1. Researching 3 Horror Film Trailer
Intertexts.
Josh Wetmore

2. Introduction
This is part of my research of intertexts for film trailers
in the ‘Horror’ genre. I am doing this because i plan
to make my own horror film trailer for my AS
coursework. Im going to be looking at the
conventions of this genre and plan to deliberately
use/disuse them to make the desired effect on the
audience in my own work. Im going to be analysing 3
intertexts using these codes
–Visual Codes
–Audio Codes
–Technical Codes
–Action Codes

3. Paranormal Activity 3 - Trailer
• Paranormal Activity 3 is an American
supernatural horror film (2011). It is the third
film of the Paranormal Activity series and
serves as a prequel, set 18 years prior to the
events of the first two films. It was released
into cinemas on October 21, 2011.
• The plot revolves around a family that are
haunted by a demon, as it seeks revenge for a
deal made in previous lifes.

5. Visual Codes
– The dress codes of the adult actors are dull colours
generally connoting boring and puts them in the
background. The children’s dress codes are full of
bright girly colours that really represents their age.
– The mise-en-scene of the scenes that include the
demonic activity in the dark. This is very conventional
within the horror genre. Also there are alot of screens
where single word writing appears, this builds tension.

6. Audio Codes
– The Diagetic sound in the scene is very
conventional within the genre. It consists of
characters talking, and lots of screaming.
– The Non-Diagetic sound is the sound effects of
electronic destortion. This happens when the
screen appears to flicker and happens between
the scene switches.

7. Technical Codes
– The camera angles in the majority of scenes are
fixed because the theme of all of the films in the
sequence are include CCTV being set up in the
house and cameras in an attempt to capture the
demon. The other angle used is the one where
the actor is walking around with a handheld
camera. This helps to connect the audience to the
actors and add the the ‘scare’ factor that its trying
to be implied.

8. Action Codes
– The stunts that the actors perform include being
dragged along by the demon (which is invisble)
and i have no idea how they do it. Also the gesture
codes of the demon when its visible is dead still,
no movement occours adding to tension and
building suspense the whole time.

9. Dawn Of The Dead (2004) - Trailer
• Dawn of the Dead (2004) is a horror film
directed by Zack Snyder. It is a remake of
George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same
name and stars. The film depict a handful of
human survivors living in a Milwaukee,
Wisconsin shopping mall surrounded by
swarms of zombies.

11. Visual Codes
– The Dress Codes of the people that are still alive
are worn, dirty and torn in some places. The
Zombies clothes have a more exaggerated version
of this with blood stains added to them.
– The mise-en-scene of alot of the suspense
building scenes include a blue tinge to a dark set.
Also in the scenes when the moral panic sets in
there is a redish ‘Dawn’ tinge which connotes
danger and blood and also ties in with the title.

12. Audio Codes
– Like alot of the other films in this genre the
diagetic sound includes talking, screaming and
‘zombie noises’.
– The Non diagetic sound includes a heartbeat, and
background music this adds hugely to the tension.

13. Technical Codes
– The camera angles include alot of unorthodox
ones such as over the shoulder shots, high to low
shots, extreme close ups, rising shots. Also there
are alot of cuts between scenes that introduce the
next part of the trailer well.

14. Action Codes
– The actors all seem very panicked and rush
around the scenes endlessly. The zombies wander
around with no sense of panic but are very certain
of their goal.
– There are also alot of the big events placed at the
end of the trailer to make it look more exciting.

15. Saw III - Trailer
• Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film.
The story follows Jeff after his son is hit and killed
by a car; he is put in a series of tests by Jigsaw in
order try and let go of his vengeance on the man
that killed him. Meanwhile a bed-ridden John
Kramer has ordered his apprentice Amanda
Young to kidnap a doctor named Lynn, in order to
keep him alive for one final test before he dies of
cancer. Saw III also contains additional back-story
about the two ‘Bad guys’.

17. Visual Codes
– The dress codes of the bad guys are black clothes,
conventionally what bad guys wear. The victims
(rather unconventionally are wearing very little
clothes on their torso’s, this could be to show the
sheer ‘nakedness’ of the situation they are in.
– The mise-en-scene is very dark, complying with
convetions. It is tinged different colours in
different situations such as green, blue, red.

18. Action Codes
– The diagetic sound uses lots of convetional
screaming and pleading and talking. But also uses
what is the ‘tag line’ of all of the films. Where the
jigsaw says ‘I wanna play a game’. This is always
followed and started with silence and alot of
pauses are used to build suspense and tension.
– The non diagetic sounds are those that crackle in
between cuts. Also a backing track will build
tension and suspense.

19. Technical Codes
– The editing of the trailer includes lots of scenes
with just text and still images. This seems to be
very conventional amongst trailers from this
genre.
– There must also be alot of special effects to
produce the deaths to look real.

20. Action Codes
– The bad guys always seem really in control.
Weather as the actors that are being killed are
absolutely hysterical and cant control their fear.
– There are not many events during the trailer, this
is maybe because they dont need to try and sell it
as much because the fisrt two films did that, also
Saw has a lot of twists and surprises and they
wouldnt want to give too much away.

21. Conventions
The title screens
You see alot of are all very
these types of similar and are
images to cut like this for
between many other
scenes. This horror films.
adds a sense Light coloured,
of ‘unknown’ and slightly
to the next illiterate font
scene. thats placed on
ablack
background.
You see alot of this ‘blue tinge’ to scenes in horror films. Its very
conventional to edit in this way making it black and white, or to put a
colour onto it.