2. Camerawork
Tracking – The camera, positioned behind the child, follows the
toy the child is following. This creates the impression that the
boy is being lured into the dark room we can see in the
background. As a result, the feeling of tension rises in the
audience as they anticipate whatever is in the room. Dark
rooms are also a stereotypical element used in thrillers as
whatever is inside them remains a mystery to the audience,
forcing them into using their imagination.
Tracking
Long-shot – This type of shot shows the isolation of the
setting; again, isolated areas are a commonly used
location for thrillers/ghost-based films. The long shot
demonstrates that the characters are alone and far from
help should they need it.
Long-shot
Two-shot – The two-shot here shows a confrontation between
the two parents and their teenage daughter, who has been
victim to attack from one of the ghosts. Because of this
confrontation, it gives the impression that the children have
to ‘fight’ the ghosts without the aid of their parents, resulting
in more tension in the audience (as children are more naïve
and unwise. The film is also aimed at an audience that would
be able to relate to the confrontation between parent and
child, so it makes the film more appealing.
Two-shot
3. Editing
Cutting – Cutting is a convention of film trailers and is the most frequently used editing technique. It has the
effect of hinting at plot details, which results in the audience wanting to know what happens in the whole film.
It also teases the audience, giving them shots from a large variety of scenes but not explicitly showing what
actually happens. This provokes curiosity; the audience again wants to know what is happening and why. The
arrangement of cut scenes may add different elements to the trailer, such as humor, however this technique
has not been used in The Messengers trailer.
Fade – Fades, like cutting, a a common editing technique used in film trailers. They offer a slow progression
between shots, building tension in the audience as they anticipate the next scene that slowly appears. The
slow progression also mimics the ghostly element to the film as a whole; ghosts fade in and out of vision, just like
the shots used in the trailer.
Overlay – This technique links two scenes together. In this
example, a newspaper extract has been laid over a shot of a
forested area that has been cut-off with police tape, indicating it
is/has been a crime scene. The title of the newspaper extract says
‘Vanished Without A Trace’ – this creates a sense of mystery and
curiosity amongst the audience; it also serves as a clue to the
audience that the family that have mysteriously disappeared are
the ghosts that haunt the main characters. Overlay
4. Mise-en-Scene
Lighting – The lighting used in this trailer is modally low-key - this
creates many shadows so a lot of the scene is hidden; because of
this, a sense of fear is formed in the audience as they cannot see
what is/isn’t there or what’s coming (which also builds tension).
Low-key lighting is very often used in films of this genre for the
reason of the amount of tension it builds.
Costume – The main characters wear modern clothing, Low-key lighting
so it is evident that the film is set in recent times. The
ghosts, however, wear clothes that are outdated,
showing that they died a long time ago. This, along with
the fact that the ghosts aren’t in colour, is a stereotypical
factor used in ghost-based films.
Make-up:
The make-up on the ghosts is most effective; they appear to have
white eyes and very veiny, pale skin – this is to make them look Ghost make-up
dead and very haunting to the audience. The fact they have no
eyes indicates that they are soul-less (eyes being the ‘window to
the soul’), again adding emphasis to the fact that they are dead.
The scene with a close-up of the ghost’s face in is very brief and
lasts for just a fraction of a second; this adds tension to the
audience and also provokes curiosity further; they want to know
what they just witnessed.
Make-up is also used to create bruises on the girls arm; this
suggests at th ghosts strength and power. It also highlights that
they have bad intentions (another stereotype in ghost films) The
audience want to know what exactly gave her the bruises and
how it happened, so, again, curiosity is generated.
Bruising
5. Sound
Voice-over – At the beginning of the trailer, a male voice can be heard explaining that there is ‘evidence to
suggest’ that children can witness supernatural occurrences with greater ease than adults. This is done to
give the audience background information on what the film is about, and so aids their understanding of the
film as a whole.
Dialogue – The dialogue used in the trailer in extracts from the film also help to tell the storyline. The dialogue
content also adds to the impact of the trailer, creating a sense of mystery and fear. For example, the mother
says to her child “It’s easy to understand getting scared out here” – this quote makes the audience
interested in knowing what they are actually scared of
Non-diegetic music - The music used in this film trailer builds tension in the audience. It has a very eerie and
haunting sound to it; the typical style of music used In ghost films
Sound effects:
Screaming – A highly stereotypical sound used in thrillers, screaming is an obvious indicator of fear. The audience will
recognize the scream as a call for help and associate it with terror; they also begin to wonder what the girl is screaming at
Eerie breathing – Heavy or raspy breathing, like screaming, is a very common sound used in ghost films. Because of tis, the
audience will associate it with ghosts/the undead, and wonder what supernatural being is featured in the film they are
previewing.
6. Other Conventions
Viewing certificates are shown at the beginning of every film
trailer to inform the audience of who should be able to
watching the trailer.
As with all trailers, the producers/
distributors logos are displayed
on screen
