This document analyzes the mise-en-scene techniques used in the trailers for the films Insidious and Sinister to create atmosphere and tension. Both trailers begin by establishing the family homes as normal to contrast with the later supernatural events. Costumes and lighting are also used to portray normal families and settings in a gloomy manner. Jump scares toward the end feature threatening supernatural characters to shock viewers. Props like weapons in Sinister and a metronome in Insidious are employed to build fear and uncertainty about what will happen. Overall, the document discusses how mise-en-scene contributes to effective horror moments in the trailers.

1. Mise-En-Scene in trailers
Insidious 1 & Sinister

2. I am looking at two supernatural film trailers to identify the Mise-en-scene. The two films
that I will be refferencing are Insidious (2010) and Sinister (2012).
The mise-en-scene is crucial in these
trailers because it contributes to how effective the moments of horror are by ensuring
that the setting, lighting, costume and props are all creating the intended
atmosphere.
In both of the film trailers, at the beginning there is an establishing shot of a family
home. This is because the characters are typically a 'normal' family, and showing the
horror occurring in such a normal place makes the film appear more realistic and
scares the audience more because it suggests that what happens in the film could
potentially happen to anyone and anywhere.

3. To reinforce the 'normality' of the situation we are then introduced to the characters which
typically tend to be happy, normal families. In the 3rd Image from the sinister trailer we see
the family all sat around a table eating together and in the 4th image from the insidious trailer
we see all of the family sitting on the couch together
The costume's that the characters wear also support the normality of the family as they are
all dressed very casually and ordinary. By showing the family as ordinary and happy it makes
them appear as venerable and victimised later throughout the trailers when their children
begin to become affected by the supernatural interference that both families are facing

4. The two images are from the insidious trailer where
in both, the only lighting appears to be coming from
the lamps in the room. The lack of natural lighting
makes the rooms a lot more gloomy and creates a
colder atmosphere. Instead of the audience thinking
they have a perfect family and life, it then makes
them question what is going to happen next. The
darkness is used to create tension and fear when the
supernatural incidents begin to occur.
Likewise, in the sinister trailer there is an establishing shot of the house which the film is set
in, but instead of natural lighting in the day time, it is now during the night and the shot is a
lot darker, creating the same atmosphere as in the Insidious trailer.

5. At the very last bit of both trailers, the audience are shown a character who appears
very quickly with a loud noise, to shock them when they think the trailer is over. In the
Insidious trailer, this character is a female wearing black clothes and a black veil. The
choice of costume makes her appear threatening, along sider her facial expression
with her mouth open, almost smirking at the camera. Before the close up of her face
she is shown with her arms out as though she is going to grab the person watching.
In the sinister trailer, there is a close up of the character that we have seen throughout
the trailer a few times in the moment of horror. This character is the supernatural
character that we expect to be behind the storyline. It is wearing a mask which hides
it's real face and is purposely worn to scare the audience.

6. The props are also used to create fear. In the sinister trailer there are two shots of both an
axe and a large knife. This creates the impression that the villain is more professional and
knows what they are doing. This creates more fear for the audience because they know that
it is going to be violent and intense between the villain and the victims. It also provides an
element of uncertainty as to what the outcome of the film will be.
Although in the insidious trailer there are no
weapons used, there are other props included
which are used to create fear and increase the
tension for the viewer. For example at the beginning
of the trailer there is a metronome which is ticking
throughout creating the atmosphere that something
is about to happen and increasing the tension for
the viewer. There are also other props such as the
use of the torn up bed sheets with blood hand
prints on them. These make the audience question
the situation and who is behind the supernatural
occurrences.