For A2 Media Studies.

1. GeorginaGilbey
A2 Media Studies(Candidate 2044)
1
The 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Trailer:
A Textual Analysis
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) isan Americanhorror/sci-fi filmdirectedbyDanTrachtenbergand
producedbyJ.J Abrams.ItfollowsawomannamedMichelle,whoafterbeinginacar crash, finds
herself inashelterwithtwomenwhoclaimthe outside worldhasbeenmade uninhabitablebya
widespreadchemical attack. The trailerusesavarietyof techniquestoappeal toitstargetaudience
of malesandfemales of ages15 and above (ithasan age certificate of 15 in the UK and has a fairly
mixedcast),whichcanbe seenin how it employs sound,cinematography,editing,performance and
mise-en-scene,especiallytocommunicate meaning.
The feature that isperhaps the mostprominentinthe trailerissound:itbeginswithanon-diegetic
soundtrack,namely,the song ‘IThinkWe’re Alone Now’ (the original 1967 versionbyTommyJames
& The Shondells) alongside visualsof the three maincharacters,Michelle,Howardand Emmett,
playingvariousboardgamesinthe shelter.The factthat the songusedis the 1967 original givesita
retro feel (reinforcedbyashot of a jukebox inthe room).
In termsof the initial tone of the
trailer,suchas inthe shoton the
left,everythingappearscalmand
content:the lightingiswarmwith
softorange tones,andthe
characters’bodylanguage (all
leaningforwards,smiling,engaging
witheachother) suggeststheyare
all relativelycomfortable andclose
interms of theirrelationship toone another.However,atthispointinthe soundtrack,the lyricsare:
“Children,behave”,whichcouldbe inferredtobe echoinghow the dominantandcontrolling
Howard (left) treatsMichelle (centre)andEmmett(right) likechildren, givingitaslightlyeerieand
ominous tone,whichisexacerbatedfurtheroninthe trailer.
The cinematographic
techniquesusedinthe
trailerare interesting
because theydiffer
accordingto the mood
beingcreated;forinstance,
inthisshot of Howard, the
colourgradingis veryblue
and coldintone as he
spreadsouta jigsawpuzzle
on the table.Thiscoldvisual isjuxtaposedwiththe happy,nonchalantsoundtrackstill playinginthe
background,givingthe audience oranyone whohasn’tyetseenthe filmmixedmessages. Thisbeing
a mid/longshotgivesone the opportunitytoobserve the mise-en-scene;the roomhaslotsof
furniture anditemsforleisure,givingitthe appearance of beinghomely –however,thisisan

2. GeorginaGilbey
A2 Media Studies(Candidate 2044)
2
undergroundshelterbuiltforprotectionfromattacks,soittherefore becomessurreal,especially
withthe knowledge thatMichelle isbeingkepthere againstherwill.
Similarly,inthe shotonthe left
thingsbecome more suspicious
and sinister,asthe trailer
presentsthe enigmaof Howard:
here,the shallow focusing
emphasisesthe guninhispocket,
suggestinghe hasother
motivationsforkeepingMichelle
and Emmettcaptive.Itraisesthe
questionof whetherthere really
has beenanattack that makes
theirsurroundingstoxic,whilethe
deepblue colourgradingpaired
withsoftyellow lightingservesto
exaggerate thisconflict. The
soundtrackagainproposes
subliminalmeaningsand
messages:itslowsdownintempo
as shotsget fasterinsuccession andthe line accompanyingthisshotis,“Tryingtoget away”,
implyingMichelle istryingtoescape asshe isnow underthreat,furtherreinforcedbythe nextshot
of hand-cuffsattachedtoa metal bar.
Some ‘fearfactors’are thenshown
whichare typical of horrorgenre as
theyenhance the sense of urgency
and threatfor the audience,especially
if these are situationstheyalready
findterrifying.Here,Michelle is
shownwitha torch as heronlylight
source,crawlingthrougha vent.
These are presumablythe fearfactors
of beinginconfinedspacesandthe dark,andby extension,the unknown,asnocontextisgiven
regardingwhyshe isin the vent.
In shots1 and2 above,Howardis showninan extreme close-upclenchingandunclenchinghis
hands,bodylanguage thatconveysangerand frustration,creatinga tense atmosphereasitgivesthe
impressionthatthe situationisaboutto‘explode’orculminate insome way.MichelleandEmmett’s
facial expressionsreiterate thisinshots3and 4 (see nextpage)…

