Trailer Conventions

Silent Hill: Revelation

Narrative

The female character and her father are running from something in Silent Hill, this something kept a mystery mostly, only possible links are monsters. Trailer refers to a mysterious symbol many times creating the enigma code for the audience of what it means.

Characters

Heather – Brave female protagonist

Harry – Protective father

Vincent – Friend/Helper/Possible love interest

Heather has very strong relationship with her father and Vincent wants to help her find him.         

Themes

Many universal themes included so that the audience can relate to the film such as:

Family – Father clearly cares for Heather.

Good and Evil – Heather is good whilst little girl in black is evil.

Mystery – Symbol not identified at all in the trailer.

The Past – It is clear that they have been in bad situations in the past.

Style - Lighting

Mostly low-key lighting as darkness is scary. Use of flashing lights in some scenes from on and off to obstruct vision so the audience can’t see what’s coming.

Style – Mise en Scene

People in Silent Hill wear very messy rag clothing to show they are poor and scared or perhaps crazy, quite a generic trope of horror films to include crazy characters such as this.

Make-up of the scars used on the residents of Silent Hill shows they have been through a lot, perhaps even torture, which has distorted their personalities and damaged them both physically and mentally.

Prop of the golden symbol creates a lot of mystery for the film and is a strong focus for the audience.    

Style – Sound

Loud screams at some points of silence to create a scary effect and make the audience jump. Music starts off quite mysterious then builds as a crescendo to loud and fast paced. Soundtrack quite loud at some points of fear in comparison to when there is little action and nothing scary is happening.

Style – Editing

Lots of short takes in montages so that the audience cannot make sense of what they are seeing.

Most long takes followed up by a jump scare or disturbing visual to give audience a false sense of security briefly, creating lots of fear and suspense.

Very fast paced editing to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Industry Details

Sean Bean – Well known actor in films.

Kit Harrington – Not very well known at the time but famous now.

Social media link left at end of trailer as well as a Twitter hashtag to raise awareness.

Captions all very bold, covered in blood for horror effect, placed at different times in the trailer to build suspense each time.

Release date on Halloween, known time for horror.

Film is a sequel, based off of a video game series.  

Locations

Normal school, creates fear when it changes to a scary dark mineshaft area with a monster in it.

Dark house with bloody message creates fear because of how dark it is.

Silent Hill main location, uses Carol Clover’s ‘terrible place’ theory, features lots of ash, fiery fairground, dark warehouse with webs, emphasising on lots of common phobias makes it scary.

The Conjuring

Narrative

Ed and Lorraine are paranormal investigators and a family calls them to investigate their home. They quickly discover that their house is haunted by a very angry spirit wanting revenge. They conclude that something horrible has happened there and they want to find out what. The reason for this haunting is not revealed in the trailer so that the enigma code tempts the audience to go see the film.

Characters

Ed and Lorraine could be seen as the heroes of the film, whilst the spirit could be the villain however none of the character seem to have a specific role in the film. Ed and Lorraine have a very close relationship as they are married and care about each other. The family in the house also appear to be close. It appears that Ed is more likely to survive the film as Lorrain repeatedly encounters the spirit in the trailer. 

     

Themes

Universal themes included in the film are:

Mystery – Investigators want to find out what happened in the house.

The Past – It is clear that this haunting was caused by an event in the past.

Evil – The spirit haunting them is clearly pure evil but may be a result of a more sinister incident.

Style - Lighting

Lighting effect used in the first scene of the trailer to portray it being an old clip. Overall lighting was quite low-key whenever something bad was happening however there was also moderate use of high-key lighting to lead the audience into thinking nothing bad will happen. The dark colours and lighting used created fear and suspense as they created a grim atmosphere for the film where the audience didn’t know when something bad was going to happen.

Style – Mise en Scene

Flashlight used quite a lot to represent darkness consuming the house and Ed/Lorraine trying to repel it. Makeup used on the spirit to make it look old and scary to the audience. The costumes were quite plain and dark to fit with the atmosphere of the film, e.g. spirit wearing a dirty white gown.   

Style – Sound

Trope of child’s laugh used at the beginning to disturb audience. Happy music juxtaposed with disturbing imagery to continue to build fear and suspense. Silence used as a build up to loud sounds such as a scream or a sharp screeching noise to make the audience jump, releasing the fear and suspense.

