Textual analysis for A2 media

1. AngelaPignatiello
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Trailer analysis 1: Rings
The traileropenswiththe
(presumably) maincharacterlooking
distressed,asshe hyperventilatesand
watchessomethinginfear.The lackof
introductionthrowsusstraightinto
the action andimmediatelygripsour
attention.The structure of the trailer
istherefore aseriesof flashbacks
whichleadsupto thispointand adds
contexttothe scene.Her
performance (tensebodylanguage
and facial expression)indicatesthat
she isface to face withthe enemyandthat somethingterrifyingisabouttohappen.The messyhair
and smearedmakeupshowsthatshe hasalreadybeenfighting.Hercostume;trendyblackclothes,
jewellery,styledhairandSmokeymakeuptellsusthatshe isa typical youngadult.Since she takes
pride inherappearance,she isat leastmiddle classandprobablyhasa boyfriendandalarge circle
of friends.Teenagersare oftenthe protagonistsof horrorfilms;theygetkilledoff one byone in
gruesome ways.Theirdelinquentbehaviouroftenmakesthemdislikeable;sothe audience is
entertainedbytheirdeathscenes.Horrormoviesare mostlywatchedbyteensandyoungadults;
thischaracter couldrepresentthe femaleviewerswhilstattractingthe males.
Thenwe see the familiarTV staticand ghostwalking
towardsus. These are referencestothe previous
movies,whichlinksthe franchise together.She
immediatelyreactstothe actionand ripsthe TV off
the wall,screaming;‘you’re notreal!’Thisshows
that the protagonistisgutsyand defiant.There is
momentaryreliefaswe thinkithas stopped
Samara; but herhandshootsout fromunderthe
screen.There isa tickingsound,justbefore this
happens;asit to countdownSamara’sfirst
appearance.The handactionis extremelyquick,
witha screamingsoundplayinginthe background.
These are typical factorsfor a jumpscare. We are
anticipatingthe ghost’sarrival,becausethe
paranormal occurrences(TV static),suspensefulatmosphere andsoundsfromthe firstmovie are all
indicatorsof Samara.Horror fansare familiarwiththe famous,tvcrawlingscene andthe original
soundeffectsinThe ring.Therefore,thisfirstscenecreatesasense of excitement,asit’sbeenso
longsince The ring wasfirston our screens.Itseemsthatthere are differencesinthisfilm(likethe
TV screenbeingface downonthe floor),whichbringsfreshcontenttoadyinghorror cliché.Fans
are alwaysaskingwhythe charactersdon’tjustdestroythe TV, butit’snow confirmedthatthis
doesn’twork.
The chaotic soundeffects(plugstatic,chairsscraping,heavybreathingetc...)andthe characters
reactionworktogethertoemphasise the fearanddesperationinher.There isa blackoutatthe end
of thisscene,leavinguswonderinghowthe situationwill turnout.

