The document discusses techniques used in film trailers to create atmosphere and build tension. It analyzes the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane, praising its use of asynchronous sound and rising tension in the music to unsettle viewers. Examples from other thriller/horror trailers demonstrate how editing techniques like cuts, close-ups, and focus pulls direct attention to build suspense. Lighting, colors, and filters also set mood and provide clues about the plot and characters. The document considers how these techniques could be applied to create an effective trailer that makes audiences want to watch the full film.

1. Danielle Duffy

2. With sound being an important element of every video
production, I looked at how music and sounds can help create
an atmosphere that reflects the genre of the piece.
In the theatrical trailer for recent thriller 10 Clover field Lane
(2016), I particularly like the combination of a range of sound
techniques to instil a sense of tension into this preview for the
movie.
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQy-ANhnUpE

3. I find the use of asynchronous sound highly effective. An
upbeat tune has been fitted to mysterious visuals of what
appear to be the protagonist and antagonist playing games
together etc. This can be described as asynchronous due to
the genre of the film as horror. This adds a strange feel to the
clip and makes us question the characters, and raises
suspicion about the film’s plot. This I think makes the viewer
interested to watch the film which is ultimately the purpose of
trailers and therefore it is effective. In relation to Todorov’s
equilibrium theory, the events portrayed in this trailer possess
a linear narrative; as the atmosphere goes from somewhat
normal and pleasant to dangerous and threatening; as
conventional of the genre of thriller/horror. This explains why
some members of there audience feel that trailers give away
too much about the plot of the film, spoiling it and therefore
deterring us from watching instead. Although I think in this
instance you are persuaded to watch the film as there is more
under the surface. This rise in tension somewhat mirrored by
the music, which builds up (harsher sounds are added and the
tune is slowed down and sounds eerier). This is similar to
another sound technique called a crescendo which is a build
up or sound commonly used in horror/thriller to imply that
something (usually bad or fatal for the characters) is about to
happen, and so prepares the audience, building up
anticipation, and alluding to the presence of a malicious
antagonist.
As I am looking to create a thriller/horror, I think
this would be appropriate, especially because it is
a trailer and I want to make the audience
anticipate the film and want to watch it. I could
use music featuring a change in the tempo to hint
at themes of danger I could use it to hint at
themes of danger and the presence of a malicious
antagonist. In this trailer; diegetic sound is often
cut out, with only key sounds (such as the
ambient background music and the smash of the
glass bottle the female character uses as a
weapon) being featured as to not overwhelm the
viewer with multiple sounds.

4. I like how production company Warner Bros have adjusted the design of their logo screen
to reflect the film’s genre of thriller/horror, in comparison to their original logo which is
more colourful and cheerful. This tells the audience that the film contains dark themes and
is intended for mature audiences. When designing a production company logo screen, we
could consider the mood we want to create and choose colours that represent this. It is also
possible that we could adapt our previous logo to give it a darker, spooky look to connote
the genre of horror.
Production company logo in The
Conjuring 2 trailer (2016)
Original

5. I like the electric blue tones of
the font; standing out against
the conventional black title
background screen, with the
darker tones creating an eerie
mood. The colour blue is often
associated with the spiritual
and so connotes there being a
paranormal element to the
film.
Taking inspiration from this in
my own production I will select
a colour for our titles that
reflects the themes;
considering it is a horror, red
(connoting blood) is likely to
be appropriate, and dark
colours.

6. Seen sometimes in thriller/horror, the title that proclaims the film
is based upon a ‘true story’ is effective in increasing the impact of
the film upon the viewer. I think that seeing this in a trailer would
make the audience anticipate the film further. In our own trailer, if
our plot is believable, this is a technique we could use to attract
viewers.
Screenshot from The Conjuring 2 (2016) teaser
trailer
I will begin to research online into real
life horror stories that we could
potentially base our plot upon. The
ones that caught my eye incorporate
elements of horror and mystery; these
beings aspects that link well together
and are often explored in horror film.
However; if we were to use a story like
this; we would have to consider how
our audience would feel about this
and whether it is respectful. Perhaps if
this is an issue we could use one that
doesn’t involve the death of a real
person.

