This document analyzes the trailer for the horror movie Cabin in the Woods. It examines elements like the title sequences, sounds, camera shots, and how they are used to intrigue audiences and set expectations. The trailer shows friends going on a road trip to a remote cabin. Through dialogue and shots of the ominous surroundings, it establishes an unsettling atmosphere and sense that something dangerous will happen. Shots reveal the characters are being monitored and controlled by mysterious people. This creates tension and mystery about what threat they will face in the cabin.

1. Horror Movie Trailer Analysis
– Cabin in the Woods

2. Titles Analysis
Cabin in the Woods
http://youtu.be/7ENUBUdFswM

3. The trailer shows the beginning, middle and end of story without
giving away the storyline. This helps to intrigue and involve the
audience and helps them to judge whether they would want to watch
the film or not. The audience can form opinions on the film from the
trailer and decide if they want to go and watch it or not. In this way
the trailer acts as a „hook‟ for the film and it therefore needs to appeal
to the target audience. People also read the trailer differently and
take preferred, negotiated and oppositional reading; this can have an
effect on the audience‟s desire to see the film.

4. As the “LIONSGATE” title appears there is a loud “boom” noise which
draws attention to what is on the screen. It also helps to change the
mood of the audience. The noise also helps to blend in the music
change in the trailer, from upbeat music to quieter and slower pace
music. As they enter a more run down spooky area, the lighting also
changed slightly to appear a bit more low key. This makes the
audience feel more tense as they think something is going to happen.
The first title is 25 seconds in. This means that the audience can get
a feel of the film and can be engaged before being shown production
companies. The word “LIONSGATE” is shown across the screen in
contrasting colours, this sets up the colour scheme; red black and
white. When put together these colours stand out and makes the
audience aware of which production companies are involved with the
creation of the film. Film fans would be aware of what to expect from
certain studios so this serves to set up audience expectations.

5. When the texts appear which read “YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE
STORY” “YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE PLACE” again there is a
booming noise as each screen appears. This brings attention to the
words on the screen and helps to stick to the genre of the film. The
repetition of the word „think‟ is meant to put the audience in a state of
disequilibrium (Todorov) as they thought they knew the storyline, but
now are unsure. The wording also is directing addressing the
audience, involving them with the trailer.
The second & third titles, which are 46 & 55 seconds in, read: “you
think you know the story” “you think you know the place”. Again, the
texts follow the colour scheme with some slight alterations. This title
page uses white text, with a black background. The text makes the
audience think about other storylines and makes them think this one
will be different and possibly better as it won‟t be as predictable. The
text intertextually references the genre as a whole in order to play on
audience expectations. The film producers could have made this text
anchor an image, however this way they can make it more effective,
and have a better appearance.

6. The fourth title is1.03s into the trailer. This title page reads “think
again” in capital lettering. When the title page which reads “THINK
AGAIN” a higher pitched foley noise is made, this is because this is
the title page which finishes of the title pages and links them
together. It again, makes the audience wonder how this storyline is
going to differ from others which they have seen. At the same time it
excites the audience as they know that this story isn‟t like the others
that they know of or have seen before. If the audience thought before
this point that they had worked out the storyline, this could confuse
them and put them in a state of disequilibrium.

7. The title screens also let the audience know when the film is released
into cinemas. “THIS APRIL” “DISCOVER” “THE SECRET” “BEHIND
THE CABIN” this helps the audience to feel involved in the film as
they may want to know what the full storyline is. This text uses direct
address to draw the audience in.

8. This title page includes the name of the producer involved.This is to attract
fans of these specific producers, “Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, the
writer of Cloverfield” stating that Goddard is the writer of Cloverfield they are
attracting fans of this film and other work produced by these two. This
intertextually references „Cloverfield‟ and this could help to promote both
films, as well as the specific producers. Some of texts appear via a wipe
transition, but also the screen flashes a little as the first word comes
onto the screen this helps to draw attention to the text. Not all of the
text appears at once, this makes it appear more effective. The texts
used are made to make the audience feel like the trailer is speaking
to them specifically, helping to involve them within the film. The text is
also slightly eroded to make the text fit in with the genre of the film.

9. The title of the film is shown towards the end of the trailer as this is
more memorable for the audience, therefore they can easily
remember the film title. The background links to an element of the
film; the hexagon shapes in the background are linked to the storyline
within the film (as seen in the trailer) and by putting the pattern in the
background of the film title it helps to link it all together and creates a
„theme‟ to the film. The colours also link to the genre of film, and
symbolise different things. The colours used are red and black and
white. The title is in white which makes it stand out against the red
and black background, in which the hexagon shapes are
incorporated. The red and black colours connote death and
danger, giving the audience an idea of what elements are in the film.
The hexagon shapes are linked to the film (as seen in the trailer) and
by putting the pattern in the background of the film title it helps to link
it all together.

