This document analyzes the trailer for an upcoming mystery/thriller/horror film focusing on several characters trapped in a motel. The trailer establishes the genre through ominous non-diegetic music and scenarios that will create fear, mystery, and problems for the vulnerable characters to face. It aims to draw in audiences across age groups with different character types and leaves many questions unanswered to generate interest in learning more. Common thriller trailer techniques like changes in music, close-up shots of reactions, titles making statements, and an atmosphere of suspense are effectively used to tease the film's plot and scare audiences.

1. Identity - Trailer Analysis

2. •Mystery/Thriller/Horror film focusing on several different characters
who are all trapped at a motel
•Genre is suggested at first with the use of a non-diegetic repetitive,
scary melody
•Audience can identify the film’s genre through the use of
conventional methods; (e.g. music, establishment of scenarios/issues
for the characters to face, weather, death, mystery/code of enigma)

3. •It targets its audience by:
•Creating a story most of which remains unclear
•Attempting to reflect most of its target ages with the variety of
characters
•Adding tension and mystery which draws its audience in
•Trailer lasts 2 minutes and 26 seconds, making it a full typical film
trailer by showing enough content to generate income
•Approximately 14-15 types of shots used, most of these are close
ups/medium close-ups in order to express the fear and drama
•Use of simple cutting, fading and blurring

4. •Diegetic sound consists of dialogue that establishes the film and its
events, including a narration from the main character which creates a
third person aspect of the film as if it were a story, meanwhile
screams and shouting add to create horror and terror whilst the
trailer leaves it unexplained
•Non-diegetic sounds create tension, suspense and suggests a
horrific theme, such as the music used throughout. The increase of
pitch and volume at 1.09 onwards creates the climax of the trailer
where everything starts going wrong for the characters, as they
should in this particular type of genre
•Despite the variety of personalities, the characters are all
represented as quite vulnerable due to the circumstances they’re in

5. •By using the third person story-telling perspective for the beginning
of the trailer, the narrative and plot is established through the order
of chronological events that are revealed to the audience and once
these are set, the trailer then completes its purpose by leaving many
unanswered questions. It shows that there’s a mystery to be solved
but it’s up to the target consumer to find that out
•It creates its code of enigma by using carefully set questions, mostly
asked through the characters, such as the disappearing bodies and
the connection as to why they are all there, why they are being killed
and were they set up
•The titles used make statements, which is conventional in order to
sell the story that the film creates, and in doing so push the story of
the trailer along so as to fit as much information in as necessary

6. •Using the diegetic/non-diegetic sounds, fast cutting pace, mysteries
and suspense, setting and weather, the mood is easily sub-
consciously established in the audiences mind, whilst we expect the
film to have plot twists, deaths and frightening moments
•Common shots used in trailers include close-ups and medium shots
to show character reactions to certain events in a film, along with the
odd selection of long/wide shots in order to set a location
•The mise-en-scene is created by the story’s setting and plot
occurrences which then needs the mise-en-scene to revolve around
it and appear to make the story as authentic as possible

7. •A trailer is a film’s biggest selling point, it’s a method of
advertisement that is very effective because it is a successful visual
collection of footage that gives you more insight to the film than a
poster or word of mouth
•This then makes film trailers more or less successful in targeting
their audience because of what it can achieve through the use of
filming, plot and editing, if these are used correctly they can target
the right audience by representing the right genre
•Codes and conventions that have been used;
•Fast cutting pace
•Suspense through diegetic dialogue
•Code of enigma
•A narrative to establish the film
•Suspense through non-diegetic music
•Titles making statements
•An unidentifiable threat
•Problems that the characters must solve throughout the film
•A sense of vulnerability for the characters
•Production company logos