2. Shutter island
For my analysis i have picked the trailer shutter island and in this case i had to use a full trailer as this film does not
have a teaser trailer. This trailer is very effective at conveying the genre of a psychological thriller through great use
of mise en scene, sound, camerawork and editing. I have picked this particular trailer as our film will also be a thriller
and although it will not be a solely a psychological thriller the main plot does have some psychological elements to it.
The unique selling point of the teaser trailer is the location of the mental institution as it is on a secluded island. Also
one of the main key selling points is the fact that Leonardo dicpario is staring in i. In terms of narrative the general
gist of the movie is given to the audience in that the main character is going through a journey for answers and that
he himself clearly develops some issues when he starts to find out what is going on, on the island. I think that this
trailer attracts mature young adults the most as the plotline of the film is shown as quite sophisticated and intriguing
to people who like to think and predict as to what may happen in a movie.
3. This extreme long shot is one of the first shots that is presented to the audience in the trailer. This shot is very
powerful as it illustrates the sheer size of the island and represents how isolated it is and this follows the typical
conventions of a thriller as a settings for most thrillers are very isolated this can also add to the audiences
tension as they can see nothing else but miles upon miles of sea water which may make them feel uneasy about
the setting . The lighting in this shot is also very low-key which is typical of thriller movies and it also gives the
island a very eerie and sinister appearance as the whole setting looks very gloomy. The island itself looks very
unwelcoming as it does not look like a sort of holiday island with sandy beaches etc. But it has high and rough
white cliffs and what seems like a very vast woodland, this appearance could in a way create a sense of fear in
the audiences perspective as the audience does not yet know the secrets it may hold. The sound accompanying
this shot is a sort of non diegetic low drumming sound which fits very well with the shot as it adds to the tension
and suspense which is made by the shot.
4. This long shot of the gates to the mental institution is also extremely effective as it further shows the audience the
sheer size of the island. The gate is also very central in this shot and this combined with the size of the gate creates
an overwhelming effect to the audience. The size of the gate and the wall surrounding can also make the audience
feel uneasy as now the audience knows that the place that two marshals are visiting is a mental institution far from
any other civilization and the gate and the wall signifies that the inmates are very dangerous as they need this
much security to contain them . The lighting in this shot is also very low key and this gives the institution an eerie
and suspicious feel to it.
5. This medium shot for the first time in the sequence shows the audience one of the patients for the first time. The
character in the shot is very central and in addition to this she looks very scary and odd, this creates fear in the
audience as the character seems to be looking right into the camera and subsequently right into the eyes of the
audience which can make them feel very un easy this also amplified because the characters eyes look sunken in and
sinister. The character on screen also has her finger in front of her mouth making the gesture to be quiet this is also
accompanied by a non diegetic hissing sound which is parallel to the characters action on screen this can make the
audience question why she is doing this and it can also make them feel very uneasy as the audience has no clue to
why she is doing this gesture. The character is also handcuffed and this signifies that she is dangerous and it also
adds to the suspense factor as the audience may think that she is unpredictable. Also when this shot is displayed a
line of dialogue from one of the security officers transitions over to this shot and in this line he says “we take only
the most dangerous and damaged patients, ones no other hospital can manage” this line of dialogue gives this shot
a very impressive effect and it further signifies that the character displayed in this shot is very dangerous.
6. This extreme long shot shows the audience the block in which the patients are locked in, this shot has a profound
effect as it further emphasises the size of the island. This also can have a overwhelming effect on the audience as
the cell block looks very fortified and it has a wall going round its perimeter and from this the audience can
connote the inmates are very dangerous as they need this much security to hold them. The building also looks
very brute in terms of architecture and its colours are very dull and this combined with the low key lighting
further enforces the psychological thriller genre.
7. This is a medium shot of the patient who escaped her cell. this shot is edited in a sort of glitch fashion in that it is
only shown for a split second and the shot before this was a similar sort of shot but minus the blood on the face
and the position of her head was different, this creates tension as it is a very quick shot but combined with the
non diegetic glitch sound effect which is very loud is a climax to the build up which was created by the
soundtrack and this is where the montage editing starts to pick up pace. The editing in this shot can also make
the audience question what is real or not and this is what psychological thrillers aim to do. The woman displayed
on screen also looks very sinister and like she has something wrong with her and this effect is created by what
seems to be blood on her face but her facial expression does not look shocked or horrified but instead she looks
pleased and to add to this her clothes look very neat. The blood on her face can also make the audience question
what she has done to end up with blood on her face. The colours of the woman's costume are also some dark
reds and this could signify that she is dangerous as the colour red can be associated with danger.
