Becca Case
A2 Media
Horror trailer analysis 1-Rebecca
1.The first shot in this trailer is the disclaimer telling the audience that the film has been approved for appropriate audiences. The next clip is of the Universal logo so that the audience knows what company this film has been made with. This is important because if it is a popular company such as Universal studios the audience will get a sense of how large budget of this film was and therefore they can judge that as it is a successful company the budget will be reasonably high. The first camera shot is an aerial establishing shot that shows an area of wilderness, a rural location which sets the scene for the film. For the first eight seconds of the trailer there is non-diegetic music where we hear birds tweeting creating a calm and peaceful tone. The tone of the trailer becomes more sinister as there is a key change in the music for one second, the key changes to a major and the sound of a door creaking as it opens in the shot is enhanced to add to the menacing feel of the film. There is minimal amount of lighting in the next shot as it is almost in complete darkness with two small sections of light coming through the door. The could highlight the abandonment of this house and that there is a reason why nobody lives there but the audience does not yet know why. As the door is pushed open there is a medium shot of an old man, the key change occurs as he pushes the door open and the calm and peaceful tone that was created near the begining slowly fades away and becomes more eerie. Therefore this creates an ominous feel to the film, because he has opened the door this will result in detrimental effects to him or others. Fade to black transition is used and cuts to a title. From the outset of this trailer we are able to grasp the genre of the film being horror through the sinister, eerie and at times enhanced non-diegetic sound, through the low-key lighting as well as through the mise-en-scene of a stereotypical abandoned house in the middle of a forest. The next clip of the titles emphasises the genre being horror due to the fact that the typography is a white serif font on a partially black background. This is one of the most stereotypical combinations for titles in horror movies because of the contrast in meaning. The black connotes death and mystery juxtaposed with white which connotes purity and innocence. The background on the titles promotes an eerie and uneartly atmosphere. A cut transition moves into a zoom/tracking shot of the hallway and we are able to see that it would be impossible for people to survive in a house as cold and unwelcoming as this. The low key lighting creates the atmosphere of death and lack of warmth and care that this house has. During this shot there is an enhanced sound of wings flapping and we see a butterfly fly acroos the hallway, this butterfly is a motif which is used throughout the film/trailer and could be a symbol of the haunting ghost/spirit that occupys this house which comes for Annabelle. There is a close up of a sock/ piece of child's clothing on the floorboard in the house showing that someone has been or lived here which is later revealed to be the two girls Victoria and Lilly. We see a close up of the old man holding a torch which lights up small spaces of the room however the rest of the room is still in darkness therefore even though the torch allows the man to see around the house there is still a lot that is unknown which emphasises the mysterious atmosphere. The non-diegetic music becomes quite threatening as we hear and see a creature of some sort scurry across the hallway in the distance. The non-diegetic sound presents us with a sharp piercing note which makes the audience feel on edge. A cut transition shows a close up of the old man with a look of terror in his face as he comes face to face with this creature. Another cut transiton is used to show a low angle shot looking up at this creature crouching on top of the fridge. The kitchen like the rest of the house is shown in low-key lighting and looks extremely dirty and neglected we can relate this mise-en-scene to the next clip where a scientist says that the two girls were found "in deplorable conditions". The non-diegetic sound continues with sharp piercing notes emphasising the baleful nature of this creature. We then cut to a low angle close up of the creature and we can see its features. it seems to be a form of woman however it is clear that it is not human as it looks as though it has two faces as well as this the way it is crouching on top of the fridge is almost as though it is an animal. This is similair to how Lilly moves around later in the trailer when they are enclosed in the room therefore this could raise an enigma amongst the audience of whether this creature was the person who nurtured into what they are now.