Style – Editing

Lots of long takes used to build suspense as audience is forced to wait for something to happen such as a jump scare. Longest long take several seconds long so that the audience doesn’t know when to expect the climax of the shot being the spirit jumping out, building fear and suspense throughout. Some short takes used to confuse the audience as they don’t have enough time to identify everything in the shot, leaving some mystery for the film.

Industry Details

Warner Bros and New Line Cinema, big studios so the audience knows this is a big film. Twitter hashtag and Facebook link remain at bottom of the screen for entirety of the trailer to raise awareness of the film. Style of the caption screens bold and white so they give an old effect as they look plain and spooky. Caption screens placed apart throughout the trailer so they slowly reveal more about the film as the trailer progresses.

Locations

Dark basement creates fear as the audience cannot see very well and they’re expecting something scary to be in there, building suspense.

Theatre where they Ed and Lorraine show their footage, doesn’t create any fear or suspense as it almost relaxes the audience from the suspense of the previous scene.

Main house for the film, clearly using Carol Clover’s ‘terrible place’ theory because it is secluded from other houses near a dead tree, creating lots of fear and suspense because it is so dark and mysterious there.

Captain America: Civil War

Narrative

Captain America has gone against the law by protecting an old friend who was mind controlled into killing many important people in the world. He believes that the superheroes should not have to be held down by the military however Iron Man thinks the opposite, causing the two of them to gather teams and fight for their conflicting beliefs. This is different to conventions of horror films because not many enigma codes are created from the trailer other than of course who will win the fight.

Characters

Captain America and Bucky clearly have a very close relationship as the two of them would go through so much together.

As it is a superhero film, it is hard to identify who the main antagonist is from the trailer other than perhaps Iron Man who is typically known as the hero whilst Captain America is given more of a hero status as it is his film. From the trailer it seems that Captain America and Bucjy will make it through the film whilst it seems like Iron Man and War Machine might die.     

Themes

Universal themes included in the film are:

Friendship – Captain America is staying by Bucky’s side even though he has done wrong.

Justice – Captain America wants justice for Bucky and will fight for it.

Betrayal – Iron Man feels betrayed by Captain America because he has chosen Bucky over him.

Style - Lighting

The lighting changes between low-key and high-key, suggesting that this instalment in the franchise is more serious than the rest. Although the film is part of a different genre to horror films this film in particular follows some aspects of horror films through the use of low-key lighting to create suspense.

Style – Mise en Scene

Dirty costumes on some of the characters in the first scene of the trailer suggests a fight or struggle previously. Fully armed soldiers in the next scene solidifies this idea as they are later seen to be fighting Captain America and Bucky, showing that they are going against the law. Explosions and bullets everywhere also depict the fast paced action that accompanies the film’s dialogue. Multiple characters in different costumes show that they are all serious in fighting each other.        

Style – Sound

Music is quite slow-paced and quiet for majority of the trailer before increasing in tempo towards the end when the major fight begins. The backing track is very dramatic to relay how intense this film will be, which is a common trope of horror films as well as they often use music to build suspense and display tension.

Style – Editing

There is consistent use of short takes in the trailer to convey the fast paced action in the film whilst also occasionally using long takes to alternatively portray a deep story as well. There is a lot of fast fades to black used in the trailer as well so that the audience cannot fully see how the film will play out and end.

Industry Details

Marvel studios is a hugely successful and well known comic book studio that has also expanded into film and television. The characters are also very well-known and liked by both children and adults, which is a major factor why their large collection of films are so successful. 

Locations

Dark grimy room creates suspense as it is hard to tell where the characters are in that scene. Busy streets are used to show chaos as people are screaming and getting in the way. When inside lighting is generally low-key to show seriousness when dialogue is taking place.

Assassin’s Creed

Narrative

Not much of the plot is revealed in the trailer, only that the film takes place in two time periods, and there is a lot of action and fighting in both. However, a voice-over is included during the shots of the old time period, to give the audience a very brief idea of the premise of the film. This is conventional for all genres, because otherwise, the audience would be told a lot less about the film, and would therefore be less interested in paying to watch it.

Style - Lighting

In the modern day scene, the lighting is mostly high-key, although instead of creating a sense of safety as seen in the trailers I previously analysed, it is instead used to portray wealth, as the protagonist appears to be in a scientific laboratory of some kind. The scenes in the old time period completely contrast this, because there is a lot of low-key lighting, this time suggesting poverty and danger. This technique is more commonly used to set the tone of the scene, for example a dark setting may suggest something bad will happen, however in this trailer, it is used more to display wealth than danger, although the latter is slightly hinted.

