I will first look at how the narrative of the trailer helps to introduce the film to the audience and also entice them into watching it. First of all the trailer doesn't give to much away, only setting the scene in a train station and creating a sense of scaryness with the heavy breathing of the character. This is followed by the introduction of a female character and then it goes on to use text on the screen to explain the situation in more detail, explaining the female has missed the last train home. It then uses a range of techniques (low level lighting etc) to set the scene as a sinister one, at the same time introducing a male character who appears to be injured, this leaves the question to the audience, how did he get injured? Another male character is also introduced, he appears to be distressed and this would again leave questions in the viewers mind as to why. The trailer then continues to show a lot of different scenes, in most of them there is someone running or screaming, this creates a scary tone on the film. It then cuts to show the film title, but after this you see a 'figure' wielding a blade, this allows the audience an idea of who is actually causing all this violence, but it doesnt give the full picture, this would hopefully entice the viewer of the trailer to go and see the film.
I will now focus on the camerawork of the trailer, The first shot of the trailer is a mid shot of the train station, this then cuts to a high angle shot of the female looking down the stairs, this could also be classed as a long shot, because it shows a lot of the train station, this helps to emphasise how alone the female is in the train station, and represents her as vulnerable. Further on into the trailer a tracking shot is used to follow the female as she walks down the platform, this connotes someone is watching her and emphasises the danger of the situation. After this there is a high angle shot of an injured male clinging onto the train carriage, this shows him to be very vulnerable. This is followed by a high angle mid shot of the female running down a platform, this shows the lady to be very distressed and also in danger, this is shown from the high angle shot to show her as helpless. Continuing on through the trailer a male is introduced, a handheld camera is used at stages to show the man and also to show scenes after him, for example a handheld camera is used to show someone running down a path. The technique of using a handheld camera is very useful in creating a sense of realism in a scene, it also helps to show the scene as erratic or unpredictable, both of which would produce fear in the audience. Right at the end of the trailer a mid shot is used to show possibly the person who is causing all this mayhem, it does not show the persons face, this is a very successful technique used by the directors because it keeps the audience guessing, it does not give them the full picture, possibly enticing them further into going to see the film.
Sound will now be my main point of focus in the trailer. For the first 20 seconds approximately the only sound heard in the trailer is the heavy breathing of a female character, this on its own wouldn't connote anything, but coupled with the slow moving camerawork and also the camera shot which was a long shot it helps to produce an air of fear amongst the viewers to what is going to happen to the female character. After this a sense of fear is brought about by the scary music being played in the background. The music then stops as the female character screams, this helps to create a sense that she is all alone because she is the only sound you can hear, making her seem more vulnerable also. Continuing on into the trailer you can hear ambient sounds, for e.g. the rattling of the train or an alarm going off, this helps to set a sense of realism. The alarm going off continues until nearly the end of the trailer, this is until all sound stops and the breathing from the beginning of the trailer returns, this again helps to reinforce the sinister situation that they are in.
Editing will now be my main focus in the trailer. The text is used again to separate certain parts of the trailer, this is possibly a convention of scary film trailers because the same technique was used in the 'Eden Lake' trailer. The text from this trailer reads "Missed the last train home? Dont worry, your not alone". This gives the audience an idea of what may happen in the train station, but again it neglects to give the full picture so there are still unanswered questions for the audience which may entice them in to go and see the film at a cinema. Editing is then used leading up to the end of the trailer, it is used to create fast cut editing, this is used to create a sense of unpredictability due to the speed that different scenes are being cut to and from, so ultimately reinforcing the fear being felt by the audience. The fast cut editing stops at the end of the trailer to show the female character alone in a corner holding a torch, this is used to reinforce her helplessness in the situation and also the extreme danger she is in.
I will now focus on the mise-en-scene in the trailer. In the opening sequence of the trailer high key lighting is used, this is possibly done to make a contrast between this and later scenes of the trailer. So the later scenes seem even more scarier than this one. The female character is wearing a grey jacket with a yellow dress on underneath, this yellow colour suggests she is not at all dangerous, it represents her as innocent almost. The next male man who is introduced is wearing a grey suit, he is injured, this doesn't represent innocence, the grey represents a boring type of person. The next male who is introduced is wearing a hoodie and jeans, this suggests he is of a lower social class than the female and male characters introduced before, this male also looks very scared of something. The directors of this film are possibly looking to show to the audience that no social class of person is safe from harm in this film, creating an even more sinister feeling to the film, because no one is safe. During these introductions of the two males the lighting is very dark, this alone would put fear into the audience. The trailer continues towards the fast cut editing section, during this a flash of sepia colour is shown, this is shown alongside an unknown figure, this helps to reinforce the scariness of the situation because the use of sepia is unusual, this is trying to suggests what goes on in the film is too. During the fast cut editing sequence a prop is used, this prop is a long blade type weapon, this gives the audience an idea of what is actually causing the mayhem in the train station, but again it leaves unanswered questions, for example who is using the blade? All of these unanswered questions in the trailer are all used on purpose to try and get the viewer of the trailer to go and buy the DVD or watch the film in the cinema. At the end of the trailer you get a glimpse of the person that is possibly causing all this mayhem; the figure is wearing a dark green cloak, this is very unusual attire, this costume is chosen to try and make the figure seem different to everybody else in the film, therefore creating a sense of fear around them.
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