Insidious is a horror film which was released on the 29th April 2011. The film is rated a 15, due to the dramatic and aggressive nature presented in the film.
Interestingly, the trailer opens with the title of the film, rather than the title being presented at the end of the film. This is an effective way to draw the audience in, as they would expect the name of the film to be shown at the end. It gives them a direct insight into the name of the film and what it might be about. The adjective "Insidious" means "proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects."- Google. It brings to mind thoughts of mystery and deceit, which are emotions that the audience will feel, due to the name just being shown on the screen. The font is in white, which brings positive connotations such as purity and goodness. The background however, is black, with a subtle hint of red around the font. These colours connote negative factors such as death, evil and mystery which creates a strong contrast against the fonts colour. It almost cements the idea of good vs evil, which is a common convention expected in horror films. The trailer then cuts to a medium shot of out protagonist sitting in a chair. He is wearing a red checked shirt,with a black top which seems very simplistic clothing. This makes the audience think that he is an ordinary guy, just relaxing in his own home. We can see photographs hanging in the background, with a piano on the right hand side, which helps to set the scene of an ordinary house. A sound bridge is used here, where someone calls "are you ready?" in which he responds "yes!" This builds tension and anticipation towards the audience as they are unaware of what they are talking about. It brings the audience into the trailer,as it is shown at the beginning rather than at the end. The protagonists expression and desaturated grade of the shot creates suspense and an uneasy atmosphere. Through a fade, we are presented with a metronome is shown. The use of the diegetic and non diegetic sound is a pace setter for the trailer,it engages the audience into the film, and creates suspense. The metronome is going at a fast tempo and the transitions between shots are synced with it which makes the trailer continue on a fast speed and menacing pace. Through a fade, titles are placed onto the screen saying " from the makers of Paranormal Activity and Saw" These films have been huge successes all over the world, so by including that this film is created by the same people, the audience already know that the film is going to be good and either up to or exceed their expectations. We then cut to the beginning shot of the protagonist sitting down on the chair, in the same position, closing his eyes. Through the camera movement of a zoom, we begin to zoom into the protagonists face. This is effective, as it makes the audience feel like they are getting a close up and interpersonal relationship with the protagonist, which helps make them more engaged into the film. It could also suggests that the audience are reviewing and looking at his thoughts. Through a cut, the audience is presented with an establishing shot of what seems to be their house.There are palm trees in the background, which gives the audience an indication that the film is set in a hot location. The camera is tracking towards the left of the house, at an uneasy and un-naturalistic pace. This gives the idea that someone is watching the house, which adds a creepy and sinister vibe to the trailer, which is a common convention of horror films. In addition, the establishing shot is at a slightly low angle, which brings in the idea of power and dominance.
We are then presented with medium shots of a family inside the house. This indicates why we saw an establishing shot of the house, as we can now see the family living inside. We see a two shot of a mum and a child playing together with their toys. We then cut to a scene in the kitchen with a mum and a dad. The dad is wearing a suit which connotes being wealthy and powerful. Due to the composition of the shots and cardboard boxes in the background it is insinuated that the family have just moved house, and that the dad is starting a new job. We here diegetically a lot of shuffling and sighing which suggests that the characters may be feeling stressed and overwhelmed at moving into a new house, which is a common emotion to feel. We are then presented with a long shot of an attic. Dark colours such as black, brown and grey's are used in these scenes which are scary which creates unease as they have connotations of evil and horror. The music in this scene is deep and mellow, which adds to the idea of a scary atmosphere. We then cut to a two shot of the parents looking confused and terrified at something. They are looking downwards, which suggests that they are looking at something small, rather than something big and powerful. The composition of the shot illustrates that they are behind a window, connoting that they are looking at what is unknown and therefore needs to be controlled. The lighting throughout the trailer is an important and interesting factor to look at. The lighting is very soft in daytime and calm scenes of the trailer, such as the hospital scene, which creates a reassuring nature that the audience can feel relaxed about and also relate tot he film.. In the tenser and darker scenes, the lighting is harsher, with lots of shadows This creates a darker atmosphere and harsher tone so creates horror. This is a typical convention of a horror film. Through a cut, we are presented with a long shot of the boy lying on a hospital bed attached to OSS-operational support system This reveals to the audience what the parents were looking so terrified about, and indicates to the audience emotions of distress and terror. The use of the OSS reinforces the idea of "The unknown" . The parents are placed far away from the boy, which suggest that they do not know what condition the boy has, thus they have to stay away. This gives off an uneasy and scary atmosphere towards the audience. The camera then cuts to a close up shot of the mother looking into her sons eyes. The close up shot is effective, as the audience are able to see the sheer and distressing emotion presented on her face. It also means that the audience are able to relate to the way that she feels. In addition, her upsetting emotions shown here, directly contrasts with her emotions at the beginning of the trailer.
We then cut to a dark, medium shot of a staircase. The camera is at a low angle, looking upwards which makes whatever is on the staircase to be more powerful. The lighting here is very low key, which brings fear and terror to the audience.The soundtrack here, dips slightly and becomes much deeper, much like the sound of a cello. Having deep music in horror films is a common convention and is expected from the audience. It brings a dramatic climax to the film, and suggests that something is about to happen. The audience can see shadows moving past the staircase, due to the dim lighting. The un-natural movements has connotations with the supernatural. The fact that we can only see the shadows, connotes that we the supernatural is outside the house, trapping and captivating the family inside. We then quickly cut to an armchair rocking, which gives connotations of old fashioned and old toys, which the audience naturally associate with horror. We then cut to an extreme high angle of the woman looking upwards which suggests that she is being watched. The lighting here is also low key, meaning the audience cannot see much, giving a uneasy and spooky atmosphere. This shot directly contrasts with the previous shot, which was a low angle, which suggests that the power struggle has been overturned. The colouring in this shot is de-saturated which creates a stylistic theme and illustrates a bleak, unusual atmosphere which creates fear towards the audience. The screen then cuts to a long shot of a boy sleeping in his room. The long shot is effective as it means that the audience can see the whole landscape of his room, meaning that they can spot any mysterious movements that may occur. We then hear the door creek open, which is a common convention used in horror films, which suggests that the supernatural is in the room and something shocking is about to occur. The music changes here, from low, deep music to chimmey, child like music. This kind of music is seen as old fashioned, and is also a common convention shown in horror films. Finally, we are shown a medium shot of a girl looking towards the camera. The music and editing here is really fast pace, which brings suspense to the audience and suggests that something is about to happen. We then see a red figure come up behind her shoulder, which only the audience can see, and not the character. This gives the character vulnerability and innocence, as we are aware of what could happen and not the character. The colour red connotes blood and danger, which are aspects that the director and makers of the film want the audience to feel.
In conclusion, i feel that this trailer was highly successful in keeping the audience engage. The mise en scene of lighting and the fluctuation of sound levels helps make the audience feel suspense and terror as the trailer progresses.
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