Saw trailer analysis

1. SAW
TRAILER
ANALYSIS

3. The film title ‘Saw’ is well suited and conforms
to the genre of a horror. The tool saw is known
to be dangerous and sharp object with multiple
edges, which is similar to the antagonist of the
film. The character is multifaceted and has
many ideas in his mind to make people value
their lives, he wants to be able to carve and
change people's minds just like a saw can
carve a piece of wood.

4. The audience of the film is young
adults, an elderly audience would
not enjoy this film due to the gore
and brutal murders, where as the
young adults tend to take
enjoyment out of it with it giving
them an adrenaline rush. The age
rating of this film is an 18 which I
believe is ideal because of the
gore within the film being
extremely distressing resulting it
being inappropriate for a younger
audience.

5. Saw is a horror film, but specifically the
subgenre of slasher and splatter films.
This subgenre deliberately contains
graphic portrayals of gore and violence.
The trailer depicts the genre because
there are lots of typical conventions such
as blood, not only this but the main
character ‘Saw’ is clearly the murderer.
This is typical of a horror film trailer to
include this and allows his mask to adds
more depth to the character by being a
specific convention of the subgenre.

6. The main location for the majority of the scenes seem to be in a boiler room or a warehouse, this
vast amount of space gives the audience a lot to look and think about however the location isn’t that
clear. This is because the director wants to show how the victims are helpless and will struggle
getting out of there. All of the locations shown seemed to be run down giving the impression that they
have been abandoned, a major convention of the subgenre. Through using the prop of a saw the
audience are able to witness first hand how the film is full of gore and receives it audience rating. It
almost sums up the film in the way that it depicts the violence which will occur throughout the film.
Also it foreshadows how ‘Saw’ can control his victims into what he wants them to do. You could
argue that having the object of a saw in the first movie trailer is used to reflect how the actually
person ‘Saw’ is a tool and all of his victims are his purpose. Another prop is also used as the trailer
continues, where a newspaper article and other multiple articles show emphasise of the power of
saw and how it is an ongoing problem throughout the film. The articles look old and worn down
suggesting this is a prolonged problem and Saw will not be stopped by anybody. I feel that both of
these props are used as an effective choice because the audience are paralysed by the danger and
the newspaper article is sufficient evidence of this while the saw enforces the violence. Another way
mise-en scene has been used effectively is through the costume. When we see ‘Saws’ puppet
‘Jigsaw’ during the trailer he is in a suit and a bow tie, where as both of the victims in the same room
are in scruffy clothing which creates a hierarchy. The fact ‘Jigsaw’ is in formal clothing highlights his
power while the scruffy clothing represents how the victims lack control and have to follow ‘Jigsaws’
rules. In addition to this the clothes of the victim are wet and dirty, again showing how Saw looks
down on them and they can’t be as good as him until they value life. The film trailer starts in the dark
with a character saying ‘is someone there’. This causes the audience to be kept in suspense, not
knowing who is there and not knowing what is going on. This is effective as it conforms to the genre
of a horror due to the audience’s attention being grasped. As the scene continues the guy who is
speaking is taking pictures using a flash to transition in and out of the scene, giving the audience
snippets of information from the scene. But makes themselves feel as if they are trapped in the same
position as the victim. By using such low key dark lighting the audience are kept guessing therefore
giving the trailer control over them like ‘Saw’ has over his victims.

7. There is a close up of a women in a metal mask with her narrating over
saying ‘All I can taste is blood and metal’. This shot establishes to the
viewer that the horror film will be gory. The director is able to create a
sense of shock and urgency immediately. Not only this but the lighting of
the shot is dark and gloomy, reflecting the atmosphere and reinforcing the
danger. There is a shot of two of the current victims and a victim who has
survived and show facial expressions of fear. Throughout the trailer the
shots like these are dark and gloomy and this is done because the director
is trying to continuously remind the audience that anyone can be the victim
and that they are isolated. The medium close ups used also depict the
body language of two of the current victims which screams fear of them.
By allowing the viewer to see the body the trailer is drawing the audience
in and making us feel empathetic towards the victims. When the audience
first see ‘Saws’ face in the trailer, the tones are a lot darker and more
green than the victims are. The close up shot emphasizes these dark
tones which insinuate that ‘Saw’ has the power and control, however this
control is negative. The shot also gets ‘Saw’ from side on, where-as the
other victims we see there full face, this insinuates that ‘Saw’ is the villain
and he is multifaceted. I feel the angle of this camera shot is really
effective because it keeps the audience in the dark and informs them that
the character has so much more he has planned.

