There are traditional codes and conventions that can be seen throughout trailer, however just like codes and conventions of slasher film, some conventions have been challenged, and now recognisable within trailers. Voice overs are conventional, but some trailers do not always follow this convention. Trailers do not only inform the audience what to expect throughout the film, it also allows the audience insight on the production companies involved with the creation of the film, the release date and the age certificate of the film, which is usually shown as what you call an end card.
Halloween Trailer Analysis:
Halloween is a classic slasher film that was produced by John Carpenter in 1978. It was originally released on October 28th 1978 in the US. Halloween was a successful, low budget independent film that is still popular even in today’s society. The narrative includes a psychopathic villain Michael Myers who had been institutionalised since a child, after brutally murdering his sister during his childhood. During adulthood, he then escapes, and goes on a quest for his teenage sister Laurie, who he again wants to murder, and kills anyone who gets in his way.
The audience are instantly aware of the films genre due to the sharp tension building non-diegetic sound, which accompanies point of view shot that is shot by a hand held camera, in order to reinforce the point of view. The audience were able to recognise the genre due to the fact they are able to recognise codes and conventions within a slasher film. The establishing shot that was shown is a common convention for slasher films as they reinforce a common suburban house which is usually were the teens are seen isolated. The house represents a quiet suburban town which many people within the audience could relate to as many of them expect to live in one. We are then introduced by the narrator who says ‘Halloween night…’ and this itself allows the audience to understand a sense of the narrative, and understanding why the film name is Halloween, which is essentially shown through dialogue.
We are then shown a scene that is shot from a perspective inside a mask, which is from the killer’s perspective. This then allows the audience to understand they are experience the narrative from the killer’s point of view, which automatically puts them in the monsters position. This can also be related to Roland Barthes semantic code, as he suggests the viewers can view the narrative from different perspectives, .e.g. in this case is the monster. The audience are automatically snapped out of the monsters perspective as the monster mask is pulled off his face where his identity is revealed. The identity of this character shocks the audience as the identity is recognised as a child, which is unusual as the norm for the killer is not usually a child. Along with this scene, we are able to hear non-diegetic sound that appears to build tension, which gives a sense that nobody is safe in that neighbourhood, and therefore gives us a sense of the narrative, or even represent the monster, which is an example of a musical motif. The title of the film is then shown along with a pumpkin, which is a sign of iconography, as the pumpkin symbolises the idea of the holiday period ‘Halloween’ and this therefore relates to the name of the film. This is played alongside with loud frightening music, which sends a message that this time of the year is cursed. It also helps the film to go viral as the film is to be released around this holiday period, and this makes the film more exciting to watch for the audience. By revealing the film’s title, this is a usual form and convention for a trailer as it is a caption towards the first half of the trailer, and this is seen as formulaic.
The narrative is further conveyed as the audience are then introduced to the doctor, called Dr Loomis, presumably the killer’s doctor, who notifies the characters the killer’s true intentions, and what he is really like. He reveals the killer’s foreseeable killing nature, which panics the characters within the narrative, and therefore panics the audience, automatically putting the audience in the same position as the teenage friends, which relates to Roland Barthes semantic code. This is formulaic within a trailer as it is vital to include elements of where the audience feel included within the narrative, and want to know more, which leads to them watching the film which is an example of audience positioning.
Throughout the trailer we are able to hear the non- diegetic musical motif which introduces the killer, and we are aware of this as this musical motif plays when the killer is about to appear, which the audience are aware of, but not the characters within the narrative, and this puts the audience in a helpless position. The musical motif plays childlike theme music, mixed with a dull evil tone, which portrays him as a person as it describes his innocence as a child; however his childhood was destroyed by his evil essence, and this therefore reinforces binary opposites which is a theory produced by Claud Levi Strauss, and this theory indicates the idea of the opposing differences between characters. This therefore highlights the idea of Michael Myers the villain having two opposing sides to him such good vs evil, which reinforces this idea of binary opposites. This also juxtaposes the idea of the two opposing sides the villain has, in which both sides to him have different outcomes. We are also shown a scene where the Michael Myers the monster attacks an innocent lady in the car, presumably one of the doctors at the hospital, and this scene is shot in stormy miserable weather, which reinforces a negative atmosphere, and informs the audience of negative activity.
