The document analyzes the visual, audio, narrative, action, and technical codes used in three film trailers: 1) All three trailers use fade-to-black transitions between shots to quickly showcase extracts from the films while maintaining pace. 2) They all employ the horror genre convention of using white costumes to connote innocence in some characters or cleanliness in others. 3) Each establishes disequilibrium early by placing the protagonist in a new unfamiliar environment like a house, island, or village to experience the unknown. 4) A community acts as an auxiliary antagonist in The Woman in Black and Shutter Island trailers.

1. Codal Analysis
Yasmin Watkins
S

3. Visual Codes
S Costume/colour scheme: Uses white clothing to
connote innocence in the female protagonist, creating
the „damsel in distress‟ character stereotype. However,
this is also done with the assumed antagonist as well, suggesting
that she is not the actual threat.
S Props: An extreme close up of knives and the chloroform is
highlighted to the reader through this visual code, creating
the disequilibrium for the trailer.
S Location: The main premise is conventionally set in an isolated/
dingy house, which is also contrasted in the trailer to that of a
clean, more modern house, to create that sense of isolation and
a sense of verisimilitude for the viewer.

4. Sound of HATES
trailer
Audio Codes
S Minimal diegetic sounds are used, only those synchronous with
actions that add to the trailer are used, such as the antagonist
climbing out of a cellar.
S Minimal dialogue is used, with mainly the use of a narrative
actually from the film, screams and one-liners which effectively
adds to the pace by only giving the audience snippets of actual
speech from the film.
S Sound track is used in sync with the editing, which fades to black
at regular intervals in the first part of the trailer. The soundtrack
takes away the audience‟s sense of verisimilitude as it suggests
something isn‟t quite right, leading to enigma codes

5. Narrative Codes
S Tzvetan Todorov‟s simplified narrative theory can be
described as: Equilibrium  Disequilibrium  Renewed
Status Quo
Disruption
Solution
Equilibrium
S This trailer goes: Disruption  Equilibrium  continued
Disruption with a short clip featuring an Equilibrium again. This
was done to follow the non-linear, almost reverse narrative of
the trailer, which also uses enigma codes to an extent.
S Inter-titles are used to inform the audience, and work alongside
the reversal editing-technique

6. Action Codes
S Action shots are used in sync with the non-
diegetic sound and fading transition editing techniques to create
a fast pace. This is slowed down to create a realisation for both
the audience and the protagonist
S Extreme close ups are focused on hands in the space of 0:37-
0:39, highlighting the fast-paced editing using different shots can
be effective to quicken pace.

7. Enigma Codes
S The reverse-style narrative used in the trailer has automatically
encoded enigma codes, by creating mysteries for the audience
to naturally want to solve.
S The inter-titles relate to „the pain‟, „the horror‟ and „the
truth‟, without fully explaining what those are.
S The question of why „Carrie Anne killed both her parents‟ is
brought up through dialogue towards the end
S Are there multiple antagonists?

9. Visual Codes
S Location: The opening uses establishing shots of the island,
which is isolated and creates an initial mood and impression
in the audience‟s mind.
Point-of-view shot
S Costume: The protagonist wears a white suit to connote innocence/
some vulnerability while the characters with authority at the institution
also wear white, more likely connoting cleanliness.
S Make-up/ costume: The contrast between the officials who work there
and the „criminally insane‟ is evident –thus, creating binary opposites to
form part of the film‟s disruption.
S Lighting: Pathetic fallacy and the lighting match the circumstances
surrounding the protagonists/ their clarity over the situation, which
would match the audience‟s state of mind.

10. Audio Codes
S The sound track adapts to the situation, to effectively change
the audience‟s state of mind
S Dialogue is used to establish the story and accompany the
imagery
S The tone significantly changes after the protagonist
says „screw their sense of calm‟, by revealing more
disturbing imagery
S Diegetic sound of someone screaming is used to also increase
the pace, and heighten the disequilibrium

11. Narrative Codes
S Predominantly follows a more linear narrative; Todarov‟s theory
of Equilibrium is used, but is more abstract, as the protagonists
are placed in an unfamiliar situation from the start.
S Disequilibrium follows, with the secrets of the institution starting
to emerge through imagery and the character‟s own
development
S Inter-titles are not used, instead, the characters‟ dialogue is
employed to narrate the trailer

12. Action Codes
S Conventional action shots are not initially used, however, once
the disequilibrium has been established, the camera focuses on
the actions of the main protagonist, by framing his face in an
extreme close up repeatedly in different situations.
S The two main protagonists are framed on their own, isolating
the audience, which is subsequently increased by using a pointof-view shot, to affect the audience‟s state of mind, by putting
them in the same vulnerable position of the protagonist.
Point-ofview
shot