Style - Editing

There is a lot of switching between the two time periods, which suggests that this will constantly happen throughout the full-length film. This has likely been included to keep the audience engaged, because they may get tired of watching a certain scene, but then be invested in the film once it changed to a different setting. On top of this, there is an interesting transition to the first time we see the old time period, as the camera seems to quickly zoom into the protagonist's eye, and into the new setting. This technique is rarely seen in any movies, although it is more likely to appear in genres such as thriller, as the close up and extreme close up can show a character's emotions in an interesting way.

In addition to this, the majority of the takes are short, as to again, retain the audience's attention through the action-packed scenes. However, in one of the shots, we see the protagonist leaping between buildings and, tension is created via the use of the slow-motion, as it is initially unclear whether he will make the jump or not. Again, slow-motion is very rare in horror films, and is more common in genres such as action films, in which it is needed for the audience to be able to take it all in.

Characters

Immediately, the protagonist is revealed to the audience. The male character fits with Propp's theory, as he is clearly shown to be the 'hero' of the film. The same actor - Michael Fassbender, is used to play the part of the protagonist in the old time period, suggesting that the two protagonists are related, as I doubt the lack of budget is the reason for the actor's repeated appearance. Although we aren't shown much about the present day protagonist, we are shown that the old time protagonist is very much a hero as he is shown leaping between buildings and fighting enemies, further supporting Propp's theory.

We are shown very little supporting characters, only a female scientist in the modern day, and a fellow assassin in the past scenes, along with multiple scientist extras and possibly the reveal of the male antagonist of the past time period. The two contrast each other, as the modern day character is presented to be more of an antagonist as she forces the protagonist to co-operate with her, whereas the female character in the past is shown to be helping the past protagonist towards his goals. Both female characters are shown to be strong and independent, which conflicts with Propp's theory, which suggests that women are the typical 'damsels in distress' and need rescuing most of the time, which is typically the male protagonist's role.

Style - Mise-En-Scene

In the modern day, the supporting female character is shown to be wearing a white lab coat, therefore supporting the idea that she is a scientist, and presenting a sense of purity and professionalism, however the protagonist's costume is unclear, due to the repeated use of close ups. In the past scenes, most, if not all, of the characters are wearing robes, or long, flowing costumes which may have been included to support the fact that it takes place in the past, or perhaps because this is the signature costume of the franchise and so fans will recognise it more and be more inclined to watch the film.

Industry Details

The star's name is not displayed in the trailer, which means that the production company is unable to take advantage of Fassbender's large existing fanbase, and therefore get the film more publicity. This is unconventional for all films, as production companies will often advertise the fact that they have a star in their film to attract more people and therefore generate more revenue at the box office.

The release date and is shown at the end of the trailer to inform the audience of when they are able to watch the film.

There are links to social media and the film's website, which is effective, as the audienceare able to get more details about the film's release. This is conventional for all genres of film.

Themes

While there are no definite enigma codes in the trailer, the audience is left to wonder what the facility is, and who each of the characters are. There are multiple universal themes, including teamwork and hope, as the protagonist seems to be rebelling in both time periods and he has a number of allies in the past time period. Universal themes are important, because they allow the worldwide audience to relate to the characters, and therefore they are more likely to enjoy the film. The use of universal themes is very common, especially in blockbusters and films that are exhibited worldwide.

Style - Sound

The music in the trailer is a hip-hop song, which I think is an odd choice as it doesn't fit with the time setting or the general tone of the trailer. In my opinion, the soundtrack is repetitive and boring, which contrasts the premise of the film entirely. It is likely that this song has been chosen because it is by a famous musician who has his own fanbase, therefore increasing the chances of more people watching the film. There are a lot of dramatic 'boom' sound effects which are synchronised with the action, similar to the previous horror trailer.

Locations

From the trailer, we can tell that the film takes place in two time periods, both hugely contrasting each other as the present day is set inside a scientific laboratory, whereas the old time period seems to be outdoors, in a poorer city. This technique is unconventional, as most films are typically only set in one time period, because it is easier for the audience to understand, and most of the time, the plot doesn't allow for it. However, flashbacks are often used in all genres to display past events to the audience.