3. GeorginaGilbey
A2 Media Studies(Candidate 2044)
3
…in whichMichelle islookingatHowardwitha sense of perturbation,andEmmettislookingtoher,
servingtoshowthe audience thattheyshare a connection thatexcludesHoward,asthey are both
aware of Howard’simpendingoutburst. The factthatthere has beennodialogue atthispointinthe
traileronly heightens thisatmosphere of tension,makingthe trailerevenmore effectiveasitgives
an enigmaforthe audience tosolve.
There isthena veryabrupt
transitionintoscenesfull of
action;here,Michelle is
surroundedbya blazingfire,
clutchingsomethinginone arm,
while there isnosignof the other
twocharacters. In termsof
editing,there are onlystraight
cuts, givingthe trailerasense of
urgencyand panicas the scenescut fromrelativelycalmleisureactivitiestoimageryof chains,fire
and charactersrunningaroundthe shelterinafrenzy. Italsomakesuse of on-screentexttofurther
promote the film,the firsttextbeing“FromproducerJ.JAbrams”.Thiswouldappeal toanaudience
whois knowledgeable aboutfilmandwouldknow that thisisa high-profile director,andmayattract
fansof hispreviousfilmswhichwidensthe film’spotentialreach.
In the shoton the left,the music
reachesa crescendoandabruptly
ceasesandwe hearthe firstpiece of
dialogue,when thereis20 seconds
remainingof the trailer.Howardis
frantically shoutingatMichelle,“Don’t
openthat door!”(as she has just
managedto lockhimout after
smashinga bottle onhisheadat dinner),
makingthe audience wonderif there
reallyisa majorthreat outside. The
tensionreachesacritical point,and
suddenlyMichelle stopsinhertracks
and covershermouthwithher hand,a
gesture thatcommunicatesshock.We
can see the window beingreflectedin
hereyes,butno cluesare givenregardingwhatshe hasjustseen;inthis, a final enigmadesignedto
entice the audience tosee the filmincinema ispresented.
To conclude,these elements are employedinordertoappeal tothe targetaudience andcreate a
trailerthathas an intense atmosphere of hightensionandimmediate threat,usingvarious

4. GeorginaGilbey
A2 Media Studies(Candidate 2044)
4
cinematographictechniquesandespeciallychoicesinsoundtopresentthe mysteriousand
frighteningeventsof the film.Itfeaturessome familiariconographyof horrorfilms(propssuchas
Howard’sgun, visualsof fearfactorssuch as confinedspaces,beingtrappedandfire)toappear
conventional,butstill has some elementsof enigmaandmysterytosatisfyamore active audience
and refrainfrombecomingpredictable (itencourages the audience todebate whetherHoward’s
storyabout the outside worldbeingtoxicistrue). Itsomewhatusesthe appeal of well-knownactors
and actressessuchas Mary ElizabethWinstead(Michelle) and JohnGoodman(Howard),which,
whenpairedwiththe renownedproducerJ.JAbrams,makesforagreat USP (Unique SellingPoint).
On the otherhand,it can be arguedthat it isn’t entirelymainstream-focusedasitfeaturesthe actor
JohnGallagherJr (Emmett) whohaspreviouslyactedinlow-profile,independentfilmssuchas Hush
(2016, dir.Mike Flanagan).All inall,these featurescombinedallow the trailertoappeal toan
audience thatenjoysfast-pacedactionsequencesandconflictbetweencharacters,butcanstill
appreciate aplotthat engagesthemandencouragesthemnotto be passive andask questions.