This document analyzes three horror movie trailers from the genres of psychological thriller and zombie horror in order to decide which subgenre to base their own trailer on. It summarizes the cinematography, editing, sound, props, and locations used in the trailers for Saw 2, Night of the Living Dead, and The Dead. Elements from each trailer that could be incorporated into their own trailer are discussed. The document aims to understand genre conventions in trailers and gain ideas for their own narrative and elements.

2. ANALYSIS OF HORROR TRAILERS
I HAVE LOOKED AT THREE MOVIE TRAILERS FROM THE SUB- GENRES OF ‘PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS’ AND
‘ZOMBIE HORROR’ AS WE ARE STILL DECIDING WHICH SUB-GENRE TO BASE OUR TRAILER ON. BY
ANALYSING ALREADY EXISTING MOVIE TRAILERS THAT IN MOST CASES, ARE WELL KNOWN, HAS HELPED US
TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF GENRE CONVENTIONS IN TRAILERS AND HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE
THESE INTO OUR TRAILER, AND HELPED US TO GAIN SOME IDEAS ABOUT THE NARRATIVE OF OUR TRAILER
AND POTENTIAL ELEMENTS WE COULD INCLUDE.

3. TRAILER 1- SAW 2 (2005): 1:23
-PHYSCOLOGICAL THRILLER
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=NAC1AVJP3UE

4. CINEMATOGRAPHY AND EDITING
The camerawork in the Saw 2 trailer consists of a variety of shots, from close-ups
to crane shots. Also the editing is very fast paced and clips are cut together
in a random order using special techniques such as fuzziness and blurs to
depict how distressed the characters are and therefore creates a distressing
atmosphere for the viewer. This fast paced editing also helps create suspense
and tension. Generally the intention of horror film trailers are to create
suspense, put the viewer on edge and leave them with many questions so they
will want to go and see the film. The Saw trailer does just this and very
effectively, by use of camera work.
The colours and low-level lighting in the trailer also create an intense mood
and the colours used are typically associated with horror films including black
and red which have connotations of danger and death, and also dark blues and
greens which create a ‘scary’ atmosphere. The lighting throughout the trailer is
also dark and dismal which is a typical genre convention. However, short
outbursts of bright light and colour is also used, which helps to add to the
mystery and suspense. Overall, the cinematography and editing itself is
disturbed, thus reflecting the films disturbed narrative and nature.

5. SOUND
The sound in the trailer is very effective to achieve it’s purpose of engaging the audience and creating a
scary atmosphere etc. Listed below are various sounds featured in the trailer and how they impact the
audience and achieve the trailers purpose:
• Sound effects- Throughout the trailer there are numerous sound effects from sounds of weapons
including saws and guns and high pitched screams and cackles etc. This all helps to set the scene,
create a scary atmosphere and put the viewer on the edge of their seat and potentially make them want
to go and see it at the cinemas.
• Music- The music starts off with loud, low notes and doesn’t even sound like music; just loud noises and
bangs. This gets more intense as the trailer goes on, thus to create a distressing atmosphere for the
audience. As the actions builds up and the trailer becomes more violently distressing, the music
becomes the typical action film music. This also helps to create suspense.
• Dialogue- There is a fair bit of dialect in the trailer from the characters and the saw man. They make sure
that the well known slogan “Let the game begin” is featured in the trailer to give the viewers an
indication of the plot and the narrative and to make people who have seen the first film want to see this
one. Also the saw man says, “there will be blood”. This attracts viewers as they know there’s going to be a
lot of action and that there is an intriguing plot. Sometimes the use of dialogue in a trailer can be
ineffective, however in this trailer it’s very effective as it gives the viewers an indication of the
characters enabling them to empathise with them even before they’ve seen the movie. It also gives a
clearer idea of the story, and ultimately if people understand the trailer, they will be more inclined to see
the film when it comes out.

6. PROPS AND LOCATION
• PROPS= There are various props shown throughout the trailer. The main props used include an array of violent
weapons and traps which are shown to show the extremities of the film and reveal to the viewers that it will be
violent, bloody and gory in terms of horror. These props include: saws, knifes, needles, strange contraptions and
guns, which are all genre conventions of horror too.
• LOCATION= The location that the trailer is set in isn’t very clear and comes across as mysterious. However as the
trailer progresses you can tell each snapshot of the locations shown suggest it’s a trap and the characters are
trying to escape. Typical genre conventions relating to location include dark and dingy lighting, blood stained walls
and strange contraptions/ places.