10. At the end synergy is used as it shows another title screen which has
linked the film to different social networking sites such as Twitter and
Facebook. It states the Facebook fan page as well as the Twitter
hash tag which helps to promote the film.

11. Sounds and Camera Shots and Angles Analysis
Cabin in the Woods

12. The trailer begins with upbeat parallel music and high key lighting
which makes the audience feel like nothing is wrong. It also helps to
create a feeling of happiness. A sound bridge is used to continue this
track playing in the background of the following shots.
This wide angle long shot uses high key lighting to help connote the
sense of happiness. The high-key lighting also helps to make the
setting appear more natural to the audience. We see the setting
which is not a typical convention of a horror genre.

13. This wide angle mid shot, introduces the audience to 3 of the
characters. The expression on their faces portray happiness, and the
proxemics between them show that they are friends. High Key
lighting is used again to keep the scene looking natural.

14. The camera pans around the campervan to reveal a character
packing things into the vehicle. This gives the sense that someone
could be watching him do this. This long shot also shows the
audience that they are going away somewhere.

15. The close up on the turning of the key shows that the character‟s are ready
to go on holiday. The audience does not know where they are going or how
long for. This poses questions for the audience, they must wait for the
answer to be given. This shot conveys the mood of happiness as they
characters are happy to get away from home life.

16. A high angle is used to help show the mise-en-scene in this shot. We
see the campervan pulling away to make its way to the unknown
destination.

17. When the previous shot cuts to this long shot, a black screen fade is
used. This lets the audience know that the setting has changed, and
the events of the film will soon begin.

18. Straight away the audience can tell that this group of friends is going
on a road trip, but the audience doesn‟t know any of the details about
the trip, e.g. where they are going. When in the campervan one of the
characters states “It doesn‟t even show up on the GPS” another
character replies “That‟s the whole point”. This dialogue gives the
audience a clue of what the setting of their destination is going to be
like – it will be quiet and in the middle of nowhere, otherwise it would
be shown on the GPS. The lighting used is high key so that the
images don‟t look edited, and also it makes the shot look as natural
as possible.
In this wide angle long shot we can see the mise-en-scene in front of
the campervan, so where the characters are going begins to unravel.

19. The setting in the first long shot portrays the feeling of being alone.
The area seems quiet and in the middle of nowhere which is a trope
of the horror genre. Although high key lighting is used, we can see
that the light is fading away.
The aerial shot is used to vary which shots are used within the trailer.
This again is used to show the setting of where the characters are
going.
The mise-en-scene in the shot is limited yet effective. We see a
campervan which looks older and untidy. This suggests that this
group of friends go away in the campervan often, as it is looking a
little run down. We also notice a motorbike attached to the back of
the vehicle, this helps to portray the personalities and interests of
these characters.

20. I think this high angle long establishing shot is significant as it
confirms the setting. The usage of the wide angle shows that even in
the horizon it is still forest area.

21. The setting changes in this wide angle shot – from a forest
surrounded road, to a derelict, run-down, dirty area. This allows the
audience to pose questions, and puts them in a state of
disequilibrium.

22. This wide angle long shot shows the run down area, and shows the
campervan pulled over. This confirms that the characters have
stopped their journey for some reason. Though the use of mise-en-
scene we see lots of planks of wood, dead trees, and a cabin-type
building. This shot changed the mood to make the audience feel
suspicious and alone.

23. This wide angle shot shows how run down the area is. We can see
that the shop is closed, which connotes that nobody is there. This is
typical of the horror genre as it interpellates the audience to feel
alone.

24. This mid shot reveals the male figure who appears from the shop.
The mise-en-scene shows that the male figure is possibly a
mechanic as he is wearing denim overalls, and a scruffy black jacket.
The use of oligochromatic colouring makes the area seem even more
run down and dirty. This is relevant as the conventional setting for the
horror genre is a derelict area, in which nobody lives – this makes it
more enigmatic (Barthes) as they audience do not know who/what is
hiding in the area.

25. The camera pans from the previous shot to this one to reveal these 4
characters with close proxemics. This could connote fear of the old
man.

