2. Over View of Sinister
▪ Sinister was released in the UK on October the 5th 2012 and in the Unit States on
October the 12th 2012. It is a Supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson and
C. Robert Cargill.
▪ The film plot is about a family moving into their new home. It stars Ethan Hawke as a
fictional true-crime writer, Ellison Oswalt, who moves himself and his family into a
house where horrific crime previously took place. Without any of his family knowing he
discovers a box of home videos in the attic that puts his family in danger. He tries to
discover more information on the crime so that he can write a new book which could
potentially help him with his career which is currently failing. He uses the film footage
found in the house to help him with his research along the way, but he soon finds out
more than he bargained for. This is what the trailer reveals to the audience about the
film plot.
▪ There is a figure in each of the films, but who or what is it? His family start to suffer (as
does he), and things take a turn for the worse. Will they survive? This sense of
narrative creates a code of enigma, making us inquisitive.
3. Analysis
▪ The genre of the film is a psychological and supernatural horror. The trailer lasts 2
minutes and 27 seconds.
▪ The audience are able to identify the genre of the film throughout the trailer by the
narrative, the intertitles, the mise-en-scene, the dialogue and the non-diegetic and
diegetic sounds present.
▪ The technique of a voice over is used in the establishing shot of the new house to
reveal to the audience the horrific crime that previously took place within this
location and setting. It is a voice over of a news report revealing ‘gruesomely
murders of a local family’ it is used to set the scene and allows us to identify the
genre of the trailer/film immediately. The voice over is present during the
establishing shot of their new house to allow the audience to understand the
narrative of the film, there is also a picture of the family embedded into the trailer
along with a drawn picture of four stickmen hung and labelled Jenny, Drian, Mom
and Dad this allows the audience to have an insight of the horrific crime that took
place.
4. Mise-en-scene
▪ The mise-en-scene of a trailer is formulated by using a wide range of methods that relate to the genre
of the film e.g this includes, props, clothing, makeup, location, setting and lighting.
▪ Mise-en-scene is a very important aspect used in film trailers. it is also an essential feature which
must be considered whilst creating a horror film as it is one of the key techniques used that allows the
audience to identify the genre of the film effectively for example through makeup showing blood,
bruises or scars and through dark lighting which is associated with evil etc.
▪ The use of costume for the characters in the trailer is very informal and casual. But the antagonist,
‘Bagul’ who is shown in the footage wears a dark long cloak which makes him appear more dominant
and scary.
▪ There are a variety of props used within the trailer of Sinister which create numerous amounts of
effects on the audience and help to represent the genre of the film effectively.
▪ The props used in the trailer are very functional and therefore carry out a particular purpose which is
to establish the mood and expectations of the film. The main prop used in Sinister is the film projector
which makes the footage on the film appear blurry, disfigured and distorted. This effect is very
constructive as it matches the behaviour of the antagonist creating suspense for the audience. The
fact that the film projector creates a distorted effect means that the trailer creates a sense of confusion
and as a result makes the audience feel on edge.
▪ There are also predictable props used in the trailer that the audience expect to see in a horror film
meaning that the trailer is conventional. The props used in the film are typical horror murder weapons
such as the knife and axe used, these props suggests to the audience that these weapons are either
used for slashing the victim or are used as a weapon of defence against the antagonist.
5. Sound
▪ Diegetic sound – The diegetic sounds used in the trailer is dialogue from characters
such as “he consumes the souls of human children” and “gateways into his relms”
these quotes relate to the genre of the film and helps to shock the audience leaving
them petrified. The idea of revealing to the audience the idea that pictures of Bagul is
“gateways into his relms” makes the audience feel distressed as pictures of Bagul is
present in the trailer making them believe that if they look at him he will consume the
souls of their children. This adds to the fear factor of the trailer as it creates a sense of
realism and makes the audience believe these facts given by the character.
▪ The daughter says “I didn’t want to move here” this reflects her true emotions to the
audience and shows that she is a victim and is exposed to these crimes. This in
comparison to the character Bagul shows a sense of innocence to the audience and
makes them feel even more sorrow for the characters trauma.
▪ The character Ellison Oswalt says in the trailer “the only link between all these cases is
the symbol” this reveals the narrative to the audience and creates a sense of fear due
to the close association with Bagul.
6. ▪ Non-diegetic sound - The non-diegetic soundtrack starts off at a slow pace and
gradually speeds up which increases the tension and action in the trailer to relate to
the genre ‘horror’ which generally makes you feel tense and makes your heart race.
▪ The technique of silence is used when the intertitle “9 months later” appears on the
screen at the beginning of the trailer. This is very effective as the trailer starts with
an intense non-diegetic soundtrack which is in contrast to the use of silence, this
sudden change creates a uncomfortable feeling and makes the audience feel
cautious. It also highlights the reality of the crime within the new house.