7. HOW COULD ELEMENTS OF “SAW 2”
TRAILER BE USED IN OUR TRAILER?
FIRSTLY, I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE NARRATIVE IN THIS TRAILER BEING SHOWN TO GET GRADUALLY WORSE AS THE
TRAILER GOES ON, WHICH CREATES A CLEAR SENSE OF SUSPENSE AND LEAVES THE VIEWER WANTING TO WATCH
THE WHOLE FILM WHEN IT EVENTUALLY COMES OUT. I FEEL BY USING A VARIETY OF SHOTS, AND RANDOM CLIPS
PUT TOGETHER TO CREATE SUSPENSE, WE COULD TOO ACHIEVE THIS IN OUR TRAILER. I ALSO THINK WE MIGHT
TAKE THE IDEA OF HAVING VULNERABLE, OUT OF TOUCH CHARACTERS IN OUR TRAILER IF WE DO EITHER
PSYCHOLOGICAL OR A ZOMBIE HORROR, AS IT EVOKES SYMPATHY AND ALSO A SENSE OF EMPATHY FOR THE
VIEWER, MAKING THEM ENGAGE WITH THE FILM. THE INTENSE MUSIC AND VARIETY OF DISTURBING SOUND
EFFECTS, I ALSO FEEL IS EFFECTIVE AS IT CREATES SUSPENSE AND A DRAMATIC ATMOSPHERE, WHICH IS KEY TO
ENGAGE THE AUDIENCE. HOWEVER, GENERALLY SAW IS MORE OF A GORY, VIOLENT STYLE OF HORROR WHICH WE
DON’T FEEL WE ARE GOING TO DO, THEREFORE WE WILL PROBABLY GET MORE INSPIRATION FROM OTHER
TRAILERS.

8. TRAILER 2- NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
(1990): 1:06
- ZOMBIE HORROR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0r7L8tS2L0

9. CINEMATOGRAPHY AND EDITING
Throughout the trailer there are various shots, most of which conform to genre conventions of horror
films/trailers. Firstly there is a crane shot at the very beginning of the trailer, which could also act as an
establishing shot. It shows a car driving into a graveyard, a graveyard being a typical location used in the horror
genre, particularly the sub-genre of zombie horror, which this film is based on. There is also another birds eye
view shot which could also act as POV shot of the zombie falling onto a girl covered in blood on the floor. This is
the last shot before the trailer moves onto a peaceful, quiet wide shot of the moonlit sky with a silhouette of a
eerie looking tree. Again this is typical genre convention of horror films and zombie horror.
There is also an interesting clip of a TV set which shows a disturbed, fuzzy picture and crackling sounds as the
news reporter attempts to report what seems to be a ‘zombie outbreak’. This again Is a typical genre convention
of zombie horror that we feel we might like to incorporate into our trailer, as it helps to create a running narrative
throughout and to link up the random clips consisting of zombies, and the ‘survivors’ panicking.
Towards the end of the trailer the editing is very fast paced and flicks between the zombies and the survivors
and is action-packed, loud, fast with disturbing, fuzzy effects like on the TV set. This is a very effective technique
as it builds up suspense just before the trailer ends and helps to define a plot.
Overall, this trailer very much conforms to the typical genre convention of zombie horror and puts to use a
variety of shot types, most being very effective. I think this is a good example of a zombie horror trailer to use to
help us with our trailer.

10. TYPICAL WIDE SHOT
OF ZOMBIES FROM
‘NOTLD’, COMING
TOWARDS THE
SURVIVORS. THIS IS
ALMOST ALWAYS
USED IN ZOMBIE
HORRORS, AND IS
DEFINITELY
SOMETHING WE
WANT TO INCLUDE
IN OUR TRAILER.

11. SOUND
Throughout the trailer there is consistent music, which is typically old
fashioned, high pitched and adds to the suspense of the trailer. In parts of the
trailer the music stops to get the audiences attention of one specific part, or
other sound effects in the trailer, for example in the final clip of the still,
moonlit sky, it’s silent which could be used to suggest the zombie have won
and have successfully taken over. Then there’s the voice over which reads the
title of the film and the director in a low, husky voice which was the traditional
voice over voice for older films, and works well for a horror film as it’s so
monotone. This voice over is used throughout to give the trailer a sense of
narrative and an indication of the plot for the viewers. As a well as a narrators
voice over there is also considerable amounts of dialect in the trailer which is
there for same purpose, although I feel this Is ineffective and is it takes away
the suspense, and sometimes gives away too much of the plot, therefore we
wont be using a lot of character dialect in our trailer.
There are also a number of sound effects throughout including high pitched
screams, smashing glass, gun shots and zombie groans, which all add to the
suspense and create a scary atmosphere, which is the trailers intention.

