This is my analysis of the horror movie, 'Paranormal Activity'.

1. Movie release date: 16 October 2009
Director: Oren Peli
Genre: Horror
Age rating: 15
The film is named ‘paranormal activity’ and I think this is well suited to the genre. Paranormal
means events that cannot be explained by science, suggesting that the events in the film will be
abnormal and nothing the audience has ever scene. The title inflicts fear but does not reveal too
much. The lexical choice of ‘activity’ emphasizes that the film will be packed with action.
AUDIENCE GENRE
The age rating for paranormal activity is a 15 which I
think is fair because this age and up find enjoyment
out of intense horrors. This audience would find
amusement out of the contents of the movie, I think
for this reason the film is targeted towards young
adults. Within the trailer the audience are actually
shown and this makes the trailer more relatable and
supports my thoughts that the trailer is targeted at
young adults.
The movie itself is a supernatural horror which aims to distress the
audience through the ongoing events into one families story. This is
the first trailer and the trailer has many typicality’s that conform to
the genre however the involvement of the audience in the trailer is
effective yet is something that hasn’t been done in any other of the
trailers I have focused on. I feel the trailer is more relatable and
more grasping because we get to see normal peoples reactions and
I think this escalates the fear of the viewer.

2. Camera
Throughout the trailer a lot of the camera angles are slanted and this is due to the
use of a hand held camera to convey a sense of reality. This means that the shots
are more irregular than they would be in a normal horror film because the
director is intentionally trying to make the filming look like its done by reality. This
mean the camera shots aren’t as intentional as they normally would be. A lot of
the shots as well are point of view shots due to the hand held camera and this
means the audience are put in the shoes on the character. The movements of the
camera are vey shaky which is typically done in horrors to distress the audience
and make them feel how the characters do.
The shot on the left is a long shot and this allows us to see the scene but from a
higher angle. This means that the audience is looking down on the supernatural
force suggesting that humans at this point in the film are superior. This creates
suspense and wants the audience to know more. The shot itself is dark with a lot
of black tones, emphasizing the negative atmosphere.
At night when the couple are sleeping the camera has night vision but this means
the shots are all in the same place and have a blue tone to them, creating a cold
atmosphere leading the audience to believe something is going to happen. This
shot belittles the audience because the couple are now not in control of the
camera and we cannot see everything in the room. Instead we are forced to
focus on the focal point, the couple, who are in a bulls-eye composition on the
shot on the left.
The trailers shots vary and change frequently and this is so the audience are kept
on their seat and are always expecting something more. In the bottom left corner
there is a close up shot of the girls face who seems distressed, shocked, but also
thrilled. By allowing the viewer to see other consumers faces the film is showing
the effect them movie has therefore enticing the audience. Through including all
the range of shots throughout of the audience the viewer is reminded that other
people have gone and watched it and enjoyed it. It also adds to the intensity of
the trailer because their initial reactions are the same as anyone's initial
reactions.

3. Mise-en-scene
Throughout the trailer the prop of a filming camera is used as a way of showing that the family are
trying to catch the supernatural figure. This depicts a sense of reality and makes the film more
believable. This prop does mean that a lot of the trailer is filmed using a hand held camera and this
creates a sense of urgency, therefore making the prop of the camera shown throughout the trailer a
successful technique that makes the film seem real.
In addition to the use of props, the dark lighting is a dominating part of the trailer that is
prominent in the effect because the lighting is the part that initially sets the mood. There are
black tones I all the photo that seem to frame the image so the audience focus on the focal
point. The picture of the stair gate below is an example of this because the audiences eyes are
drawn to the stair gate due to where the most lighting is. I feel particularly in this trailer that the
director has been able to use lighting throughout constantly for effect. However at the start of
the trailer the lighting is bright hinting a sense of equilibrium, again hinting at Todorov’s theory.
You could argue that the director is trying to depict their happy life and how everything is
perfect, the later events will contrast to this perfection therefore emphasising it.
Furthermore the setting of the whole trailer seems to be in
their household, a place most people would refer to as a
safe and secure. However paranormal activity enforces how
the supernatural force can get into any household. There
are screen prints of the setting to the left that shows their
household to be quite traditional and normal, making it
more relatable for the target audience. Another key aspect
of the mise-en scene is the costume, throughout casual
clothing is worn by both the man, Mikah, and the women,
Katie, and this is done to convince the audience it is their
normal every day life and familiarize them with the setting
these actors are in. These two actors used aren’t known
well and this means that the characters become more
relatable to the audience. This also could mean the
audience are curious and want to find out more about the
two stars.