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Paramount
Next,we see the
paramountlogo.
It showsthat the
filmisassociated
witha
mainstream
production
company;so it’sboundto be goodqualityandhighbudget.Because of this,the actingshouldalso
be believable.However,there isatwistasthe logoturnsdark blue,withstaticanda ‘ring’
surroundingthe mountaininthe footage.Thisshape isadirectreference to‘the ring’of light(seen
frominside the well),whichiswhatthe movie isnamedafter.These are the three mostrecognisable
themesandeditingstylesinthe previousfilm;whichrecreatesthe same unnervingfeelingand
atmosphere.There isamelancholy,sweetsoundtrackplayingatthispoint.Itis interruptedwhen
the screengoesblue;whichcouldbe a metaphorforthe cursedvideoturningthe character’slives
intoa nightmare.
The nextscene isshotin a warm, orange lightingas
the couple playfightonthe bed.Thisshowsthat their
livesare bright,happyandnormal.The scene ishere
to add sex appeal tothe film.Itmay implysexual
content,whichwouldappeal tothe teenage boysin
the target audience.A teenage audiencewouldalso
relate tothemesof boyfriends/girlfriendsand
relationshipdrama.
The props usedhere (lightcurtains,homelypicture frames) create awarmand welcoming
environment.Itisa pleasantcontrastto the upcomingscenesof morbidity.The lightinghere ismuch
lighterandclearer,thanthe firstmovie whichisalmostshotentirelyinablue filter.Thisagain,
bringssomethingrefreshingtothe movie sothatit doesn’tseemlikearepetitive remakeof the
original.
But the outside shotshowsthattheirwarmlittle
livesare beingenclosedindarkness;
foreshadowingevilthingstocome.Itis
interestinghow the female’sdialogue echoes,
as the camera pans out.It makesthe scene
seemlike adistant,happymemory.Butnow
those feelingsare lost.Ireallylike thisparticular
shotof the house.Imay shoota scene like this
inmy owntrailer.
Starting to go wrong
Afterbeingtoldabouta mysteriousvideo(byherboyfriend),the maincharactergoesaheadand
watchesit.Thisis the start of theirlivesbeingruined.The boyfriend’svoice narratesthe basisof the
filminthisscene;thatyoudie 7 daysafter watchinga cursedvideo.Thissetsupthe contextforthe
restof the trailerandtellsus what the plotisabout. Asthe character watchesthe film, we know that
she will be underthe curse;whichfillsuswithdread.

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We see quickflashesof the disturbingvideo.Ithassome of the scenesinthe previousfootage (in
the firstfilm),butwe can see thatnewimageshave beenaddedtothe reel.The fasteditingletsus
viewthe video,butitonlyglimpsestomake uswant towatch the whole thing.Itiseffective toshow
one disturbingscene afteranother,asitcreatesa prolongedhorrifyingreaction.Theyhaven’t
remade the entire video,because thismightupsetfansof the original.Completeremakesare often
the subjectof criticism,aspeople don’tlike change andtheyfeelthatthe new filmisn’tauthenticor
loyal tothe original.
The camera zoomsout of her webcam;as if the video
was actuallyinside hercomputer.A dropof water leaks
out fromthe lens.Thisforeshadowsthe scene where
the creature crawls outof the TV and itmakesthe
videoseemlikealivingentity;survivingin the
technology.
Phone
Nextisthe famous‘7 days’phone call;informingthe
character that she has onlya weeklefttolive.The
male character’snarrationcontinueshere,ashe
statesthat the phone will ringafterwatchingthe
video.Thisconfirmsthatthe curse isreal.There isa
close upshot as the phone rings;makingthe scene
intense anddrawingall of ourfocusto the phone
call.
We see hereye,asit twitchesside toside interrorandconfusion.Butsuddenly,there isanew twist
as the phone handle burnsandconsequentlyinjuresthe character.Thisisthe firstattack, which
placesthe character ingrave danger.Italsoshowsthat Samara doesn’tneedtobe close inorderto

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getto her victims.Again,it’sanewfeature thatprovesthatthismovie isn’tjustanotheroverdone
storywiththe same oldclichés.
The evidence of Samara’scurse isbeginningto
imprintonthe character’s body.Here,we see a
scar of the ring onher back.It is an enigma,
because we don’tknow how she got itor why
it’sthere.Asshe liftshershirt,we hearthe
soundof bonescrunching.Thiscouldbe coming
fromthe character’sbody,butit feelsmore like
the prescence of Samara,watchingthe
character.
The 7 day countdownbegins,asshownbythese
creepycredits.The designisablack background,
whichlookslike the wordshave beenscratched
intoit – lettingthe blindinglightshinethrough
the holes.ThisisreferringtoSamara,whowas
trappedinthe well andtriedto scratch herway
out.It linkstothe ‘ring’again;whichisalsoa
circle of light,seepingthroughthe gapsinthe
well.
Thisnextshotis a church; a commonhorror
cliché.The charactershave gone to seek
religioushelptopurifythisevil curse.The grey
skyand blackclothesmake itlookmorbidand
dreary.It doesn’tlookaplace of hope and
promise,whichshowsthatthissource of help
won’twork.There isa flockof blackbirds,who
swarmby the church. The speedof them
indicatesthattime ismovingquickly;the
character isgettingclosertoher deathdate.
Thismakesthe entire movie tense,butithasa
time limit.The presence of the blackbirdsalsoshowsthatthe curse isfollowingthe characters,even
inthisplace of holiness.The words‘7days’are whisperedinahushed,overlappingfemalevoice.It
doesn’tlike Samara,soitcouldthe main character.In any case,it isa reminderof the limitedtime
she has leftandherdesperationtoendthe curse.
They’ve
gotten
help
froma
blind
man,
whothe