▪ Towards the end of the trailer the non-diegetic soundtrack speeds up whilst the
enhanced sound of a camera roll repeatedly makes the noise of a snap shot which
increases pace along with the number of camera shots taken this helps to build
tension and makes the audience feel anxious about what will be reveal at the end of
the climax. The use of the camera roll suggests that the family Is also being filmed
whilst these traumatic experiences take place and it also highlights the important
use of the camera throughout the film.
7. Conventions of horror film
▪ Here is a list of conventions that I have identified in the trailer that I have analysed;
▪ Dark/ low level lighting
▪ Blood/bruising/injury/harm
▪ Music creating an atmosphere – slow non-diegetic sound which gradually speeds up
for tension.
▪ Fade to black creating suspense
▪ A montage for action effect e.g showing the most action filled scenes especially
towards the end
▪ Key points shown through intertitles
▪ The title of the film is revealed at the end of the trailer.
▪ All the main characters are shown in the trailer.
8. Target Audience
▪ Sinister has the age rating of 15 and above due to the use of violence present in the
film. The film was given this age certificate by the British Board of Film Classification.
▪ I believe that the target audience for Sinister is 20-30 years old and of mix gender
seen as the film involves a family with young children and realistically this is the age
range that people tend to settle down and start a family. This means that individuals
within this age bracket can therefore relate to the characters life's and as a result are
more likely the view the film. People within this age bracket are also regarded as
adults so can relate to these experiences e.g moving house and having a career.
Narrative:
▪ The narrative of the trailer is mainly reflected through the intertitles, the mise-en-
scene and the dialogue present. For example the dialogue “he consumes the souls of
human children” allows the audience to identify the story line that Bagul makes these
families lives a misery.
9. Code of Enigma
▪ Throughout the trailer we ask ourselves a variety of different questions seen as the
narrative of the trailer creates a code of enigma in many different ways. The type of
questions the audience ask themselves are; why did the family have to move
house? Will they survive? How will they escape from this entity, Bagul? What
happens to the family members? Most of the scenes present in the trailer make us
inquisitive in one way or another.
Transitions
▪ The transitions used within the trailer are; fade to black, jump cuts, digital effects,
and jump to black. Throughout the trailer digital effects are used in a variety of areas
with the purpose of enhancing the fear factor. At the beginning of the trailer fade to
black transitions are present to create a steady pace which reflects a calm
atmosphere. However when the equilibrium is broken there are fast jump cuts which
is used to create drama and represent a chaotic atmosphere.
10. Characters
▪ The characters present in Sinister are the two families; the previous family that lived in
the house and the new family. Both families encounter the mysterious situations which
take place in the house involving the character Bagul.
▪ Both families come across very similar in the trailer. The families both seem to have a
very tight bond with one another and the targeted family members share similar
characteristics for example both are the youngest child and female. They also look
very alike physically such as having blonde hair.
Camera Work
▪ The sinister trailer has used a variety of successful techniques involving camera work.
In the trailer a handheld camera is used to give the audience a sense of realism, it
creates the impression of a home video instead of having a professional camera along
with a film crew. This specific method makes the audience more engaged with the
trailer as it makes the traumatic experiences seem more realistic, lots of handheld
camera shots are used in the sinister trailer seen as it creates a 1st person perspective
which is a lot scarier for the audience.
11. Camera Shots
Here are a few camera shots that stood out for me in the trailer of ‘Sinister’:
▪ This embedded photograph is a medium close up of the previous family that had lived in the
house, who have now passed away. This shot is shown at the beginning of the trailer to
reveal a sense of narrative. This is to allow the audience to identify that they were the
previous family to be victims of this mysterious house. This photograph creates a code of
enigma, as the young girl is circled in red felt pen. The colour red is usually the colour used
when associated with death or evil suggesting that maybe the young girl has either been
influenced by Bagul or has been targeted by him individually.
12. ▪ This wide angle shot of the car caught on fire is used to create tension, it reflects the idea that
there is no escape for the family. Fire also represents danger as it symbolises destruction,
which is exactly what Bagul is doing to the families. He is destroying everything they lived for.
This shot is very effective as it surprises the audience and with the uncomfortable noise of the
soundtrack it makes them feel distressed.
▪ This symbol of the character Bagul is present throughout the trailer to constantly remind us of
his actions. It makes the audience feel on edge as it creates the idea that these symbols are
used as a warning sign for example in the trailer this symbol is present on the children's
bedroom door painted with blood.
13. Sinister Titles
• The intertitles are written as if the audience are being
spoken to e.g using personal language such as the word
“you” so that the audience feel as if the information is
being directed to them. The titles make the audience feel
as if they are experiencing the lives and the traumatic
experiences of these families themselves, which makes
them fear the fictional character Bagul even more.
• “Once you see him, nothing can save you” this implies to
the audience that there is no escape from this horrific
entity. This terrifies the audience as Bagul has been
shown several times in the trailer.
• At the end of the trailer a facebook page is given to the
audience, this shows that the trailer aims to target their
audience through different media platforms. Also showing
the name of the film at the end of the trailer is a
conventional feature as it makes the audience watch the
whole trailer to find out.
