The document discusses techniques used in horror movie trailers to build tension and establish atmosphere. It notes that slow, dolly camera movements; abrupt, short shots; shaky handheld camera work; and close-ups of faces are used to build tension. Non-diegetic music and sounds are edited in to further emphasize the abrupt editing and suggest that something bad will happen. The trailer uses contrasts between light and dark shots, saturated and desaturated filters, and certain color schemes to establish themes and unsettle the audience. Through these techniques, the trailer aims to create an unnerving atmosphere and leave viewers wondering what will happen.

2. By Tooey Jones
*

3. *
* The opening shot is a slow dolly shot that moves towards the house. The
slow movement builds tension but helps establish the setting for the film.
The movement of the camera could suggest that something is happening
inside?
* The short camera shots throughout keep the audience interested and on
the edge of their seats, it also makes the trailer seem abrupt and edgy
which are typical of the horror genre.
* Use of shaky, hand-held camera work when showing clips from the main
protagonist’s point of view helps to make the audience feel as though they
are in his position and therefore makes them feel fear and tense
atmosphere.
* Lots of close or medium-close up shots of faces (usually the main
protagonists) help to emphasise emotion, usually fear.

4. *
* Non-diegetic string music based around only two or three notes helps
to build the tension in the first 30 seconds of the trailer as it suggests
something unusual happening and a problem developing.
* Non-diegetic ‘booms’ are edited in on cuts to black or cuts to titles.
This emphasises the abrupt editing and, again, suggests to the
audience that something bad is going to happen creating an
unnerving atmosphere.
* Towards the end of the trailer synchronous sound is used. The sound
of the projector tape breaking is placed over shots of characters in
danger and scenes from the film. This creates a constant, repetitive,
almost hypnotic pace as the clips show on the beat of the sound,
making the atmosphere more tense and unnerving.
* When a jump scare is used on screen, it is supported by the non-
diegetic drums and loud, violent strings in the background which
helps to create the shock factor and unsettling atmosphere.
Synchronous sound: Sound that appears to be matched to certain
movements occurring in the scene, as when footsteps correspond
to feet walking.

5. *
* Set primarily in a suburban family home, this makes the setting relatable to almost everyone
watching the film as they will have been in a home like this at some point in their life.
* Opening shot is seemingly lit by the moonlight creating harsh shadows on the house. The
darkness makes us feel as though something is wrong or that something bad may happen.
* This shot is followed by the exact same shot but in the daylight making the house seem less
intimidating as the light is softer and brighter. This contrast between the two shots helps to
emphasise themes in both shots.
* The kitchen scene is lit with one light source coming from the ceiling which gives harsh
shadows and keeps the background in darkness. This could be representative of the unknown?
Or it could just be a tension building technique as it is giving the ‘bad things’ more places to
hide.
* With regards to props, the vintage projector that is used throughout to show the main premise
of the film is specifically chosen because it is grungy and creepy. The fact that it’s old also
makes it feel untrustworthy.
* There is a washed out, de-saturated filter used on the majority of the clips in the trailer giving
the feeling of something being wrong, even in daylight scenes.
* Black, Browns and Greys are all used to create the colour scheme for the darker scenes. These
colours have negative connotations and imagery, emphasising the fact that this is a horror
trailer.

6. *
* The beginning half of the trailer sees lots of ‘fade to black’ transitions
which are very common in horror trailers. They are used because they
make the audience feel like they are missing some information; they
haven’t got the whole picture. This means they feel uneasy and as though
something might be wrong.
* Titles that are shown throughout are correspondent to the colours and
themes of the trailer. Dark, thin writing with a dark, cracked background
image help to make the posters and other advertisements recognisable to
the audience. The titles show other films made by the director so people
can decide whether they want to see the film based on the success and
reputation of the director as well as the trailer itself.
* Quick cuts at the end of the film build up to the unveiling of the name of
the film.
* The final title saying ‘coming soon’ burns out as if it was being projected
by an old projector. This is a continuation of the narratives themes outside
of the story making the audience targeted.

7. *
“The subject matter of the trailer establishes the genre”
* I agree with this statement because the narrative of a film is
the biggest contributing factor to determining which genre
the film falls into. The narrative of the film is shown very
clearly in this film because it is important to show to the
audience that there is danger and peril involved in the film
and that it is, in fact, a scary film! The other elements of a
media trailer just help to bring this narrative to life and to
ensure that it is successfully scary.
* The main purpose of the trailer is to create an element of
suspense for the audience, to leave them wondering. What is
going to happen? And how will it be resolved? This is called
the enigma code.

8. *
“Dialogue helps to create an element of fear for
the audience”
*The dialogue is also an incredibly important part of
portraying the narrative and they both work hand-
in-hand. For example, when the protagonist says
‘I’ve got a good feeling about this’, the audience
knows that something is bound to go wrong. This
also helps the audience to build a connection with
the character and to start to feel empathy for them
as they know the character is going to get into some
sort of trouble.

9. *
*The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification)
labelled this film a 15 certificate and says it
contains strong violence and horror.
*I think that the target audience for this film is 15-35
year olds. This is because teenagers and young
adults are excitable and enjoy the adrenaline of
watching a scary movie and the older target
audience members may be able to relate to the film
as the family are over coming many boundaries
people of this age are tackling, for example,
starting a family or moving house.