cuts right in front of the camera, like it was the viewer being attacked. This increases the fear element of trailer and immerses the audience right into the action. Also, as the blade finishes its arc, a transition to the main title screen occurs, which is an good example of excellent editing.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

In this shot, a close up on this girl’s face reveals something is not quite right as her face is unnaturally pale and her eyes are black. This creates an atmosphere of horror and adds to the supernatural essence of the trailer as black eyes have connotations of demonic possession, and therefore connotations of hell itself. Moreover, the fiery background makes the character look like she is stood in hell. The character seems to be staring in the direction of the camera, and right at the audience themselves, directly addressing the viewer and pulling them into the action. In addition, the possessed character is a young girl. Children, especially girls, have connotations of innocence and purity, so for the girl to be possessed is unnatural, as it ruins the innocence and purity of the character’s soul and increases the horror aspect in the trailer. These are all frequently seen in horror films and are common conventions in the genre as they have an excellent effect on the audience.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis

Coinciding with a change in music, both the titles and the music become more dynamic. In the titles, the camera appears to pan round a close up of a freeze frame. These dynamic close ups convey the messages to the audience while still keeping the viewer drawn into the action, which is important so as not to lose the whole effect of the trailer. The music increases in tempo, layers and dynamic at this point, becoming more intense and dramatic. This also keeps the audience in the action and helps to build tension and the right point. The shot length also gets shorter, creating a sense of chaos as the trailer reaches its climax. Additionally, a Halloween release is a common convention of the horror genre as Halloween is basically a celebration of horror, therefore horror films would be most popular at these times.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Trailer Analysis