2. In this part of the trailer a voice over begins to give the audience a narration and the context of the film. The mise-en-scene of the room in which the girls are being kept depicts a typical young girls bedroom which is juxtaposed with the fact that these two girls are abnormal because of the situation they have been in. The high angle close up of the youngest girl conveys a sense of evil within her which can be seen through her facial expression and her eyes. There is a look of hatred in her eyes as though there is something within her. It then cuts to a zoom shot of the other girl in the corner, where she is sitting there is low key lighting and she is almost in darkness which could convey her dark and sinister personality which has been created through their experiences in the wilderness alone. The next shot is a long shot showing one of the girls standing in the doorway of the house in the middle of the forest. This shot shows a contrast in natural and artificial lighting as well as colour. Inside the house is low key artifical lighting which connotes that there is something inside the house that is threatening and creating a sense of danger for the girls. This is then contrasted with the outside which is natural lighting and conveys normality outside of the house. The white colour of the snow outside connotes the innocence and purity of the children and is contrasted with the darkness within the house.
3.The abnormality of these girls is emphasised through this scene as the man enters the room and says "Hello" , for a young child their automatic response would be to say hello back however for Victoria the close up shot highlights her wary and frightened emotions and the whip pan shows her scurry across the room and under the bed. It shows how they are uncivilised and have not been socialised into society like other children have. The voice over informs the audience that "how they survived is unexplainable" this potentially raises an enigma amongst the audience and they will wonder how they did survive and whether there was anything or anyone that helped them during the five years they were alone. A medium close up is shown of the man talking to the eldest girl reminding her that he is their uncle and she grabs him and hugs him. They haven't had any family around them for a long time and by her hugging him it shows her innocence and craving for love and protection from someone.
4.There is diegetic sound from the doctor who says that “Victoria and Lilly have a real chance at a normal life” during this dialogue there is a sound bridge and fade to black transition is used to enter the next clip. The sound bridge makes the words “normal life” continues into the next section where we see a panning close up shot of a young girl’s bed, conveying a typical bedroom for a young girl, where the woman is putting dolls on the bed for when they arrive. This emphasises the fact that they assume these girls will be able to have a “normal life” when they come to live with them. The cut transition to a two shot shows both the man and the woman in this bedroom highlighting that they are what depicts normality. However it is evident that the woman is unsure of this situation which we gather from the dialogue as the man asks her “are you sure about this?” and she replies “no” it is precise and conveys how she is not 100% certain that this is the best thing to do.
5.The non-diegetic sound then begins again with major as well as minor keys which creates a melancholy and sinister tone to this section. There is a low angle shot close up shot of the girls stepping out of the car showing only their feet which are contrasted with the man who is standing near them who is wearing shoes. This again is a contrast between the natural and unnatural. It emphasises how these girls have not been integrated into society and are almost animalistic which is also shown when they first go to see them and the youngest girl is crawling around on the ground as if she was a jungle animal. This particular clip is dominated by fast cut transitions and shot reverse shots between the girls and the adults. There is a close up of the woman’s face which shows her reluctance about this situation as she looks very worried. This is also emphasised through a shallow focus shot showing the man coming forward and crouching down to the girls’ level to talk to them whilst the woman is out of focus in the background keeping her distance. Another cut transition is used to a close up POV shot of Lilly hiding behind her sister’s arm she also look wary and unsure of this situation. A voice over is included of a child whispering “mama”. The whispering occurred when the girls are looking at the woman and therefore this could convey that they are associating her with a mother figure that will care and look after them. The fact that it is a whisper adds a sinister tone to why she is saying it. The next cut transitions shows a two shot of both adults crouching in front of the girls creating a sense of intimacy and caring nature of both. The dialogue emphasises the woman’s nerves and uncertainty of this she says “I’m Annabelle you can call me that…or whatever you want?” and the camera cuts back to the same shot of the Lilly hiding and the voice over “mama” is repeated highlighting that she wants to call her “mama”.