13. Enigma Codes
S Only snippets of scenes are shown, causing the audience to
naturally want to resolve these mysteries
S Where the mysterious patient is, who is actually only seen
briefly in the trailer
S The secrets surrounding the institution itself, which is repeated in
dialogue: “We haven‟t heard the truth yet” “No one wants to talk;
it‟s like they‟re scared of something”
S Adds some psychological/ philosophical aspects, conventional to
the genre. E.g:
“Do you know what fear does to the mind? It corrodes it” and
“Wouldn’t you agree… When you see a monster, you must stop it”

14. Technical Codes
S A contrast in scenes is used, adding to the psychological conventions
of the genre
S Slow-motion shots are used at the start, in contrast with the fast-paced
clips towards the end of the trailer, which gradually increases the
pace.
S Lockdowns are used frequently to establish the disrupted equilibrium.
These are effective in showing more scenes from the film, without
showing too much or decreasing the pace.
S For example: At 0:17-18 a lockdown is used as the protagonist drives
away in the car, increasing the pace and depicts him driving into the
unknown, away from the established equilibrium.

16. Visual Codes
S Characters: Use of the young girls contrast their innocence to the
supernatural evil they encountered when , which heightens the
S Isolation is a key theme which is connoted through the locations and
setting
S Lighting: Dark lighting creates the sense of unknown and
changes the audience‟s state of mind
S Location: The plot is predominantly set at „Eel Marsh
house‟ –the surrounding marsh connotes mystery and
danger for the characters
S Props: old, Victorian-style props add to their sense of verisimilitude and
change their state of mind by creating a scare factor

17. By listening to the trailer without actually watching it, for these codes, I found:
Audio Codes
0:05-0:23
S Several different non-diegetic soundtracks are used – the
first is mysterious to establish the setting.
S Pace of the soundtrack changes considerably after the 0:23
mark when the protagonist has actually entered the house;
here, a lot of door-creaking and other synchronous diegetic
sound is used once the disequilibrium has been further
established
S Dialogue: The dialogue isn‟t really needed, just there to
give the initial context to the audience and narrate the story

18. Narrative Codes
S Non-linear narrative is used, as frames are used from the beginning and
end of the film for its intended purpose of giving a scope of the scenes
included in the film
S Todarov‟s theory of disequilibrium is almost immediately established for
the character, as he has come from London.
S His first supernatural encounter heightens this at 0:38, which
disrupts the equilibrium –aided by the soundtrack which changes
to match the audience‟s new state of mind, after lulling them into
a false pretense with the original soundtrack.
S The following recognition and attempt to repair the disruption for
a renewed equilibrium in the narrative are highlighted through dialogue.
E.g: “I can‟t leave yet”

19. Action Codes
S The fire/ screaming outside the house –shown very briefly
S Ripping the wallpaper
S Boy is now in front of him
S Concludes with an action shot
S Uses fade-to-black transitions in between the more frequent action
shots to create a fast-moving pace towards the end. This is an
effective trailer convention, as it gives the audience partial scenes
from the film in a fast-moving sequence.
S Focuses predominantly on the protagonist, after Daniel Radcliffe‟s
name is shown on screen, to appeal to his audience his name‟s
attracted.

20. Enigma Codes
S Examples of „She‟s there‟ and „I can‟t leave yet‟ –show people trying to
dissuade the protagonist which will attract the audience to want to resolve
these mysteries.
S The significance of the children shown, and how they
are involved in the storyline
S What happened in the house/marshes –which is linked to „You could have
saved him‟
 It can be argued that, due to the length of the trailer, the plotline is already
vaguely outlined in the audience‟s mind, through short clips shown of the
story arc.

21. Technical Codes
S Special effects are used to convey the supernatural elements of
the film, and to superimpose the woman in black onto the
frames
S Uses inter-titles to introduce the film and narrate
the story; the right-hand example uses third
person pronouns to include the audience, as well as the same
capitalised typeface used in the promotional materials for the
film –keeping to genre conventions
S Uses fade-to-black transitions in-between shots, to continuously
introduce other elements of the film to the audience.

22. Summary:
After analysing all three films, I have found that all three use fadeto-black transitions in-between shots, which effectively increases
the pace, while still giving the audience extracts from the film. All
of them use the horror genre convention of white costume to
connote innocence in certain characters, or cleanliness in others
like in Shutter Island. Furthermore, there is an early disequilibrium
established in all three as the protagonist is placed in a new
environment, experiencing the unknown. E.g a new house, island
and village. Lastly, a community acts as an auxiliary antagonist in
The Woman In Black and Shutter Island