4. Editing
In the trailer montage is used, this is where cuts from
throughout the film are joined together and edited so that
the audience can familiarize with the plot and the trailer
can have full impact on the audience. Calmer scenes are
shown at the beginning and distressing scenes are used at
the end building up the tension and suspense. Through
doing this the audience are more likely to remember the
most important scenes. When in the dark a blue filter is
used and the connotations of this colour is coldness
foreshadowing the danger the couple are in.
The print screen of the left has a face of a women up close
to the camera, in the trailer this is shown for under a
second and has been edited in such a fast motion as this
gives the audience a thrill and makes them want to see
more. The fast pace also is generic with horror movies
because it makes the trailer unsettling therefore keeping
the audience uneasy.
As the trailer progresses the cuts and transitions become a
lot quicker and this is to reflect the intensity and the fear.
BY speeding them up the trailer isn’t as fluent resulting in
the audience being kept on the edge of there seats as there
is uncertainty as to what will happen next.

5. Sound
Unlike the other trailers I have analysed the trailer involves little music and
this means the minimal sound causes the audience to wait in suspense,
making the jumpy bits more distressing. Therefore I feel that the lack of
music compliments the type of horror. I also feel the lack of music is a way
of creating verisimilitude as the trailer seems quite normal and like in real
life, the mise-en-scene backs this up. Silences are commonly used in horror
films as it is a convention that contributes towards the building of tension
for the audience.
There are a range of diegetic sounds in the trailer, one of the most
effective being screams as this continuously reminds the viewer that it is a
horror film. Not only this but the shrieking noises mimic’s the audiences
reaction so when there is a jumpy section the audience won’t only scream
but the trailer will too, therefore creating a connection and emphasising
each distressing scene. Other diegetic sound that is used are bangs and
loud noises as these are the aspects that solidify the fear of the audience.
Some of the sound synchronise with the action so when the door shuts the
banging noise is overlaid as this maximises the impact.
The narration of the trailer is used from dialogue from the movie and the
effect of this is that we are seeing it from the characters perspective
creating a sense of verisimilitude. It means that the audience also get to
see the different snippets of the movie and their reactions, therefore
making it easy for us to familiarise with the characters.

6. Texts
There are inter-titles throughout the
trailer which break the trailer up creating
suspense. The first inter-titles are the
ones on the right explaining to the
audience that the audience on screen
were the first to watch it, this builds up
but also allows the audience to see other
consumers reactions.
Where-as the other texts used are similar
to the ones of saw, they are done for
emphasis and distress the viewer further.
Using critics words who describe it as
‘Genuinely horrifying’ heightens the
tension and is almost a warning to the
audience.
The inter-titles are all in white on a black
background standing out. This is quite
simple but means the audience will focus
on them.

7. Within the film trailer the main characters, Mikah and Katie, who
are happily in there own home, and there is a sense of
equilibrium. However as the trailer progresses the supernatural
force is haunting Katie and this creates a disruption in the
equilibrium. Katie then realizes that this disruption is not going to
leave but tries to diffuse the situation and repair the problem. All
of this supports Todorov’s theory because the film trailer is
following the narrative structure of all the five steps.
The only aspect that differs from the narrative theory is at the
end there is no equilibrium, this may be because the director
intends to entice the audience to go and watch the film. If the
ending was revealed in the trailer then it would be futile to watch
the film. This film therefore supports the idea that all films follow
the same narrative pattern.
Narrative format
Todorov
1) Equilibrium – A happy start
2)A disruption of this equilibrium by an event –
A problem occurs
3) A realisation that a disruption has happened
4) An attempt to repair the damage of the
disruption – the problem is solved
5)A restoration of the eqilibrium – A happy
ending
Narrative Theory