The trailer for the horror movie "Sinister" uses quick cuts between shots to build mystery and tension. It shows an establishing shot of the dark and mysterious house where the horror takes place. Images of a distressed family and a drawing of a hanged family hint at violence and corruption. As the male lead moves into the house and finds disturbing tapes in the attic, the trailer cuts between the tapes' graphic content and shots of the lead investigating. This suggests the tapes are somehow connected to crimes and that watching them endangers his family. By the end, the demon depicted in the tapes appears to stalk the family in the house.

1. Shot by shot analysis-sinister
By Hope Brennan

2. At the start of the trailer for sinister there is a cut
to the producers of the film ‘summit
entertainment’. This is to show the audience who’s
reasonable for making the trailer they are about to
see. This is used at the start of many trailers as it
could be seen as persuasive technique if the
movie is created by a major Hollywood distributer.
This can be the cause for summit entertainment
as underneath there is smaller text saying ‘a
lionsgate company’.
the trailer then moves to the first image
from the movie, this image is a establish
shot of the house where the horror takes
place. The lighting for this image is low key
which gives the house a very dark and
mysterious feel to it. This is to help create
the feeling of mystery to an audience and
clearly shows them the genre is of horror.

3. Next there is an extremely quick cut to
this image of a family. However the little
girl with a ribbon on her head has a red
circle around her face and a arrow
pointing from it. This connotes that
something has gone wrong in this family
and the little girl is the main lead to why.
The red pen on the picture also
suggests its lead for a murder or crime
scene.
there is also a quick cut to this image which
looks like a child’s drawing. However this
drawing is very dark as it’s of a family being
hanged. With the low key lighting on the image
this the image suggests to the audience which
type of sub genre this film could be eg
‘psychological’ and it suggests ideas of
corruption of young children. Also as this edits is
put in the trailer after the shot of the family it
suggests it could be a reason why the family
have become a crime scene.

4. After this we go back to an establishing
shot of the house however the mood
has changed as the lighting has
changed to high key. This creates an
element of surprise to the viewer as not
everything in the trailers is as it seems.
Also in the far left of the shot there is a
massive van which boxes being taken
out of it, this suggests someone is
moving into the house adding to the plot
of the movie.
the first character we see moving in to the
house is the male lead in the movie , this
suggest to the audience he is the main
character of the movie. However as this Is
a horror movie this could also suggest he
is the main victim

5. As seen in the quick cuts at the start of
the movie the trailer suggest that child
are linked to the horror of the house.
One of the main characters that get’s
the most air time is this little girl in the
family and like the male lead this could
suggest she is a victim or has
association to the horror take place in
the house.
Here we see a classic two shot of a happy
couple in the film this contrasts with the
element of horror in the trailer and
suggests that family have an element of
happiness to lose. This is a persuades the
audience to find out what actually happens
to the modern family and weather they can
make it out of the situation they are put in.

6. the next edit we are shown persuasive text
stating ‘from the producer of paranormal
activity and insidious’ this clearly shows the
sub genre of the horror to the audience as
both paranormal activity and insidious are
psychological horrors. This also shows that
the producer has already created movies of
this type suggesting that the film will be of
high standard of its genre, persuading fans of
psychological horrors to watch it.
the next edit is of the mail lead going
though the mysterious box where he finds
tapes. This is unknown link to the viewer of
the trailer making them want to find out
why they are such an important prop in the
movie to get air-time in the trailer.

7. This is an edit to the first tape that is
view by the male character, this tape
shows the family on the picture linking
to a crime scene. This suggest to the
audience that the house, tapes and
crime scene all link together suggesting
it could be a means to the horror
inflicted on the family in their new
house.
This image is a quick cut to a policeman
reinforcing to the audience that the
element of crime is a theme in the movie.

8. Next we see an edit to the viewing of
the second tape, however this is a
recording of a different family
suggesting to the audience there is
more than the first family creating the
horror story link and this creates
confusion and mystery for the
audience.
This is the edit where the speed of the cuts
speed up as it’s the first image where you
see a shocking/ horrific image. This image
is from the second tape and clearly shows
the audience the tapes the male lead is
watching is actually torcher tapes.

