This document analyzes the trailer for the horror film Ouija. It summarizes that the trailer establishes the genre as horror through its fast pace and scary imagery. It creates a confusing narrative at first but eventually reveals that a girl was killed after playing with a Ouija board alone, and her friends now try to use the board to find clues about her death while avoiding the same fate. The target audience seems to be 16-25 year olds, as the actors appear to be in their early 20s, and the scary imagery and sounds are effective at eliciting emotions in viewers of that age range.
2. Genre
• This film is a horror film and this can be shown by the extreme fast pace of
the trailer and how it will often fade to black in situations of panic. An
iconic image which also signifies this is where the one female is being hang
by around her neck with lights. The use of non-diegetic screaming and
diegetic screaming can also show off this genre being a horror with the
convention of a female scream, this shows her isolation and fear. The
trailer identifies the genre well and I believe that it will also will be a big hit
as it says within one of the inter-titles ‘This Halloween’ which shows its
realise date of being on Halloween drawing in teenagers to view it on
Halloween, and as Halloween is linked with horror within movies and in the
real world with scaring people I believe it shows the genre of horror
extremely well.
3. Narrative
• The trailer creates a sense of narrative as it goes on, you get the main plot
of the film as it gets deeper into the trailer as at the start you do not know
what you are dealing with but as you dig deeper you find that the girl
played the Ouija board on her own and become cursed and got killed, her
friends are there to see if they can find out information and they play the
game. By playing the game is says they are captured within the game and
have to finish it before they can find out any evidence about the
murder/suicide of her friend. This has a rather confusing narrative shown
at the start of the trailer but as it goes on it becomes a lot more clear and
the people begin to see the danger in which they are in and try to
complete the board and realise the hauntings from happening to them and
if they don’t it might kill them like it did with there friend.
4. Unique selling point
• The film trailer lasts for 2.30 seconds and has around 120 shots in it, it
was extremely fast so I was unable to get a correct amount of shots
but that is how many I was able to count in the short period of time.
• This film star Oliva Cook who has been recently been in a few big
horror films which have been produced within 2014 such as The
Signal and The Quiet ones, people may be influenced to come watch
if they have enjoyed other films she has played in and has enjoyed it
so they feel they will also enjoy this film too.
5. Target audience
• The target audience of this film is going to be based around the 16/25 year
old bracket as they actors within the film seem around 21 and this is where
I have gained my estimation for this age range.
• I believe that the film can be aimed at both males and females with the
used of balance with characters within the film makes it seem that they are
trying to widen the target audience and making it physically viewer friendly
with both genders.
• I believe as a person within that age range it has done an excellent job at
reaching out to this target audience as the imagery and sound effects used
are extremely effective on ones emotions when watching the trailer and
also how to react when the group is often in trouble of beginning to suffer.
6. Camera shots
• The first shot which is shown is an establishing shot of the house, this
is commonly used to trailers to establish where the main movie is
going to take place.
7. Camera shots
• This is an important shot early on as it signals death or tragedy in
which most horror trailers will show, this is a long, low angled shot of
a female hanging dead, this is important as it leads on to the main
topic of the story and shows of a huge aim of the film.
8. Camera angles
• This is a high angled long/wide shot of a group of friends also
showing off the main characters of which will be shown within the
main plot of the film, these are also the friends of the person who has
died so it shows they are seeking to find what actually happened to
her.
9. Camera angles
• This is an extremely close up. The first movement of the Ouija board
is the first break of the equilibrium, this shows how things are about
to change and they are in depths in which they cannot control and
have no power over.
10. Camera angles
• This is a extreme long shot of the group of friends. At this point you
can see a huge change of lighting within the room showing that
whatever they have unleashed from within the game is going to begin
controlling them with what little power they have themselves and
influencing there every move.
11. Camera angles
• This shows a low angles long shot of the house and the female,
showing that she is returning, this is shown in many horror films
returning to the scene of a crime/important area.
12. Camera Angles
• This long/wide shots, shows them seeking help, this is often seen
within trailers as it shows them trying to fix the equilibrium which has
been broken.
13. Camera angles
• The final shot is often meant to be the shot which leaves the biggest
impression on the viewer. This medium close up of the women's facial
expressions and her eyes rolled to the back of her head does an
extremely good job of this.
14. Relationship between characters
You can see that these are a close group of friends that have recently
lost a close friend within the group and are looking for answers.
The one main female, the friend who died she was an extremely close
friend and it goes on to say with the use of diegetic dialogue that she
‘even though someone you love has died there must be a way you can
still talk to them’ This shows that she was an extremely close friend to
her and that she doesn’t want to throw away what they had just
because she had fallen to her fate.