7. The mysterious death of Elisa Lam (2013)
Overview and discussion:
The body of a young woman (Lam) is discovered in the water tank of the Cecil Hotel
(where she was staying) in downtown LA. Insufficient evidence remains for there to
have been a conclusion on how she really died, however there are many
speculations online. A strange piece of footage of the young woman in the hotel
elevator was released and many are puzzled by her odd behaviour. She is said to
have had bi-polar disorder, so perhaps this caused her odd death, and this is
something we could potentially explore in our horror film (trailer); perhaps it could
be the protagonist herself who is delusional, or we could even have there be some
kind of killer or supernatural being haunting our character. Stories like this provide
us with inspiration, and we could borrow elements from this to make our ‘true
story’.
Information source: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a39179/five-
real-life-horror-stories/
Elevator video footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjVBpyTeZM

8. Omniscient caller (2007)
Overview and discussion:
In 2007, ABC news documented a series of cell phone calls to families with
terrifyingly specific death threats. The unidentified callers knew exactly what
families were doing and what they were wearing. The families reported that
the calls come in all hours the night; threatening to kill their loved ones,
terrorizing them with malicious threats. The police seemed powerful to stop
them, and they were unable to track down their tormentor. This links to
themes of voyeurism as explored by Hitchcock in his classic thriller/horror,
and I believe it would be interesting to explore themes like this as we could
create some tense scenes, really putting the audience on the edge of their seat
with a situation that could potentially happen to them.
Information source: http://www.esquire.com/news-
politics/news/a39179/five-real-life-horror-stories/

9. I like how having many cuts looks within a trailer as it allows for the
short preview of many scenes, rounding off the film’s plot, and speeds
up the pace. Having a fast pace is something I feel is conventional of a
trailer, and something that is particularly effective as the purpose of the
trailer is to preview scenes. Especially in thriller as you want to build the
tension and not give too much away about the plot. I will practice re-
creating this by filming several different scenes and combining them.

10. I find that ending a trailer with a cut-to-black screen is effective because it
emphasises that the amount of content shown is limited, and to find out
what happens viewers must see the film and wait for its release, therefore
building suspense and anticipation. The black screen lasts for about 5
seconds in the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane 2 (2016), allowing the time
for the viewer to reflect upon the content they have just been shown. I will
try to create my own version of this, and I intend to take inspiration from
this by featuring a scene that hints at impending disaster.

11. I particularly like how a focus pull has been used here to draw attention to the
male character (who is portrayed perhaps as the antagonist in this trailer).
This could convey the female
protagonists that this man may
not been what he seems. Going
with this representation, the next
shot is of a gun that he keeps on
him, suggesting further that he is
suspicious.

12. I find focus pulls to be highly effective as they
can direct the viewers’ attention to an object or
person or hold further meaning like I found in
my previous example. I carried several out
effectively in my AS project, and so it is
something I would like to carry forward and
practice so I can execute them professionally.

13. From the trailer for Emilie (2016)
From the trailer for Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
I find the camera shot of close ups
to be effective in drawing the
viewer’s attention to particular
props or actions. This helps us
understand which props are most
important; or they signify
something for example the candle
flickering in the first screenshot
alludes to the presence of an evil
spirit. This makes the audience
feel more involved and
knowledgeable about what is
going on and character’s reactions
and emotions. I will practice these
by taking several test shots with
intimate framing, considering
objects and expressions that have
significant meaning.

14. In evaluation of my efforts I feel these shots were rather successful. The silhouette of the
hand against the curtain is a detail that should be viewed up close for greater impact. The
second photo gives a crisp side view of the subject which would be effective for introducing
a character.

15. In horror, low-key lighting is commonly used to create an eerie atmosphere
for darker scenes; aiming to put the audience on edge.
The lack of lighting in this shot presents the house
as possessing an eerie presence; the darkness
suggests that something dangerous is happening.
The following shots reveal the act of a séance
taking place, an event that I think is typical of the
horror genre within the supernatural subgenre as
ghosts and paranormal beings are the tormentor
of many peoples’ nightmares.
With dark surroundings, it gives the feel that
anything could come out and attack the people;
which is also likely to frighten the viewer.
Screenshots from the trailer for Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

16. I relied solely upon street lights at dark for
the lighting of these shots, and I think has
successfully given them a dark, silent feel.
The silhouette figure walking through the
alley is rather eerie and conceals the
characters’ features which could be
something we could feature in our piece; if
filming at dark. However filming at dark is
not ideal as I found it isn’t easy to achieve a
well-lit and good quality shot when the
lighting isn't optimal.

17. Within my research into teaser trailer, I found the application of a
coloured filter upon footage to be highly effective. I would like to
have a go at altering the tones of a piece of footage using
software Adobe Premiere, and so will go about this to become
more familiar with the effects offered by this program. The video
containing my experiments may be viewed on my blog.
I like the use of a filter here which enhances
the blues within the image, evoking a cold,
sad tone. This works well with the theme
and style of the movie within the
horror/supernatural genre and is reflective
of the character’s shaken mental state. It is
evidential that the alteration of colour can
change the mood of the image. Blues
indicate coldness and red is rather hot and
fiery perhaps indicating passion or pain.