9. Here we see the male lead which lots of
print screens from the tapes plastered
on a wall, this shows the male lead is
treating the tapes like a crime scene and
is determined to find out what they mean
and why they were left in his loft, this
suggests to the audience that the
character is putting him self in the risk of
danger.
Next there is a quick cut to this symbol that
connotes the idea of a cult or demon. This
connotes to the audience that the murders
taking place are linked to the super nature
world.

10. We then see an edit of the male
lead watching another one of
tapes, this is just to again inform
the audience about the risk he is
putting him self through.
After the tragic deaths take place in the
third tape there is a quick cut to this figure
in the water. This image is of a horror
figure which suggests to the audience
there is a villain in the movie.

11. The next edit is to the text ‘once you
see him’ this leaves the audience
hanging as it doesn’t give away to
much of the information but clearly
suggests that seeing the horror figure
connotes danger.
There is next a quick cut to the horror
figure standing outside the house in the
garden and this connotes to the audience
that the figure is actually around watching
the family and Is not just something on a
tape. This creates tension in the trailer.

12. Next we see a close up of the male lead
after he sees the figure outside that this
clearly shows the audience his NVC of
fear. This connotes that the horror has
gone to far and is effect the man as he
feels like no way out as the figure is now
among his family.
The next quick cut is shows the figure
moving on the computer screen to look at
the man, this presents to the audience that
the man has now become the victim of the
figures torture.

13. The next cut is to text that follows up the
last text ‘one you see him’. This text
states ‘nothing can save you’ and
suggests to the audience there is now
no way out for the family.
We now see the youngest girl in the family
viewing one of the torture tapes, this shows
to the audience the tapes are now starting
to effect the whole family.

14. Then there is a extremely quick cut
back to the first tape and the cut is of
the little girl who went missing, this
shows the audience what tape the
male leads daughter is watching.
The next edit is a drawing the daughter did
of the girl in the tape and this suggests the
tape has influenced her. This also
connotes themes of corruption on the
child’s mind.

15. the next image is a horrific image of the
youngest son having a night terror, this
connotes the idea of the corruption of
children again suggesting that the whole
family are now at risk of torture due to the
tapes.
As the tapes are distressing the family the
male lead decides to burn them and leave
the house shown in this edit.

16. Now the trailers has speed up and we see extremely quick cuts
presenting elements of corruption on the house such as the six images
above. The first image of the sign on the door connotes that the demon
is now with the family in the house; the second connotes the tape has
run out suggest the tapes are no longer the source of torture in the
film. The third image suggests the corruption of the little girl as she
draws the demon figure on her wall. The fourth suggests death and
violent with an axe presenting to the audience someone is going to get
hurt. The fifth image is of a dark figure that contrasts with high key
lighting on the wall which enforces the element of mystery and surprise
to the view and the sixth is of the male lead of the floor struggling this
reinforces the fact he is a victim to the torture.

17. the next cut I to the male lead/victims
face with a close up showing his nvc.
This image shows he’s in total distress
but is also confused at what he is
looking at.
We then see what he is looking at in the
next edit, which is all the children from the
tapes sitting together with the demon in the
far back. This shows the audience the
demon is there to corruption children of
different families and presents that the
male’s leads family is next.

18. The next cut is extremely quick of a
close up of the demons face jumping
out in front of the camera. This makes
the audience of the trailer jump giving
them a sense of what they are going
to face in a cinema viewing of the film
as it a jumpy psychological horror. The
nvc of the demons face is unnatural
and scary to add to the sense of horror
in the film.
finally the trailer then cuts to the name of
the film at the end ‘sinister’ which means
‘giving the impression that something
harmful or evil is happening or will happen’
this is left to the end of the trailer so its
memorable for the audience in hope it will
stick in their minds so they go to see the
movie though its cinema screening.