12. PROPS AND LOCATION
PROPS= Throughout the trailer a number of props are used to
help the audience to understand the plot as well as make it
clear it’s a horror trailer. Firstly, there are number of weapons
used likewise the Saw 2 trailer, which tells me that no matter
what sub-genre the trailer is (zombie or psychological),
weapons are a great prop to use to convey a message about
the plot and to tell the audience is it horror. In this trailer
guns, shards of glass and axes are used as weapons, which
are all typically violent and associated with death and
danger, therefore convey a clear message. Also fake blood is
used to make it look realistic. Blood also has clear
connotations of death, which links to the plot. Also the
costumes and make-up play a key part in setting the scene
and showing the genre, as it’s clear this is a zombie horror
because of the actors ghoulish ‘dead’ looks and ripped up,
blood stained clothing.
LOCATION= There are clips of
various locations shown in
this trailer including a
graveyard where the
zombies are first introduced
to the audience (genre
convention), an old perhaps
‘haunted house’ and a field.
These types of locations are
commonly used in zombie
horror and suggest to the
audience a sense of
isolation and ominousness.

13. HOW COULD ELEMENTS OF ‘NOTLD’ TRAILER
BE USED IN OUR TRAILER?
The Night of the Living Dead trailer generally conforms to the typical genre conventions you’d expect to see in a
zombie horror. This includes locations, props, costumes and make-up and general mise-en-scene. Therefore, if
we decide to do a zombie horror for our trailer we will adhere to some of these genre conventions, as the
audience will be familiar with it and know it’s a horror film, however we won’t conform to all conventions as we
don’t want it to be associated with every other zombie film, and don’t want the plot to be unveiled to the
audience just by viewing the trailer, like in Night of the Living Dead.
Also the trailer is quite cheesy as it features so many genre conventions and cheesy, typical horror film music,
that this takes away from the suspense and the realness of it, therefore in our trailer more suspense will be
created, but not by overloading the trailer with typical features.

14. TRAILER 3- THE DEAD (2011): 2:23
- ZOMBIE HORROR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJVdqZww9aE

15. CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDITING
This trailer in particular practices a wide variety of shot types and different editing styles. Firstly, there are a number of close up shots
throughout, mainly of the characters faces, so you can clearly differentiate between the ‘living dead’ and the ‘living’. Also throughout this
trailer the camera isn’t focused on one thing for too long. For example near the beginning of the trailer, there is a scene on the beach
where the points of view of the zombies and the survivor character are shown through a number of cuts, but eventually the man opens
the crate and retrieves a gun and shoots the zombies in the head.
Cross cuts are also frequently used to portray a narrative. The camera is constantly cutting from the various scenes of devastation in
the films from the fire ridden, burnt down towns with families fleeing, the soldiers shooting the zombies out in the barren land, and the
zombies coming to attack the civilians. This trailer also uses children characters escaping the zombies, which makes it more realistic
and more like a serious epidemic where armed forces have to be sent in to control the masses of the living dead. The use of children also
engages the audience as it helps them to empathise and sympathise with the characters.
This trailer also uses cross cuts to shock the viewers, e.g. when the survivor goes to the abandoned, pitch black hospital and it cross
cuts to the zombie coming, and then he shines his torch and is confronted by a gory, blood covered zombie. There is also an example of a
birds eye view shot used when the American guy is on top of the mountain looking down at the zombies. This helps to give the viewers a
sense that he is trapped and being surrounded. Editing is also interestingly used in this trailer. Firstly, towards the end of the trailer
there is a fast paced sequence of gory, graphic shots of people being bitten, a man being hit by a truck and zombies coming to attack.
The special effect of slow motion is also used to express the characters emotion and make it aesthetically pleasing for the viewers. Then
the credits suddenly appear and the audience think the trailer has finished, and then a shocking clip appears of a man getting literally
squashed by the tyre of the truck. Overall, the trailer is made very well and by the interesting variety of camera shots and editing
techniques, it is made very interesting for the viewer, and doesn’t completely give away the plot.

16. SOUND
“The Dead” is a very different style of zombie film that breaks many of the conventions of ‘zombie horror’. This is evident through the sound
particularly. The trailer begins with non-diagetic sound of either Arabian, oriental style music which helps to set the scene (a desert, which is
also typically unusual for a location for a zombie horror). However as the trailer cross cuts to different scenes and locations, the music
changes and in parts of the trailer to create suspense, is high pitched and dramatic, and in other parts is very soft for example, when the
soldier meets the American engineer. There is also an effective use of silence when the engineer is searching through what appears to be an
infected, abandoned soldiers hospital, when suddenly he turns around and is confronted by a gory, half eaten zombie. This silence is used to
engage the audience by putting them on the edge of their seat, and making them jump when the zombie appears so suddenly.
The narrative is also portrayed through a non-diagetic voiceover of a character (soldier) who is trying to find his son, which in itself id
unconventional for a zombie horror, thus bringing in a more personal element, helping the audience to empathise. There is also another
example of a voice over with a different narrator towards the beginning, which helps to explain to the audience what’s happened (a plane crash
resulting in infected humans- living dead). This is depicted through a television screen in a news report/ flash style with the typical heroic
male news reporters voice. This is very conventional and is a very useful technique to set the scene and give the audience an indication of the
plot without giving it away, therefore we might incorporate this technique into our trailer, if we choose to do a zombie horror.
There is also a lot of character speech (dialect) during the trailer which is again, unconventional. However, there are a number of effective
sound effects such as gun shots, stab noises, zombie groans and high pitched screaming, which is conventional and makes the reader
empathise with the characters on a more personal level, and feel scared like them, and want to see the film.

