This document analyzes the trailer for the horror film "Jessabelle" through the lens of its target audience, camera work, editing, sound, mise-en-scene, and narrative theories. The target audience is described as English-speaking males and females aged 15+ from lower social economic classes who enjoy horror films. The analysis then examines how the trailer uses camera angles, editing techniques, sound design, dark lighting and setting, and narrative structure to create tension, fear, and a sense of the unknown for viewers. Overall, the trailer aims to attract fans of the horror genre through conventional techniques while also subverting some expectations around its narrative progression.

1. Jessabelle

2. Target Audience
Demographics:
Males and females
Aged 15+
British/English speaking
Social economic class E
Psychographics:
Interested in horror films
Trill seekers
Interested in supernatural events
Have seen Insidious, Paranormal Activity, Sinister
and The Purge

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoBCEdt_BC8

4. Camera
Throughout the trailer high and low angle camera shots are used
to create tension and a shift in power. It also lets the audience
know where the weakness lies early on in the trailer. The woman is
often filmed on a low angle with her father looking down which
connotes with going back to her childhood creating a sense of
being vulnerable. Extreme close ups are used to create real fear
and to make the audience understand how the character is
feeling as every emotion is right at the lens.

5. Editing
This trailer is full of different types of editing. The trailer starts with
slow editing to build up and draw the audience in, it then turns to
fast editing to make the audience feel like there is a lots
happening and give the feel that the film is packed full of action.
There is also the use of titling to draw in inherited audiences and
reinforce fear by revelling the producer is the same as previous
successful horror films. Blink eye editing is also used throughout to
create a sense that someone is watching them giving a
paranormal feel to the trailer. There is also a video style shot
which has been edited to make look old and fuzzy. There are
also reaction shots and motivated cuts to build tension and fear.

6. Sound
The sound in this trailer is vital as the sound can really set the
atmosphere and create different moods. There is non-diegetic and
diegetic sound as well as a voiceover. The voiceover is the voice of
Jessabelle’s ... This reinforces the feeling of someone/something
watching over her. This trailer creates enigma through the sound of
objects, like when the phone rings and when the clock is ticking. As
the audience doesn’t know who’s ringing or why this sparks many
unanswered questions and thoughts which creates a sense of
anticipation, anxiety, fear and enigma. The sound of the clock
ticking is also clever as it creates a feeling of time is running out or
time is counting down until something happens. Enigma is also
created through silence. The way this particular trailer uses silence is
very effective as it opens up some time where the audience can
process all the things that are happening and let the fear build up.
During the silence the audience will be waiting for something to
happen creating the fear of the unknown. Towards the end of the
trailer there is silence as one drip falls from the tap; this allows the
audience to really focus creating more unease.

7. Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene of the trailer is overall very dark. The trailer uses
dark lighting and shadows to contrast with the pale woman. There is
also the use of blood to again create fear. The house is very isolated
and old which goes with the normal horror conventions of the
isolated lake house/old dated house and the vulnerable female. This
trailer represents the female as weak; she is also in a wheelchair. This
makes females with a disability seem powerless and defenceless.

8. Theories
Overall the trailer begins to follow Todorov’s narrative theory
but breaks from it towards the end as there is no equilibrium.
Although this trailer is structured slightly different from the
majority as it starts off showing the car crash which is how
Jessabelle is now in a wheelchair and then brightens up and
then makes a turn for the worse. Where as the majority of
horror film trailers start off very happy and then get worse.
This trailer also fully supports John Berger’s theory as the male
leads his daughter throughout reinforcing her weakness as she
is dependent on the male in her life. This also links in with
Propp’s theory as the male is seen as the hero helping the
woman in need. It complies with the idea of a patriarchal
society that men are in control.