2. The purpose of trailers
The purpose of a trailer is so we are able to see a preview of the film that is to be released. A trailer will be
around 1 minute 30 to 2 minutes long, which will include short clips from the film giving you an idea of what
will happen. It is important for a trailer to be released as it will be aimed to persuade you to go and see the
film.
3. When this shot is shown during the trailer it indicates that something will
happen to this girl, who is not yet possessed. The zoom in and close up of the
eye creates this question as to what will happen leading on from this shot.
The same shot can be compared to the close up in ‘The ring’. This
creates the same intention that is used in ‘Cantata’. However it
also shows the scared and worried look in the eyes, impacting on
the audiences response to the trailer as it will make them feel
uneasy and unprepared for what may happen next. The use of
this shot was important in our trailer as it shows the possession
slowly beginning.
4. The medium shot used in this part of ‘Cantata’ implies something
creepy is happening, creating the ‘who is she talking to?’ question.
The zoom in onto the phone also exaggerates the importance of the
phone call, and plays a big part in the trailer as she is talking to the girl
who is no longer alive.
The shot that this can be compared to is the shot used in ‘scary
movie’ as the same scared reaction is shown. Furthermore, this
shot is often used in many trailers as it then creates an obvious
indication that someone is then going to be haunting or coming
back to kill.
5. This shot highlights the gore used in our trailer and represents that
there are deaths. The close up zoom of the hand also emphasises this
and makes the audience feel uncomfortable as they witness the blood
of someone from the death.
This similar shot used in Jennifer's body also shows the
importance of a symbol and a key part in the trailer. This shot is
used to imply that a symbol is relevant for some reason, that it
may later be the cause of a death.
6. The over the shoulder shot shows the conversation between the two
people in this shot, however the uneasy look that is shown from the
guy lets the audience know that things are as they should be and
something is about to happen.
The same shot is used in ‘The Cabin In The Woods’ trailer, however it is
used as a shock and a clue. Many film trailers will use the over the
shoulder shot as it provides us with the idea of looking through another
characters eyes and the feeling of being in the film. This shot was
important in our trailer as it made the audience connect with the
characters more as they feel they are involved in the shot by ’looking
through her eyes’.
7. An important shot that is used in our trailer is the long shot of the four
friends walking along the street. This shot shows all four characters
together, before one by one being killed. It also shows the irony of them
smiling and happy as this is shortly to end very quickly. This also shows
the friend that is later to be possessed.
This shot is used in ‘Halloween’ is used for the same reason, to
show all characters happy; that are later to be killed. Shots like this
are often used in trailers as it brings everyone together before
‘weird’ things begin to happen. In addition to this it was important
to use this shot in our trailer as it then begins the possession and
main action.
8. This panning medium shot of the building shows where the beginning
and part of the trailer will take place. This creates a setting and place for
the possession to begin. It is an important shot as it captures where
things begin to turn bad.
A shot used in ‘Halloween’ can be represented as a
comparison as it indicated where the majority of the
film will take place. This long shot is used in every
trailer as it sets the scene and tell the audience where
the film will take place, and the type of feeling it
provides.
9. This Medium shot of the bracelet highlights the importance of this
object, showing that it has a meaning. This creates a question being
asked as to why is this object so important? What happened?
A similar shot is in final destination 3, even though they use
more of an angle they are still emphasising on the camera. In
this trailer much like our own it is used as a clue.
10. The text shown here is used as a narrative. It was a quick shot that was
important to have as it helped the audience watching what was
happening an create tension.
The same technique is used in Final Destination to again create a
worried feeling for the audience by making them think something
‘Sinister’ is happening.
11. This long shot of the ghost creates another ‘paranormal’
shot which was important for the horror aspect. This shot
also appears to be creepy as It looks like she has a ghostly
walk.
A shot which is similar to this is from ‘The Women In Black’
when the long shot of the ghost is shown. This shot in both
scenes create an uneasy feeling and dark, scary atmosphere.
12. Sound
• Sound is very important throughout a trailer as it is will provide the horror feeling, making the audience scared and
uncomfortable. In our own trailer we used a narrative voice over and a soundtrack which played throughout. We only used
few voice clips as we didn’t want to give away to much of the story line, the idea was to leave it as a cliffhanger. The
soundtrack we used which played through the trailer was a piece that would increase in volume and speed when getting
near to the end which made it ‘spine-chilling’.
13. Professional and conventional?
• I believe that our trailer was professional and conventional. The use of shots such as jump cuts and zoom
ins made the trailer look professional as it included shots that are included in real trailers. The conventions
of our trailer made it seem to be exactly like a professional trailer as sound tracks and voice overs were
added. It was conventional as it has aspects of a ‘typical’ possession and used many proper such as the
bracelet. It also had a clear narrative structure which is also seen in all professional horror films however I
think that it could have been even more clearer to understand.
