A2 COURSEWORK RESEARCH TASK

1. TRAILER ANALYSIS
Afshana Aktar

2. The Conjuring
1.Conventions used: MPAA certificate, voice overs,
logos of institution, new home - big house, trees,
flash cards, date, wind chimes, kissing scene.
2.Camera work: Slow zoom in, track, eye level, slow
panning to right, establishing shot.
3.Editing: Still cuts, old film effect, black & white
effect, fade in/out , 180 rule.
4.Sound: Low boom, film reel effect, deep voice
over, light piano music, faded blurred chatter,
matchstick fired.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: Based on a true story family who
moved into a new house where there was a murder
from 1863.
7.Representation: Big house and woods– haunted.
“It’s going to be great” enigma code to show
something bad is coming. Matchstick on fire –
something dark is around. ‘Story’ – Horror/scary.
8.Institutions: Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema
9.Values and Ideology: Based on a true case study
of ‘Warrens’’. Moving into a house with a haunted
history will led to trouble.
Oculus
1.Conventions used: MPAA certificate, mirror,
logo of institutions, hospital.
2.Camera work: High angle, extreme close
up, close up, long shot, wide shot, two shot,
over shoulder.
3.Editing: Cut into, images of logos.
4.Sound: Low booms, heavy bass, echoing,
horror sound effects, paced music, dialogue.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: Woman discovered a mirror
“again” and her brother is released from a
hospital. They can now finally keep their
promise.
7.Representation: Standing in front of a mirror
– searching for something. White cover –
hidden secrets. Red nails – death, horror,
blood. White sheets coving life sized models
– the unknown. Doctors – treatment, help.
8.Institutions: Blumhouse Productions, WWE
Studios, Intrepid Pictures.
9.Values and Ideology: Promises should
always be kept.

3. The Conjuring
1.Conventions used: Old worn out pictures, dolls,
graveyard, skull, cross, newspaper, documentary like
interviews, old toys, bulb switching on in basement,
grandfather clock, black and white, dim lighting.
2.Camera work: Still shots, track, low angle, zoom, over
shoulder shot.
3.Editing: Old film effect, black & white effect, flash,
newspaper flip down to right, quick fast shots, slow
zoom in, fade out, crane up, panning forward, voice
over.
4.Sound: Film reel effect, high pitch screech, ticking
speeding up, deep bass, wind chimes, dialogue
diegesis, door creek, low scary music.
5.Genre: Horror.
6.Narrative: Family speak out for the first time, was told
to keep lights on of first night. Roger thought something
was wrong.
7.Representation: Old film effect on house – haunted.
Dolls’ head in dirt – distortion. Graveyard and skull -
death. Cross – Religion/Christianity. Censored faces –
mystery. “Until now” – Exclusivity. Low angle dark cellar
– hidden dark entities. Long shot of window –
something is watching. Door opening – a presence.
8.Institutions: Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema
9.Values and Ideology: For this part in the trailer it
shows to trust your instincts and protect your family.
Oculus
1.Conventions used: Video cameras, big room, white,
mirror covered, pictures of evidence, family.
2.Camera work: Two shot, close up, long shot, eye
level, track forward, high angles, over shoulder.
3.Editing: Shot reverse shot, match on action, quick
flash shots of images, dim lighting, fade out, zoom in,
flash.
4.Sound: Horror sound effects, beeping of technology,
dialogue, drone paced, pitch raising effect , light piano
music, rodent like rat screeching sounds
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: To kill something. A woman named Kaylie
Ann Russell wants to prove the mirror “is responsible
for at least 45 deaths”. The family moved into a new
house. The father started hearing things and the
daughter started seeing things.
7.Representation: Camera – evidence, witnessing,
truth. Siblings – bond, history, been through
experiences together. Daughter grown up – strength
increased. Pictures – victims. Parenthood , care, love,
new beginnings.
8.Institutions: Blumhouse Productions, WWE Studios,
Intrepid Pictures.
9.Values and Ideology: Follow through your promises
and take action do not wait any longer. Justice,
avenging deaths. Sometimes new things aren’t needed.

4. The Conjuring
1.Conventions used: Interviews, basement,
dressing gown and robe, portraits, grand old
staircase, low lighting, bedroom, bedroom door shut
and opened alone, toddler, dim lighting.
2.Camera work: Crane, eye level, tilt down, zoom,
over shoulder, high angle.
3.Editing: Most interviews here – explanations
shown with certain matching scenes from the film,
180 rule.
4.Sound: Ticking noises, dialogue, smashing of
objects, inhale sounds, faint screams, door shutting,
deep low horror music.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: Strange things started happening
around the house. Spirit formed an attachment to
the youngest child of family.
7.Representation: Basement – The underworld of
evil. Portraits falling – danger/targets. Child and
child's toys – innocence.
8.Institutions: Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema
9.Values and Ideology: Seeing is believing ; the
bedroom scene where the girl was woken up she
accused her sister of pulling her leg. Once she saw
something then she knew who it was.
Oculus
1.Conventions used: Dark room, children, night clothes,
mother being attacked, red clothing, white nightgown,
mirror, flash cards.
2.Camera work: Pan, over should shot, two shot, mid
shot, long shot, zoom, low angle, close up, point of
view, track back.
3.Editing: Dim lighting, face effects illuminating eyes,
fade out, cut shots, zoom, flash, titles.
4.Sound: Pitch flash out and in, low booms, light
flickering effects, faint screams, deep bass, raising of
high pitches, dialogue, door opening.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: Father allegedly killed the children's
mother. Mother was a victim to the mirror. Sister wants
to prove there’s a supernatural force within the mirror.
Brother wants to back out, sister wants his support and
to “never forget” what happened so they can get justice.
7.Representation: Evil entity – possession. Red top –
death, danger, blood. Two shots – bond, relationship,
connection, experiences. Mother – vulnerable. Father –
protector. Past – reliving history.
8.Institutions: Blumhouse Productions, WWE Studios,
Intrepid Pictures.
9.Values and Ideology: The past shouldn’t be left
forgotten. Follow through the promise and achieve it.
Trust your loved ones. Work hard to find out the truth
and share that knowledge. The past impacts the future.