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audience hasnotbeenintroducedto.He wasnot inthe original film,buthe seemstoknow about
‘the girl inthe well’.We see yetmore flashbacksfromthe firstfilm;inordertokeeplinkingthe two
togetherandnot abandonthe original concept.
The trailerprogresses,aswe learnhintsabout
whatseemsto be Samaras past.There isno
dialogue inthese scenes,whichkeepsthe
mysteryalive.Noone isexplainingwhat’s
happening(they’re savingthatforthe film),but
we can speculate fromthe visualsonscreen.
Dramatic dropsoundsand echoingwindplays
here,whichcreatesacold,discomforting
atmosphere.Theyuse atorch to lookaround,
whichkeepsthe elementof darknessand
mysterypresentwithinthe environment.Italso
createsthe possibilityforthingstojumpoutof
the shadows,ina true jumpscare fashion.
The character findsoutthat the markon her
hand,says ‘rebirth’.We now know thatSamara
isplanningtoenterthe worldagainand she is
probablyusingthe characteris a vessel tolive
in.
Thisrevelationshowsthatthe handburning
scene wasnot justa random act of violence.The
scenesare cleverlylinked,whichmakesthe plot
more intelligentandintricate.Whenthings
happenfora reason,the audience paysextra
attention.The maintargetaudience forfansof
these moviesalsolikeprogrammeswith
intelligentstorylines.That’swhythe creatorsof thisfilmare tryingto complicate the puzzle and
make it more intriguing.Thisfilmwillprobablybe fullof twistsandsurprises.
It’sday twoand the ‘sevendays’whispering
playsagain.Thisindicatesthattime isquickly
runningout.In thisscene,the girl findsstrands
of hairunderherskin,as well asa clumpof itin
herthroat. Thisis a conceptthat mostpeople
wouldfinddisgusting;thusitcreatesashocked
and repulsedreaction.Thisisamplifiedbythe
gaggingand coughingsoundeffects;which
furthereducesasickeningsense.
Before,itwasonlya scar onher back; butnow,the character is beingpossessedbySamarafrom
within.Thislinkstothe ideaof ‘rebirth,’usingthe character’sbodytoreside in.

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The trailerstarts to climax aswe actuallycatch glimpsesof the enemy.Itisgettingcloserandcloser
to the maincharacter. Julia(the maincharacter) has a nosebleedinthisscene;whichisoftenused
to symbolise atelepathicbondinmoviesandTV shows.Itis alsoan indicationof mental stress,high
bloodpressure (fromanxiety) andtrauma.Thereforeitvisuallyheightensthe emotionsfeltbythe
character. The use of reflectionsinthisscene are away to distortrealityandcreate confusion.
The ‘7 days’whisperingisnow beingrepeated
continuously,asthe trailerreallybuildsup.
The character is putin extreme danger,asan
electricpole almostcollapsesonher.Thisthe
elementof actiontothe film;whichthe other
filmsinthe franchise neverreallyhad.It
providesextraexcitementandmakesitmore
modern,witchall the special effects.
Thislow angle shotmakesit seemlike the
pole isaboutto fall straightontothe
audience.Itiseffectivelyterrifying,asitbrings
the sense of dangerto us as well asthe
characters.
The soundsget more intense,asathudding
heartbeatisaddedbehindthe franticwhispering.In
thisshockingscene,Julia wakesupwithSamara’s
handattached to herown.It isindeedanightmare
enducingscene,whichwouldterrifyanyof us.The
oldfilmhada similarscene,butnotquite as
intimate.Thisshowsthatthe new filmcouldbe
evenmore scarythan the original; whichisvery
promising.