In the next scenes we are introduced to the equilibriums which is a part of Tzvetan Todorov’ theory, which indicates the five different stages you would see within a slasher film. Although, during a trailer, we will not see every phase of the narrative theory, and this is due to some stages such as ‘the disruption’ and ‘the repair’ would be revealing too much of the narrative in a trailer, and this should remain a mystery until the film is watched. The equilibrium is shown which is the first stage of Todorovs narrative which suggests we see the characters in their natural environment, which we can see three girls walking down the road, seemed to be living their daily everyday lives, unaware of the normality of their lives is about to be disrupted by the antagonist. This is recognised as a norm within Tzvetan Todorovs theory. The non-diegetic music that is played alongside the disruption of the equilibrium is shown low pitched to begin with, which then builds up to build more tension when the girls being to look around, which alerts us of the danger to come to them. We then are confirmed of the danger the girls were facing as we see the three girls are being picked off one by one, which is formulaic within horror films. One of the girls deaths we see her lying on the bed with a gravestone, alongside a pumpkin, which reinforced the killer and the film. Towards the end of the trailer we are shown a lot of shadow like scenes, which is a convention influenced by film noir which creates a paranoid atmosphere as the audience are unaware who is creating these shadows. We are then clearly aware of the protagonist as she is the last one out of the equilibrium, who is seen running away from the antagonist injured, which automatically reinforces her vulnerability, and the power the monster has, and this builds tension as the audience are left wondering if she will survive. We are then ended with a sequence of past paced montage editing shots which is conventional throughout a trailer, so this builds tension and excitement for the audience, leaving them wanting to know what happens next. The trailer is viewed in a non-linear format, which is also conventional throughout the trailer.
The typical form to a trailer relates to the shape of a trailer. This shape includes a slow start at the beginning of a trailer, with captions and logos visible throughout the trailer, which we can see is visible throughout this specific example, which is then followed by sections which allow the audience to briefly understand who the characters are and the relationships and aspects of the narrative, which is also visible within this trailer as it shows the group of girls walking home from school, in which we learn from this they are three best friends. This is then followed by faster paced sequence towards the end, which then finishes on the films end card. There is also a voice over that is present throughout the trailer which can sometimes be challenged by some film trailers. Although through this particular example we can see it has followed the norm of voiceovers which therefore shows , that Halloween trailer has conformed to a formulaic trailer as it includes the aspects needed for a conventional shape of a trailer.
Dead man's shoes Trailer Analysis:
Dead Man’s Shoes is a psychological thriller which has many elements of a slasher. However, unlike typical slasher films such as: Halloween, it alters the semantic code by having the film told through the killer’s point of view rather than the victims, inevitably explaining the actions he takes within the narrative. The story follows the lengths a brother will go to act out revenge on his younger brother’s abusers.Within this essay I am going to attempt to analyse the way in which conventions are coded within this trailer to convey a ‘slasher’ genre.
The trailer commences with the ‘Optimum Releasing’ logo, this is a typical convention found within trailers in which the logo of a distribution company is presented first. We are then introduced to non-diegetic folk music which helps in creating a sense of the narratives location; it is a pastoral representation of a rural isolated area (imitating the look and sound of the countryside) which does not convey the conventional horror scenic atmosphere. This can be described as the equilibrium of the narrative (Todorov) in which everything is peaceful and no disruption has occurred yet. The establishing shot of a bird’s eye view of trees dissolves into scenery, introducing the audience into the narrative as the main character Richard is then seen walking along a long road carrying an army rucksack. We are able to presume that he was in the army, not only from his rucksack but from the green/brown jacket he is wearing; however, his jeans suggest that he has left as he is not in full army uniform. The long road implies that he is on a journey but the mise-en-scene within this clip suggests that both him and his brother are on the same journey (as they are seen side by side) but are on different paths; hinting at the fact that Richard is alive whereas Anthony is dead. The grey clouds in the distance indicate that a storm is coming and that storm is Richard’s wrath.