There is no clear signs of relationships within the group but they all
seem quite tight as a unit of friends and that they are all willing to try
and help create peace with the death of her friend within the house.
15. Mise-en-scene
• The mise-en-scene of this film is rather dark and disturbing, the lighting is
extremely dark through-out giving an eerie feel to the film and making the
viewer feel uncomfortable from the start and throughout.
• It is set in a modern period with the house and other things such as
cameras and phones being shown showing that it is up to date with
modern technology establishing a time period of within the 2000+
• The house it is set in is a quiet and peaceful stereotypically house with the
calm coloured walls and nice lawn etc. but it then hides its secrets within
the board and when this board is found it is shown with a dark light upon it
showing it is not good for the environment that it is in.
16. Music/mood
• The mood of the trailer is extremely pushed towards the rhythm of the sound
track which is being played in the background. There are a lot of used of non-diegetic
dialogue with examples such as children's toys being played with, lots of
whispering going on in the background of shots, and the sound of stuff banging
or breaking in the background of shots in a heart beating rhythm.
• With the start it has an eerie tone to it with the sounds of a high pitch beating
noise at a reasonable quick pace and then drops dramatically this shows that
there is going to be something bad happening as it is building up, the movie after
this has a real eerie feels to it and with the soundtrack in the background which is
apparent this adds to the mood of the film. This period lasts for a very long time
until the main breakdown of the montage, until then it keeps the eerie feel of the
unknown and that anything can happen, when it breakdown you can hear a large
banging noise on a drum which shows a huge break in the mood and that it is
beginning to get worse and the mood is becoming horrific for the viewer and
hard to watch as it becomes more demonic. It fades of softly with the title
flowing which calms the mood but also shows that it is not over yet…
17. Pace
• The pace of the film seems very consistent through-out, it started of a
little bit slower than it did within the montage of clips at the end but
it wasn’t that much quicker than the start and break of the
equilibrium. It is an extremely fast based trailer all around and has
action all through-out from the opening scene of a girl being hung to
them being followed being followed by a spirit of the game. It is
effective the pace of the trailer as it shows of fear all throughout and
a sense of no escape.
18. Dialogue
• The use of diegetic dialogue is very important through this trailer as that is how you are able to get the main
idea of the plot/narrative across to the audience.
• Important things which have been said such as…
• ‘even though someone you love has died there must be a way you can still talk to them’
• ‘Spirits may we call to you’
• ‘It just spelt Hi Friend’
• ‘I am done with this’
• ‘she woke something up’
• ‘you have to break the connection’
• ‘we have to play the game again’
• ‘did you kill Debby’
• ‘We are done we are not playing anymore’
• These all give direction into the scene and how the plot is being twisted to make the scene either trying to
fix the equilibrium or it is being disrupted even more.
19. Special effects
• There is quite a few instances where CGI’s are used to create a
disturbing image of what looks like a demon or ghost, this can be
seen many times in the back of shots of main characters or singly
running towards the camera
• There is a lot of use with fading to black and often blurring to focus in
on an object to create a jump scare affect of the viewer by catching
them by surprise.
• I believe the editing in this trailer is extremely good as they create a
huge sense of realism and panic through-out and the effects used and
timing of them is extremely important to creating this feel about the
film.
20. Credits and intertitles
• At the start it shows of the links the movie is with such as Universal coming up
showing it is a movie from that branding.
• ‘Some call it a spirit board’
• ‘It has existed for centuries’
• ‘it is used to communicate’
• ‘with the other side’
• From the producers of Texas chainsaw massacre, insidious
• ‘This Halloween’
• ‘Keep telling yourself its just a game’
• These link to the audience reminding you of how the game can effect you and
how it is linked with the dead. These are extremely effective in reaching out and
grabbing those who watch it.
21. Code of enigma…
• A few questions which starts of in the films are…
• Why did the girl first hang herself/what did within the first scene?
• Do they finally escape the game and become free?
• Who is causing all of the hurt between the friends?
• Who is possessing the board game?
• Why is it possessing the board game and what is its intentions?
22. Film Trailers
• Film trailers are excellent promotional devices as they interact with
you and you can gain an emotional bond with the viewer as they may
be able to relate to someone within the film and share emotions with
what they are seeing by past experiences.
• Compared to posters they are extremely effective as it shows
important rolls within the film and characters and more of a story line
which draws in the viewer more effectively than a still image.