8. This close up of the main protagonists notebook is also very effective as it builds up tension, this is because
previously to this the audience is informed through dialogue that all the power and communications are down in the
facility and because teddy received this note saying “run” it makes the audience question if he can get out , therefore
adding to the suspense and tension build up. The teaser also suggests that one of the inmates that teddy was
interviewing wrote this in his note book and this can make the audience think that there is something not right with
the mental institution and it could suggest that the staff do not treat the patients well. The word “Run” on the page
is also emphasised as it is the main focus on the frame and all the other words are insignificant and it further
emphasised with a non diegetic sound effect which is played when the frame comes to an end.
9. This medium shot has a low amount of screen time and it is in a series of different shots in a montage, however it
is still very significant and in my opinion it has a very interesting effect on the audience. In this shot teddy
(Leonardo dicaprio) is presented to the audience in what seems to be a military uniform and to add to this he also
has a rifle on his shoulder, this can make the audience question his appearance as he was previously shown as a
deputy marshal with a very classical detective costume on. This shot can also make the audience question reality
as the gliding pieces of paper in the background and foreground create a surreal effect and make it seem as if this
shot is part of a dream or a flashback. We could use shots like these in our own production to make the audience
question our main protagonists motives and actions.
10. This medium long shot is one of the most effective shots in the whole teaser trailer and it pushes the genre of
psychological thriller out the most to the audience. This shot is effective as it really emphasises the break from
reality, this is done by using special effects and making it seen as if the woman teddy is holding is disintegrating in his
hands, this shot is clearly surreal and it can make the audience question who the woman is in relation to teddy. The
break from reality is also further emphasised by the bits of flying ash which were also edited in and this is all topped
off by the spot lighting on both of the characters and this gives it a sort of flashback effect. This whole shot can also
make the audience question if teddy is sane as it seems as if he is hallucinating. The sound effects used for this
particular shot also make it more effective as they are very fast paced and they are also of a high volume and this
adds to the suspense creation which is a key ingredient in a thriller. Although this sort of editing is hard to achieve i
would like to use a similar concept in my own production as it is very effective.
11. This medium shot is one of the final shots in the sequence. It displays teddy in a white costume behind some sort of
metal fencing and this can suggest to the audience that he is trapped. The lighting in this shot creates suspense as the
foreground in which teddy is standing in is lit up and lighting is high key but in the background the hallways are dark
and this creates suspense as the audience does not know what could be lurking in the hallways, this tension build up
also ends with a climax as at the end of the scene a patient jumps out onto teddy. This jump scare was also very
effective because in the build up there was dialogue which was very calm and steady so although the audience may
have been made tense by the lighting they did not expect someone to jump out of the shadows because of the
dialogue exclaimed before hand.
12. Poster analysisThe directors name is displayed in the
centre of the poster and this is done to
attract fans of “martin scorsese’s” previous
films it is also displayed there to suggest
that the quality of the film will be good
taking into consideration his previous
success
The main Actors name is displayed in a
very central location and it is in a very
clear white font against the dark
background. Displaying Leonardo
dicaprios name on the poster will
attract a very high audience as
Leonardo is known to be a very good
thriller actor and he is also
predominant in the genre of thrillers
The general colour scheme for the poster is
very dark and blue and this is typical of the
thriller genre and it also adds to the sense
of mystery it also helps to attract the right
audience as children would not be
interested in this as it is not colourful and
looks much more like a mature film
Leonardo dicaprios face is also the main
focus of the poster, this will immediately
attract the attention of his fan base as he
is centred and quite clearly staring in the
film. The expression on his face is also
very stern and it suggest that he is
attempting to figure something out and
this adds to the mystery element of the
psychological thriller
The tagline reads “some places never let
you go” this reveals a key element of the
narrative as it suggests that the main
character is kept there for some reason
because he cannot leave or because he has
to figure something out before he can
leave so that he has his piece of mind. The
tagline is also in red so that it standouts
from the dark colour scheme.
The films title is very dramatic and it ties
in with the image of the island and lets
the audience know where the film will
be set and this further reveals more
about the narrative. The title is also in a
white font so that it stands out from the
background.
The billing block is also an important
part of the poster as it gives credit
information for other main actors and
producers which can further increase
the audience for the film.
Some of the elements from this poster
are very interesting i would most likely
like to use a same sort of dark black and
blue colour scheme for my poster is this
is very typical of thrillers and it conveys
the thriller genre very well.