17. PROPS AND LOCATION
PROPS= The main props used in the
trailer are weapons (guns and
knifes), fake blood and special
effects make up (zombies look
realistic) and a number of vehicles
including a burnt out plane which
has to be shown as it is the main
part of the plot and the reason for
the zombie attack, and army trucks
in action, which suggests the
seriousness of the matter. Generally,
the props used are similar to the
ones used in ‘night of the living
dead’, which suggests that zombie
horrors have conventional props. A
torch is also a conventional prop
used, which is featured in both of
these trailers, as it creates a sense
of mystery and an eerie atmosphere.
LOCATION= There a variety of
locations shown in the trailer, most
of which are unconventional. Firstly
we see a desert location, like in the
pictures to the left. This perhaps
suggests this is where the plane as
crashed, but is very unusual for a
horror film, as at first it doesn’t
appear scary. However, a desert
goes on and on which suggests the
characters (humans) are trapped
and there is no escape, and isolation
is a common theme for zombie films,
and a desert is barren and isolated
typically.
Other locations include ruined,
burnt down towns and abandoned
hospitals which are common in
zombie horrors as well as general
horror films as they are eerie and
are usually blood covered, which is
disturbing for the viewers.

18. WHY IS THIS TRAILER
UNCONVENTIONAL?
• Primary location
• Use of micro narratives- continuously cross cuts from the panicked civilians, soldiers, zombies and the
unknown Arabian character (who perhaps has some significance in the film) from the first scene etc. It
portrays a number of small stories in the trailer, rather than a large story (meta narrative), where clips are
sequential and chronological (which is common in film trailers). However, I feel this unusual use of micro
narratives is much more effective as it doesn’t give away the plot to the audience and shows on a mass
scale how and who are being affected by the zombies.
• Use of music
Overall I think this trailer is unconventional because it is an independent film, i.e. not widely known and
written, produced and distributed by an independent film company. Therefore, it’s broken a lot of genre
conventions because it’s aim is to do something different and give it’s wide audience an exciting new
experience of zombie horror.

19. HOW COULD ELEMENTS OF ‘THE DEAD’ BE
USED IN OUR TRAILER?
If we choose to pursue a zombie horror trailer, we will consider using inspiration from a variety of sources, the trailers on
this power point included. As this film is ‘independent’ and our trailer will be amateur (and if it was real, independent), we will
probably use micro narratives to construct our narrative in our trailer.
This trailer also has a genre convention of the clip of a mass group of zombies walking towards the camera and chasing/
surrounding the victims, so we will try to incorporate this into our trailer, as it helps the audience to empathise with the
characters, and is a recognised convention that will indicate our trailer is definitely a zombie horror and nothing else. We
will also try to make our make-up and costumes realistic like this trailer and the ‘NOTLD’ trailer, as then it won’t seem like a
cross genre of comedy and zombie horror, and will be taken seriously by it’s audience.
We will also incorporate intense, dramatic music as well as silence like this trailer demonstrates well, as well as typical
sound effects. With this we will try to use a number of different shots to make the trailer visually pleasing, interesting and
dramatic. Another element of zombie horror trailers and zombie films and TV programmes I’ve seen before, is that none of the
characters are aware of what’s actually happening, and are unaware of what a ‘zombie’ is. Therefore, they are commonly
referred to as the ‘living dead’, ‘undead’, ‘crawlers’ etc. We will make sure we do this in our trailer as I feel it is very effective
in making it realistic and giving the trailer/film a story that could potentially happen in the real world.

20. OVERALL THE MOST USEFUL TRAILER I ANALYSED
WAS ‘NOTLD’ AS I FEEL IT IS A TYPICAL ZOMBIE
HORROR, AND THE TRAILER ACHIEVES ITS PURPOSE
WELL. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR TARGET
AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDS THE GENRE AND HAS A
SLIGHT INDICATION OF THE PLOT BY WATCHING OUR
TRAILER, THEREFORE, ‘NOTLD’ IS GOOD INSPIRATION.
By Ella Ash