8. The trailers lighting has a green tinge to it which connotes the idea
of gore and blood as it sets the tone for the trailer. This is a
successful editing as it means that the trailer is conforming to the
genre of a horror. Throughout the trailer the transitions from one
shot to another change extremely quickly, this affects the whole
pace of the trailer. By using quick cuts and transitions there is a
sense of urgency being depicted and the audience have to keep up
with the trailer. Unlike other trailers, this trailer isn’t as fluid, but has
been done purposely as a way of making the trailer jumpy and
tense. The pacing of the trailer picks up towards the end as the
victims panic and struggle. At this point fast motions have been
used in order to allow the audience to visualise the urgency in the
shot. The anchorage which has been edited into the trailer interrupts
the clips adding breaks but creates suspense and builds tension. By
having a vast amount of anchorage the audience are having to
concentrate thoroughly, therefore making the jump scares even
more scary. I feel the editing of the anchorage is really effective as it
breaks the trailer up and this could be done as a way of reflecting
how nothing can stop ‘Saw’. Something else that is done is going
back to previous victims in flashbacks, this allows the audience to
witness the history of the murders and it also makes the trailer a lot
more gory.

9. The sound in the trailer at the beginning is quite with only the diegetic sound such as
footsteps and a camera flash being used. The silence of this creates suspense but also
allows the audience to gain a sense of reality. Soon after there is the laugh of what
sounds like a child, this sends chills downs the audiences spines. As this laugh becomes
louder an unknown figure comes out that makes the audience jump, a the non diegetic
sound is used at this point as the music crescendos dramatising the scene. Another
sound that has been overlaid in post production is the heart beat which builds up with
the intensity of the clip. The heart beat is quite prominent and is effective because your
heartbeat races when you are panicking therefore the audience are feeling what they
victims are feeling as well it builds tension due to the heartbeat increasing. Furthermore
a lot of the non diegetic sound that has been added in is high pitch and this helps to
build a tense atmosphere. Paired with this the diegetic sound like the chains clinking are
ones that are familiar with the genre of horror therefore the trailer is conforming to the
genres conventions. Throughout the trailer there is narration, but this narration is done
with dialogues from the scenes of the movie. This is done effectively as the audience are
informed of the background of the movie. The music throughout is eerie. The main
villain, ‘Jigsaw’ talks directly to the audience and entices the audience through the main
character which is intriguing and interesting approach. His voice is distorted and this
creates a sense of mystery and creates enigma codes. In the trailer there is lots of
screaming involved and this scares the audience but gives them the jump scares which
makes them want to see the film. Another effective sound is the clock that ticks
throughout which reflects that there isn’t much time left but also represents the challenge
the victims face. This sound of emphasises how torturous the events of the film are.

10. Anchorage with words like voyeur, madman and
psychopath are used to describe saw and this adds to the
intensity of the trailer. The audience are given all of these
ideas to them on a plate through the text but these ideas
are ones already running through there might, therefore
the director may have done this as a way of
reinforcement. All the text is in the same font and the
capital letters makes it stand out. The background is dark
with the text being a mixture of white blues and greys, all
negative and cold colours, foreshadowing the film and
reminding the audience of a horror. The last two narration
parts are ‘It’s his game’ ‘And its your move’ making the
trailer personal to the audience and making them feel like
they have some involvement. I feel for this type of horror
movie the text is effective because it escalates the mood
and puts all of these ideas into the viewers mind. The text
at the top ‘twisted pictures’ is wrapped in barb wire and
this is a company that has been used by the film
production, the barb wire reflects the horror conveys
danger and the need to escape.