6.The theme of abnormality continues in this clip and there is a difference shown between the two girls from the low angle shot of the girls in the bedroom, Victoria is on the bed in the area of high key lighting whilst Lilly is hiding under the bed in an area of low key lighting. There is a contrast here between the two which may convey that Lilly is more uncivilised that Victoria as she is younger and therefore she would have had less time with their parents to learn how to be civilised before they were abandoned. This could also suggest that there is a form of darkness within Lilly that could emerge. This is reinforced by a cut transition to a close up of Lilly eating Victoria’s hair. This particular clip focuses on Lilly and how she acts as well as how sceptical the woman is about them being there. An over the shoulder shot shows the two adults in the kitchen washing up- reinforcing their normality. Dialogue is used to emphasise her concerns as she says “there is no way these girls are ready for this” it is a though she senses that there is something going to happen. It then cuts to a low angle close up with Lilly laying on the woman’s lap screaming and fighting her then enhanced sound effect is used to show the force of the smack that Lilly gives the woman on the face. A zoom shot is then used showing the woman curled up on a chair in the kitchen with a worried expression on her face and a voice over “and there is no way that I am ready for this”. The position that this woman is in on the chair can connote that she is reserved and does not want to open up to these girls and love them as her own because she is so afraid of what they are capable of which the voice over emphasises. The voice over becomes a sound bridge into the next clip where the two girls are drawing on the walls. A focus pull is used from Lilly’s face being in focus to the camera focusing on a black butterfly that she is looking at. Butterflies are a symbol of nature and beauty however this particular butterfly is black connoting death and is also a motif used throughout the trailer/film. The clip ends with a panning shot of the doctor/psychiatrist in their bedroom looking at the walls because of the sound bridge of dialogue from the woman telling him that “they talk to the walls”. The drawings on the walls are significant as they show women that could be conveyed as being possessed or dead. Therefore the fact that they talk to the walls could highlight that there is something within the house/them that is telling them what to draw.
7. This next clip highlights what was said in the previous one where the girls “talk to the walls” as there is a short shot of both girls standing in front of the wall in the darkness, the lack of light could suggest that this is happening at night. Lilly raises her hand to the wall and the voice over “mama” is repeated. Therefore this could answer an enigma as well as create more as they are saying “mamma” to the wall therefore the thing that they talk to could possibly be the ghost of their mother. However the other enigmas raised could be that why are they talking to their mother via a wall? As well as what is making them see/hear this ghostly figure? This section is dominated by very short clips with fade to black transitions. It is ironic how the psychiatrist says “it will get better” however these short clips with close ups and the non-diegetic sounds of dread from various major keys creating a ‘boom’ sound suggests that it will only get worse not better.
8. We see a close up of Victoria as she comes down the stairs and sees Lilly lying on the woman’s lap and they are ‘bonding’. This close up shows Victoria heavily breathing with a horrified look on her face as she sees this because she knows that this is not a good thing that is happening and the audience want to know why. This is emphasised through the non-diegetic music which sounds as though there is something in the house scurrying around and it seems as though Victoria senses this and knows it is coming as we see a close up of her looking up to the ceiling as though this thing is there and waiting to attack. Dramatic tension is built up making the audience think something is going to happen next however it is then released through a cut to a title with “this January” typography on. Therefore the audience feel a sense of relief. The typography is serif font in a conventional type of font which makes the text look as though parts are disintegrated. It also fits with the conventional colours of typography and it is white text on a black background. This relates to an on-going theme and contrast in the trailer of light and dark conveying innocence and death. The background is of a wall with black almost overtaking the cream colouring. This could convey the ghost/ evil spirit that is in the house which the girls talk to which is emerging from the wall. The clip ends with a low angle shot of the hallway with the staircase, there is no one there, the hallway and the bottom half of the stairs are in complete darkness however at the top of the stairs there is a little light which could symbolise that this thing is upstairs in the house or it could be a POV shot from this creature which is looking up at the stairs where the bedroom of the girls and the adults is situated looking at their ‘target’.
9.This clip shows the low angle shot of the hallway and stairs and the next shot can be interpreted as an insert shot as it shows what the person/creature downstairs was looking up at. The motif of the butterfly arises again here on its own, there is a close up shot of it and by it being of its own this could signify that the doom of death is coming to the house soon or that it is already within the house waiting for the right moment.