5. The Conjuring
1.Conventions used: Old toys, rocking chair, small child,
mother, flashlight, white dressing gown, screams, laying
on bed alone, mirror, big bed, hair being played with,
person thrown across the room, dim lighting.
2.Camera work: Extreme close up, over shoulder shot,
track, close ups, pan, mid shots, long shot, two shot.
3.Editing: Reflection on face, focus an object (mirror)
with background blurred, slow zoom into blurred image,
loud distort sound effects, voice over of whisper,
invisible effect with harness, shot reverse shot.
4.Sound: Dialogue, whisper, scary background music,
echoing, volume raised up for shock sound effects,
birds tweeting, wind chimes, screams.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: A boy who previous lived there had
something “bad” happen to him. Things started
happening to the mother – soon the whole family
witnessed it all.
7.Representation: Child and toy – innocence.
Motherhood. Two shot – reflection of parent role
showing similarity of their love and attachment for their
children. Pink – girls.
8.Institutions: Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema
9.Values and Ideology: Believe what the children say,
not all what they witness is false. Don’t be alone. “Most
vulnerable” get targeted.
Oculus
1.Conventions used: Crying scared children, trying to
get through a person repeating name, illusions, red (top
and apple), minimal lighting.
2.Camera work: Close up, low angle, eye level, over
shoulder shot, high angle, long shot, extreme close up.
3.Editing: Dark lighting with spot lights illuminating
chosen faces, quick flash, shot reverse shot, 180 rule,
scene colour change, flash cards, match on action
4.Sound: High pitch drone sound effects, horror music,
vibrated deep bass, various boom sound effects,
crunching of apple, glass shatter, whispers, dialogue.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: Brother witnesses the evil, starts to see his
past before his eyes. Confusing between past and
present. Witnessing illusions and having confusing
proving supernatural behaviour within the mirror.
7.Representation: Boy behind door – scared, secrets.
Older sister consoling boy – protection. Children – fear.
Mirror – reflection of illusions. Red apple and top –
blood, danger, horror.
8.Institutions: Blumhouse Productions, WWE Studios,
Intrepid Pictures.
9.Values and Ideology: Remember what you saw,
strange behaviour is real, be careful of what you do.

6. The Conjuring
1.Conventions used: Flash cards, “from the director
of…”, bats, police cars, date, screams, title,
institution logos, dim lighting.
2.Camera work: Crane back, point of view, close up,
mid shot, long shot, low angle, eye level, extreme
close up, over shoulder, wide shot.
3.Editing: Flash cards, bat screeching effect, glass
shattering enhanced, interviews inserts, fast paced
shots, ending title flashing in fading out.
4.Sound: Bats, glass breaking, dialogue, voice
overs, horror sound effects, screams, exploding
glass, shouting, flame, clap, echoing.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: This happened 30 years ago. No one
would have believed them then. This story is true.
7.Representation: Big house – haunted. Car –
safety. Person being covered – sacrifice, captured,
slave. Children – vulnerable, scared. Little source of
light – little amount of hope.
8.Institutions: Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema.
9.Values and Ideology: People would believe the
family of what situation they were in 30 years ago.
People are more understanding of things now. The
awareness of evil entities and spirits has widen
societies knowledge on such a subject,
Oculus
1.Conventions used: Flash cards, running, chasing,
white gown, weapons, door handle, body dragging,
strangling, mirror, biting.
2.Camera work: eye level, over shoulder, mid shot, low
angle, extreme close up, 180 rule, high angle, wide
shot.
3.Editing: Flash cards, match on action, quick shots
flashing, dim lighting, shot length clips, blue hue
lighting, flash out to flash in. Ending titles.
4.Sound: Dialogue, horror music becomes more quick
paced, revolving shutter sounds, raising pitch, echoed
pitch, whispers, distort voice, loud deep boom.
5.Genre: Horror
6.Narrative: Scary stuff happens to the children which
they have to escape from. Mother tries to attack them,
father claims he is the ‘devil’.
7.Representation: Running – captured, trying to escape,
finding freedom. Hand on door – something is present,
something is entering. Blue lighting – cold, emptiness.
Eyes – witness, observation.
8.Institutions: Blumhouse Productions, WWE Studios,
Intrepid Pictures.
9.Values and Ideology: Bad things which are not
stopped will continue. Don’t be afraid. Change for the
better and tackle the issues.