Analysing the main inspiration of our film trailer.

1. FILM TRAILER ANALYSIS: PERFECT SISTERS

2. • The trailer begins with dialogue from the main characters which narrates the storyline of the film, there
isn’t any use of voiceover until the next scene of the trailer which is where one of the sisters describes
their relationship to further enhance the exposition of the film: “I honestly can’t remember a time my
sister and I didn’t cling to each other like Velcro”. The initial dialogue reflects the happy moments of the
film, where there is an absence of tension and a much more positive atmosphere.
• As the trailer continues, there is no longer any use of non-diegetic voiceover, instead, relevant diegetic
dialogue from the film is inserted in the trailer to form the plot of the film and give the audience an
insight in to what the film may comprise of.
USE OF VOICEOVER
• This use of voiceover, in conjunction with the light-hearted music, presents a contrast which is later seen
in the rest of the trailer where there are much more darker undertones relating to the plot.
• As the trailer progresses, the music loses it’s light-hearted nature and begins to develop in to a much
more dramatic accompaniment. This darker tone of music indicates the change in mood of the plot as the
character of the mother in the film explains that she “lost her job” and has “started drinking again” which
one of the sisters note as a result of her worsening circumstances.
• The more dramatic tone of music marks a turning point in the film trailer as the dark side of the plot is
being presented – although this film is considered to be a horror, there is little to no use of sound effects
or suspense inducing accompaniment to create an intense atmosphere for the audience. This makes it
easy to detect that the genre is more closely tied to drama as the film is inspired by a true story consisting
of factual events that took place.
USE OF MUSIC

3. • There is also a significant editing technique used near the turning
point of the trailer. As the two sisters are getting ready for school, one
of the sisters removes her hair towel and as she does so, the clip is
edited to speed up with a gothic sound effect also being used. This is
effective as it shows the two different characters of the sisters and
how their personalities vary greatly.
• For the majority of the trailer, the clips have been cut with varying
lengths, the most informative clips lasting longer in length, and are
ordered In place of relevance; establishing shots, for example.
• There is also a lot of use of text used in comparison to the other
trailers that have been analysed. Text is inserted in the middle of the
trailer noting that the film is “based on a true story”. This gives the
audience more perspective as to what kind of film they are watching
and can cause them to be intrigued as the film already seems quite
dramatic.
• The text is also inserted in a separate clip with a black background
and white writing with “…True Story” being emboldened to catch the
viewer’s attention. The text also fades in and out to stimulate even
more curiosity in the viewer’s mind.
• There is use of transitioning shots such as fade shots to attach the
clips together, forming a whole narrative, without too quickly
dismissing clips or rushing the storyline.
• Another text effect is used in the trailer as the character that plays the
two sister’s friend is using the laptop as a means to find out “how to
kill ur mother…”. The text is displayed using a typing effect and makes
the plot look a lot more realistic. At the end of the trailer, a slow
motion effect is used in conjunction with a panning shot which shows
one of the sisters sitting, isolated, in an empty classroom. This alone
creates suspense as she looks up into the camera and seems to have
an evil look about her.
USE OF EDITING TO CREATE NARRATIVE

4. FEATURING OF ACTORS/DIRECTORS
• This trailer does actually include the names of the main actors in the film and even features the awards
they’ve been nominated for or won. The director of the film is also included near the end of the trailer. At the
very end of the trailer, the credits of the entire production team and cast are featured including the
production houses and any other institutional information.
• This film overall is not as intense as the Orphan film trailer, for example, so it was more appropriate for the
actors or directors names to be featured in this trailer seeing as it did not distract too much from the artistic
direction of the film.

5. SHOTS SELECTED
• There are often two shots used to portray the close relationship of the two sisters and
they are often shot in the same scene. Establishing shots are also used to present the
location at which the scene will be taking place.
• There is a lack of close up shots in the film trailer which could have been used to deeply
convey the character’s emotions. This lack of close up shots is replaced by mostly mid
shots or mid-close up shots.
• A steady car shot is used at the very beginning of the trailer to create a sense of
movement and add to the trailer’s varying dynamics
TARGET AUDIENCE
• Because of the young age group of the protagonists in the film, it could be said that this
film is aimed at a younger target group, in addition, the topics tackled in the film itself
could also be relevant to both a young and old target audience.
• The mise-en-scene used such as laptops, mobile phones or other means of modern
communication also indicates the zeitgeist at which this film was created, further
allowing one to infer that the target audience is much younger. In addition to this, the
certain hairstyles and makeup (such as blue highlighted hair or gothic makeup) also
emphasises the theme of youthful phases and further proves that the target audience is
most likely to be younger.
• The locations at which this film is set also indicate that this film is more steered to a
younger target group as the scenes are often shot at the two sister’s schools, often
meeting with their friends and being social.