The next scene Richard is seen in a dip within a forest surrounded by shadows and very little light. The dip may represent a situation that he psychologically cannot get out of. The forest is a typical slasher location and the gentle non-diegetic music which matches the countryside within the frame indicates that this is Richard’s natural environment. The voice-over which is a convention of most trailers, along with the captions in between clips: a brother’s love, are used to illustrate aspects of the narrative, as we are now informed that the two characters we have seen are brothers. We are then introduced to an old footage of a home video where he and his brother are together, this demonstrates the love he has for his brother and also allows the audience to empathise with the character in order for them to create a perception of him that will justify his intentions later on. The whole first sequence has a sense of British Social Realism as it illustrates the idea of a small story about relationships –instead of meteors or the world ending. There is an air of realism that suggest British social realism as the actors are not made to look attractive, they have accents and are represented in a working class manner.
The grey cracked wall behind Richard’s head suggests that this is not a domestic situation and the cracks may even be an implication of his crumbling state of mind or life. There is nothing behind Anthony’s head apart from the trees and plants which represent life, an ironic turn of events as he is a figment of Richard’s imagination. Anthony is dead, however, this is only uncovered near the end of the film; but knowing this we can understand why the house they are in has no furnishings, it hints that it is not a home anymore as his home has been completely stripped away from him since his brother’s death, there is no one left but him.
The trailer categorises itself into the horror genre as soon as the: ‘VENGEANCE’ caption appears. The typography and the screeching noise which accompanies it is again a typical convention of horror films. This is the disruption which shatters Todorov’s equilibrium. The trailer highlights flash backs within the film through colour, using black and white for past events. Quick flash transitions within the trailer are typically used to create tension as well as help build up the pace. Richard within this film tends to take on the binary opposites of both the protagonist and antagonists role, as although he is the killer he is also seen as the victim. The montage editing helps in blurring the lines between what may be seen as right or wrong as it cuts from the flash back in which they are bullying his brother to a scene in which they are laughing, implying that they are heartless and therefore Richard has a right to kill them. The flash of red tint suggests horror and foreshadows the violence he is going to inflict on them through his journey for revenge. He is masked which is a typical convention that is found within slasher films. The pace begins to increase (a usual form of a trailer) after a sense of the narrative is established at the same time the flashes of red tint is seen more frequently, this demonstrates the way in which the trailer is explicitly taking on characteristics of the slasher genre. Non-diegetic music of a base note accompanied by a childish melody is introduced and again is more typical of a horror. Richard and Sonny are meant to be considered binary opposites as one should take on the role of the bad person (Sonny) and the other as the good one (Richard) however, that line is completely clouded as although Sonny is the bad character Richard tends to possesses the likely hood of both.
As the pace builds during the second half of the trailer, there is more suggestion of horror as Richard is seen with an axe which could be interpreted as the ‘killers’ weapon of choice. The gore and dark are also characteristics that are related to the slasher genre. Captions such as quotations of reviews and star ratings are characteristics usually found within trailers, as they help promote low budget films like ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ as they are considered a ‘seal of approval’ which attracts much needed attention to the idea that the film is a ‘must see’. The typography tends to take on a ‘flame’ style suggesting the fires of hell and creating a horror feel to the film. Some gore can be seen as we are shown blood on the walls and on the man’s ear but only enough to inform the audience that this film can be gruesome at times. The pace is still increasing and a non-diegetic choir noise joins it making the music’s effect more powerful as well as introducing the gothic atmosphere which is consistent with horror. In between clips we are presented with more captions, this time of film festivals which the film was selected for to give the impression that the film is being recognised and appreciated. The border of these captions is seen as a badge of quality and is a marketing technique to help build an audience for the film and push the promotion in order to influence the film’s success. The title of the film is now shown, slowing the pace and also introducing the famous director Shane Meadows name to highlight and attract his audiences’ attention to the film. Finally the trailer ends (like all trailers do) with an end card which includes a website, the name of the film and ultimately all the cast and crew who worked on the film.