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In anothernew twist,the characterseemstohave
developedparanormal powers;asshe manipulates
objectsaroundher,makingthemrise up.She
almostlooksGodly,asthe stands inthe centre of
the church, raisingherarms in complete powerof
the worldsurroundingher.The blue/silverlightand
blackshadows,show thatthe darknessreallyis
takingover– notjust her,butthe worlditself.If
Samara isreborn,she will bringchaosand
destructiontolife aswe know it.
More evidence of this,isthatSamara has now targeted
Julia’smother.Thischaractersitsat the table,withher
back turnedto herdaughter.Herheadcracks at it
twitchestothe side.The previousfilmhadsome famous
scenes,withextremelyscaryfaces involvingSamara’s
victims.We can speculate thatthischaractermay also
have a disfigured,shockingfacial appearance.The trailer
cuts awaybefore we see how the motherturnsaround
and facesthe camera. Thismakesusevenmore excited
to watch the movie.
The whisperinggetslouderandbecomes
a franticvoice instead.Itstarts to say
‘she’scoming’repetetively,before
finishingwith‘she’shere’asSamarais
reincarnated(left).Atthispoint,we hear
Julia’sboyfriendsayhername,ina long
echoingscream.We are now at the climax
of the trailer(andfilmitself) –the face off
betweenthe demonandthe main
character. Samara isbeingcomposed
fromgiant flies;whichconnotesrotting
deathand corpses.Flieswere atheme inthe previousfilm;they alsoemergedfromthe screenafter
watchingthe cursedvideotape.Ina way,theyare herallies.
Now that Samara isback, she is
targetingmassgroupsof people.Inthis
brand new gimmick,she hasattackeda
plane full of people.There isutterchaos
as the cursedvideoplaysonall screens,
fliesandwaterare goingeverywhere
and the plance accerateswithnopilots
incontrol.We can hear screamsand
distortedsoundeffectstocreate the
chaoticatmosphere andheightenthe
viewer’ssenses.Thisbrandnew action
packedsequence will surelyleavealastingimpression,asitis completelyunexpectedandfresh
withinthisbrandof films.A scene like thisrequireslotsof special effects.Thisboaststhatthe movie

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ishighbudgetand more mainstream;whichwouldappealtoa largeraudience.The creatorsseemto
be tryingto make thismovie more successful thanthe last,bymakingitmore ‘Hollywood’.Evidence
of thisincludes;the youngattractive cast,the new CGIand the sex appeal.
The trailerendswith the informationthattells
people whenandwhere the filmwillbe out.
They’ve usedacontinuousfontstyle and
theme,tocreate a recognisable brandforthis
movie.Whenpeoplesee thiswriting,theywill
automaticallyassociate itwiththisfilm.
The productioncompanylogoat the bottomis
there forcoyrightreasonsas well asto show
that thisisa highquality,wellproducedpiece of film.The website atthe bottomisthere so that
viewerscanfindoutmore informationonthe film, whichgainsmore interestandgeneratesmore
hype forit. There isn’ta lotof texton these creditsbecause thatwouldcoverupthe cool effectthat
they’ve createdwiththe scratchedletters.‘The Ring’brandissorecognisable thateventhiscredit
alone isenoughtoknowwhat movie itbelongsto.