26. When they get out of the vehicle, a man appears out of the shop to
tell them that the shop was closed. They take this chance to ask the
man about how to get to their destination. The dialogue used states
that he can get them to where they want to go, but says “But getting
back, that‟s your concern”. This makes the audience wonder what the
man means by this.
The rule of thirds keeps this character central in the image, yet we
can see the mise-en-scene around him. From the expression on this
character‟s face we can see that he‟s not impressed. This poses
questions for the audience – who is this character, why is he not
impressed and why does he live in this run down area?

27. After arriving at this area and talking to a mysterious man, the music
is just background noise, but as the man stops talking the volume of
the music is louder and there is another echoed “boom” followed by a
hissing noise and then followed by a non-diegetic noise which may
be interpreted as a siren.
These two long shots are significant as they confirm the setting. The
forest is a typical horror genre location as they are isolated and
alone. A slow zoom on the wide shot shows the cabin in which the
characters will stay.

28. The low key lighting used in this wide angle shot reveals that the
cabin is a dark place – not typical of a holiday cabin, this gives a
sense of enigma.

29. The wide angle shot is used to show and portray a sense of
voyeurism. The male character is trying to grab the female‟s attention
by waving at her. However, she is looking at what she thinks is a
normal mirror. This makes the audience why this type of mirror has
been placed here.

30. When the bird is flying we hear the diegetic noise of the bird
swooping past and then a loud chirp. This brings attention to the bird.
As the bird gets further away, a noise emerges, and becomes louder
and louder as the bird continues to fly. The noise builds up
suspension within the audience. When the bird hits the barrier an
explosion type noise changes into an electric noise to emphasize that
the bird has disappeared into the barrier.
The wide angle shot shows that the characters are trapped within a
control zone, revealing an important aspect of the film. This could
interest, yet confuse the audience as they don‟t know who is
controlling this area, or what they are planning to do.

31. When the mysterious man is on the phone he says “They‟ve come to
the killing zone” giving away to the audience that the other characters
have entered a dangerous area without realising. As the storyline
unravels there is a non-diegetic beating noise in the background to
the dialogue to help keep the audience feeling tense and interested.
In this low angle mid shot, the old man from the beginning of the
trailer returns, this time we see him on the phone – but we don‟t know
who to yet. This creates a sense of enigma and mystery. Low-key
lighting is used to help create this feeling within the audience.

32. We see in these long shots that the characters are being
watched, where they are being watched from, and who it watching
them. This means that the shots portray a strong feeling of
voyeurism, and also begins to unravel the storyline.

33. A montage of quick shots are shown to the audience, from the first
shot to the other, the camera pans around to reveal the characters
having fun. This is an example of an omniscient narrative as the
shots are creating a happy atmosphere but builds up tension within
the audience they know that something bad is about to happen.

34. This focus pulled, close-up establishes the fact that not only are
these people monitoring the characters movements, but they are
controlling what happens around them and to them. This also
establishes that this trailer uses an omniscient narrative.

35. Both the low angle and the wide angle mid shots mark the beginning
of the action. As two characters leave the cabin to go outside, we see
smoke appearing from the ground. This insinuates that the people in
the control room are doing this on purpose to cause some form of
harm to the characters. Again, this creates an omniscient narrative.

36. Although this close up, two shot is not significant as such, it is
creative as they have positioned the mise-en-scene so that it all
seems more enigmatic than it really is. The wolf in the background
has it‟s mouth wide open as if it were about to attack, this is ironic
and supposedly coincidental as the characters are thought to be
attacked by something.

37. In the first long shot we see the lights going out one by one following
down the corridor. This changes the lighting from low-key, to even
darker lighting. The expression on her face in the mid shot portrays
enigma, and interpellates the audience to feel alone.

38. This low angle close up uses a low angle to show the action which is
being taken. We do not see who is pulling the lever, nor do we know
what the lever does. This lets the audience know that something
drastic is about to happen, and sets them up for more action to take
place.

39. When we see a person emerging from the lake there is no noise
whatsoever. This, again, brings the audience‟s attention to the
screen. It also helps to emphasize the woman‟s scream which trails
the silence.
This high angle long shot shows an unknown figure emerging from
the waters – which we know from previous shots is in the forests. The
audience would assume that this character is the antagonist as we
cannot fully see who they are. Not seeing the antagonist‟s face is a
typical convention used in a horror film.

40. The expression on the character‟s face is the most significant feature
in this wide angle shot. The rule of thirds is used effectively in this
shot as we, can see what is behind this character, so know
immediately where she is.

41. Although this low angle mid shot only lasts a split second, we can
see that the characters are trying to run/hide from something or
someone.

42. This wide angle mid shot emphasizes the close proxemics between
the characters. This could connote that the characters are stood
closely for safety and protection – safety in numbers. It also looks as
if the characters are walking towards something with a concerned
expression on their faces.