The Shining Trailer Analysis:
This trailer has intentionally subverted conventions of not only slasher and horror trailers, but movie trailers as a whole. With no quick editing and flashy camera work, you would suspect it was difficult to create the threatening feel that a conventional horror trailer would give you. However, this trailer does exactly that. By challenging the conventions of a typical trailer, it places the audience in a position of discomfort and unfamiliarity which can be just as disturbing, if not more so than a conventional and formulaic trailer. Not many directors would be able to produce a trailer such as this and carry it off with such conviction but Stanley Kubrick has the audience to do so and the skill to live up to expectations after such a confident and overtly eccentric piece of film. Kubrick is known for his daring and innovative way of creating films and therefore has the freedom to subvert conventions in such a way that others may not.
The trailer begins with the fade in of a view of a hotel lobby space which, when viewing the film you find out to be the setting of the attacks. This scene appears almost symmetrical, linking to the element of psychological dysfunction within the film as we find out the killer has OCD, an anxiety disorder, characterised by intrusive thoughts which permits the sufferer to fulfilling repetitive behaviours such as creating a specific place for everything. The scene alone uncovers themes within the narrative of the film which proves it does not need to be displayed so obviously through the way in which conventional film trailers do. Additionally, the fact that the entire trailer is centered around one location distinguishes it from other trailers which take many locations from within their films and pack it into one trailer. Here we have a simple location, a location that practically all viewers have witnessed before as it is such a familiar destination, and really brings home the fact that this could be reality.
The first name we see on the trailer is Jack Nicholson who at the time was a significantly famous actor. This is a marketing technique used by producers to target the fans of the main actor, causing them to come and see the film. This is also the case with the director’s name who we have already established is a very successful and well respected director. All the text throughout this trailer uses a consistent typography which resembles a typewriter font, reflective of the main characters role of a writer. It is these interlinking ideas throughout the trailer which link the audiences experiences of external information about the film which triggers intrigue and encourage people to view the film for themselves.
It is significant to point out that there is no editing in this trailer whatsoever. However, the blood that comes gushing in has been strategically slowed down in order to match it with the accompanying music. This intensifies the atmosphere and signifies that any death within the film will be a long, drawn-out and painful death. Additionally, prior to the second time we see “The Shining” everything in the lobby was clean and untouched, it was only after the second caption of “The Shining” that the blood began to pour in. This reveals to the audience that it was “The Shining” that caused this amount of blood to pour in and therefore causes the deaths within the film. At this point, viewers do not know what “The Shining” is as the title doesn’t give away many clues about the narrative so this intrigues the audience and leads them to view the film.
The sound plays the most important role within this trailer. At the very beginning we hear a low drone which begins to build up until the image emerges. This drone is consistent throughout the whole trailer and becomes intensified by the layers which are added to it. One of these is the ticking of the clock or metronome which is synonymous to the idea of psychological treatment and therapy. This is also accompanied but a sound of heavy strings which almost resemble voices that keep repeating continuously. These elements together link with themes within the narrative of psychological illnesses and madness as the main character is possessed by a murderous spirit. Additionally, there is no diegetic sound or voiceover within the trailer, only the sound of the composed music which is another way in which Kubrick does not use many conventional elements of film trailers. This composition is deliberately choppy and sharp to almost give the impression of goosebumps which add to the chilling vibe of the trailer.
We as viewers deliberately don’t hear the sound of the gushing blood coming through the elevator. This adds to the shock factor of the piece and intensifies the enigma and tension as it is yet another element that has been subverted and challenges the audience’s expectations. This highlights that sense of discomfort as you are only seeing the gushing blood, not hearing it. Due to this, the viewer then matches the blood with the sound of the strange music and overall has a very profound effect on the viewer’s experience of the trailer. ‘The Shining’ trailer does, for all its innovative elements, ultimately conform to the expected structure, shape and form of a trailer. For example, the build in tension is something all trailers have as it enthrals the audience and that is the main aim of any trailer. If you can captivate your audience then there is more chance of getting a greater profit as people will want to see something that intrigues them.
Additionally, the use of captions and ‘above the line’ talent such as Stanley Kubrick and Jack Nicholson as a promotional tool is consistent with more formulaic texts. This trailer takes a few risks in challenging common conventions as some people may not understand the connotations and new format of the trailer, however many people will recognise that by subverting these conventions it places them in a deeper, more discomforting and menacing position than any conventional trailer would achieve.
No comments:
Post a Comment