10.This clip is dominated by non-diegetic sound. In particular voice overs of indecipherable whispers however they convey the sense that this thing is close now and is coming for her. It could also suggest that she is now hearing these voices that the girls hear or that they are her thoughts however she is so confused and frughtened that she cannot think straight about this situation. Lighting is also key in the section as the lights within the house begin to flicker on and off and the lights begin to swing back and forth. This connotes the contrast between the known and unknown as when the lights are on you can see everything and know what is happening however when they are off it is unclear where anything is or who's presence you are in. Therefore this highlights the fact that Annabelle doesn't know what this thing is that is coming for her or when but she knows that there is something out there that wants her dead. Lights flcking on and off are also a convention used in horror films to signify something bad is going to happen soon and also that the house could be possessed. This section focuses on Annabelle and therefoe the camera privelges her because of the amount of screen time she is given throughout this trailer. Therefore as the audience we are supposed to side with her and sympathise for the situation she was in. At first she was afraid and sceptical then she bonded with the two girls and began to love them and because of this she is going to die. The end of this clip shows Annabelle sitting on the floor with her kness curled up to her chest and she has a sense of dread on her face as though she has realised what is going to happen to her. The way she is sitting is similar to how she sat in the kitchen where the girls first arrived which conveyed that she didn't want to open up to these girls because she feared what would happen and after she did open up this terrible thing is going to happen to her therefore she is shown curled up agan as if trying to protect herself.
11. Non-diegetic and diegetic sound is used in this clip to further build the tension. This clip is dominated with scenes between the woman and Victoria, they are both in the bathroom and close up shot reverse shots are used to promote the fear that Victoria holds because of this thing. She says to the woman “I don’t want you to get hurt” conveying that this thing is coming for her however the woman is naïve and says “nothing bad is going to happen to me”. She has now created a bond with these girls and she no longer has as much fear and worry that she had at the beginning. Despite this through the close up shots of Victoria face which show a sense of genuine fear the audience understands that whatever this thing is it is horrific as well as this we can begin to piece together parts of the story and maybe realise that this thing is a ghost or spirit of the girls’ mother who may be coming for this woman because she is now seen as their mother figure. Due to this we as an audience empathise for this woman because we have now realised what is most probably going to happen to her and she doesn’t have any idea. The music becomes very high pitched and macabre and Victoria’s heavy breathing is enhanced making it louder as she looks out at the corridor as if this thing is there however when Annabelle turns round there is nothing there. The end of this clip is not a fade to black instead it cut straight to a black screen which symbolises that death is coming closer.
12. The non-diegetic sound in this section becomes more menacing and the cut transitions are more frequent increasing the pace of the trailer and making the audience feel more on edge. Even the titles used in this section are not shown for as long as they were at the begining of the trailer. There is a close up of the doctor in the house with a torch and a voice over "where is she now?". Luke and Annabelle's house depicted normality at the beginning of this trailer and now it is abnormal and it much like the abandoned house in the forest. This is emphasised through the doctor and the torch as at the start of the trailer we saw an old man search the house with a torch which is what thie doctor is doing during this clip. Much like the abandoned house Luke and Annabelle's has gone into darkness, it signifies the unknown and the fact that they do not know what who this creature is and now that it is in the house they do not know where it is. This helps to create tension because due to the fact that no noe knows where this thing is they do not know when it is going to 'attack'. An insert shot is used to show what the doctor puts the torch on, it shows the wall which is turning black. This could signify that the house is being taken over by this creature and death is among those who live there especially Annabelle. Another insert shot is used when Annabelle standing in the hallway looking at something and cut transition shows us that she is looking at someone in the kitchen who we can associate with the creature because of the voice over from the doctor saying "is she here in this house?". The end of this clip includes a sound bridge, the section flashes to black and we hear one of the girls saying "Mama stop it you" there is then a pause as the next clip is shown of the two girls in a shallow focus shot and the sound bridge continues as we see Victoria saying "you promised". Many of the audiences initial enigmas are answered in this clip, we can gather that this creature is the girls mother or someone that they class as a mother figure. From the close up shot of Victoria's face we can see the terror on her face and we see that she is terrified of this thin they class as their "mama".
13. unlike many horror film trailers the pace of this trailer slows down at the end. Conventionally they start off with a slow pace and towards the end the cut transitions are closer together increasing the pace and tension. The title of the film "MAMA" is conventinoally placed at the end of the trailer because it is the last thing that the audiemce sees and threfore they will remember the name for when it is released in the cinema. The typography is the same as the other titles which are shown thoughout the trailer and are floating. The fact that the titles are floating and not static could represent this creature/ ghostly figure and it's presence in the film.