1. Chosen horror film trailers;
- Woman In Black
- The Last Exorcism Part 2
- Insidious
Media language investigation

2. Cinematography: The trailer opens with a master shot of a bedroom to establish the setting.
The room looks vintage which adheres to the suspense of fear and questionable existents of
spirits etc. Close up shots are used to concentrate on characters facial expressions of fear also
quick inserts are used to anticipate quick action. Tracking shots are used when the victim is
running from the woman in black.
Sound: At the beginning of the clip diegetic ambient sound of chilling wind is heard to creates
sense or eeriness and suspense. A voice of a young child telling the narrative of the story is
heard which is a common convention within horror films. The sound of child jewelry adheres to
a creepy atmosphere which is created through the innocence of child's toys.
Mise en scene: The mese en scene is set in the olden times, the scenes are dark and interpret
mystery and lack of life these are common features of the horror genre. Bedroom’s are used to
create a mundane realism to the audience which makes the action more nerve racking. We see
blood printed on the walls which spells out sentences this is a common convention within
horror movies.
Editing: The pace of the cuts are in time with the speed of the ambient sound of a child's
jewelry box. Sounds motifs and sounds effects are used to dramatize pieces of action. A black
fade out is used at the start of the trailer which adheres to the horror genre as black represents
fear and death.
Woman In Black

3. Cinematography: medium close ups are used on the main character to focus on facial
expression of intense fear. A few birds eye view shots are seen which emphasizes the weakness
of the victim as she is being watched. The use of master shots are seen in the trailer to focus of
the supernatural demons that are unseen to the characters, the audience then feel tense and
distressed by the use of this technique. The establishing shots set the scene of the movie and
help present the setting.
Sound: The start of the trailer is introduced with soft high pitched chanting music this creates
an eerie suspense. A sound bridge is continued into scenes of action e.g a festival.
Sound motifs are used when the film cuts to a new piece of action to dramatize fear and
suspense. Dialogue is heard a lot within the trailer as it makes the story seem real to life.
Mise en scene: The setting of the trailer is within a normal neighborhood which makes the
storyline more realistic and eerie. The lighting of the trailer is dark which emphasizes mystery.
Most scenes include a church which adheres to the supernatural and spiritual storyline of
exorcism's.
Editing: Ellipsis are used to produce credits, release date etc information about the film.
Jump cuts are used to create jerky naturalistic feel to keep the audience on edge. Black fade
outs are used which adheres to the horror genre which is usually about severe cases of fear
and death.
The Last Exorcism Part 2

4. Cinematography: long takes are used at the start of the trailer to create a sense of real home
life this causes suspense to the audience as they are anticipating for the motif of horror. An
establishing shot is used to set the scene of the story which is within a family home. Eye line
matches are used when the main character looks at something of importance. Shot reverse
shots are seen when dialogues are in action this emphasizes the characters facial expressions.
Sound: A calm melody is played at the same time as the long take within the household this
reflects a calming piece of action which is yet to be followed by a fearful twist. The non
diegetic music stops and is replaced by a short clip of music played by a child’s toy this is
typical of the horror genre. Non diegetic deep distorted music is then heard to emphasize the
horror beginning. The sound of a chain saw builds up the final piece of action before the
trailer ends. Sounds effects are used to emphasize thuds and bangs created during the trailer.
Mise en scene: The setting of the film is set in a normal family home which adhere to real life
situations which makes this more fearful for the audience. Light to dark lighting is presented
throughout the trailer to create a sense of mystery and fear which is typically seen at the end
of most horror genre trailers.
Editing: An Ellipsis is added at the beginning of the trailer “It began two years ago” which tells
the audience that something bad has cursed this family and is yet to be revealed throughout
the movie. The pace of editing is slow and increasing with speed when when tension arises.
Insidious