43. This shot uses a low angle to get a full view of the door. In this shot
the antagonist bangs on the door and eventually manages to put it‟s
arm through the door. This shows the audience that the antagonist is
close to getting to the characters, and puts fear into them.

44. Towards the end of the trailer there are lots of quick noises and short
lines of dialogue said to make the trailer effective. Another silence is
used after a character voices that they should all split up. This is to
bring attention to the fact that splitting up is a bad idea, and that
something bad may happen as a result if they do split up.
These close ups are significant as they emphasize and enhance the
injuries which the characters have experienced throughout this trailer.
We can see the worried look on their face which tells the audience
that the action has not come to an end yet.

45. I think that this close up is extremely significant because it finally
reveals the antagonist‟s appearance. Although low key lighting is
used, we can see the antagonists face in slight more detail than
before. It also lets the audience know that the horror scenes haven‟t
ended, and that something horrible may begin to happen soon.

46. These mid shots create suspicion of the metal object on the wall. The
expression on the character‟s faces make it seem as if they have an
idea to stop/get back at the antagonist. The proxemics show that
these three characters are still friends and are sticking together.

47. From this wide angle two shot we can see that these two characters
look concerned. They are trying to escape the antagonist in the
campervan. This involves the audience as they want to know if these
two will escape or not.

48. A long shot is used here to help establish the setting of where the
campervan is. Low-key lighting is used in conjunction with
chiaroscuro lighting. We see a rocky wall to the right of the vehicle,
this could suggest that they are driving uphill/downhill.

49. The first shot is an over the shoulder shot which establishes that it is
a older male character who is watching the other characters – this
portrays the act of voyeurism. In the second shot a low angle is used
to show that this male character is pushing another button in order to
cause even more harm to the characters. Again this would cause an
omniscient narrative.

50. Here, an extreme long shot is used to show an explosion happening
in front of the campervan in the direction in which it is travelling. It
explains what the man in the previous shot had planned to do. The
audience knows that the older male character who is in the control
room has caused this, however the characters in the campervan do
not know who has caused this.

51. A low angle is used to show that the characters in this image are
looking down onto the huge drop in front of them. They are not
trapped and have nowhere to turn.

52. The three shots here begin to solve the story as part of the
denouement. We see the male character being shocked by
something in the first wide angle mid shot. In the second close up the
expression on his face shows the confusion he has over what this
object is. The last low angle shot is taken from the object he is
holding – one of the hidden cameras. In this shot we see that he
realised what the object is, and he begins to realise that they have
been watched during their holiday. We see his expression of shock
as he figures it all out.

53. This low angle two shot shows the antagonist dragging one of the
characters up from the bottom ground. This shot is effective as the
high angle shows that the antagonist has more power and
dominance over the other characters.

54. I think that this shallow focus shot if effective as it enhances the fact
that this prop is going to harm the character who appears to already
be lying on the ground – maybe she is already hurt?

55. The aerial shot helps to vary the shots which are used within the trailer.
Chiaroscuro lighting is used to create enigma. The audience can clearly see
the action which is about to be taken, and can see who is going to be
harmed. They can also see that it is set by the lake seen earlier in the trailer.

56. This high angle shot shows the fate of the campervan and those in it.
The camera pans slightly as the audience see the campervan drive
straight off the edge of the road, and sees it begin to fall down.

57. The hexagon patterns incorporated into this shot are linked to the
control zone, they define where the zone stops and finishes. This has
been used throughout the trailer and has even ben incorporated into
some of the title pages. This could be a signature image for the
trailer/film.

58. A wide angle shot is used to show all of the action which is being
taken. The lever is pulled which is an iconic symbol that something
else is going to happen.

59. A wide angle two shot, is used to show these two characters. We
have not seen these faces before in the trailer, but the mise-en-scene
connotes that they are the antagonists. Masks are part of the horror
genre conventions for the antagonist because masks portrays a
sense of not knowing who they actually are.

60. This final low angle shot shows a control panel which one of the
characters has found. The character in this shot is female, which
follows the genre convention of having the female left at the end. The
control panel gives clues to the audience as to what could happen at
the end of the film without giving it away.

62. Titles Analysis
Chernobyl Diaries
http://youtu.be/ygmVZaYgbn8

64. Sound and Lighting Analysis
Chernobyl Diaries

66. Camera Shots and Angles Analysis
Chernobyl Diaries

68. Titles Analysis
The Woman in Black
http://youtu.be/dPYMUnJGURI

70. Sound and Lighting Analysis
The Woman in Black

72. Camera Shots and Angles Analysis
The Woman in Black